33.4: The Cold War Divides the World
1. Fighting For The Third World
2. Confrontations In Latin America
3. Confrontations In The Middle East
Third World nations were located in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. They were economically and politically unstable due to colonialism. They also suffered from ethnic conflicts and lack of technology/education.
They needed a political system to build their society around. Soviet-style communism and U.S.-style free market democracy were the main choices.
Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution
Nuclear Face-off: the Cuban Missile Crisis
Religious and Secular Values Clash in Iran
The United States Supports Secular Rule
Association of Nonaligned Nations
The Soviets started building missile sites in Cuba after the US's defeat. An American spy plane found them, and President Kennedy created and naval blockade of Cuba
However, Castro was a harsh dictator himself. He took over U.S.-owned businesses, and President Eisenhower ordered an embargo on Cuba. Castro and the Soviets worked together.
The Superpowers Face Off in Afghanistan
Afghanistan maintained their independence for many years after WWII. They remained independent from The Soviet Union and the U.S.
Khomeini's Anti-U.S. Policies
Civil War in Nicaragua
There was strict adherence to Islam ruled Khomeini's domestic policies, but the hatred of the US, for support of the shah.
The main reason as to why the two sides started to fight was because of the oil industry and how wealthy it could make a person.
Fulgencio Batista was a resented dictator in the 1950s, but the U.S. supported him. He was overthrown by a revolution led by Fidel Castro.
Latin America experienced industrialization, population growth, and a large gap between the rich and the poor after World War II.
After WWII was over the Iran leader Shah Pahlovi decided to accept and welcome the Western government as well as their oil companies.
With the United States help some parts of Iran was able to westernize. They were able to get such things as skyscrapers, banks and factories.
Even though Iran was starting to become westernized, they still had a lot of people that were in low poverty.
Cold War Strategies
Communism found its way to Latin America, and the U.S. supported anti-Communist dictators.
In the 1950s, the Soviet influence in the country started to rise. In the the late 1970s a muslim revolt threatened to destroy Afghanistan's Communist regime.
Was Communism the cause of the ouster of Shah Pahlovi from Iran?
The U.S., Soviet Union, and occasionally China used a variety of techniques to gain influence in the Third World, such as backing wars of revolution.
Not all Third World countries wanted to play a role in the Cold War. India and Indonesia both wanted to remain neutral. In 1955, Indonesia hosted leaders from Asia and Africa at the Bandung Conference.
This made the Nationalists in Iran very upset at the fact that the were making alliances with foreign companies
Why was it hard for countries to remain non aligned?
The CIA and KGB engaged in various covert activities, from spying to assassination attempts. The U.S. also gave military aid, built schools, set up programs to combat poverty, and sent volunteers to developing countries. The Soviets offered military and technical assistance, mostly to India and Egypt.
How did the U.S. policy toward Cuba backfire?
Our policy was to take out the Cuban Communists because they were seen as a threat to us. We tried invading Cuba, but we lost.
They then ultimately decided that they were going to go and have Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadeq be their leader.
Should the U.S. sometimes engage in assassination?
Which led to a Soviet invasion in 1979.
The Soviets were expecting the Afghan Communists to quickly withdraw. But instead they were stuck, an example of this would be the Vietcong in Vietnam, where they outmaneuvered a military power
In the year 1953 the were able to nationalize a British oil company, this ended up making the shah to flee.
What did the Cuban Missile Crisis reveal about the policy of the United States?
It revealed that if someone was a threat to the United States, we would fight back and defend ourselves.
In Nicaragua, the US supported the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza. His son was taken over by the Communist rebel group, the Sandinistas.
The US tried invading Cuba, but Cuba easily defeated them.
However, the were still afraid that Iran would reach out to the Soviets for help. This fear ended up making them reach out to the U.S. for help.
Alliance
The U.S. helped supply Afghan rebels with weapons. The U.S. did this because they were considered the Soviets an invasion threat to the Middle Eastern oil supplies.
Nationalisim
Conflict
Castro said he didn't want to get involved in the Cold War, but it was too late. People feared nuclear war, but luckily the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles as long as the US wouldn't invade Cuba.
Conflict
They met and formed a third force of independent countries, or nonaligned nations. Some, like India and Indonesia, were able to maintain their neutrality. Others took sides or played competing sides against each other.
Castro depended on the Soviets, so he supported Communist revolutions in Latin America and Africa.
Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadeq
I think if there's a chance to save a large amount of lives assassination should be looked at. The lives of many mean more than the lives of a few.
When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, the Cubans were left with no support. Their economy crippled and Castro had to seek better foreign relations.
How else did the U.S. and Soviet Union gain influence with Third World countries?
The Soviets were warned against any attempt to gain control of the Persian Gulf. To protest the invasion, President Carter stopped U.S. grain shipments to the Soviet Union and ordered a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olymoics
Iranian Leader Shah Pahlovi
Fidel Castro
One of Iran's political leaders that was apart of the conservative Muslim, Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, ended up opposing the westernization.
Could the United States have gained Khomeini’s support by withdrawing aid to the Shah?
Even though he lived in exile, he recorded taped messages. This is what ended up causing the riot of Iranian people in 1978 and because the riots were of such force the shah ended up leaving Iran in the year 1979
Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini
After the shah left, Khomeini ended up making a return to control the country and help not only return it to a Islamic state, but to also help its military.
Alliance
Revolution
Yes, I believe that if the United States would have stopped aiding the Shah and start to aid him and his group that they could have gained his support.
They were either facing threats or being offered help from countries much larger with much more resources/technological advances. .
Self interest
Conflict
Colonialism
Alliance
The US supported the El Salvadoran government to help fight against the Communists. The civil war in Nicaragua lasted for more than a decade, and weakened their economy.
In 1979 young Islamic revolutionaries seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Taking more than 60 Americans hostage and demanded the U.S. force the shah to face trial. A lot of the hostages were finally released in 1981.
Khomeini encouraged Muslim radicals to overthrow their governments. This was intended to unify Muslims, but it ended up just making tension between Iran and Iraq.
Which led to war between Iran and Iraq. The United States secretly gave aid to both sides, because the did not want to upset the balance of power in that region.
The Soviet Union was a long time supporter of Iraq. Many, many, lives were lost on both sides before the UN negotiated a ceasefire in 1988.
Conflict
Revolution: The Cubans overthrew Batista in the Cuban Revolution
War: The Civil War in Nicaragua
Could the United States have gained Khomeini’s support by withdrawing aid to the Shah?
Yes, because of the fact if they didn't have communism, then the Nationalists wouldn't have gotten angry and wanted to kick the Shah out of Iran.
Yes, I believe that if the US would have stopped aiding the Shah that Khomeini would've supported the US.
Invasion
Alliance
Independence