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The berlin blockade was one of the first major crises of the cold war it went on from june 1948 to may 12th 1949

Berlin Blockade
June 24, 1948 - May 12 1949

Harry s Truman was the American president at the time of the berlin blockade
Truman's administration called for a direct military response. Truman, however, did not want to cause World War III. Instead, he ordered a massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin.

US plan was to lift blockade to fight Soviet oppression. Soviet plan wanted to weaken west side and reclaim it.
The United States and United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany. For nearly a year, supplies from American planes sustained the over 2 million people in West Berlin.

The Soviets persisted with the blockade until May 1949. By then, however, it was apparent to everyone concerned that the blockade had been a diplomatic fiasco for the Russians. Around the world, the Soviets were portrayed as international bullies.

The USA had to modify its diplomacy to prevent a global war. The Berlin Blockade was a low point for international relations. After the crisis of the Berlin Blockade in 1948-49, Europe became divided into two opposing armed camps - the US-backed NATO on one side, and the USSR Warsaw Pact , on the other.

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List Key events: When did it happen? What President was involved? How did it end? Affects on US Foreign Policy?

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What President was involved?
Truman
Eisenhower (since 1953)

How did it end?
- The US forces were led by General MacArthur and aided by troops from 12 other
- MacArthur invaded at Inchon behind North Korean lines and the North Korean invasion collapsed
- By October, the North Koreans were pushed back behind the thirty-eighth parallel
- America had been successful; this was another victory for the policy of containment
- But the US overreacted and invaded the North
- his resulted in a Chinese invasion with 250,000 soldiers
- they drove the Americans and their allies back and recaptured Seoul
- But the US eventually pushed them back to the thirty-eighth parallel again
- Truman had to dismiss MacArthur when he pressed for an attack on China and even the use of the atomic bomb
- By 1953, the leadership of the USSR and the US had changed
- Stalin died in Russia and Eisenhower
was elected President of America
- Eventually peace was agreed and the border was fixed on the thirty-eighth parallel
-> America lost over 50,000 soldiers and the war cost $20 billion

Effects on the US Foreign Policy
The war worsened relations with China for two decades,the US was now more closely tied to hateful regimes in Taiwan and South Korea

The war also affected US policy in Europe.The US felt that the defence of Western Europe needed to be strengthened

The US signed treaties with Japan and Philippines and also Formed a defence pact (ANZAC PACT) and (SEATO) this meant an expansion of containment wich led to increase military spendings 8——-D

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What year did it happen? What president was involved? How did it end? Effects on US Foreign Policy?

It started in 1962

President John F Keneddy was involled. He made his inangaration Sreech he said we shall pay any price, bear any burden meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.'He followed this with a number of anti-Communist speeches.'The enemy is the Communist system itself…increasing in its drive for world domination.'He too supported the view that there was a missile gap.

Another factor in the development of the Cuban Missile Crisis was the attitude of the Cuban Missile Crisis was the attitude of Khrushchev,the soviet leader. He pledged ussr aid to 'wars of national liberation'  .He wad aggr

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When did it happen? How long did it last? What presidents were involved? How did it end? Effects on US Foreign Policy?

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1• Started from 1st of November 1955 to 30th of April, 1975. Im Nov, 1955, Eisenhower deploys the Military Assistance Advisory Group to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, this marks the official beginning of American involvement of the war as Recognized by Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
2• Lasted until April 30th, 1975. The war was prolonged by US involvement as well as failed peace treatys.  Johnson had expanded the war from a small scale conflict to a full scale war. When Johnsons presidency ended the US dead had 200,000 casualties and 30,000. Nixon took over and wanted to end the war anf started the process of Vietnamisation which got tge South Vietnamese army[ARVN] more responsible war, but Nixon ordered an Invasion on Cambodia in 1970. In 1973 the US withdrew from Veitnam durinv the Paris Peace agreement. In 1975 North Vietnam captured Saigon and the country unified under a communist government. By the end of the war 58,000 US Soldiers were Killed, 300,000 were wounded, 200,000  South Vietnamese soldiers were killed and 1,000,000 North Vietnamese soldiers were killed, and 1,500,000 civilians were killed. Unexploded landmines are still found in Vietnam and maim people to this day.
3• The presidents involved were Truman[1945-1953], Eisenhower [1953-1961], Johnson[1963-1969], Nixon[1969-1974], and Ford[1974-1977]
4• Having rebuilt their forces and upgraded their logistic system, North Vietnamese forces triggered a massive offensive in the Central highlands in March 1975. On April 30th 1975 NVA tanks rolled through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, effectively ending the war and uniting Vietnam under a communist government.
5• American propaganda during the cold war depicted The US as the good guys fighting against the oppressive force of Communism, however their conduct of the Vietnam war [E.g. My Lai Massacre, Agent Orange, Chemical warfare and bombings] affected Americas image abroad and at home. Anti-Americanism became a feature of protests arou d the world. Respect for US gov. system and politicians were undermined due to the fact of coverups about the progress and involvment of the war which was shown in the Pentagon papers which were leaked to the press. Congress lessend the power of the president dur to the fact they felt the presidents overseeing the Vietnam war abused their power and increased commitments to the war without congresses permission. Nixon also wanted to repair relations with China and the Soviet Union under Détente to hope to ease tensions to cut military spending.

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List the key achievements/ mistakes by the Nixon administration:

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Nixon was elected in 1969👺👺

He signed a peace treaty in Paris in 1972 to end the Vietnam War

The Nixon doctrine was set up to help fight communism

April 1970 Nixon authorized the invasion of Cambodia and Laos without informing congress

In February 1972 Nixon went to china to meet Mao Tse Tung and Chou Enlai

April 1972 Nixon went to Russia to meet Brezhnev and signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT 1)

1973 Harry Kissinger and Nixon helped negotiate troops in the Arab Israeli War

In 1972, 5 men arrested for with bugging equipment at the Democratic Party Headquarters in the Watergate building in Washington

Men were connected to CREEP ( committee to re-elect the president )

The war powers act was put in to place in 1973 by congress to limit the US presidential power to stop acts of unauthorized aggression by congress as an example President Nixon invading Laos and Cambodia without informing or receiving authorization from congress

Nixon re-elected as president but more evidence of cover up by his staff emerged, eventually in 1974 Nixon resigned rather than be impeached

STATISTICS IN VIETNAM

By 1969 30,000 troops had been killed in Vietnam with the opposition in US to the war constantly increasing

US govt. estimated that 65,000 GI’s were in drugs

By 1971 only 34% of Americans supported the war

Under 50,000 US soldiers were killed, 300,000 wounded 😭

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List the key events from the Carter Years.

Carter became President - January 20th 1977

Carter pardoned all Vietnam evaders- 21st January 1977

Signed the Emergency Natural Gas Act

Carter signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with Brezchev in Vienna- 18th June 1979

Department of education is established in October 1979

November 4th 1979- Americans taken hostage in Tehran,Iran for 444days released after Iran was forced to negotiate release and signed the Algiers accords- 20th January 1981

30th January 1980- USSR invades Afghanistan

January 23rd 1980- Carter announces the 'Carter Doctrine'

April 22nd 1980- boycott the Olympics in Moscow

November 4th 1981- Reagan becomes president

What were the effects on US Foreign Policy?
Would start second salt peace talks with the Soviets peace and melting of the cold War. Would end due to the invasion of Afghanistan and the boycotting of Olympics games which made Carter sad.
Israel and Egypt peace treaty
Would force the Iranian government to be couped
He was a large Pacifist similar to Wodwow Wilson.  Similarly was niave in politics and listened to close aids too much who argued over different topics. People would blame him for modern terror in the Muslims world
First president to get the noble peace prize for setting up an organisation to protect and criticise any human violations and negotiate peace
Overall his presidency would be known for his weakness both foreign and domestic

Link to summery of career
https://youtu.be/qZn1SzWET3A

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Group 7: Reagan Years & Fall of Soviet Union 🕺🕺

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Group 7: Reagan Years & Fall of Soviet Union 🕺🕺

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Ronald Reagan ushered in the Reagan years with his inauguration on the 20th of January 1981. He became the 40th US president after defeating Jimmy Carter the democrat president running for reelection. His presidency lasted for most of the 80s after his reelection in 1984. His second term would last until 1989. He was one of the most influential Presidents and took a hard stance against communism and the Soviet union

List the key events from the Reagan Years.

In June 1987 Reagan visited West Berlin. There he gave a speech condemning the Berlin wall and told Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall"
War in Afghanistan

The Soviet Union invaded the small country in 1979 the current president Jimmy Carter was criticised and a ban was placed on products from the Soviet Union.

Reagan entered into office during the war and proposed his new plan to fund groups like the Mujahedeen (Taliban) a right wing extremist group. This would eventually back fire when they turned the guns on the Americans.

Arms race

Reagan believed that if they could start spending major amounts of money on there defence budget they could force the soviet to try and keep up in turn crashing there economy.

Reagan tried to stress the Soviet economy by starting the Strategic Defense Initiative which. It was a plan to develop a missile defense system in space. The program was announced on tv by Reagan in March 1983. This was a part of the increase in military spending under Reagan

Arms limitations

Also called START it was the Strategic Arms limitation talks as they began in 1982 to limit the amount of nuclear weapons each side could have.

To the soviets they felt like a sham due to Reagan ramping up the arms race at the same time.

What was his foreign policy aims?

Regan sought to project Us strength abroad. The main goal during his presidency was winning the Cold War. Regan announced he would establish grand military buildup, as he knew the Soviet Union could not manage to do the same. At the same time Regan was preparing to discuss arms reduction (START that failed due to mistrust).
The military defense spending initiative involved programs such as Star Wars which was to be a space missile defense  system and the new weapon development like the stealth bomber.
By supporting anti communist rebellions, pressure was put on the USSR and it's fall became foreseeable. Regan also established good relations with Gorbachev.

Reagan maintained stable relations with the Soviet union and he met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev several times. The two met in Geneva and Reykjavík and Reagan travelled to Moscow in 1988 to visit the USSR

How did the Soviet Union fall?
In 1991, there was a coup against Gorbachev. Planned by hard-line Communists, the coup diminished Gorbachev's power. Boris Yeltsin took over in 1991 and soon after, several Soviet Republics gained independence. Communism had fallen in Eastern Europe and the US was left as the sole global Superpower.

By late 1991, amid a catastrophic political crisis, with several republics already departing the Union and the waning of centralized power, the leaders of three of its founding members declared that the Soviet Union no longer existed. Eight more republics joined their declaration shortly thereafter.

The policy of containment was a major part of US foreign policy for several decades and after the fall of the Soviet union it became obsolete. The policy of containment came at tremendous cost, billions of dollars were spent on nuclear build up instead of other services such as health and education. The policy did work in limiting the spread of communism and it won the US the cold war but came at great cost