mr. white’s us history 2 foreign policy after the cold war
TRANSCRIPT
MR. WHITE’S US HISTORY 2
FOREIGN POLICY AFTER THE COLD WAR
MAIN IDEA AND OBJECTIVES
• Main Idea: The end of the Cold War, marked by the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, led to a redirection of many U.S. goals and policies.• After this section, we should be able to:– Identify changes in the communist world that ended the
Cold War– Summarize U.S. actions taken to influence Central
American and Caribbean affairs– Describe the events leading up to the Iran-Contra scandal– Analyze U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War
PART I: THE COLD WAR ENDSTHE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED, AND MANY OTHER COMMUNIST
REGIMES DECLINED.
MIKHAIL GORBACHEV
• In March of 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the general secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union• Gorbachev inherited a Soviet economy that was
struggling to keep up with the United States• Reagan had increased defense spending to put a further
strain that the Soviet’s couldn’t keep up with
• Economy was close to collapse
GLASNOST
• Gorbachev adopted a policy of glasnost (Russian for openness)• Allowed open criticisms of the Soviet government, worked to
give freedom of the press
• Gorbachev also introduced perestroika, his plan for restructuring Soviet society• Less government control of the economy, more private
enterprise, steps toward democracy
• Gorbachev also realized that better relations with the U.S. would allow Soviet Union to reduce military expenses• INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) signed
on December 8, 1987 – eliminated two classes of nuclear weapons and allowed both sides to make on-site inspections of each other’s nuclear facilities
THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSES
• The reforms that Gorbachev had introduced encouraged nationalism and independence movements in the non-Russian Soviet states• In December, 1991, 14 non-Russian republics
declared independence from the Soviet Union• Criticized by reformers who thought he was
working too slowly, Gorbachev resigned as Soviet president• The Soviet Union dissolved, almost overnight
THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES
• Many of the nations that had been a part of the Soviet Union formed the Commonwealth of Independent States• This was a loose collection of nations that would share
certain interests like economics, politics, and security
• Russia’s new president, Boris Yeltsin, soon signed the START II Treaty with President George H. W. Bush• This treaty was designed to cut both nation’s nuclear
arsenals by two-thirds
THE BERLIN WALL
• Before he resigned, Gorbachev had encouraged the people of East Germany and Eastern Europe to go their own ways• He reduced the number of Soviet troops in Eastern
Europe, and allowed non-communist parties to organize in Soviet satellite nations, such as Poland and East Germany
• At the Berlin Wall in 1987, President Reagan had encouraged Gorbachev to, “tear down this wall.”
GERMANY RE-UNIFIED
• In October, 1989, East Germany gave up its communist government• November 9, 1989 – East Germany opened the
Berlin Wall, re-uniting the eastern and western parts of the city• In early 1990, East Germany held its first free
elections• October 3, 1990 – East and West Germany
reunited into the nation of Germany
NEW REFORMS, NEW ISSUES
• Other European nations also adopted new reforms• Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania declared their
independence from the Soviet Union• Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania gave up communism
• Yugoslavia collapsed – four of its republics seceded• Ethnic rivalries took over in a war between Muslims,
Orthodox Serbs, and Roman Catholic Croats – each claimed part of Yugoslavia
CHINESE REFORM
• Economic reform had also begun in in China, which was still communist• China loosened its grip on business and
eliminated some price controls• Free-market reforms – when command economies
introduce measures to bring freedom to the market
• Chinese students began to demand more freedoms with this growing economic freedom
STUDENT PROTESTS
• April, 1989 – Chinese university students led marches that quickly grew into large demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and other cities• In Tiananmen Square, students constructed a
replica of the Statue of Liberty to symbolize their struggle for democracy• China’s premier, Li Peng, had the military crush
the protesters
TIANANMEN SQUARE
• China’s army stormed into the square and fired into the crowds, killing many unarmed students• Some civilians had earlier had attacked soldiers
in armored-personnel carriers and tanks• While the protest was ended, some Chinese
officials and civilians believed that this event made many people lose faith in the government
PART II: CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN POLICY
THE UNITED STATES USED ITS ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND MILITARY POWER TO INTERVENE AND INFLUENCE NATIONS IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.
NICARAGUA
• The U.S. had been in Nicaragua since 1912 – helped the dictator Anastasio Somoza come to power• The Somozas ruled Nicaragua for 42 years• Rigged elections• Assassinated political rivals
• Between 1977 and 1979, Nicaragua underwent a civil war between the Somoza government and Sandinista rebels who opposed the government
REAGAN SUPPORTS THE CONTRAS
• The Sandinistas toppled the government• Jimmy Carter recognized the new government and sent economic
aid• The Soviet Union and Cuba sent aid, as well
• When Reagan took power, he charged that Nicaragua was a Soviet satellite, and that it was “exporting revolution” to other Central American countries• Threw his support behind guerilla forces opposing the Sandinistas
known as Contras• Military aid and CIA advisers were sent to the Contras, without
Congressional approval• Congress responded by banning any military aid to the
Contras, but Reagan’s administration found ways around this
• Free elections in 1990 elected Violeta de Chamorro, a Contra supporter, but his coalition wasn’t able to solve the problems of Nicaragua
GRENADA
• In Grenada, an island near Cuba, the government was developing ties to communist Cuba• Ronald Reagan sent around 2,000 U.S. troops to
the island in 1983• The troops overthrew the pro-Cuban government
and replaced it with one friendlier to the U.S.• Eighteen U.S. soldiers died, but Reagan defended
this as important to the interests of the United States
PANAMA
• In 1989, President Bush sent around 20,000 U.S. troops into Panama to apprehend General Manuel Noriega• Noriega had been receiving money from the CIA, as he
opposed communist governments, but was also involved in the international drug trade
• Noriega was brought to the United States to stand trial, and was sentence to 40 years in prison• Some Latin American governments criticized this
“Yankee imperialism,” but many were happy that Noriega had been removed from power
PART III: MIDDLE EAST TROUBLE SPOTS
AS THE COLD WAR ENDED, THE UNITED STATES BEGAN TO SHIFT ITS POLITICAL ATTENTION TO THE MIDDLE EAST.
HOSTAGES
• In 1983, terrorist groups loyal to Iran took Americans hostage in Lebanon• Reagan denounced Iran and urged U.S. allies not to sell
arms to Iran (which was at war with Iraq)• 1985 – “America will never make concessions to
terrorists.”
IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR
• Later, however, Americans learned:• Reagan had approved the sale of weapons to Iran; in
return, Iran promised to get seven American hostages released in Lebanon
• Members of Reagan’s staff had sent profits from the weapons sales to the Contras in Nicaragua, which was in violation of the Boland Amendment, which made this against the law
• Reagan defended his actions as necessary, and was shocked at the negative reaction• Reagan administration staff members went on
trial, and many, such as Lieutenant General Oliver North, received penalties for their roles
IRAN AND IRAQ
• During the 1980s, Iran and Iraq had fought a long war• Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had huge war debts
• Hussein had often claimed that Kuwait was actually part of Iraq• August 2, 1990 – Iraqi troops invaded a disputed
area claimed by Kuwait, then turned toward Saudi Arabia and its oil fields• If Iraq took Saudi Arabia, it would control one-half
of the world’s known oil reserves
OPERATION DESERT STORM
• For several months, President Bush and Secretary of State James Baker organized an international coalition against Iraqi aggression• With the support of the United Nations and
Congress, Bush launched Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation• January 16, 1991 – U.S. launched a massive air assault
against Iraq• February 23, 1991 – Coalition forces launched a ground
offensive from Saudi Arabia into Kuwait• February 28, 1991 – Cease-fire was announced
• Kuwait had been liberated from Iraqi occupation
VICTORY
• Americans turned out in large numbers for the victory parades that followed this successful war• This war had a different outcome from the U.S.’s last
major war, Vietnam• Only 400 coalition force casualties
• Iraq suffered an estimated 100,000 military and civilian deaths• A trade embargo following the war resulted in the
deaths of many Iraqis from preventable diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and others
ELECTION OF 1992
• Although Bush was very successful on the international stage, he was not as successful at home• Rising government deficits and a recession starting in
1990 made re-election difficult• Bush raised taxes, and broke his original campaign
pledge of “no new taxes.”
• The weak economy, plus the tax hike, made Bush’s re-election very difficult
MAIN IDEA AND OBJECTIVES
• Main Idea: The end of the Cold War, marked by the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, led to a redirection of many U.S. goals and policies.• After this section, we should be able to:– Identify changes in the communist world that ended the
Cold War– Summarize U.S. actions taken to influence Central
American and Caribbean affairs– Describe the events leading up to the Iran-Contra scandal– Analyze U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War
WRAP-UP
•So…•One of the changes that occurred with the end of the Cold War was…•One of the ways that the United States tried to influence Central America and the Caribbean was that…