Transcript The Cold War: Military, Reagan & Gorbachev, and Collapse of the

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The Cold War: Military,
Reagan & Gorbachev, and
Collapse of the Soviet Union
AMERICA’S MILITARY DURING
THE COLD WAR
 In Pres. John F. Kennedy’s
INAUGURAL ADDRESS, he
pledged that the United States
would
“PAY ANY PRICE, bear any
burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose
any foe, in order to assure the
survival and the success of
liberty”
A STRONG military was key to America’s
success in the Cold War
During the Cold War, MILLIONS of
Americans served in the military,
defending freedom in
wars and conflicts
that were NOT ALWAYS
POPULAR. Many
were killed or
wounded.
Conflict
Number
serving
Total
deaths
Battle
deaths
Other
deaths
Wounded
KOREAN
WAR
5,720,000
36,574
33,739
2,835
103,284
VIETNAM
WAR
8,744,000
58,220
47,434
10,786
303,644
Persian
Gulf War
2,225,000
383
147
235
467
 As a result of their service, the UNITED
STATES and American IDEALS of
democracy and freedom ultimately
PREVAILED in the Cold War struggle with
Soviet communism
VETERANS OF THE COLD WAR
 UNLIKE WWII veterans (who returned to a
grateful, supportive nation), VIETNAM
VETERANS returned often to face
INDIFFERENCE or outright HOSTILITY
 It was not until SEVERAL YEARS AFTER
the war ended that the wounds of the war
began to HEAL in America, and Vietnam
veterans were RECOGNIZED for their
service and sacrifice
HOMELESS VETERANS
 8.2 MILLION Vietnam-era veterans
 429,000 veterans served in BOTH the Korean
and Vietnam conflicts
 VETERANS AFFAIRS estimates that approx.
107,000 veterans are HOMELESS on any given
night
 Nearly HALF of homeless veterans served
during the VIETNAM ERA. Two-thirds served
our country for at least THREE YEARS, and
one-third were stationed in a WAR ZONE.
Nixon and Foreign Policy
 Richard M. Nixon elected president in
1968
 Nixon’s greatest achievements as
President occurred in FOREIGN POLICY
 CREATIVE approach to foreign affairs helped
ease Cold War TENSIONS
 Relied heavily on Secretary
of State HENRY
KISSINGER
 Nixon and Kissinger brought about
DÉTENTE (a RELAXATION in tensions)
between the UNITED STATES and the
world’s two Communist GIANTS – CHINA
and the SOVIET UNION.
 IMPROVED
relationship with
China
 LIFTED restrictions
on travel to China
 ENDED trade
embargo
 Nixon was FIRST
PRESIDENT to visit
China (1972)
 IMPROVED relationship with Soviet Union
 Nixon VISITED Soviet Union in 1972, met with
Soviet premier
 Completed negotiations on SALT I
(STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATIONS TALKS) –
froze the number of missiles at 1972 levels
Ford and Carter
 After Nixon RESIGNED on August 9,
1974, GERALD R. FORD became
president
 Ford PARDONED Nixon for all offenses
(SPARED HIM from further punishment)
 1976 election won by
JIMMY CARTER
 Former PEANUT
FARMER, GOVERNOR
of Georgia, NO national
political experience
 Carter faced several
issues during his
presidency, including:
 Unstable ECONOMY
 BOYCOTT of 1980
Olympics in Moscow
 IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS
REAGAN & GORBACHEV
 Reagan elected
president in 1980
 Former HOLLYWOOD
ACTOR
 GOVERNOR of
California when
elected
 OLDEST man to serve
as President
 Reagan believed in a tough approach
toward the Soviet Union (the “EVIL
EMPIRE”)
 Very costly MILITARY BUILDUP
 STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE 
proposed creation of massive satellite shield
in space (nicknamed “Star Wars”)
 Reagan INCREASED U.S.
military and economic
PRESSURE on the Soviet
Union
 CHALLENGED moral
legitimacy of the Soviet
Union  example: SPEECH
AT BERLIN WALL
 Despite fierce antiCommunist attitude, Reagan
developed CLOSE
FRIENDSHIP with Soviet
leader Mikhail GORBACHEV
 Gorbachev’s policies
 To reform ailing Soviet system,
Gorbachev instituted GLASNOST and
PERESTROIKA
 Glasnost: means “POLITICAL
OPENESS” (freedom of speech)
 Perestroika: means
“RESTRUCTURING”, an
economic policy to allow
LIMITED free enterprise
(capitalism)
END OF THE SOVIET UNION:
REASONS FOR COLLAPSE
 INCREASING Soviet military EXPENSES
to compete with the United States
 Rising NATIONALISM in the Soviet
republics
 Fast-paced REFORMS (market economy)
 Economic INEFFICIENCY
 Policies of GLASNOST and
PERESTROIKA = opening up of the
political system
Fall of Berlin Wall, Soviet Union
Dissolves
 NOVEMBER 9, 1989 – Berlin Wall comes
down
 Mikhail GORBACHEV RESIGNED the
presidency of the Soviet Union on December
25, 1991 and the Soviet Union was
DISSOLVED by the next week
 Soviet Union was REPLACED by a LOOSE
ALLIANCE of former Soviet republics called
the COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT
STATES
Reagan at Brandenburg Gate