1. The Cold War Part #2

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)

3. Julius & Ethel Rosenberg
Alger Hiss
Julius & Ethel Rosenberg

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Cuba

9. 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

10. Missile Sites

11. 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

12. Berlin Wall

13. 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

14. JFK at the Berlin Wall

15. 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

16. Vietnam

17. Vietnam War ( )
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

18. 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”

19. 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

23. Viet Cong Tunnel System

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. Fall of the Berlin Wall

28. 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

29. New Countries