superpowers face off inthecoldwar...d warsaw pact u.s. soviet c:e:) e potential nuclear attack...

4
Superpowers Face Off in the Cold War I€&) The alliances of the Cold War were led by two superpowers: the democratic United States and the Communist Soviet Union, an outgrowth of Russia. tea.! Democratic alliances included NATO in Europe and North America and CENTO in Asia. '€&) Communist nations joined the Warsaw Pact in Eastern Europe. After 1949, China was also a Communist country. €&) In the most perilous moment of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war. THREAT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB Both the United States and the Soviet Union stockpiled nuclear weapons. Each reasoned that fear of retaliation would keep the other from firing the first missile. This policy was known as MAD-Mutual Assured Destruction. Military Alliances D NATO and CENTO D Warsaw Pact U.S. Soviet c::) Potential nuclear attack ee Missile site Air base Political boundaries of 1970 1000 2000 miles ~===T==='~,----~' 2000 kilometers 102 During the 1950s, Americans were so worried about the possibility of nuclear war that schoolchildren regularly practiced atomic bomb drills.

Upload: others

Post on 01-Apr-2021

1 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Superpowers Face Off intheColdWar...D Warsaw Pact U.S. Soviet c:e:) e Potential nuclear attack Missile site • • Airbase Political boundaries of1970 ~===T==='~,----~'1000 2000 miles

Superpowers Face Off in the Cold WarI€&) The alliances of the Cold War were led by

two superpowers: the democratic United Statesand the Communist Soviet Union, anoutgrowth of Russia.

tea.! Democratic alliances includedNATO in Europe and North Americaand CENTO in Asia.

'€&) Communist nations joined the Warsaw Pactin Eastern Europe. After 1949, China wasalso a Communist country.

€&) In the most perilous moment of the Cold War,the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the twosuperpowers to the brink of nuclear war.

THREAT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB

Both the United States and the Soviet Union stockpiled nuclear weapons. Each reasonedthat fear of retaliation would keep the other from firing the first missile. This policy wasknown as MAD-Mutual Assured Destruction.

Military Alliances

D NATO and CENTOD Warsaw Pact

U.S. Sovietc::) Potential nuclear attacke e Missile site

• • Air base

Political boundaries of 19701000 2000 miles~===T==='~,----~'

2000 kilometers

102

During the 1950s, Americans were so worried about the possibility ofnuclear war that schoolchildren regularly practiced atomic bomb drills.

Page 2: Superpowers Face Off intheColdWar...D Warsaw Pact U.S. Soviet c:e:) e Potential nuclear attack Missile site • • Airbase Political boundaries of1970 ~===T==='~,----~'1000 2000 miles

UNITED STATES AFTER WORLD WAR II1 945 toE a r Iy 1 9 7~~O_s,~ ••..•

Era, 9

250 500 miles~:;:==o:' :::;------"

D Warsaw Pact memberD Other Communist nationD NATO memberD Neutral nationr:::zI'I' Iron Curtain

<D Divided city

Political boundaries of 1989

The Communist countriesof Eastern Europe and theNATO democracies of the Westwere isolated from one anotherfor decades after World War II.The term "Iron Curtain"symbolized this rigid andhostile division.

ATLANTICOCEAN

DD~~~~

CubaUnited States andu.s. territoryExtent of U.s. quarantine

Soviet arms shipment

U.S. military base

Soviet missile site

When the Soviet Union installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, the United States used anaval quarantine to force their removal. The world watched, expecting nuclear war.After several tense days, the Soviets finally backed down and removed the missiles,

CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS1962

Gulfof

Mexico

200 400 miles~====;:,='':::::::;-, _-----'I

200 400 kilometers

Oct. 1962 Ships carryingSoviet armaments honorU.S. quarantine.

""Cayman Is.(Br.)

103

Page 3: Superpowers Face Off intheColdWar...D Warsaw Pact U.S. Soviet c:e:) e Potential nuclear attack Missile site • • Airbase Political boundaries of1970 ~===T==='~,----~'1000 2000 miles

'The Vietnam War Ends an Erae&" In 1957 U.S. military advisers went to assist

capitalist South Vietnam, which faced agrowing Communist rebellion.

~ In 1965 the United States committed t~oopsto fight against both the Viet Cong rebelsand Communist North Vietnam, whichsupported them.

e&" As the war went on, Americans at home becamedissatisfied. Lack of support for the war eventuallyled to the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1973.

~ Without the assistance of American troops,South Vietnam fell to Communist forces in 1975.

May 1954 Vietnamese rebels defeatFrench; a divided Vietnam gainsindependence from France.

CHINA

LAOS

GulfofThailand

108

Vietnam had been divided in 1954. North Vietnam sent weaponsto the Viet Cong rebels in the South via the Ho Chi Minh Trail.U.S. advisers trained South Vietnamese forces to fight the rebelsand cut their supply lines.

Helicopters were the workhorses of the Vietnam War. They were used tospot the enemy, defend ground troops, transport soldiers and supplies,and evacuate the dead and wounded.

(600-

f'eak troop level543,300

V1-0c 500-rnV1:::J0.s: 400-~Qjcc 300-0VI•..C1)a..

200-Vl::::j

100-

0-

U.S. MILITARY IN VIETNAM

U.S. INVOLVEMENT GROWS1957-1964

Areas of Control, 1960D North Vietnam

and Viet CongD South Vietnam••• DMZ, 1954

Millions of Americans served in Vietnam between1965 and 1973. Before and after that, mostAmericans in Vietnam were military advisers.

••••. Supply route

Highway.......J...... u.s. 7th fleet

(until 1973)

BattlesJll Ll.S. ground, air, naval forces~ u.S. advisers or air support~ u.s. air strike• No U.S. involvement

(See also maps on page 109.)

75 150 miles, ,i i

75 1SO kilometers

Page 4: Superpowers Face Off intheColdWar...D Warsaw Pact U.S. Soviet c:e:) e Potential nuclear attack Missile site • • Airbase Political boundaries of1970 ~===T==='~,----~'1000 2000 miles

Era 9UNITED STATES AFTER WORLD WAR II1945 to Ea rly 19705

u.s. TROOPSCARRY THE LOAD

1965-1968In 1965, the u.s. role in Vietnam switched from advising tofighting. u.s. bombers struck targets in the North. Groundtroops faced Communist forces who used guerrilla tacticssuch as ambushes and mines.

Areas of Control, 1966D North Vietnam

and Viet Congo South Vietnam

See legend on page 108.

LAOS

\)GulfofThailand

Many Americans opposed the Vietnam War-some due to its unclearaims and its high cost in money and lives, others to avoid personalharm. Antiwar feelings eventually ended political support for the war.

CHINA

(

GulfofTonkin

Carn Ranh Bay.........J.....SouthChinaSea

Apr. 1975 North Vietnamesetroops capture Saigon, war ends.

u.s. ground troops played adiminishing role in the warafter 1969. More of thefighting fell to the army ofSouth Vietnam. Two yearsafter the last U.S. troops left,North Vietnam won the war.

u.s. TROOPS WITHDRAW,THE WAR ENDS

1969-1975Areas of Control, 1973 Io North Vietnam and Viet Cong)o South Vietnam

• Major advance

See legend on page 108. 109