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Gr. 12 HISTORY REVISION: THE COLD WAR

REVISION: THE COLD WAR (NOTES)

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Origins of the Cold War

The struggle between superpowers.

• Toward a new world order

What was the Cold War?

How did the cold war end, why was the cuban missile crisis such an important event in the cold war.

• What was Harry S. Truman's reaction to communist North Korea's attempt to seize noncommunist South Korea in 1950?
• Should the United States maintain the embargo enforced by John F. Kennedy against Cuba?

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• Table Of Contents

The Cold War was an ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies that developed after World War II . This hostility between the two superpowers was first given its name by George Orwell in an article published in 1945. Orwell understood it as a nuclear stalemate between “super-states”: each possessed weapons of mass destruction and was capable of annihilating the other.

The Cold War began after the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, when the uneasy alliance between the United States and Great Britain on the one hand and the Soviet Union on the other started to fall apart. The Soviet Union began to establish left-wing governments in the countries of eastern Europe, determined to safeguard against a possible renewed threat from Germany. The Americans and the British worried that Soviet domination in eastern Europe might be permanent. The Cold War was solidified by 1947–48, when U.S. aid had brought certain Western countries under American influence and the Soviets had established openly communist regimes. Nevertheless, there was very little use of weapons on battlefields during the Cold War. It was waged mainly on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and lasted until 1991.

The Cold War came to a close gradually. The unity in the communist bloc was unraveling throughout the 1960s and ’70s as a split occurred between China and the Soviet Union . Meanwhile, Japan and certain Western countries were becoming more economically independent. Increasingly complex international relationships developed as a result, and smaller countries became more resistant to superpower cajoling.

The Cold War truly began to break down during the administration of Mikhail Gorbachev , who changed the more totalitarian aspects of the Soviet government and tried to democratize its political system. Communist regimes began to collapse in eastern Europe, and democratic governments rose in East Germany , Poland , Hungary , and Czechoslovakia , followed by the reunification of West and East Germany under NATO auspices. Gorbachev’s reforms meanwhile weakened his own communist party and allowed power to shift to the constituent governments of the Soviet bloc. The Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, giving rise to 15 newly independent nations, including a Russia with an anticommunist leader.

In the late 1950s, both the United States and the Soviet Union were developing intercontinental ballistic missiles . In 1962 the Soviet Union began to secretly install missiles in Cuba to launch attacks on U.S. cities. The confrontation that followed, known as the Cuban missile crisis , brought the two superpowers to the brink of war before an agreement was reached to withdraw the missiles.

The conflict showed that both superpowers were wary of using their nuclear weapons against each other for fear of mutual atomic annihilation. The signing of the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty followed in 1963, which banned aboveground nuclear weapons testing. Still, after the crisis, the Soviets were determined not to be humiliated by their military inferiority again, and they began a buildup of conventional and strategic forces that the United States was forced to match for the next 25 years.

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Cold War , the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. The Cold War was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. The term was first used by the English writer George Orwell in an article published in 1945 to refer to what he predicted would be a nuclear stalemate between “two or three monstrous super-states, each possessed of a weapon by which millions of people can be wiped out in a few seconds.” It was first used in the United States by the American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch in a speech at the State House in Columbia, South Carolina , in 1947.

A brief treatment of the Cold War follows. For full treatment, see international relations .

Following the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945 near the close of World War II , the uneasy wartime alliance between the United States and Great Britain on the one hand and the Soviet Union on the other began to unravel. By 1948 the Soviets had installed left-wing governments in the countries of eastern Europe that had been liberated by the Red Army . The Americans and the British feared the permanent Soviet domination of eastern Europe and the threat of Soviet-influenced communist parties coming to power in the democracies of western Europe. The Soviets, on the other hand, were determined to maintain control of eastern Europe in order to safeguard against any possible renewed threat from Germany, and they were intent on spreading communism worldwide, largely for ideological reasons. The Cold War had solidified by 1947–48, when U.S. aid provided under the Marshall Plan to western Europe had brought those countries under American influence and the Soviets had installed openly communist regimes in eastern Europe.

The Cold War reached its peak in 1948–53. In this period the Soviets unsuccessfully blockaded the Western-held sectors of West Berlin (1948–49); the United States and its European allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a unified military command to resist the Soviet presence in Europe (1949); the Soviets exploded their first atomic warhead (1949), thus ending the American monopoly on the atomic bomb; the Chinese communists came to power in mainland China (1949); and the Soviet-supported communist government of North Korea invaded U.S.-supported South Korea in 1950, setting off an indecisive Korean War that lasted until 1953.

From 1953 to 1957 Cold War tensions relaxed somewhat, largely owing to the death of the longtime Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1953; nevertheless, the standoff remained. A unified military organization among the Soviet-bloc countries, the Warsaw Pact , was formed in 1955; and West Germany was admitted into NATO that same year. Another intense stage of the Cold War was in 1958–62. The United States and the Soviet Union began developing intercontinental ballistic missiles , and in 1962 the Soviets began secretly installing missiles in Cuba that could be used to launch nuclear attacks on U.S. cities. This sparked the Cuban missile crisis (1962), a confrontation that brought the two superpowers to the brink of war before an agreement was reached to withdraw the missiles.

The Cuban missile crisis showed that neither the United States nor the Soviet Union were ready to use nuclear weapons for fear of the other’s retaliation (and thus of mutual atomic annihilation). The two superpowers soon signed the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty of 1963 , which banned aboveground nuclear weapons testing. But the crisis also hardened the Soviets’ determination never again to be humiliated by their military inferiority, and they began a buildup of both conventional and strategic forces that the United States was forced to match for the next 25 years.

Throughout the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union avoided direct military confrontation in Europe and engaged in actual combat operations only to keep allies from defecting to the other side or to overthrow them after they had done so. Thus, the Soviet Union sent troops to preserve communist rule in East Germany (1953), Hungary (1956) , Czechoslovakia (1968) , and Afghanistan (1979) . For its part, the United States helped overthrow a left-wing government in Guatemala (1954) , supported an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba (1961), invaded the Dominican Republic (1965) and Grenada (1983) , and undertook a long (1954–75) and unsuccessful effort to prevent communist North Vietnam from bringing South Vietnam under its rule ( see Vietnam War ).

Grade 12 History Cold War: Angola Notes Collection, with Source-based Questions

Grade 12 History Angola Notes Collection: On this page you will find a compilation of Angola Notes for History Grade 12 subject: Origin of the Cold War, End of Cold War, Source-based Questions, Essay Questions.

From the mid-1970s, the Cold War between the USA and the USSR turned into a ‘hot war’ in Angola. The challenges facing the newly independent Angola were exploited by the superpowers and their allies. This was done in the hopes that they (the superpowers) could expand their sphere of influence into that region. The civil war which broke out in Angola in the mid-1970s was soon fought along Cold War battle lines. In Angola, the Soviets (through their ally, Cuba) backed one Angolan nationalist group and the USA through their ally, South Africa) backed their rival.

History of Angola

On this section, you will find Grade 12 History Cold War: Angola Notes Collection, with Source-based Questions. This content will be great for Essays

How Africa was drawn into the Cold War

• The USA wanted to limit the spread of communism in Africa, and therefore often supported factions that were anti-communist.
• In Ethiopia, for example, the USA supplied weapons and support to Haile Selassie, to boost his rule against a communist revolutionary movement.
• In Angola, the USA sided with a capitalist-leaning nationalist group, sending weapons and military support via South Africa.
• The apartheid government feared that if its neighbouring countries became socialist or communist, then they would allow the African National Congress (ANC) and the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) to establish military bases in these countries, from which the ANC and SWAPO could launch attacks on South African apartheid forces.
• The apartheid government also wanted to maintain a good relationship with the USA and the UK, which were both powerful allies. The Cold War provided a convenient justification for the USA and the UK to support apartheid, South Africa.
• As is to be expected, a number of African states saw American and British support for the apartheid regime in South Africa as politically suspicious and were therefore wary of forming relationships with them.

Angola under Portuguese Rule

• The apartheid government also wanted to maintain a good relationship with the USA and the UK, which were both powerful allies. The Cold War provided a convenient justification for the USA and the UK to support apartheid South Africa.

Download Studyguide Notes below:

Cold War – Areas & Forms of Conflict: Angola Essay Question Guide

Below is a guide on how to answer the source-bassed questions for Grade 12 History, focusing on Cold War – Areas & Forms of Conflict: Angola.

Note: The Key Question will appear at the beginning of every section in the exam paper. Thisquestion tells you what the OVERALL content to be tested will be. In this case, the KeyQuestion tells us the section will test how The Cold War affected Angola. NB: Learners DO NOT answer this question. 

How to analyse a cartoon  for source-based History Grade 12 Questions

Cartoons will give the artist‟s point of view on a particular topic. They are useful in reflecting the attitudes of the time. When studying a cartoon, teachers will ask the following questions:

• How are the people drawn? Are they realistic? What size are they? Are some of their features exaggerated? How are they dressed?
• What view of the people does the cartoon give?
• What else is included in the cartoon? Is there any writing on the cartoon itself?
• What symbols are used to get the message across?
• What information do the date and caption contribute?
• Where was the cartoon published?
• What is the artist‟s intention?
• Does the cartoon offer a positive or negative perspective on the topic?
• What do you know of the period that might support your view of the cartoon?
• What does the interpretation of the topic tell you about the artist? Can you find bias? Can you work out what issue or whom the cartoonist supports?

In respect of the Cold War, the focus for the exams is on Angola. Angolabecomes the pawn in the balance of power between the Soviet Union and the UnitedStates. One must note that in Angola civil conflict is manipulated by the Cold Warpowers to increase their prestige. 

Angola is potentially one of the richest countries in sub-Saharan Africa with extensive petroleum reserves, rich agricultural land and valuable mineral resources. Few countries in the world have experienced aswell as sustained the degree of violent conflict seen in Angola. The intervention has diminished but has not disappeared. Angola‟s abundant natural resources continue to attract outside interests from industrialised nations globally. In the competition for oil, diamonds and other precious resources in Angola, interests external to Angolacontinue to play a large and decisive role, both in suppressing conflict and in sustaining it. The end of the Cold War changed the political landscape of Africa since the 1990‟s and opened new vistas for the continent, it helped in reshaping international relations as well as the emergence of new concepts of security and self-interest. It eliminated the division of Africa into two ideological camps and eliminated a source of external support that was taken for granted.

Note: Learners must answer all questions in FULL SENTENCES, as bullet points are not acceptable in an exam situation. They must also be specific as to which source and which part of the source they are referring to in their answer. When asked to quote, learners must make sure they answer using quotation marks and that the quotation includes only the relevant phrase or sentence. 

Source-based Questions: Source A

• The source refers to violent conflict in Angola. This violent conflict began with Angola‟s independence in 1975. Briefly explain why independence sparked violence in Angola.
• According to the source why is Angola continually an arena for external intervention? Quote from the source to support your answer?
• The source refers to two ideological camps during the Cold War. What were these two ideological camps?
• The MPLA and UNITA were the two main opponents in the Angolan Civil War. The name which ideological camp supported the MPLA and which camp supported UNIT A.
• Briefly explain how the involvement of the above camps would accelerate and prolong the conflict.

An extract from a speech by Fidel Castro at the First Congress of the Communist Party ofCuba, Havana, December 1975. Quoted in D. Deutschmann (ed), Changing the History of Africa , 1989 . 

When asked to compare sources, the learner must be reminded that sources can be opposite or similar. They may entrench a viewpoint or be in opposition to each other. Learners need to examine the origin of the source (whose view is this, secondary or primary etc.) and then examine the content itself. They can then decide whether the sources complement or oppose each other and give a detailed explanation as to why they came to this conclusion.

Source-based Questions: Source C and D

Explain in detail how Source C and source D compare. In your answer, refer to both content and origin.

Note: When asked to evaluate the value of a source, learners are being asked to decide on whether or not the source enhances their study. They must always ask themselves the following questions: Does the source display bias or not? If so what can that bias teach them? What element and knowledge does this source impart and why does this help them understand the topic more clearly? The type of source is also relevant. 

Source-based Questions: Source E

• Is Source E a primary or secondary source?
• What is the value of Source E in our study of the Angolan civil war?
• What impact would the image in Source E have on the Angolan economy in post-civil war days?

Source-Based Question: Conflict in Africa: Angola- Ending the Cold War in Southern Africa

The first glimpse of peace in Angola‟s interminable (never-ending) civil war came in 1990 as the Cold War drew to a close. Throughout the 1980‟s Angola had remained a pawn in the Cold War, a theatre in which the US and the Soviet Union used proxy (outside representative) forces to compete for ascendancy power and control). While the Russians and the Cubans continued to prop up the MPLA‟s (Popular Movement for the liberation of Angola) Marxist regime in Luanda, the Americans, along with the South Africans, sustained Jonas Savimbi‟s rebel UNITA( National Union for the Total Independence of Angola)movement.

In 1990, after the Russians had lost interest in Angola, the MPLA formally abandoned Marxism-Leninism and pronounced itself in favour of economic reform. The MPLA followed with the decision at its congress in December 1990 to adopt a multiparty system and moved, albeit haltingly, towards market-orientated economic policies, after finally obtaining membership of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. The forms it instituted, however, provided yet more business opportunities for the elite, notably the privatisation of state assets.

An extract from: Conflict in Africa: Angola- Ending the Cold War in Southern Africa

Essay Question on Angola History

Describe why Angola became an arena for Cold War ideologies and examine how this developed into a Proxy War with Cuban and South African involvement. Your answer must include your own knowledge and you can use the sources provided in the short questions.

Note: The essay question counts 40% of the exam. Learners need to learnthe format and how to refer to sources. No bullet points allowed! 

• Using the source and your own knowledge, explain why and who Russia used to fight their Proxy War in Angola?
• Using your own knowledge, why did the Soviet Union support the MPLA?
• According to the source and your own knowledge, why did the MPLA abandon Marxism in favour of market-orientated economic policies?

Answers and Memos for the above source-based questions

Download the Answers and Memos for the above source-based questions from the document below:

Independent Africa: Case study-Angola

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Grade 12 - The impact of the Cold War in forming the world as it was in the 1960s

The Cold War was the period of conflict and competition between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union, and their respective allies. From the end of World War II until the early 1990s, world politics was dominated by the rivalry between these two Superpowers.

The Cold War spread outside Europe to every region of the world, and drew to a close in the late 1980s. Towards the end of the 1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held conferences with United States President Ronald Reagan.

During these conferences Gorbachev introduced reform policies in the USSR - called perestroika (restructuring of the Soviet economy) and glasnost (policy of openness, and transparency).  In December 1989, after more than four decades, Gorbachev and President George H.W. Bush declared the Cold War officially over.

Please note, there may be minor changes to the curriculum from year to year, teachers always check with your Curriculum Advisor and students, check with your teacher. Please click on the feedback icon on the right if you have anything to contribute or if you have any questions.

T he role of China and areas of conflict are not being examined in 2009. This section is detailed so we have broken it up into 4 pages:

Intro and Russia in 1917

Communism vs Capitalism

The Cold War

The Division of Germany and Berlin

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[Grade 12 History: Cold war] Is this a good essay for my Grade 12 History exam?

So for my History exam I have to write a essay on the expansion of the cold war: Vietnam and I want to ask here if it is good as I do online school and I don't have a teacher I could directly ask. p.s. Sorry if there are spelling errors, I wrote this in my native language(Afrikaans) so I translated this to English to ask you guys :)

The Vietnam War, which raged from the mid-20th century until 1975, is a complex and controversial episode in the history of the Cold War. This conflict not only had local implications but also shaped the global political landscape. To fully understand the impact of the Cold War on Vietnam, it is essential to examine the struggle against colonial powers before World War II, the situation in Vietnam immediately after the war, and the subsequent phases of the conflict.

Before World War II, Vietnam was a colony of France. The Vietnamese population has struggled for years against colonial oppression and for self-determination. The nationalist feelings were strengthened by leaders such as Ho Chi Minh, who would later play a key role in the Vietnam War. The anti-colonial struggle had a significant influence on the political and social dynamics in Vietnam, laying the groundwork for later conflict with the US and the communist insurgency.

After World War II, Vietnam found itself in a delicate position. The French tried to regain control, leading to the First Indochina War (1946-1954). This conflict ended with the Geneva Accords, which divided Vietnam into a communist north and an anti-communist south. This division laid the foundation for further conflict as both sides sought a unified Vietnam under their own ideologies.

Between 1957 and 1965, the South Vietnamese government, backed by the US, struggled to maintain control over a growing communist insurgency led by the Viet Cong. This period was characterized by guerrilla warfare, terrorist campaigns, and political instability. The US deepened its involvement by providing economic and military support to the South Vietnamese government in an effort to stem the spread of communism.

From 1965 to 1969, the conflict escalated as the US became directly involved in the war. This led to major military operations such as Operation Rolling Thunder, which involved intense bombing raids on North Vietnam. The US policy of "search and destroy" aimed to destroy Vietcong base areas, but often resulted in heavy civilian casualties and destruction.

The use of technological weapons, including napalm and agent orange, radically changed warfare and caused widespread damage to the Vietnamese landscape and population. An important event in this period was the Tet Offensive of January 1968, where North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched joint attacks on major cities in South Vietnam. Although militarily unsuccessful for the communists, it shocked the American public and strengthened anti-war sentiment.

Another controversial event was the My Lai massacre, where American soldiers killed hundreds of civilians. This incident caused further criticism of the American involvement and highlighted the moral and political implications of the war.

From a Vietnamese perspective, the war was a struggle for national self-determination and freedom from foreign domination. Both North and South Vietnamese made huge sacrifices, with millions of civilian and military casualties. The North Vietnamese and Vietcong believed they were fighting for the reunification of their country under a socialist government, inspired by ideas of independence and communist solidarity.

For the US, the Vietnam War was an integral part of their broader Cold War strategy. The Americans believed in the "domino theory", which claimed that the fall of one country to communism would lead to the fall of other countries in the region. Therefore, they saw Vietnam as an important battleground to prevent communist expansion. However, the war exacted enormous costs, both in terms of human lives and financial expenditure, and deeply divided American society.

The Vietnam War had far-reaching international consequences. This not only affected the relationship between the US, the Soviet Union, and China, but also strengthened the global anti-war movement. The war showed how a local conflict can escalate into a global crisis, with direct and indirect involvement of major world powers.

As the war continued, the anti-war movement in the US gained momentum. Demonstrations, protests, and political pressure led to a change in policy. In 1969, President Nixon announced the "Vietnamization" of the war, which aimed to gradually transfer the burden of war to the South Vietnamese forces.

By 1973, the US and Vietnam reached a peace agreement, and US troops officially withdrew. But the conflict continued until 1975, when North Vietnam captured Saigon and unified Vietnam under communist rule. In the US, the Vietnam War is still considered one of the most controversial and traumatic conflicts in their history. This led to a reevaluation of foreign policy and military involvement. The war deeply scarred the American collective memory and led to a greater skepticism towards government decisions and military intervention.

In Vetnam, the war is remembered as a heroic struggle for freedom and reunification. It is celebrated in national commemorations and monuments. The war laid the foundations for modern-day Vietnam, which is still proud of its victory against a major world power.

The Vietnam War was more than just a conflict between North and South Vietnam. It was an extension of the Cold War, shaped by ideological, political, and strategic factors that influenced global political dynamics. The legacy of the war still resonates today, serving as a reminder of the complex and often tragic consequences of geopolitical struggle.

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