-
Yalta Conference (Feb. 4-11, 1945)
Issues Addressed:
-Unconditional surrender of Germany.
-Partitioning of Germany.
-Reorganization of Poland.
-Membership in the United Nation.
-Agreement regarding entry of the Soviet Union in to the war against Japan.
-Also, rebuilding of Europe. -
United Nations (April-June 1945)
UN Formation
-Representatives of 50 nations met in San Francisco to complete the Charter of the United Nations.
-Nations that are responsible for keeping peace:
1. United States
2. USSR
3. Western Europe (West European NATO allies)
4. People’s Republic of China
5. Japan
-Stalin didn't want to leave Iran.
-The purpose is to prevent war. -
Battle of Berlin (April 16- May 2, 1945)
-Over 70,000 Russians soldiers
-Called the "Bloodiest Battle"
-Soviets- Gates of Berlin -
Potsdam Conference (July 16- August 2, 1945).
The Big Three—Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill discussed the plan of attack against Japan.
Unconditional surrender or utterly destruction. -
Truman Doctrine
Also called, containment,
-Provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces (communism=the government controls everything.)
-Greece and Turkey faced communist revolts in 1947. Also, asked the US for aid to defend themselves from the communist takeover.
-STOP THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM. -
Marshall Plan
Speech was made by June 5, 1947 and Congress passed the bill on March 1948.
-Rebuild Germany and help the people.
-Over $12 billion for the rebuilding of Western Europe.
-Rebuild and modernize industrial equipment- create currencies- trade with them –increase production- improve transport.
-Stop spread of communism, increase influence, increase in economy, gain people’s support. -
OAS
-Created for the purposes of regional isolation and cooperation between each member of states.
-Organization of American States= Group of states work together to support democracy. -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization
-Created in 1949
-To create a worldwide allies. If you attack our friend or allies, you have attacked us too.
-Nations involved: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, , Spain, Turkey, West Germany, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom and United States. -
Sino-Soviet Pact
Two great communist agreed to work together to spread communism.
-Nations involved:China, Soviet Union and Mongolia.
-Signed by Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. -
Korean War: June 1950-July 1953
-The UN sent troops to fight the North Korean forces but the bulk of the soldiers came from the US.
-USA didn’t win for the first time and during July 27, 1953 US signed armistice to “pause” the war.
-This war was significant because for the first time USA didn't win which will make the US seems weak and any nation can beat US. (USA is not as strong as how other nations think it is/ lower US reputation). -
Hydrogen Bombs (1952/1953)
-First US hydrogen bomb was exploded in November 1952.
-USSR exploded in August 1953.
-When hydrogen bombs were made there was a creater threat for nuclear war which will cause total annihilation for both nations.
-Many schools and houses had a fallout shealter and drills like "duck and cover"
-Both nations were competiting against each other for a better and more advance technology.
-Also called "Arm Race" -
Vietnam War
-During 1954-1975
-Vietnamization: Teaching Vietnamese troops to be ready for war.
-Also to end U.S. involvement in the war and expand and train South Vietnam's forces and assign them an increasing combat role. Also at the same time reducing the number of U.S. combat troops.
-US mission to protect South Korea failed.
-Vietnamese was reunited under a communist government.
-US failed and lost the war. -
McCarthyism and Red Scare
McCarthy
-Late 1940s- Early 1950s
-The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence.
-The most enduring symbol of this “Red Scare” was Republican Senator Joseph P. McCarthy of Wisconsin.
-McCarthy spent almost five years trying to expose communists and other left-wing “loyalty risks” in the U.S. government.
-Many spy and traitors were caught but some were civilians.
-Civilians were accused of being a spy and they had to pay for the consequnces. -
SEATO
SEATO= Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.
-Signed in Manila, Philippines.
-Nations included: United States, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan.
-The purpose of the organization was to prevent communism from gaining ground in the region. -
Warsaw Pact
-Defense treaty among 8 communist nations of Central and Eastern Europe.
-Nations included: Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria.
-Purpose is to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under Marshal Ivan S. Konev of the Soviet Union.
-The Warsaw Pact remained intact until 1991. -
Space War
-October 4, 1957, Russia launches “Sputnik”, first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
-Soviets were first on space.
-U.S sent a satellite on January 1958 after many embarrassing failures.
-A competition on who was the first in space between USSR and USA. Also, advance technology was involved with the competition. Similar to the "Arm Race" -
Domino Theory and Red Scare
-Early 1960s, when domino theory was created.
-If one country falls to communism, then others countries falls into it too just like how a domino works, similar to chain reaction.
-The fear of communism,called Red Scare, spreading affected America because if one big nation was a communist then it can influenced other nations to be communist. -
Berlin Wall
-Tension rise during 1961
-August 13, East Germany constructed Berlin wall
-September 1, USSR resumes atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons.
-To prevent well-educated East Germans from leaving East Germany and to prevent spy centers and organizations from interfering with the Russian section. Also, the threat of a second Great Depression was likely to happen in Europe and Germany. -
Cuban Missile Crisis (August- November 1962)
-The closest time that the world has come to Full Scale Nuclear War.
-Naval Blockade was used against Soviet.
-No boats or ships and any trasnportation from USSR was able to cross Cuba.
-An action to negotiate and stop the threats of nuclear war to prevent any damage on the human kind.
--U.S.A and Soviet agreed to sign a treaty to ban the nuclear test to save the human kind from the bad effects. -
Dominican Intervention (1964-1968)
-Got rid of communism government and helped installed capitalist government in Dominican Republic.
-US prevented the spread of communism. -
China exploded an atomic bomb
-October 1964, when China exploded an atomic bomb.
-The first Chinese test had a yield of 22 kilotons.
-In June 1959, The USSR refused to provide information like promised to China and USSR took all the technicians and advisers from China.
-In June 1960, Chairman Mao Zedong called Chinese scientist to make efforts and develop China’s atomic bomb within 8 years.
-On October 16, 1964, China successfully developed its own nuclear technology. -
Nixon Doctrine
-Attempt to set guidelines for dealing with nonaligned third world nations.
-To prevent another Vietnam.
-3 Key Points of the Doctrine:
1. Negotiating with opponent/ have common grounds.
2. Working for a greater partnership with US allies/ to make a greater contribution for own defense.
3. Preserving America’s strategic strength for security. (Want America to be better and stronger than other nations). -
Détente and SALT I
Relaxing of tension between nations.
-Helsinki arms control talks and Salt I Treaty: Limitations were place on Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM).
-Wheat deal: US agreed to sell the USSR over a billion of dollars in wheat to feed Russian people. Also helped get North Vietnam to the barging table.
-Helped American farmers who were struggling with a surplus of wheat.
-US oil drilling equipment was sold to the USSR to help them develop their oil fields in Siberia.
