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Summary: Cuba has almost no autonomy in Foreign affairs, heavily reliant on the
Soviet Union. The Cuban forces were considered Soviet union ‘puppets’.
Cuban military presence in Africa Controversy. Still 35000 Cuban troops in
Africa today. Spring 1978 public shouting match between Castro and
Carter about Cuban involvement in Africa.
● Castro's courtship of the Soviet Union began shortly after the revolution with a
visit to Havana by Soviet Vice Premier Anastas Mikoyan
NUCLEAR CRISIS
- the academic study of history the “expert” explanation of why events occurred and the
analysis of their impact.
- citing historians quotes/ POV
- comparing different POV conflicting interpretations by historians
- evaluate any bias
Alphahistory.com
The economy used by the Soviet Union was a command economy which means that
the government controlled all aspects of the economy. The means of production, the
laborers, wages, prices and distribution of goods were all controlled a central
government.
YALTA CONFERENCE
- Russia would join the United Nations
- Bring Nazi war-criminals to trial
- Set up Polish provisional Government of National Unity and promised to hold free
elections asap
- The US didn’t want Poland to become part of the Soviet Union
- Form intern governmental authorities broadly representative of all democratic
elements in the population and pledged to the earliest possible
GEORGE KENNAN
- Truman is disorganized and only experience in Domestic Policy
- So he turns to the soviet union expert in the US government George Kennan
- In February 1946 George Kennan responded to a US department request for
suggestions
- “On how to deal with the USSR”
- The senior Soviet policy advisor Kennan wrote an 8 000 word telegram in which
he recommended the following:
- The soviets are determined to destroy the American way of life
- Great threat to US
- Soviets can be beaten/stopped without going to war
- The way to do this is educating the public against communism and by making
people healthy/happy/wealthy under capitalism and democracy
- Kennan suggests America adopt a brand new policy and that they change from
the “isolationist” into an “interventionist” government
New policy towards the soviet union (patience with firmness or get tough policy)
1. US action in IRAN
2. More stringent conditions to loans and credits requested by the soviets
3. US tougher policy towards soviets in Germany
A) Halted Reparations
B) Bzone
C) Relaxation of restrictions on Germany industrial production
BERLIN BLOCKADE/ BERLIN AIRLIFT
- June 1st 1948, America and France announced that they wanted to create a new
country of West Germany and new currency
- On June 23rd 1948 the US introduce a new currency in West Germany and West
Berlin
- On June 25th 1948, stalin ordered all road, rail and sea traffic into West Berlin to
be stopped (blockaded)
- Stalin said he was defending East Germany economy against a new currency
- The West claimed Stalin was trying to force the Western powers out of Berlin
- In response to the USSR’s actions the US promised supplies and aid to the 3
million citizens of West Berlin
- The blockade lasted 318 days (11 months)
- In winter of 1948-1949 Berliners lived on dried potatoes powdered eggs, etc..
- 275 000 flights carried 1 ½ million tons of supplies
- A plane landed every 3 minutes for 11 months
- One April 16th 1949, 1400 flights brought in 13 000 tons of supplies in one day
- Berliners needed 6 000 tons of supplies a day to survive
- The same american pilots/planes that were bombing germany 4 years ago
(1945) were now dropping supplies and aiding the germans
- Contrast to 4 years earlier when the Americans were trying to bomb berlin
KEY EVENTS
- Yalta/ Postdam
- Berlin blockade/ Berlin airlift
- Truman doctrine
- Iron curtain speech
- Long Telegram
- The Marshall Plan/ COMECON-successful
- Turkey Greece civil wars
- NATO-successful
- Warsaw pact-unsuccessful
- 1949- Soviets get Atomic Bomb, china goes communist
- Soviet Takeover of Eastern Europe
- Czech Coup of 1948-unsuccessful
- Korean War 1950 -proxy war
NATO
- Founded in 1949 after berlin blockade
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Some say berlin blockade caused the creation of NATO
- 1952 Greece and Turkey are entered into NATO
- Soviets wanted Greece and Turkey for their warm water port
- Turkey directly touches the Soviet Union
- In 1955 Germany has joined forces with the united states and NATO, which
Soviets really didn’t like
- Canada refuses to join NATO unless they include in its framework a mention
about pushing democracy
London Poles & the Lublin Poles
Soviets
- The soviets in every government was the minister of defense and the minister of
the interior (aka minister of justice)
- Salami Tactics
- In poland out of the largest anti-communist party polish peasant party had 246
candidates disqualified, 149 were arrested and 18 murdered
President Harry Truman (D) 1945-1948, 1948-52
Key Policy / Events: “Europe First”, Marshall Plan (European Recovery Program ERP),
Berlin Blockade / Berlin Airlift, Chinese Civil War, Korean War)
- 1949 - Both the US and the soviet troops withdraw from Korea
- June, 25th 1950 - North Korea invades South Korea with Soviet Unions
Approach
- 1st phase north korean invasion of south korea (soviet equipment) = soviet
success
- US president Truman not wanting to repeat the mistake of appeasement used
during ww2, promises to help South Korea
- U.N. or U.S.
- South Korea asks the newly created UN for help
- UN= the idea of collective security that all the nations will help each other
- There is a body in the UN called the security council that makes all the decision
in the UN
- Impose economic sanctions-restrict trade
- The security council has 5 permenant members- (they have the veto power--the
final decision they all have to agree to pass a recommendation) usa, ussr, etc..
- There are also 10 non-permenant members