The Cold War 1945-1991 Part #2

The Red Scare The Red Scare (fear of Communist invasion) in America was heightened by the discovery of spies working for the USSR: State Dept employee Alger Hiss who was eventually convicted of spying for the USSR Ethel & Julius Rosenberg were convicted & executed for passing atomic bomb secrets to the USSR Fear of Communism: Alger Hiss & the Rosenbergs Gov’t reaction: Loyalty Review Board House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg Alger Hiss Julius & Ethel Rosenberg

McCarthyism In 1950, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy emerged as the leader of anti-Communism in the U.S. He attacked Truman & the Democrats for allowing communists to infiltrate the gov’t He used public trials to make unsupported accusations against suspected communists in the State Dept & the U.S. military

McCarthyism in Action McCarthy’s attacks lasted 4 years But “McCarthyism” did not result in a single confirmed Communist or spy in the U.S. gov’t McCarthy was briefly popular but by 1954, the Senate & American public grew tired of his bullying techniques and McCarthyism faded

Arms Race The Soviet Union and the U.S. began a nuclear arms race against one another The goal was to produce and stockpile the most amount of nuclear missiles By the 1950s, the USSR had matched the U.S. in nuclear arms Both countries began developing Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) that were designed to travel up to 3,500 miles

Cuban Missile Crisis Cuba became Communist in the late 1950s when a man named Fidel Castro led a revolution to overthrow the government President John F. Kennedy places an embargo on Cuba in 1962 – no trade and no travel, attempts to overthrow Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion, which massively fails Cuba is 90 miles south of Florida – U.S. is concerned that the Soviets will place missiles there

Cuba

Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962, a U2 spy plane discovers evidence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba – Kennedy orders the Soviets to remove them Kennedy orders a naval blockade of Cuba, allowing for no ships to come in or out Soviet ships approach Cuba but are met by U.S. ships blocking the harbors After several days, the Soviet Union leader Union leaves and the missiles are removed This was the closest the world has ever been to a nuclear war

Missile Sites

The Berlin Wall Since so many Germans tried to leave East Germany (Communist) and go to West Germany (Democratic), East Germany constructed the Berlin Wall in 1961 This wall prevented people from leaving East Berlin to get to the democratic West Berlin Much of the world is outraged by this action and tries to support the citizens of Berlin

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall JFK comes to West Berlin in 1963 to show his support and give hope to the people in West Berlin The speech he gives is gives is known as one of his best, and is one of the most notable moments from the Cold War The most famous line from his speech was “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a citizen of Berlin) The speech is a great morale boost to the citizens of West Berlin, but the wall will remain for the rest of the Cold War

JFK at the Berlin Wall

Vietnam War Background: Vietnam had been a French colony before WWII, but was occupied by Japan during the war After WWII, France tries to regain control of the country but is met by Vietnamese guerilla fighters The French end up signing a peace treaty, which breaks the country into Communist North Vietnam and Democratic South Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam War (1965-1973) In the early 1960s, North Vietnam invades the South and Kennedy decides to help the South – fears the Domino Effect in South East Asia Domino Effect – if one country turns to Communism than all countries will

Vietnam War On August 2 and 4, 1964, two U.S. ships are attacked by North Vietnamese ships in the Gulf of Tonkin near Vietnam The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is signed, allowing the president to send in troops without the approval of Congress JFK is assassinated in 1963 and Lyndon B. Johnson is now president of the U.S. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution allows Johnson to send in as many troops as is needed to “save South Vietnam”

Vietnam War In 1973 after a long struggle with guerilla warfare against the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong (aka VC aka “Charlie”), the U.S. signs a peace treaty and leaves the war In 1975 North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam and unified the country into a single Communist state In this case, containment failed

Viet Cong Tunnel System

The 1980s Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms: Glasnost – “openness,” the USSR will now start being more open with the democratic countries, like the U.S., when it comes to trade and ideas Perestroika – “economic restructuring,” the USSR will start being more capitalistic

The 1980s Ronald Reagan is elected president of the U.S. in 1980 and immediately begins putting pressure on the Soviet Union by continuing to increase the U.S. military Reagan visited Berlin to again put pressure on the Soviet Union to remove the Berlin Wall He gave a famous speech in 1987 to the people of West Berlin in which he stated: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” His speech challenged the morality of the USSR and his continued pressure would force the Soviet Union to collapse

The End of the Cold War After East Germany decided to no longer be Communist, the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 The Soviet Union itself would end up collapsing two years later due to internal struggles The USSR could not keep up with the U.S. any longer in terms of industry, economy, and political influence After the Soviet Union collapses and Gorbachev steps down, the Cold War is officially over in 1991

Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Collapse of Communism The collapse of the USSR and Communist governments across Eastern Europe saw the creation of many new nations and the increase of NATO members New Countries: USSR – Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Lithuania Yugoslavia – Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro Czechoslovakia – Czech Republic, Slovakia

New Countries