THE COLD WAR

THE COLD WAR (1947-1991)

1. THE ORIGIN OF THE COLD WAR

Definition of Cold War A state of permanent tension first between two superpowers (the US and the USSR) and then between the two blocs led by them, which did not lead to direct conflict because of the existence of a danger of mutual destruction, ensured by the use of nuclear weapons.

Research about the espionage and secret services in te Cold War.

HOW EVERYTHING STARTED? THE FORMATION OF THE BLOCS At the end of the Second World War Europe was replaced by the two superpowers (the USA and the USSR).

At the beginning, US and USSR collaborate because they had a common enemy: the Nazis.

However, they were very different states, with different policies, economies and strategies, and they went from collaboration to confrontation.

From the end of World War II onwards, both powers, the US and the USSR, began to try to "capture" countries in their area of influence, and to do so they carried out measures that the other copied.

Warsaw Pact (1955)

NATO (1949)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Soviet reaction

Same as NATO but in Eastern Europe for communist countries.

US offer of military aid to democratic states.

Marshall Plan (1948

COMECON (1949)

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance of the Soviet Union. Same as the Marshall plan but in Eastern Europe.

Soviet reaction

US economic aid to revive Western economies

THE IRON CURTAIN Expression used by Winston Churchill in 1946 in his famous speech in Fulton (Missouri): "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has fallen across the continent. From what I have seen of our friends the Russians during the war, I am convinced that they admire nothing more than strength and respect nothing less than weakness (...) The English-speaking peoples must urgently unite to prevent the Russians from any attempt at greed or adventure".

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2. EVOLUTION OF THE COLD WAR (1947-1991)

PHASES:

Each phase includes moments of tension, calm and a major conflict:

1. FIRST PHASE (1947 - 1953) (Main conflict: Korean War) 2. SECOND PHASE (1953-1962) (Main conflict: Missile crisis) 3. THIRD PHASE (1962-1975) (Main conflict: Vietnam War) 4. FOURTH PHASE (1973-1989) (Main conflict: Afghanistan Crisis)

1. FIRST PHASE (1947 - 1953)

1.1. MOMENTS OF TENSION OF THE FIRST PHASE

The first Berlin crisis After World War II, Germany had been divided into four zones, each administered by an Allied country: 1.USA 2.United Kingdom 3.France 4.USSR Berlin, within the Soviet sector, had also been divided into four zones administered by the same countries.

In June 1948: France, Great Britain and the USA decide The unification of its areas in Germany and the western part of Berlin

Land blockade of the western part of Berlin (1948-1949) First crisis of the Cold War

soviet reaction

President Truman responded by establishing an airlift which, over eleven months and more than 275,000 flights, managed to supply the besieged population. Stalin finally lifted the blockade of Berlin on 12 May 1949.

Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. Berlin was also divided into two zones and, from 1961 to 1989, by a wall.

1.2. MAJOR CONFLICT OF THE FIRST PHASE: KOREAN WAR (1950-1953)

Korea was part of the Japanese Empire before World War II (from 1910). In red Korea, within the Japanese Empire (in pink)

After the Japanese defeat in World War II (1945) it was jointly liberated by the Soviets and the Americans and it was agreed that they would divide the country into two zones of occupation separated by the 38th parallel, creating two states:

★ Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea): a communist dictatorship linked to the Soviet Union ★ Republic of Korea (South Korea): a US dependent Republic

On 25 June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea with Soviet military support.

At the end of June, US President sent in his troops to help South Korea with international support. The command of international forces was entrusted to US General Douglas MacArthur, who in just two months (30 September 1950), manages to regain all the territory up to the 38th parallel.

However, the US agreed to the offensive to continue and unify the two Koreas (without the international support). Alarmed by this development, China entered the conflict. MacArthur then demanded the dropping of 34 nuclear bombs on China and it was such a scandal that MacArthur was dismissed in April 1951.

The inability of both sides to achieve victory without resorting to nuclear weapons led to the opening of negotiations, which lasted two years until a cease-fire agreement was signed on 27 July 1953 (shortly after Stalin's death). It was agreed to create a four- kilometre security area around the 38th parallel. The survival of the North Korean communist regime has meant that this "cold war border" is the only one that has survived into the 21st century.

The conflict left millions dead throughout Korea (North and South): 940,000 soldiers and

approximately three million civilians. Almost all of the country's industry was destroyed.

End of the Korean War? In the 1990s, the governments of the two states took a cordial stance, with the aim of ending the Koreans' historic hostilities, but to date no formal peace treaty has been concluded. But, to date, no formal peace treaty has been concluded. Will one be forthcoming?

Kim Jong Un y Moon Jae In han

Research about North Korea today.

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VIDEO: Corea del norte - En Tierra Hostil - Antena 3

2. SECOND PHASE (1953-1962)

2.1. MOMENTS OF CALM OF THE SECOND PHASE

In 1953, the thaw in relations between the two powers began. New leaders more willing to negotiate:

Eisenhower (USA) Kennedy (USA)

Nikita Kruschev (URSS)

2.2. NEW MOMENTS OF TENSION: THE SUEZ CRISIS AND THE SECOND BERLIN CRISIS

The Suez canal (geographically located in Egypt) was controlled by a British-French company from the time of imperialism in the 19th century and was a key route for European trade.

In July 1956, Nasser, the Egyptian president, nationalised the Suez canal. In response, Great Britain, France together with Israel, planned a joint military operation to invade Egypt and end Nasser´s regime. Initially they regained control of part of the canal, however, the UN forced British and French troops to withdraw from Egypt.

After the partition of Germany, Berlin was divided into two zones, West Berlin and East Berlin.

There were big differences between each sector: West Berlin was more prosperous than the Eastern sector and its people had more freedom. Therefore, many East Berliners escaped to Western Berlin.

In 1961, in order to end this mass migration, the communist built the Berlin Wall. It divided Berlin until 1989.

El muro de Berlín

2.3. MAIN CONFLICT OF THE SECOND PHASE: THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

Cuba had been closely linked to US interests since its independence from Spain in 1898. But in 1959 the guerrilla movement led by Fidel Castro came to power and led to the establishment of a communist dictatorship 150 kilometres from the United States and the deterioration of relations.

Che Guevara y Fidel Castro, líderes de la revolución cubana

In 1961, a group of anti-Castro Cuban exiles, supported by the United States, tried to invade Cuba, but the attack failed. However, as a result, Castro established closer ties with the USSR.

KENNEDY

FIDEL CASTRO

In early 1962, the USA deployed several nuclear missiles in Turkey, within range of many Soviet cities. As a responde, USSR secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba and threatened to attack Cuba if the USSR did not remove their missiles. Tension was at its maximum when Soviet ships approach Cuba. Both superpowers were armed and ready to use destructive weapons.This lasted from 16 oct 1962 – 29 oct 1962 (13 days)

At last, the Soviet ships retreated. The USSR ordered the withdrawal of the Soviet missiles in Cuba in exchange for a US commitment to end the blockade and not to invade Cuba. Soon after the crisis, the USA privately agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey.

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Research about Kennedy´s murder.

3. THIRD PHASE (1962-1975)

3.1. MOMENTS OF CALM OF THE THIRD PHASE

After the Cuban crisis, it became clear that the threat of nuclear war was not the solution; the arms race had to be stopped. Various pacifist movements arose among the population that put pressure on governments, especially in the West. For these reasons, various international treaties restricted both the testing and use of these weapons.

At the same time, the space race began, which was one of the positive consequences of the Cold War, bringing with it the rapid development of space technology. Within a few years, both the US and the USSR launched numerous space missions that succeeded in orbiting the planet and exploring its space environment. The greatest achievement was the landing of the first Americans on the moon in 1969.

Research about the space missions in the Cold War.

3.2. MAIN CONFLICT OF THE THIRD PHASE: THE VIETNAM WAR

Before World War II, the Indochina peninsula (present-day Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Thailand) was under French rule.

Indochina Francesa y sus subdivisiones.

After the end of the World War, a war for independence began in Vietnam against France by a nationalist movement called the Viet Minh led by the Marxist Ho Chi Minh and supported by China and the USSR.

Flag of the Viet Minh, which is the current flag of Vietnam.

Nguyễn Tất Thành, más conocido comoHồ Chí Minh ("El que Enseña")

After a 9-year war, the French army was defeated in 1954 and the former French colony was divided into two territories by the 17th parallel:

- North Vietnam : dominated by a communist government (supported by the USSR)

- South Vietnam: dictatorship dominated by an anti- communist (US-backed)

South Vietnam was threatened by a communist guerrilla movement called the Vietcong that was backed by North Vietnam. The USA assisted South Vietnam, and later in 1965, sent in US combat troops.

The Vietcong used effective guerrilla tactics. The USA, despite superior technology, chemical weapons and its massive air bombing in the north, was unable to achieve a military victory. By 1968, it became clear that the USA could not win.

The massive bombings, the use of chemical agents (Napalm gas) and the cruelty of the first war as broadcast by the media (terrible images shown on television), made US policy hugely unpopular. Within the US itself, opposition to the war spread among the youth and became linked to anti-establishment movements, such as the "hippie" movement. The American people demanded withdrawal from the country; the war had become a drain on the US.

Fotografía Marc Riboud (1967)

John Lennon y Yoko Ono contra la Guerra de Vietnam

In 1969, Richard Nixon was elected president of the United States, and peace talks began in Paris. A ceasefire (*alto el fuego) was agreed in 1973, and American troops withdrew. However, North and South Vietnam continued to fight until 1975. This year, a major offensive from the North led to the Fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. In 1976, Vietnam was united as a single country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and immediately integrated into the pro-Soviet bloc.

During the Vietnam war, over 2 million people were killed and millions were wounded. The war was a tremendous failure for the United States (“Vietnam syndrome”): it caused unrest at home and anti-USA sentiment abroad.

NAPALM Gasoline-based substance in a gel state, highly flammable and slow burning. Water boils at 100 degrees, Napalm generates 800 to 1,200 degrees.

Famosa foto de Nick Ut de varios niños huyendo del gas Napalm en Vietnam (1972). Ganó el Premio Pulitzer

Kim Phuc is the naked girl running with her arms raised in the photograph. The image from 1972 captures the moment after a plane in the Vietnam War bombed a village with Napalm. With her clothes on fire, the nine-year-old girl ran out of the village. At that moment, when her clothes had already been consumed, photographer Nick Ut recorded the famous image. He would later take her to hospital where she remained for 14 months and underwent 17 skin graft operations. From then on, "she was used as a national symbol by the Vietnamese government". Today Pham Thi Kim Phuc is married with two children. She lives in Canada, chairs the 'Kim Phuc Foundation', dedicated to helping child victims of war, and is a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Goodwill Ambassador.

Kim Phúc y Nick Ut en El Hormiguero (15 octubre 2015)

4. FOURTH AND FINAL PHASE (1973-1989)

4.1. MOMENTS OF CALM OF THE FOURTH PHASE

During the 1970s and 1980s, there were new moments of calm, thanks to the resumption of talks between the superpowers, who signed the SALT I and SALT II agreements (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)

Protocolo de los Tratados SALT I

The culmination of the new policy of international understanding was the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation (August 1975), between representatives of 35 states belonging to the Warsaw Pact, NATO and neutral countries. The conference represented the will of the two Cold War blocs to create a permanent forum for dialogue.

Research about this picture. (Brezhnev and Honecker kiss)

4.2. BACK TO TENSION

Optimism turned into concern due to the 1973 and 1979 oil crises provoked because the Arab oil- producing countries decided not to export any more oil to the United States and their Western European allies (because of the conflicts in their countries.) and increased its price by 70%. This brought about monetary disorder and economic instability in the affected countries and provoked political conflicts.

One of these conflicts was the revolution in Iran (1979): Iran was one of the world's leading oil producers and was ruled by a pro-US dictatorial monarchy who imposed Western-style social reforms.

Shah (King) MohammadReza Pahleví

This reforms created a strong opposition from the fundamentalists leaded by the Ayatollah Khomeini ("Ayatollah" means religious superior). Thus, in 1979, he carried out a revolution and established a fundamentalist Islamic and anti-Western republic, in which strict adherence to the Koran was a must. This marked the end of 2,500 years of uninterrupted monarchy and the birth of a new system of clerically controlled government that has lasted to this day.

Ayatollah Khomeini

Research about the Iran hostage crisis (1979)

Research about the protests in Iran today.

4.3. MAIN CONFLICT OF THE FOURTH PHASE: THE AFGHANISTAN CRISIS (1979 - 1989)

In the 1970s Afghanistan was ruled by a Soviet-friendly regime. In 1979 the Afghan government, which was being opposed by a number of armed anti-communist guerrillas, asked for help to he USSR.

Moscow agreed, and sent in a massive military intervention, with over 100,000 troops and a huge deployment of military assets.

La invasión soviética de Afganistán

However, the strength of the guerrillas surprised the Soviet army, which expected a quick war of occupation and yet, was involved in a long war that lasted 10 years.

Finally, the USSR withdrew its troops in 1989 because they could not defeat the guerrillas. Afghanistan was the “Vietnam” of the URRS. This defeat greatly weakened its position against the US.

It was in this context that the Taliban emerged in the late 1980s in Afghanistan, where, with American and Saudi funding and advice, they were paid to fight the Soviets during the Afghan war.

Taliban or taleban is the plural of thePersian word telebeh, which can be translated as seeker of truth.

3. THE END OF THE COLD WAR

In Western countries, pacifist and anti-nuclear movements re-emerged with renewed vigour and were very active with frequent acts of protest. All this led to the end of the Cold War.

The arrival in the USSR in 1985 of Mihail Gorbachev as the new leader radically changed things because he initiate a policy of dialogue with the US. Also George Bush (senior) ´s arrival in 1988 changed US foreign policy. All this gave way to a phase of dialogue between the two powers and a transition between the old and the new international order between 1989 and 1991.

George Bush (father)'s government 1988

Mihail Gorbachev's government 1985

Thus, in 1989, a wave of democratic revolutions broke out in Eastern Europe, leading to a chain reaction in which the communist regimes in Europe collapsed. The most symbolic example was the fall of the Berlin Wall (9 November 1989) and the unification of Germany (1990).

La población berlinesa reclama launificación de Alemania en 1989 enla puerta de Brandenburgo

Restos del muro de Berlín en el Parque de Berlín

Where can we find other remains of the Berlin wall?

However, not everyone was able to carry out their revolution. In May 1989, Chinese students began a protest and occupied Tiananmen Square. The Chinese government, frightened by what was happening in Europe, reacted with enormous violence and on 3 June of that year, the army entered the square and broke up the protest, causing hundreds of deaths.

The key year of the end of the Cold War was 1991, when several defining events took place: - START agreements (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), which called for the destruction of one third of intercontinental missiles with nuclear warheads. Nevertheless, nuclear weapons remain a problem today. - Dissolution of the Warsaw Pact (NATO continued). - The disintegration of the USSR with the resignation of Gorbachev on 25 December 1991, which split into several states, thus putting an end to bloc politics and making the USA the undisputed world's leading power.

Gorbachev tendering his resignation (25 December 1991)

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