Cold War Rivalry Flashcards
Yalta and Potsdam peace conferences
The Yalta conference- January 1945- agreed that Germany and Berlin were to be divided into 4 zones. However there were differences in how much Germany should pay in reparations and over future government of Poland.
The Potsdam conference- second peace conference of 1945. Stalin wanted massive compensation that would have crippled Germany while Truman refused and wanted to revive Germany as a barrier to a possible future soviet expansion.Truman wanted free elections in the countries of eastern Europe occupied by eastern troops. Stalin refused. At Potsdam it was agreed:USSR would receive bulk of reparations as they had highest casualties, re-establish democracy in Germany including free elections, press, and freedom of speech.
Truman doctrine
In 1947 Britain, who had been giving financial aid to Greece and Turkey since 1944, told the USA they could no longer afford to continue. The USA stepped in with the necessary financial aid, fearing that these two countries would come under Soviet influence. Truman announced US support in an important speech in March 1947. The speech marked a turning point in US foreign policy. He was committing the USA to a policy of containment that became known as the Truman Doctrine
Waugh, Steve; Wright, John. WJEC Eduqas GCSE History: The Development of the USA, 1929-2000 (p. 77). Hodder Education. Kindle Edition.
Consequences of Truman doctrine
- Greek government was able to defeat the communists.
- the rivalry between the USA and the USSR increased
- USA committed to policy of containment
Marshall plan
Truman backed up policy of containment with economic aid to Europe as he believed communism generally won support where there was economic problems. The aid was in form of cash, machinery, food and technology and in return countries agreed to buy US goods and allow companies to invest in their industries. By 1953 the US had provided 17billion in Marshall aid.
Stalin prevented Czechoslovakia and Poland from being involved.
Domino theory
Policy of containment based of domino theory: if one country fell into communism it would trigger fall of neighbouring countries.
Reasons for Berlin crisis
The western allies encouraged economic recovery of their zones. In 1948 they announced plans to create a West German State and a new currency, Stalin accused the west of interfering with the Soviet Zone.
Events of Berlin crisis
In june 1948, Stalin cut off road,rail and canal traffic to Berlin from the western zone of Germany in an attempt to starve allies out of West Berlin. As the only way in was by air, the allies decided to airlift supplies. The airlift began on 28 June and lasted for 10months with planes flying day and night along air corridors, at its peak in 16-17 April 1,398 flights landed nearly 13000 tonnes of supplies in 24 hours.
Results of Berlin Crisis
On 12 May 1949 Stalin called of the blockade as he had failed. Tensions between east and west increased and led to creation of NATO. Truman was successful in his policy of containment.
NATO- North Atlantic treaty a defensive alliance with main purpose of preventing soviet expansion. They agreed that an armed attack against one or more of the. In Europe or North America would be considered an attack against them all. Within 6 years the USSR set up its own rival organisation in the Warsaw pact.
Berlin crisis 1961
Khrushchev, leader of USSR ordered the construction of a wall to separate East and West Berlin. From January the number of refugees leaving east Berlin increased to 20,000 a month. Krusche. Though he could bully new inexperienced president Kennedy. From 5pm on 27 October to 11am next day US and Soviet tanks faced each other in a stand off. After 18hours the US tanks pulled back.
Causes of Cuban missile crisis
Revolution in Cuba 1959 brought Fidel Castro to power. He ejected all US businesses and investments. In retaliation, the USA refused to buy Cubas biggest export- sugar. The USSR offered to buy Cuban sugar.
In April 1961 Kennedy sanctioned an invasion of Cuba by exiles who left Cuba in 59. The bay of pigs was a disastrous failure due to poor planning and lack of support by Cuba. It further strengthened relationships between Cuba and USSR and by end of 1961 Castro announced his conversion to communism,
In September 62 Soviet technicians began to install ballistic missiles on Cuba. On 14 October an American U-2 spy plane took photographs of Cuba showing soviet intermediate-range missile launch sites being constructed. These could almost it US cuties so posed a serious threat.
Events of Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy imposed naval blockade around Cubs to prevent soviet missiles reaching Cuba. Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy insisting Soviet ships would force their way through the blockade and issued a statement that the USSR would use nuclear weapons in the event of a war. Kennedy wrote to Khrushchev asking him to withdraw missiles from Cuba. Kruschev replied saying he would withdraw the missiles if USA promised not to invade Cuba and withdrew its missiles from turkey. A US Spy plane was shot down over Cuba, the USA agreed to the deal of USSR so long as it was keep secret. Khrushchev accepted.
Result of Cuban Missile Crisis
- the superpowers had played a game of brinkmanship
- to ensure the superpowers did not have to communicate by letter in case of crisis, a hotline telephone was set up between the white house in Washington DC and the Kremlin in Moscow.
Reasons for US involvement in Vietnam
Vietnam originally a French Colony but the defeat of the French in 1954 = increased US involvement. This was part of US policy of containment. And domino theory. Involvement increased as the south Vietnamese government (Diem who was corrupt and unpopular) looked in danger of being overthrown by the communist-backed Vietcong guerrillas. For example, under Kennedy the USA tried to reduce communist influence by moving Vietnam peasants into fortified villages guarded by troops. But this did not stop communists and was unpopular with peasants. The Gulf of Tolkien incident gave president Johnson an excuse for more direct military involvement in Vietnam and this was given when on 2 august 1964 the US destroyer Maddox was fired on by Noth Vietnamese patrol boats in the Gulf of Tonkin.
US methods in Vietnam
Operation rolling thunder- us bombing campaign of north Vietnam lasting 3.5 years in hope of destroying Vietcong supply routes. It encouraged greater support for war from North Vietnam and did not stop the supplies to the Vietcong from the North.
Chemical welfare- weapons such as defoliants were used to destroy jungle cover for Vietcong
E.g agent orange = a highly toxic weed killer, Americans used 82million litres to spray thousands of kilometres of jungle and Napalm a bomb which exploded and covered victims in burning petroleum jelly which sticks to skin and burns at 800degrees C.
Search and destroy- descend on a village asssisting Vietcong forces and destroy it. Nicknamed Zippo raids after the name of lighters used to set fire to the thatched houses of villages. Inadequate evidence meant sometimes innocent villages destroyed, civilian casualties very high most having little or no connection to Vietcong.
Reasons for US defeat
The North and Vietcong were fighting for a cause (communism and reunification p) whereas US soldiers did not understand why they were fighting and were too young and experienced causing low morale and some resorting to drug taking behaviour and brutality such as those seen at my Lao massacre where US troops murdered 347 civilians.
The north also had effective guerilla tactics which avoided pitched battles and reduced effectiveness of high tech methods also used tunnels.
Opposition at home (USA) undermined war effort. Televised horrors and large casualties a total of 58,000 deaths. While North Vietcong had support for USSR and China as well as South Vietnamese.
