Monday, April 21, 2008

Cold War Notes 01 4/21/08

When Fascist forces are eliminated, Democracy and Communism begin to fight

Global competition

The conflicts between the two superpowers played a major role in reshaping the world

Conflict of military might, in other areas, the US was superior to USSR

After World War II, the Soviets and US began to influence other countries with funding and military might.

Both want buffer zones (sphere of influence)

Communism is spreading more rapidly in China under Mao Zedong

U.S. fights bloody wars to prevent Communist takeovers in Korea and Vietnam.

Mad dash between two superpowers to enter developing countries and influence their development

U.S. supports anti-communist forces

Cold War began to thaw when Khrushchev denounces Stalinism and U.S. leaders adopt a foreign policy of lessened tension.

Yalta Conference

Signs of the Cold War erupt

In the Crimean

3 Objectives

Promote World Peace

Provide Emergency Relief

Form interim Governments based on the will of the people

Stalin's proposal, controversial

Aims

USA

Wants to encourage democracy

Rebuild Europe through US's raw materials

Help U.S. Markets

Reunite Germany

USSR

Divided Germany

Germans were leaving East to West Germany

Encourage Communism

Control Eastern Europe, making a buffer zone

June 1945

Soviet Union and US join the UN with 48 other nations

Aimed to prevent future wars

Iron Curtain

Coined by Churchill

Truman is highly pro-democracy

Anti-Communist

Marshall Plan

Europe is devastated, infrastructure destroyed no jobs

U.S. provides 12.5 billion in aid: food, jobs, other materials

Aid extends to East Berlin with airlifts

Berlin Airlift

Soviet cut-off highways, water, and rail, traffic

Berlin divided in 4 zones

277000 flights, 2.3 million tons of supplies dropped

11 Months

Allowed the U.S. to influence Berlin

Nato vs. the Warsaw Pact

NATO

Coalition of US, Canada and 12 Europe Nations

Attack one, all retaliate

1949

Warsaw Pact

1955, Soviet reply

Soviet Union, Poland, E. Germany, Hungary, etc.

Asia

China

Immense fear of communism

China has a civil war between communists and republicans, which commies win

Both sides join together to fight WWII opponents

U.S. backed Nationalists

Gov't was wasteful corrupt

Did NOT have support of the people

Mao Zedong

Supported by Chinese peasants

95% of the populations

Distributed lands and reduced rents

Experience army

Most of the fighting against the Japanese were fought by the Communists

U.S. Response

Truman did not send troops to China

Allowed communism to spread

Did send aid to the Nationalists

1949-Chiang takes all the aid and flees to Taiwan (previously Formosa)

U.S. response has failed

Loss of China to communism creates domino effect, leads to Korea, then Vietnam

Korea

Japan controlled Korea since 1910

North-USSR

South-U.S.

Separated by the 38th Parallel

1948-U.S. gives S. Korea independence

N. Korea became communist and invades S. Korea

Attack and push S. Koreans nearly to the ocean

Truman: "Another nation falls to communism"

Approaches U.N.

Enters S. Korea

Led by MacArthur

Poor landing location, but MacArthur times it perfectly

U.S. and S. Koreans push N. Koreans to 38th Parallel and further

Scares Chinese

China creates a force of a million "volunteers" and helps to push back the marines to the 38th Parallel

Armistice

Fear of the domino effect

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