1. THE COLD WAR
Do you know something? I make really, really long PowerPoints. Exceptionally long PowerPoints. This is not one of those. This is a ‘choose your own adventure’ PowerPoint.

2. HERE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS
Germany was split into four occupational zones (Yalta Conference, anyone?)
Japan was also demilitarized and under full US control – we rewrote their constitution and made it a parliamentary democracy (go us!)

3. MORE IMPORTANT THINGS USA vs. USSR
Democracy vs. communism (or anything that wasn’t democracy)
West vs. East
ESPIONAGE
The “iron curtain”

4. MORE IMPORTANT THINGS
Containment = stopping the spread of communism… or… ‘containing’ it.
Truman Doctrine (Truman = tank)
Marshall Plan (Marshall = money)
We spend $12.5 billion dollars in 1948 to rebuild war-torn Europe… which is a little over $130 billion now
I just *love* old school propaganda, don’t you? They don’t make it like they used to…

5. MORE IMPORTANT THINGS Brinkmanship Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
Ready to go to war at any minute; replaced by détente
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
ICBMS
Intercontinental ballistic missile
Arms Race
Strategic (?) buildup of missiles
Space Race
Spy planes! But also Sputnik and the moon and stuff
Domino Theory
Communist nations will turn their neighbors communist

6. MORE IMPORTANT THINGS Kennedy and Khrushchev (1960s) De-stalinization
Stalin died – and there was much rejoicing
De-stalinization
Lessening of censorship
Space race! ICBMS!
Do you know that’s why we care so much about STEM now? Because the Soviets used to be smarter than us.
Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis
Speaking of Cuba…

7. MORE IMPORTANT THINGS Brezhnev
Ugh, idiot
Politburo leader, speech and worship censorer
I guess détente wasn’t so bad
Lessening of tensions.. CMC the high point of the Cold War; détente is to make sure that won’t happen
SALT
Limited ICBMS
Poliburo is the executive committee for communist party

8. MORE IMPORTANT THINGS Gorbachev Social and economic reforms
YAY! Good old Gorbachev
Social and economic reforms
Glasnost = openness (think clearness, like glass)
Opened churches, published previously banned books, people can now criticize the government without getting sent to the gulags (oh yeah, which are forced labor camps set up by Stalin that killed like probs 20 million)
Perestroika = economic restructuring
Didn’t want to throw out communism; just wanted to make it more efficient
Poliburo is the executive committee for communist party.
Perestroika = people can own small businesses

9. OH YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CHINA?
We have to listen to the song first..

10. CHINA IN A NUTSHELL 1912, Sun Yat-Sen makes China a republic
1920, nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek ran China as a dictatorship
Mao slowly gains power… has all the peasants on his side
Just like Caesar and pretty much anyone ever who tries to take power
= Nationalists vs. Communists – civil war
1949, Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan; Mao = Supreme Leader; USA sad

11. “Struggle hard for 3 years. Change the face of China
“Struggle hard for 3 years. Change the face of China. Catch up with Britain & America.” --Mao, 1958

12. CHINA IN A NUTSHELL Five Year Plan (like Stalin) Great Leap Forward
Collectives!
Industrial projects!
So many millions died! Cause forced labor is the worst!
Cultural Revolution
Emphasize Mao’s strict socialist ideas
Little Red Book
Closed schools and universities, burned books (wow okay Shi Huangdi resurrected), humiliated, beat, killed people, imprisioned millions, killed teachers, politicians, critics

13. OH, YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT CUBA TOO?
Well I’ll tell you. Because I love Cuba. In theory.

14. CUBA.IS.BEAUTIFUL.

15. CUBA.IS.BEAUTIFUL.

16. CUBA.IS.BEAUTIFUL.

17. CUBA.IS.BEAUTIFUL.

18. CUBA ALSO HAS SOME HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS…
“The Cuban government continues to repress dissent and discourage public criticism. While in recent years it has relied less on long-term prison sentences to punish its critics, short-term arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders, independent journalists, and other critics have increased dramatically. Other repressive tactics employed by the government include beatings, public acts of shaming, and the termination of employment.” – The World Report on Human Rights Violations
**but let’s be real, what country HASN’T violated some human rights?**

19. HISTORY OF CUBA 1510 – Spanish conquer (slaughter?) Hispaniola
: slavery, sugar plantations, sadness
1868: First War of Cuban Independence (10 Years’ War)
1886: Slavery abolished in Cuba
1895: Cuban Revolution (against Spanish) began under leadership of Baez and Jose Marti
1898: USS Maine explodes; USA intervenes; Cuban Revolution becomes Spanish-American War
1899: Treaty ends war; Spain is out
1901: Platt Amendment: USA assumes hegemonic control over Cuba
: USA gets to decide who is in charge of Cuba

20. HISTORY OF CUBA
1933: Military leader Fulgencio Batista assumes power (USA is happy with this; we put him there kind of)
Late 1940s: Batista not re- elected; moves to USA
1952: Batista returns to Cuba and rises to power again thanks to a military coup
Cubans are unhappy about this. Cubans do not like Batista. We also don’t like him now. Because he doesn’t like us anymore.
Batista widened the gap between the rich and the poor because he wanted monaayyyy

21. HISTORY OF CUBA
1953: Fidel Castro, alongside 160 revolutionaries and Che Guevara, attack military barracks in Santiago (eastern Cuba)
Because Batista is the worst
1958: Batista and Castro fight in eastern Cuba
1959: Batista flees Cuba; Castro assumes power

22. HISTORY OF CUBA
1959: Castro implements socialist reforms because he’s a SOCIALIST and not a COMMUNIST come on American propaganda– land reform, nationalization of industry
1960: USA tries to invade Cuba a lot
1961: USA implements its embargo on Cuba (no more trade; no more NOTHING)
Cuba just lost its greatest trading partner. They need another superpower nation to help them. Who else is the other superpower right now?
1961: Bay of Pigs
USA really wants Cuba to not be ‘communist’
1962: Cuban Missile Crisis
: Sad Cuba
Socialist revolutions are ALWAYS associated with land reform – why???

23. HISTORY OF CUBA
: embargo on Cuba. USSR dismantled. Cuba suffering. Enter into “Special Period”
2014: OBAMA AND RAUL CASTRO REOPEN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS AND EVERYTHING IS AWESOME… or is it?

24. CUBA IN A NUTSHELL
Cuba, as an island nation, has always needed a trading partner
The US controlled Cuba (in)directly from s
The USA set up its embargo against Cuba after Castro’s successful socialist revolution
USSR aligned itself with Cuba (which makes Cuba happy; it needs a trading partner)

25. MORE, YOU SAY?
Good.

26. FULGENCIO BATISTA Rulers over Cuba from (1933 indirectly) 1940-1944
Entered WWII on side of Allied Powers
Friends with the American mafia
Cuba served as a link between the cartel in Colombia and the mafia in the States
Goes back to Cuba, becomes president in 1952
Super corrupt and terrible
Widened the gap between the wealthy plantation owners and the poor working class
…. Perfect set up for a revolution!!

27. ENTER: CHE GUEVARA Born in Argentina Trained as a doctor
“Motorcycle Diaries” – traveled throughout Latin America and became exposed to extreme poverty and hunger; blamed capitalism
He worked with leprosy colonies throughout south america – found solidarity among the outcasts

28. CHE GUEVARA
Disillusioned by the gap between the rich and the poor – the haves and have-nots
Helped lead revolutions in Argentina, Brazil, and Guatemala before heading to Cuba
He worked with leprosy colonies throughout south america – found solidarity among the outcasts

29. CHE AND FIDEL: BFFS 1955: meets up with Fidel Castro in Mexico City
Gets on board to overthrow Batista and establish a socialist regime in Cuba – equality for all!!
Fights in the east with Fidel against Batista’s military forces

30. LITERACY CAMPAIGNS Begins his literacy campaign in 1961 –
January 1 – December 22
“The Year of Education”
“Literacy Brigades” – build schools, train teachers, educate the illiterate
Raised the literacy rate from 60% to 96% IN ONE YEAR
Commonalities in ALLLLLLLL communist revolutions: literacy increase and land reforms

31. FIDEL CASTRO
Organized a guerilla revolution against Batista and the US’ influence
Eastern Cuba
With Che Guevara, fellow revolutionary
Took over Havana and declared his revolution socialist
Social, land, and education reforms
Becomes BFFs with USSR

32. FIDEL CASTRO Good things Castro did: Abolished discrimination
Brought electricity to poor areas in Cuba
Full employment
Advanced health care and education
New schools and medical facilities

33. FIDEL CASTRO Bad things Castro did: Closed down opposition newspapers
Jailed thousands of political opponents
And killed a bunch, too
Abolished private businesses
Lots of food shortages 
Lots of consumer good shortages 

34. THE “SPECIAL PERIOD” USSR fell in 1991
Loss of oil – increase in black market
Intentionally blacked out parts of Havana to save money
No foreign television – no foreign influence; huge restriction on outside news and journalism (like NK but less terrible)
Increased reliance on the US for remittances and smuggling
Tourism on the rise
Also sex trafficking 
“The Special Period” – 1991-present
Current state of Cuba – inventive and resourceful people living in a time of scarcity “resolviendo”
buying, selling, and trading whatever you had for whatever you needed

35. NOW WHAT? Diplomatic relations reopened with Cuba
What does this mean? How will Cuba change? What could positives and negatives be?
More importantly… WHY DO WE HATE CUBA?!?!?
buying, selling, and trading whatever you had for whatever you needed