Transcript End of the Cold War

End of the Cold War 19681990
US vs. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Democracy vs. Communism
Capitalism vs. Socialism
The Tet Offensive: A Turning Point
•On January 30, 1968, the
Viet Cong and North Vietnam
launched a major offensive.
•This series of attacks was
called the Tet Offensive since
it occurred during Tet, the
Vietnamese New Year.
•Over 60,000 soldiers
invaded and took over, for a
short time, 200 South
Vietnamese cities.
•The US and its Vietnamese
allies were able to beat back
the Viet Cong, retake the
cities, and virtually disable
or destroy the majority of VC
forces.
End of the War
•Americans now knew
that the Viet Cong
could launch massive
attacks,
•Because no end to the
war was in sight, the
Tet Offensive proved to
be a major
psychological victory
for the Viet Cong and a
turning point in the
war.
•Soon after, American
troops began to
withdraw
Vietnam Atrocities
•Communists slaughtered anyone
they labeled an enemy
•Americans massacred hundreds
of civilians at My Lai, a small
village in South Vietnam.
•A helicopter crew that stopped
the massacre was later rewarded,
and the officer who had ordered
it was imprisoned.
•When the American public
discovered the truth, it horrified
people and led them to mock
returning US soldiers as “babykillers.
•Gave fuel to US protestors
Student Movement and the Vietnam
Conflict
•The Teach-in Movement — Begun at
the University of Michigan in March
1965, teach-ins, or special sessions at
which issues concerning the war could
be discussed, soon became a popular
means of expressing antiwar
sentiment.
•Continued Protests — Hundreds of
demonstrations continued at colleges
and universities around the country.
•One of the most dramatic, at
Columbia University in New York City,
linked the issues of civil rights and the
war.
Draft
Resistance
•To increase the available fighting force, the United States invoked
the Selective Service Act of 1951, drafting young men between the
ages of 18 and 26 into the armed forces.
•Most of those who refused to be drafted in the early 1960s were
conscientious objectors, people who opposed fighting on moral or
religious grounds.
•As the Vietnam War progressed, the draft-resistance movement
grew, with many young men burning their draft cards or fleeing the
country to avoid the draft.
The Draft and College
•College students could
receive a deferment, or
postponement of their call
to serve.
•Deferments were
eliminated in 1971 in
response to complaints
that they were unfair to
those who could not afford
college.
•Which group of people
did deferments benefit the
most? Why?
Johnson and Vietnam
•The Tet Offensive in 1968
illustrated that the Vietcong could
strike at any place at any time.
•Though it failed to achieve any
military goals, it made people
realize that they were being misled
by the US government about the
success of the war
•Continuing protests and an
increasing number of casualties
steadily decreased popular support
for Johnson’s handling of the war.
•After the Tet Offensive, Johnson
rarely left the White House for fear
of angry protesters.
The Election of 1968
The Democratic Convention
•DNC 1968 Video
•At the time of the Democratic
Convention in Chicago, Eugene
McCarthy was thought too far
out of the mainstream, and
Robert Kennedy had been
assassinated.
•During the convention, police
attacked protesters, with much
of the violence taking place in
front of television cameras.
•Vice President Hubert
Humphrey won the Democratic
nomination, but the party had
been further torn apart by the
convention’s events.
The Nation Chooses Nixon
•Richard M. Nixon received the
Republican Party’s nomination for
President.
•Nixon soon took the lead in national
polls, allowing his running mate Spiro
Agnew to make harsh accusations,
while Nixon stayed “above the fray.”
•Although Johnson stopped the
bombing of North Vietnam before the
election, Hubert Humphrey’s
candidacy was hurt by his defense of
the President’s Vietnam policies.
•Independent candidate George C.
Wallace drew many votes that may
have gone to Democrats.
•Additionally, many disillusioned
Democrats did not vote.
•In a close race, Nixon won the
presidency in the 1968 election.
Other Factors in the 1968 Election
•The 1960s was an unsettling period
for mainstream Americans, a group
sometimes referred to as Middle
America.
•Many turned to the Republican
Party for stability, voting for
Republican candidates such as
Nixon.
•Many Americans were disillusioned
by Johnson’s handling of the
Vietnam War.
•In general, middle class Americans
had lost faith in the Democratic
Party and Republicans would be
elected President in 7 of the next 10
elections.
Nixon Calls for Law and Order
•Nixon had campaigned promising
a return to law and order.
•As President, he strengthened
this position, discouraging protest
against the war.
•In a 1969 speech, Nixon appealed
to those who, he felt, quietly
supported his policies: middle
class suburban Americans.
•He referred to this group of
Americans as “the silent
majority.”
Nixon’s Vietnam Policy
•President Nixon campaigned
on the claim that he had a
secret plan to end the war.
•In June 1969, he began the
policy of Vietnamization,
replacing American troops in
Vietnam with South
Vietnamese soldiers.
•With immense pressure from
average Americans, the USA
ended their direct
involvement in Vietnam in
Nixon and Cambodia
•Although Nixon wanted to end
the war, he did not want to lose
it.
•He therefore launched secret
bombing raids and expanded the
war to Cambodia, hoping to
destroy Viet Cong camps there.
•Nixon hoped his Cambodian
attacks would help America in
peace negotiations.
•Instead, the attacks resulted in
both civil war in Cambodia and
more antiwar protests in the
United States.
•Nixon’s Bombing
Campaign in Cambodia
Video
Kent State
•When student antiwar
protesters at Kent State
University in Ohio reacted
angrily to Nixon’s invasion
of Cambodia, Nixon ordered
the National Guard to Kent
State.
•After students threw rocks
at the guardsmen, the
troops opened fire, killing
and wounding both
protesters and bystanders.
•The violence at Kent
State, and a similar incident
at Jackson State in
Mississippi, horrified
Americans.
American Withdrawal
Provisions of Peace Settlement Between the United
States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet
Cong, Signed in Paris in January 1973
• The United States would withdraw all its forces from South
Vietnam within 60 days.
• All prisoners of war would be released.
• All parties to the agreement would end military activities in
Laos and Cambodia.
• The 17th parallel would continue to divide North and South
Vietnam until the country could be reunited.
Aftermath of the
War in Asia
•After American forces had withdrawn,
North Vietnam attacked strategic cities in
South Vietnam, ending with its capital,
Saigon.
•Following a last-minute evacuation of
both American soldiers and Vietnamese
refugees, South Vietnam surrendered in
April 1975, and Vietnam became unified
under a Communist government.
•The city of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi
Minh City
Southeast Asia after the War
•In April 1975, Cambodia
fell to the Khmer Rouge, a
Communist force led by Pol
Pot.
•The Khmer Rouge killed a
quarter of the Cambodian
population, claiming they
were “tainted” with
Western ways.
•Vietnam’s new leaders
forced hundreds of
thousands of Vietnamese
into “reeducation camps”
Effects of the War in Vietnam
•American pilots dropped an
herbicide called Agent
Orange over Vietnamese
jungles, killing vegetation
and exposing Viet Cong
hiding places.
•Agent Orange was later
discovered to cause health
problems in livestock and
humans.
•In Vietnam, millions were
dead or wounded, many of
them civilians.
•The war also heavily
damaged the landscape of
Vietnam.
•Many non-communist
Vietnamese civilians flee to
the U.S. after the war
The Legacy of the War
• With a cost of at least $150 billion, and hundreds of thousands
of American soldiers killed or wounded, the Vietnam War was
the 2nd longest and least successful war in American history
(Afghanistan is now the longest).
• Many Americans treated returning Vietnam veterans horribly
because of the many stories of violence against civilians in
Vietnam.
• Thousands of American soldiers who did not return home after
the war were listed as POWs (prisoners of war) or MIAs
(missing in action).
– Many remain unaccounted for today.
• In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaked what became known as the
Pentagon Papers to the New York Times.
– These papers confirmed that the government had not been
honest with the public about the war in Vietnam.
• In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act as a way to
reestablish some limits on executive power.
– In general, most Americans were now much more cautious
about trusting their government.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
•In response to the
treatment of returning
soldiers, many people
believed something
should be done to
honor those who had
died in service to our
nation during the
Vietnam era.
•Designed by 21-year
old Maya Ying Lin and
completed in 1982, the
Vietnam Veterans
Memorial stands near
the Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
Henry Kissinger: Practical Politics
•Kissinger admired the
European political philosophy
of realpolitik, or practical
politics. Under this policy,
nations make decisions based
on maintaining their strength
rather than on moral
principles.
•Kissinger applied a realpolitik
approach to his dealings with
China and the Soviet Union,
which led to better diplomatic
relations with both nations.
Public Opinion
•Kissinger understood the
power of the media and was
able to use it to shape public
opinion.
•Kissinger’s efforts in ending
the Vietnam War and easing
Cold War tensions made him a
celebrity.
•He topped a list of mostadmired Americans, was often
featured on the cover of Time
magazine, and in 1973 shared
the Nobel peace prize.
A magazine cover
about ping pong
diplomacy, so called
because better
relations between the
US and China came
after the two
countries’ ping pong
teams played each
other.
Relaxing Tensions
Détente
•Although Nixon had built a reputation
as a strong anti-Communist, he and
Kissinger reversed the direction of
postwar American foreign policy by
holding talks with China and the Soviet
Union.
•Nixon and Kissinger’s greatest
accomplishment was in bringing about
détente, or a relaxation in tensions,
between the United States and these
Communist nations.
•Kissinger understood that foreign
affairs were more complicated than just
a standoff between the United States
and communism.
•The Soviet Union and China, once
allies, had become bitter enemies.
•This development had the potential to
reshape global politics.
Richard and Pat Nixon
(in an appropriately
red coat) at the Great
Wall of China
Easing Relations Between the United States
and China
• Historical Background — After its Communist takeover in 1949,
the United States refused to recognize the People’s Republic of
China, viewing the government of Taiwan as the legitimate
Chinese rulers.
• Steps to Ease Relations — During the early 1970s, relations
eased between the United States and the People’s Republic of
China. Nixon referred to the nation by name, travel and trade
restrictions were lifted, and American table-tennis players
visited China, beginning “Ping-Pong diplomacy.”
• Nixon’s Visit to China — In February 1972, Nixon became the
first American President to visit China. Touring Chinese sites in
front of television cameras, Nixon established the basis for
future diplomatic ties during his visit.
• Recognizing the Chinese Government — The United States
decided to join other nations in recognizing the Chinese
government. In October 1971, Taiwan lost its seat in the
United Nations to the People’s Republic of China.
The Slow Thaw…
•In 1969 Nixon began negotiations with USSR on SALT I, common name for the
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty Agreement.
• SALT I froze the number of ballistic missile launchers at existing levels,
and provided for the addition of submarine-launched ballistic missile
(SLBM) launchers only after the same number of intercontinental
ballistic missile (ICBM) and SLBM launchers had been dismantled.
• It was the first effort between US/USSR to stop increase nuclear weapons.
• SALT II was a second round of US/USSR talks (1972-1979), which sought to
reduce manufacture of nuclear weapons. SALT II was the first nuclear treaty
seeking real reductions in strategic forces to 2,250 of all categories on both
sides.
Nixon and Brezhnev toast the SALT I treaty.
Carter and Brezhnev sign the SALT II treaty.
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan Interrupts Thaw
• In 1978, the USSR invaded Afghanistan and tried to set
up a friendly government.
• It became the USSR’s Vietnam, a long war with no clear
victory possible and many casualties and high costs.
•The US supported the Afghani rebels known as the
mujahideen.
• In 1989 the Soviets finally withdrew. Islamic
extremists used the opportunity to take over the
country.
• The defeat weakened the Soviet’s economy and
morale.
Movie poster for Charlie Wilson’s War about US
efforts to support the mujahideen
Muhahideen celebrate the downing of a Soviet
helicopter
Reagan’s Star Wars Interrupts Thaw
•The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a proposal by President Reagan
on in 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the US from
attack by nuclear ballistic missiles. It focused on strategic defense rather
than doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD).
• It was quickly nicknamed “Star Wars.”
•Criticism of SDI:
– It would require the US to change, withdraw from, or break earlier treaties.
– The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which requires "States Parties to the Treaty
undertake not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear
weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such
weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any
other manner" and would forbid the US from pre-positioning in Earth orbit any
devices powered by nuclear weapons and any devices capable of "mass
destruction.“
–The program proposed to use unproven technology.
–The program would cost many billions of dollars.
– It would start a new arms race with the Soviets.
Artist rendering of satellites
and lasers to be used in SDI
Cold War Thaw Continues
Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev
•Gorbachev becomes Soviet premier and
understands that the Soviet economy cannot
compete with the West, partly because of
Afghanistan and partly because of the costs of
keeping up militarily.
• Gorbachev recognizes there is increasing
unrest in the country.
• He tries to reform the USSR with glasnost (=
openness: think “glass” because you can see
through it) and perestroika (=restructuring:
think “structure/stroika”).
•Gorbachev is further pressured to reform the
USSR when Reagan gives his speech in
Germany challenging Gorbachev to “tear down
this wall.”
President Reagan delivers his speech in
Berlin.
The Wall Falls, 1989
• A wave of rebellion against Soviet influence
occurs throughout its European allies.
• Poland’s Solidarity movement breaks the Soviet
hold on that country
• Hungary removed its border restrictions with
Austria.
•Riots and protests break out in East Germany.
• East Germans storm the wall. Confused and
outnumbered, border guards do not fight back.
• The wall is breached.
• Eventually East and West Germany are
reunited in 1990.
The USSR Dissolves
Boris Yeltsin (far left) stands on a tank
to defy the 1991 coup
• On December 21, 1991, the presidents of
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the
Belavezha Accords declaring the USSR
dissolved and established the
Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) in its place.
• On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev
yielded as the president of the
USSR, declaring the office extinct. He
turned the powers that until then were
vested in him over to Boris Yeltsin,
president of Russia.
•The following day, the Supreme Soviet,
the highest governmental body of the
Soviet Union, recognized the collapse of
the Soviet Union and dissolved itself.
– This is generally recognized as the
official, final dissolution of the Soviet
Union as a functioning state.
Rocky beats Ivan Drago.