Cold War 4

Crisis in Indochina - VietnamCubaBerlin

Geneva Accords

• Began on May 8, 1954 (the day after the fall of Dien Bien Phu)

• They were attended by the USA, USSR, UK, China and France (with representatives from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia)

• The United States fears a communist takeover, and refuses to sign accords

Results of Geneva Accords

• Vietnam is divided on the 17th Parallel• North Vietnam ruled by Vietminh• South Vietnam ruled by American sponsored

Ngo Dinh Diem (catholic dictator)• North and South to be reunited by “free

elections in 1956 (these never happened)• Laos and Cambodia are granted independence• All nations except USA and S. Vietnam sign

Geneva Accords

Domino Theory

Domino Theory• President Eisenhower– Coins the “Domino Theory” idea – US Foreign policy 1950’s - 80’s

• fears that a communist takeover in Vietnam would lead to the fall of all of Southeast Asia, and possibly spread to India, the Philippines and possibly Australia

• Begins preparations to support a non-communist Vietnamese state in the South (during the Geneva Accords)

• SEATO – Sept 8 ,1954• Escalation of US military personal over time

Cold War Latin America

• Cold War Policy on Latin America – Rubottom Jr. Article – Soviet Domination - Control

• Guetamala 1953-54 - Operation PBSUCCESS• Other Key US involvements– Cuba 1950’s– Chile 1973– Nicaragua 1980’s

Cuban Revolution• In 1952, Fulgencio Batista seizes power in

Cuba under a military coup• He is supported by Cuba’s military, as well as

the Untied States government• This was due to the fact that Cuba’s economy

relied mostly on sugar production and export to the United States

• Corruption is rampant and dissent among the Cuban people is rising

Fidel Castro• Due to Batista’s repressive regime, Fidel came

to see that armed insurrection was the only way to oppose Batista

• 1953 – Fidel launches his first open revolt in Santiago

• He is captured with his group and are placed in prison until amnesty is granted

• 1955 – Castro goes to Mexico and meets Che Guevara

• Castro and Che begin planning the next phase of revolution in Cuba

Invasion of Cuba• November 1956 – Castro and Che Guevara

land in Cuba with 82 men• December 1956 – Castro’s group is discovered

and all but 20 are captured• Castro and Che escape to the mountains and

begin a guerrilla war with their men• Over the next three years, Castro and Che

evade capture and their force of rebels grows

1957-58• Over the next two years, support for Castro

and his guerrilla army increases• In response to Castro’s success, the Batista

regime becomes more repressive• This in turn provides Castro with more

support• May 1958 – Batista launches a major offensive

against Castro’s guerrilla army• This fails miserably, and Batista’s army begins

to dissolve

Castro’s Victory• With the failure of Batista’s final offensive,

Castro leads his small army to Havana• As Castro’s army moves towards the capital,

Batista’s forces continue to retreat and surrender to the rebel forces

• January 1, 1959 – President Batista resigns and flees Cuba to the Dominican Republic

Castro in Power• February 1959 – Castro is sworn in as Prime

Minister• While liberals and academics in Cuba wanted

elections, Castro refused under the slogan of:• “Revolution first, elections later.”• Castro went to work in order to eliminate the

American economic control of Cuba

Cuban-Soviet Relations• 1960 – Castro enacts policies to control the

economy and angers the USA:• Feb. 1960 – Cuba agrees to purchase oil from

the USSR• When the USA owned refineries refuse to

process the oil, Castro nationalizes them• USSR agrees to purchase 1/5 of Cuba’s sugar• USSR sends its first 100 advisors to Cuba

Cuban-Soviet Relations• June 1960 – Washington enacts economic

sanctions against Cuba (reduces its purchases of sugar by 7 million tons)

• Later increases the embargo to include all exports to Cuba except food and medicine

• December 1960 – USSR increases its sugar purchases to ½ of all sugar produced in Cuba

• USSR provides Cuba with a $200million loan and begins to send arms to Castro

Cuban Reforms• Along with increasing trade with the USSR,

Castro initiates reforms that will anger the USA interests in Cuba

• May 1960 – Castro declares Cuba a socialist states and abolishes elections

• June 1960 – Cuba nationalizes USA interests and seizes $1 Billion in land and business from the USA sugar companies

• Opposition newspapers are closed and thousands of counter-revolutionaries are jailed

Bay of Pigs• January 1961 – USA breaks off relations with

Cuba• In response to Castro’s seizure of USA

business interests and relationships with the USSR, a secret invasion is authorized

• While planned by Eisenhower, Kennedy’s new administration authorizes a covert invasion of Cuba

• April 17, 1961 - 1,500 Cuban exiles are sent to Cuba from Guatemala and establish a beachhead at the Bay of Pigs

Failure at Bay of Pigs• While the USA anticipated a revolt against

Castro, this failed to materialize• Castro’s forces met the invasion at the beach

and killed or captured all of the 1,500 invaders• Castro now turns to the USSR for military

protection against the USA• USSR agrees and deploys nuclear ballistic

missiles to Cuba to prevent USA invasion• Khrushchev sends 70,000 USSR soldiers to

Cuba

Ballistic Missiles in Cuba• As well as defending Cuba, these sites for the

USSR would threaten the continental USA• Previously, the USA had placed nuclear

missiles in West Germany and Turkey, which could threaten the cities of the USSR

• With these missiles in Turkey, the USSR now had the opportunity to strike the southern and eastern of the USA

October 1962• During the same month of their construction,

the Soviet missile sites were discovered by a U2 spy plane

• Their discovery included the 48 medium range and 24 intermediate range ballistic missiles (medium and short range)

• Kennedy went to television on the 22 of October and declared on national television that the USA would impose an air and naval “quarantine in Cuba”

Kennedy’s Ultimatum• Kennedy sends Khrushchev a warning stating

that: • 1) Any missiles launched from Cuba against

any nation in the Western hemisphere would be considered an act of war against the USA

• 2) Kennedy demands the prompt removal of the missiles from Cuba

• This will be the beginning of 13 days that almost leads to war between the USA and USSR

Cuban Missile Crisis• During the next thirteen days in October, the

USA and USSR prepared for war• The USA placed its Strategic Air Command on

full alert and armed its nuclear strike force against the USSR

• USA army planned to invade Cuba• Cuban and USSR troops in Cuba prepared the

missiles for action against a USA invasion of Cuba

End of Crisis• October 28th, 1962• Khrushchev and Kennedy maintained secret

negotiations to end the crisis• In return for a pledge by the USA to not

invade Cuba, Khrushchev promises to remove the missiles from Cuba

• Kennedy also agrees to withdraw the USA missiles from Turkey (late 1963)

• Oct.24, 1962 – Khrushchev orders the Soviet ships advancing to Cuba to turn around and return to the USSR

Berlin 1958-63

Crisis in Berlin

• November 1958 – Khrushchev demands the evacuation of all four occupation powers from Berlin

• Khrushchev plans to turn over Soviet control to the East German government

• The NATO forces do not want to leave, since withdrawal would result in the western sector being absorbed by the Soviet Union’s puppet forces

Why Berlin in 1958?• Khrushchev demanded the absorption of West

Berlin into East Germany to stop the flow of East Germans migrating to the West

• Due to the economic miracle in West Germany, millions of Germans had migrated to West Germany

• Among these people were a large amount of highly skilled professionals

• This jeopardized the E. German recovery

Border Closures• 1958, East Germany seals the border with

Western Germany• Berlin is now the only accessible way out of

East Germany for many inside the communist bloc

• In order to reverse the situation, Khrushchev now wants NATO out of West Berlin to end the large migration situation

Western Reaction

• January 1958 • All NATO countries unanimously reject the

Soviet ultimatum• NATO insists on maintaining their access rights

and pledges to defend West Berlin from any forms of aggression

• Khrushchev Backs down and awaits the next president to challenge over Berlin

Berlin 1961

1961 – Berlin Crisis• As was in 1958, Khrushchev again demands

the withdrawal of the Western powers from West Berlin

• The issue of East German labour migrating to West Germany was again a major contention

• Khrushchev orders a 1/3 increase in the Soviet military budget

•

Kennedy’s Response

• In response to Khrushchev's demands, newly elected President Kennedy reaffirms the American commitment to defend Berlin

• He tells the USSR that force will be used if necessary, and gets $3 billion in additional defence spending from congress

• The draft calls are doubled in preparation for a possible confrontation

Berlin Wall• With no agreement in sight, Khrushchev orders the

Eastern sector of Berlin to be sealed off from the West• August 13, 1961- Construction of the Berlin Wall begins• Involves concrete and barbed wire encampments• Kennedy plans for a show of force

– Increased military convoys– Moved Tanks up to the Checkpoints – standoff with Soviets– Kennedy Speech 1963 “ Ich bin ein Berliner”

• After the Western response was confined to diplomatic protests

• Symbol of the Cold War