The Cold War
Containment Mutually Assured Destruction Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 Afghanistan, Mikhail Gorbachev The Kitchen Debates, 1959
The First Phase, George Kennan’s “Long Telegram” and the policy of containment “Lessons” of World War II Truman Doctrine Creation of NATO and Warsaw Pact Korean War, US and Soviet soldiers meet on the Elbe, April, 1945
The New Superpowers US –Capitalist System –Democratic Ideals –Russian support for Communist International Russia/USSR –Communism –Authoritarian Politics –US Intervention in Russian Civil War –US failure to help Republicans in Spanish Civil War
Recent Problems: A Bipolar World US –Russian refusal to demobilize –Russian treatment of Poland, Eastern Europe - The Iron Curtain –Chinese Civil War –1949 Russian explosion of A-Bomb –Espionage USSR –US delay in invading France –Truman Doctrine of 1947 –Containment –US nuclear supremacy –US technological advantages –NATO, Marshall Plan
The Berlin Airlift of 1949: What were we doing and why?
Technology Threat of nuclear weapons Deterrence and MAD Arms control Massive retaliation
US dilemma: how to respond to a Communist invasion of Korea without starting World War III? “Korea is outside the United States sphere of influence. We have no vital interests there” - American Secretary of State Dean Acheson, 1949.
“We have won an armistice on a single battleground - not peace in the world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our quest” - President Eisenhower, 1953.
New US Defense Policies 1950: NSC 68 recommended tripling defense budget 1952: US introduced peacetime conscription 1953: US builds first H- bomb : US sends more military personnel to Europe than to Asia 1955: (West) Germany rearmed The King gets drafted, 1958
New Soviet Policies Funding for “Wars of Liberation” Launching of Sputnik, 1957 Creation of Berlin Wall, 1961 Imposed tight controls on Eastern Europe Built links to Castro in Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America
Phase Two: USSR and USA want to avoid nuclear war So they fight “proxy” wars in the Third World Connections to wars of anticolonialism Few direct confrontations Soviet advisors in Vietnam, 1966
Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 USSR attempted to place long-range nuclear missiles in Cuba JFK ordered a naval blockade of Cuba US went to highest alert level ever Compromise reached, hot line established between White House and Kremlin Tensions high
Arab-Israeli Wars US supported Israel USSR supported Arabs Wars in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 Both sides get to “field test” their equipment US and USSR fuel wars, but also stop them Israeli pilots in 1973 flying the American-made F-4 Phantom
The Cold War in the Third World Building of US and Soviet military bases worldwide US and USSR funding of wars Afghanistan, 1979 India and the “non- aligned” movement China and the Cultural Revolution US supported mujahedeen rebel in Afghanistan. It seemed like a good idea at the time
Final Phase, Reagan and “evil empire” rhetoric SDI and massive US military spending Alliances with Saudi Arabia to reduce USSR oil values, bring Arab states into US alliances Defeat USSR with economic effort, not direct military confrontation Building tight US – Saudi links also seemed like a good idea at the time
Soviet Initiatives Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness) USSR spending 50% of its GDP on defense Sign bipartisan disarmament agreements Seek to use the US as a partner not an enemy Dismantle Warsaw Pact, remove troops from Eastern Europe “I was talking about another time and another era” – Reagan when asked about his “evil empire” statement of 1982
The End of History?