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A Summary of WWI
World War I was a major conflict fought between 1914 and 1918. Other names
for World War I include the First World War, the War to End All Wars, and the
Great War.

World War I was fought between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.
The main members of the Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain. The
United States also fought on the side of the Allies after 1917. The main
members of the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman
Empire, and Bulgaria.

The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western
front and the eastern front. The western front was a long line of trenches that
ran from the coast of Belgium to Switzerland. A lot of the fighting along this
front took place in France and Belgium. The eastern front was between
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria on one side and Russia and Romania
on the other.

Although there were a number of causes for the war, the assassination of
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the main catalyst for starting the war.
After the assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia. Then Russia prepared
to defend its ally Serbia. Next, Germany declared war on Russia to protect
Austria. This caused France to declare war on Germany to protect its ally
Russia. Germany invaded Belgium to get to France which caused Britain to
declare war on Germany. This all happened in just a few days.

A lot of the war was fought using trench warfare along the western front. The
armies hardly moved at all. They just bombed and shot at each other from
across the trenches.

The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was
agreed to by both sides. The war officially ended between Germany and the
Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

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Treaty of Versailles:

Signed on June 28, 1919, as an end to the First World War, The Treaty of
Versailles was supposed to ensure a lasting peace by punishing Germany and
setting up a League of Nations to solve diplomatic problems. Instead, it left a
legacy of political and geographical difficulties that have often been blamed,
sometimes solely, for starting the Second World War.

The Allies gathered to discuss the peace treaty they would sign, but Germany
and Austria-Hungary weren't invited; instead, they were allowed only to
present a response to the treaty, a response that was largely ignored. Instead,
terms were drawn up mainly by the so-called Big Four: British Prime Minister
Lloyd George, French Prime Minister France George Clemenceau, Italian Prime
Minister Vittorio Orlando and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. Each
government represented by the men in the Big Four had different desires.

Selected Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Here are some of the terms of the Versailles Treaty, in several main categories.

Territory

 Alsace-Lorraine, captured by Germany in 1870 and the war aim of the

attacking French forces in 1914, was returned to France.
 The Saar, an important German coalfield, was to be given to France for
15 years, after which a plebiscite would decide ownership.
 Poland became an independent country with a "route to the sea," a
corridor of land cutting Germany in two.
 Danzig, a major port in East Prussia (Germany) was to be under
international rule.
 All German and Turkish colonies were taken away and put under Allied
control.
 Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Czechoslovakia were made independent.
 Austria-Hungary was split up, and Yugoslavia was created.

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Arms

 The left bank of the Rhine was to be occupied by Allied forces and the
right bank demilitarized.

 The German army was cut to 100,000 men.

 The German Navy was cut to 36 ships and no submarines.

 Germany was banned from having an Air Force.

 An Anschluss (union) between Germany and Austria was banned.

Reparations and Guilt

 In the "war guilt" clause, Germany has to accept total blame for the war.

 Germany had to pay £6,600 million in compensation.

The League of Nations

 A League of Nations was to be created to prevent further world conflict.

Results

Germany lost 13 percent of its land, 12 percent of its people, 48 percent of its
iron resources, 15 percent of its agricultural production, and 10 percent of its
coal.

Many Germans felt unfairly treated. German public opinion swung against this
diktat (dictated peace), while the Germans who signed it were called the
"November Criminals." Britain and France felt the treaty was fair—they
actually wanted harsher terms imposed on the Germans—but the United
States refused to ratify it because it didn't want to be part of the League of
Nations.

Other results include:

 The map of Europe was redrawn with consequences which, especially in

the Balkans, remain to the modern day.
 Numerous countries were left with large minority groups: There were
three and a half million Germans in Czechoslovakia alone.
 The League of Nations was fatally weakened without the United States
and its army to enforce decisions.

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Answer the following questions:

1. When and where did world war one take place?

________________________________________________________________

2. The Central Powers were ____________________________________while

the allies were _______________________________________________

3. Why was 28th June 1914 especially provoking?

_______________________________________________________________

4. World War 1 officially ended on ___________________________________

5. The important delegates at Versailles conference were

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

6. Explain the clauses of the treaty of Versailles?

Territorial clause:

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

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 Military clause:

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

War Guilt clause:

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

7. Why was the Treaty of Versailles called a “Diktat”? And who are the
November Criminals?
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

8. What reasons do you think lead Germany to initiate World War II?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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 A Summary of World War 2

World War 2 occurred between axis powers VS the Allied power from 1939 to
1945

Historians disagree about the causes of WW2. Some trace it back to the anger
created in Germany by the treaty of Versailles. Some blamed the leaders for
being too weak and doing the appeasement policy( give the dictator what he
wants ). Some ascribe it to Hitler’s aggression.

The war broke out when Hitler invaded Poland on Sep 1st 1939. Britain
declared war two days later, on Sep 3rd 1939.

At first there was a “phoney war”- Britain and France were not directly
threatened – but in 1940 the Germans attacked. Their Blitzkrieg tactics quickly
destroyed the Allied forces. France was defeated and the British army
evacuated from Dunkirk. For a while, Britain and the empire faced the
Germans alone, and had to survive the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

In June 1941, Hitler invaded Russia and in December 1941, the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor which brought USA into the war. The war became a truly
global conflict. Meanwhile, in Europe, the Nazis implemented their “Final
Solution” to exterminate all Jewish people.

The critical battles that changed the course of the war were at Midway in the
Pacific (June 1942), El-Alamein in Egypt (November 1942) and Stalingrad in
Russia (January 1943)

After that the Allies never lost a battle. On D-Day (6 June 1944), the Allies
invaded Normandy. The Soviet Red Army was advancing from the east. Hitler
later committed suicide, and Germany surrendered (7 may 1945)

On 6 August 1945, the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on VJ Day (15 August 1945). The war was over.

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Answer the following questions:

1. What was appeasement policy? Do you agree with this policy?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2. What was the Phoney war? Do you think Britain was correct using this
technique at the beginning of the war? Why?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

3. What was Blitzkrieg?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

4. Which major battle do you think tilted the balance of the war in favor of the
Allies and why?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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5. After your study of WW1 and WW2 who do you think was the reason for the
start of WW2?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

6. What do you think could have been done to prevent WW2?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

7. What do you think happened to the following countries after the allied
victory:

a. Germany:
______________________________________________________________

b. Japan :
______________________________________________________________

c. League of Nations :
______________________________________________________________

d. Britain and France:

______________________________________________________________

e. USA:
______________________________________________________________

F: USSR
_______________________________________________________________

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 WWII conferences

Setting the stage for the Cold War Conflict

Tehran Conference (November 28 – December 1, 1943)

The Tehran Conference was a meeting between the "Big Three" Allied leaders—
Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, and
Great Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill—held at the request of the U.S.
President at the height of World War II. Desperate to make a conference happen,
Roosevelt conceded several points to Stalin, including choosing a location that
was convenient to the Soviet leader. Agreeing to meet in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 28,
1943, the three leaders planned to discuss D-Day, the war strategy, and how best
to defeat Japan.

Roosevelt intended to deal with Stalin personally, though his declining health
prevented him from operating from a position of strength. The Conference
opened with Stalin brimming with confidence after several major victories on
the Eastern Front. Opening the meeting, Roosevelt and Churchill sought to ensure
Soviet cooperation in achieving the Allies' war policies. Stalin was willing to
comply: However, in exchange, he demanded Allied support for his government
and the partisans in Yugoslavia, as well as border adjustments in Poland.
Agreeing to Stalin's demands, the meeting moved on to the planning of Operation
Overlord (D-Day) and the opening of the second front in Western Europe. As
Stalin had been asking the Allies to open a second front since 1941, to ease the
tension of the Russian front, and the Allies were late in opening the new
European front.

Aftermath

Stalin was able to use Roosevelt's weak health and Britain's declining power to
dominate the conference and achieve all of his goals. Among the concessions he
gained from Roosevelt and Churchill was a shifting of the Polish border to the
Oder and Neisse Rivers and the Curzon line. He also gained de facto permission
to oversee the establishment of new governments in Eastern Europe as they
were liberated.

Many of the concessions made to Stalin at Tehran helped set the stage for
the Cold War once World War II ended.

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Yalta (February 1945)

Us President Franklin D Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and

Secretary General Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, met at the Black sea
resort city of Yalta to make plans both for the defeat of German and world order
after WWII. Although many of the details were left undecided (and as a result
became cause for tension between former allies), the big Three, as they were
come to be known, agreed to the following.

 The Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan, and in exchange, the
Soviets would be granted sphere of influence in Manchuria.

 Germany would be divided into 4 separate occupation zones, but the Big Three
would enact common policies and plans in each of the zones. The same was
done to Berlin (Capital of Germany)

 The Soviet Union was entitled to compensation for the destruction of property
and industry that occurred during the invasion and occupation of Soviet
territory during the war.

 The Soviet Union agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe.

The Allies had a much harder time agreeing to anything in regard to Poland and
much of Eastern Europe. Although Stalin promised free elections, the Soviet
Union, fearing a future invasion from Western Europe, sought the creation of
buffer states – countries with strong communist governments allied and loyal to
the Soviet Union. Although the US and Great Britain conceded to communist
involvement in the new governments, they maintained their goal of free elections
throughout Europe.

While consensus was not possible on many issues, the Yalta Conference is
significant in that it did suggest that cooperation between the three powers was
possible.

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San Francisco Conference April 25, 1945

Conference to Form U.N.

On April 25, 1945, in San Francisco, 46 nations met to discuss the creation of the
United Nations, an international organization intended to maintain peace
between nations.

The main debate surrounding the conference was the participation of Poland,
which had no representation because of a dispute between the “Big Three” Allied
countries over whether to recognize the London-based Polish government-in-
exile or the Warsaw-based provisional government. Poland would not take part
in the San Francisco Conference, which lasted two months and eventually
included 50 countries.

The leaders at the conference confirmed the organization of the United Nations
and drafted the U.N. Charter. The most contentious debate was the veto power of
the Security Council, which was debated by the United States and the Soviet
Union. The issue was settled when American leaders reached out directly to the
Soviet leader Josef Stalin. The conference concluded with the unanimous
approval of the charter on June 26, by which time the war in Europe had ended.

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Potsdam conference:
In April 1945, as the European threat of the war was nearing an end, the allied
power all converged on Berlin, Germany. The Soviets entered the city first and
occupied it for two months. Leaders of three wartime allies met again in
Potsdam, Germany from July 17- August 2 1945. At Potsdam, Harry S. Truman
represented the US, following FDR’s death. Truman was more suspicious of Stalin
and of Soviet expansionism than FDR. In the months following Yalta, the soviets
had consolidated their control over Eastern Europe and had not lived up to their
promises of free elections in Eastern Europe. At Potsdam, the Allies agreed to the
following:

An allied control commission to run Germany until a final decision could be

reached on the nature and power of a new German government.

Germany would be demilitarized, de-Nazified and until the final decision could be
made about German government, divided into 4 occupation zones, each
administered by one of the allied power and France ( the French were given a
zone carved out of the British and US section)

The capital, Berlin, was also divided between the four powers.

Each of these four occupying nations could affect the way the nation and the city
started to rebuild after the war. The Soviets, for example, were concern with
maintaining strong control over their zone so as to prevent any potential future
invasion from the west (as they had just experienced in the prior decade).
American, British and French rule, in contrast, promoted capitalism and liberal
democratic government.

Truman and secretary of the state James Byrnes forced the soviets to agree that
occupying nations could exact reparation only from their zone, while also
allowing for the shipping of industrial goods from the western zones of
occupation in exchange for agricultural goods from Soviet zone.
The western border of Germany was settled.

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 Complete the following table:

Conference Date Countries/ Issues of Dispute – Conference

Delegates conflict outcome

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 Communism VS Capitalism

Answer the following questions:

1- What is Ideology?
____________________________________________________

2- What is an economic system?

____________________________________________________

3- What is a political system?

____________________________________________________

Define the following terms:

a. Communism
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

b. Capitalism
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

c. Democracy
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

d. Dictatorship
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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20
QUESTIONS: The History of Capitalism& The Main features of Capitalism
Choose the correct answer:

1. Karl Marx coined the word capitalism to mean:

A. a social and governmental structure in which power was spread out
amongst different lords
B. private ownership of property or business
C. the three major market roles
D. the act of paying wages

2. What caused feudalism to break down?

A. increase in foreign trade
B. inflation
C. increase in the use of money
D. all of the above

3. Which of the following was NOT one of the three major market roles in the
Mid-1600s?
A. producer
B. consumer
C. capitalist
D. merchant

4. What was the key event that changed merchants into capitalists?
A. increase in foreign trade
B. inflation
C. increase in the use of money
D. the act of paying wages
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5. Why was the transition from feudalism difficult for the serfs?
A. there was a limit on how much wages workers could be paid
B. the work environment was competitive
C. people had to spend a lot more time working
D. all of the above

Answer the following questions:

1. What is capitalism?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

2. What is the main motive of business in a capitalist system?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

3. What kind of private property might a business have?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

4. What is meant by free enterprise?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

5. What role do consumer desires play in a capitalist economy?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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24
 QUESTIONS: Capitalism & Demand and Supplies

Choose the correct answer:

1. In a capitalist system, businesses are owned and managed by:
A. the government
B. the people
C. the market
D. Adam Smith

2. What is the opposite of capitalism?

A. the free market system
B. a mixed economy
C. a command economy
D. supply and demand

3. Capitalism is based on the concept of:

A. supply and demand
B. the free market
C. the command economy
D. laws against monopolies

4. A company with a monopoly has _____________ over a particular business.

A. no control
B. government control
C. exclusive control
D. supply and demand

5. In a mixed economy:
A. private businesses set their own prices
B. private businesses determine what products will be sold
C. the government plays a role by making and enforcing laws
D. all of the above

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Answer the following questions:

1- What is the law of supply and demand?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

2- How do supply and demand determine the price of a product?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

3- What are the four ways that supply and demand can affect the price of a
product?
a. ______________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________

4- What factors influence supply and demand?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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28
QUESTIONS: Advantages of Capitalism & Disadvantages of Capitalism

Choose the correct answer:

1. Most societies today are:

A. capitalist economies
B. mixed economies
C. command economies
D. characterized by freedom

2. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of a capitalist society?

A. economy it is difficult for any private individual to get ahead
B. individuals are able to choose what they want to buy
C. individuals are able to choose what kind of work they want to do
D. businesses tend to become more efficient

3. What is the opposite of a capitalist economy?

A. government economy
B. mixed economy
C. command economy
D. no economy

4. Which of the following are NOT problems of government intervention in the

economy?
A. corruption
B. it is difficult for an individual to change their material circumstances
C. people are rewarded by financial profit
D. individual efforts are not rewarded

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5. Why does capitalism tend to promote technological advancement?
A. companies have to compete for business
B. people are rewarded for innovation
C. people are rewarded by financial profit
D. individual efforts are not rewarded

Answer the following questions:

1. According to the theory of capitalism, why does the majority of the money
tend to become concentrated in the hands of very few?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

2. How do very powerful companies make it difficult for hardworking people

to succeed in starting companies of their own?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

3. What is a monopoly?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

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4. What can happen to human welfare in a capitalist system? Provide
examples.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

5. Why can pollution be a problem in a capitalist society?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

6. What is a mixed economy?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

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 Methodologies

• In group of 2 find out the definition and an example (during the

cold war) for the following:-

Term Definition Example

Propaganda

Espionage

Arms race

Nuclear
Escalation

Proxy War

Bipolarization of
the world

Red scare

McCarthyism

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 The Propaganda Video

In the clash of Ideologies

1- In the post war times there was a great struggle between, which two great
nations?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

2- What is the most drastic political moral and economic war?

______________________________________________________________

3- What was the USA obliged to do?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

4- What was dropped to separate Eastern Europe from Western Europe?

________________________________________________________________

5- What were the countries that were on the East?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

6- What will happen if communism enters a peaceful American town?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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7- What is the meaning of blowing off the Statue of liberty?
_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

8- In the cartoon there is a hand crushing several building what are these
buildings and what do they represent?
_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

9- The man pushing the pillar what does he demolish by this?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

10- When the announcer said that the two shopping malls were considered the
concrete expression of the practical idealism that built America? What is that
idealist, Explain what he means?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

11- Why wouldn’t the Americans worry according to the man reading the
newspaper?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

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 QUESTIONS: The Cold War and Espionage

Choose the correct answer:

1. In popular culture, the Cold War may be best known for:
A. military capabilities B. technical capabilities
C. the CIA D. the FBI
E. espionage F. the Bay of Pigs

2. Which of the following is NOT a source of intelligence?

A. stolen documents
B. paid informers
C. sabotage
D. intercepted communications

3. Which U.S. agency is dedicated to collecting intelligence?

A. the CIA
B. the FBI

4. Which of the following activities did the CIA engage in? Choose all that apply
A. conducted surveillance of suspected foreign spies
B. carried out many covert experiments on the effects of nuclear, chemical, and biological
weapons on humans
C. helped to support, fund, and equip anti-communist leaders in foreign countries
D. plotted the assassination of foreign leaders

5. Who were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg?

A. Soviet spies
B. paid informers
C. CIA agents
D. Two Americans accused of passing information to a Russian agent.

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39
 QUESTIONS: The Arms Race

Choose the correct answer:

1. During the Arms Race, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were:
A. developing nuclear weapons
B. testing nuclear weapons
C. stockpiling nuclear weapons
D. inventing ICBMs

2. A bomb which can hit its target when launched from thousands of miles away is called
a/an:
A. atomic bomb
B. hydrogen bomb
C. nuclear bomb
D. intercontinental ballistic missile

3. What was Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)?

A. the Soviets’ feelings about the U.S.
B. fear of communism
C. fear that both countries would inevitably lose in a nuclear war
D. military aggression between the U.S. and the Soviets

4. What was one of the effects of the Arms Race?

A. it bankrupted the U.S.
B. it bankrupted the Soviets
C. it brought about the end of the Cold War because of the expense
D. it improved U.S. military technology

5. When did the Arms Race begin?

A. in 1949 when the Soviet Union conducted a successful test of its first atomic bomb
B. in 1952 when the U.S. tested the first hydrogen bomb
C. in 1953 when the Soviets detonated their first hydrogen bomb
D. in the 1950s when ICBMs were developed
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 Soviets explode atomic bomb
August 29 1949

At a remote test site at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, The Soviet Union

Successfully detonates its first atomic bomb, code name "First Lightning." In
order to measure the effects of the blast, the Soviet scientists constructed
buildings, bridges, and other civilian structures in the vicinity of the bomb. They
also placed animals in cages nearby so that they could test the effects of nuclear
radiation on human- like mammals. The atomic explosion, which at 20 kilotons
was roughly equal to "Trinity," the first U.S. atomic explosion, destroyed those
structures and incinerated the animals.

On September 3, a U.S. spy plane flying off the coast of Siberia picked up the in
the first evidence of radioactivity from the explosion. Later that month, President
Harry S. Truman announced to the American people that the Soviets too had the
bomb. Three months later, Klaus Fuchs, a German-born physicist who had
helped the United States build its first atomic bombs, was arrested for passing
nuclear to the Soviets. While stationed at U.S. atomic development headquarters
during World War II, Fuchs had given the Soviets precise information about the
US. Atomic program including a blueprint of the "Fat Man" atomic bomb later
dropped on Japan and everything the Los Alamos scientists knew about the
hypothesized hydrogen bomb.

The revelations of Fuchs' espionage, coupled with the loss of US, atomic
supremacy, led President Truman to order development of the hydrogen bomb, a
weapon theorized to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs
dropped on Japan.

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On November 1, 1952, the United States successfully detonated "Mile," the
world's first hydrogen bomb, on the Elugelab Atoll in the Pacific Marshall
Islands. The 10-4 megaton thermonuclear device instantly vaporized an entire
island and left behind a crater more than a mile wide. Three years later, on
November 22, 1955, the Soviet Union detonated its first hydrogen bomb on the
same principle of radiation implosion. Both superpowers were now in possession
of the so-called "super bomb “and the world lived under the threat of
thermonuclear war for the first time in history

Answer the following questions after reading the above passage-

1- How did the Americans know about the Soviets success of the atomic bomb?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2- How did the Soviets get to know the secrets of the atomic bomb?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3- When were the soviets successful in detonating their first atomic bomb?
What was the code name of the operation?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

4- What was the reaction of President Harry Truman when the Soviets detonated
their first atomic bomb?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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43
 QUESTIONS: The Red Scare

1. What was the Red Scare?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. How many Red Scares have there been in U.S. history?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. What are some characteristics of a communistic society?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

4. Why were communists sometimes called Reds?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

5. Name some countries that tried to implement communism after World

War II.
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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6. Who led an anti-communist crusade in the U.S. in the 1950s? Describe this
crusade.
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

7. What was the FBI’s role in the Red Scare?

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

8. What was the House Committee on Un-American Activities? What did they
do and what effect did it have on people’s lives
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

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 The years of the Allied Forces in Austria (1945 to 1955)

The Allied occupation of Austria started on 27 April 1945 as a result of the

Vienna Offensive and ended with the Austrian State Treaty on 27 July
1955.
Subsequent to the Anschluss, Austria had generally been recognized as part of
Nazi Germany. At the 1943 Moscow Conference, the Soviet Union, United
States, and the United Kingdom had jointly decided that the German annexation
of Austria in 1938 would be considered "null and void". As well, all
administrative and legal measures since 1938 would be ignored.
The Allies also agreed that Austria would instead be regarded as the first victim
of Nazi aggression and declared the intent to create a free and independent
Austria after the war.

Just before the end of the war, on 28 March 1945, American troops set foot on
Austrian soil and the Soviet Union's Red Army crossed the eastern border two
days later, taking Vienna on 13 April.

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four
occupation zones and jointly occupied by the United States, the Soviet Union,
the United Kingdom, and France. Vienna was similarly subdivided but the
central district was collectively administered by the Allied Control Council.
Austria remained under joint occupation of the Western Allies and the Soviet
Union until 1955. After Austrian promises of perpetual neutrality,
Austria was accorded full independence on 15 May 1955 and the last
occupation troops left on 25 October that year.

46
As Austria was not absorbed in the Eastern communist bloc, Socialist
Hungary had to put up the first section of the physical frontier in 1949. The
barbed wire, ditches and concrete walls was 260 Kilo-meters along the borders
of Austria. This was an attempt to stop their citizens from fleeing to Austria.
The United States had a significant part to play in the reason why Austria was
not absorbed into the eastern bloc. In June of 1947 a massive program aid was
announced for Austria which included the delivery of food, medical supplies,
fuel and other necessities. This therefore was significant as it meant Austria was
able stabilize the economic situation and therefore never would be part of the
Eastern Bloc as they would be more independent.

Russia wanted Austria neutral as it would benefit Russia more. For Stalin felt he
would be covered on the south by neutral Austria and Switzerland. And a
neutral Austria can be easily invaded as an undefended neutral country quickly.

The removal of Hungary's border fence with Austria occurred in 1989 during
the collapse of communism in Hungary, which was part of a wave of
revolutions in various communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The
dismantling of the electric fence along Hungary's 240 kilometers (149 mi) long
border with Austria was the first fissure in the "Iron Curtain" that had divided
Europe for more than 40 years, since the end of World War II, and caused a
chain reaction in East Germany that ultimately resulted in the demise of the
Berlin Wall.

Answer the following question after reading the above passage:

- Although both countries (Austria & Germany) were divided among the
Allies and had a joint capital rule, explain how different was Austria's fate than
Germany's?
47
 "Sinews of Peace" Speech
By Winston Churchill

See below excerpts from the speech of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered
from minster College in Missouri on March 5, 1946. Analyze the text of each excerpt from
the Speech carefully by deconstructing text and answering the questions that follow:-

-“Ladies and gentlemen, (1) the United States stands at this time at the
pinnacle of world power. It is a solemn moment for the American
Democracy. (2) For with primacy in power is also joined inspiring
accountability to the future.........

a. What does Churchill mean in the sentence (1) and why is that so?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
b. Restate in your own words sentence (2)
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

"Now, at this sad and breathless- moment, we are plunged in the hunger and
distress ,which are the aftermath of our stupendous struggle; but this will pass
and may pass quickly, and there is no reason except human folly or sub-human
crime which should deny to all the nations the inauguration and enjoyment of an
age of plenty.”

48
a. What is the stupendous struggle Churchill is referring to here? And what are the
results of this struggle that he mentioned?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

b. What are the two options that the aftermath of this struggle can pass according
to Churchill?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

“We cannot be blind to the fact (1) that the liberties enjoyed by individual
citizens throughout the British Empire are not valid in a considerable number
of countries, some of which are very powerful. (2) In these States control is
enforced upon the common people by various kinds of all embracing police
governments..."

a. Rephrase sentence (1) stating what liberties Churchill is referring to.

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

b. Rephrase sentence 2 and state what are the states mentioned here?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

49
 “This means that the people of any country have the right, and should have the
by constitutional action, by free unfettered elections, with secret ballot to
choose change the character or form of government under which they dwell......

a. In this excerpt, Churchill outlines what he believes to be the relationship

between a government and its citizens. In your own words, explain Churchill's
argument.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic (1) an iron curtain has
descended across the continent Behind that line lie all the capitals of the
ancient states of Central Eastern Europe, Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna,
Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia , all these famous cities and the
populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet Sphere, and all are
subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but very high and
in some cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow."

a. Churchill refers to an iron curtain in sentence (1. Explain what does

Churchill means here mentioning the meaning of the metaphor Iron Curtain
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
b. Where was this curtain? Separating what?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
c. What was the soviet Sphere?
_______________________________________________________________
d. Describe the life behind this curtain.
_______________________________________________________________
50
 American Responses to the Cold War Tension

Term Meaning

Soviet Expansion

Iron Curtain

Containment

Truman Doctrine

Marshall plan

NATO

Warsaw Pact

Berlin Airlift

Berlin Wall

51
52
53
54
 The Cold War: The Truman Doctrine of 1947
“At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose
between alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one. One way
of life is based upon the will of the majority ... The second way of life is based
upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority ... I believe that it
must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting
attempted subjugation by armed minorities or other outside pressures ... The free
peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we
falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world–and we shall
surely endanger the welfare of our own Nation.”
President Harry S. Truman (Excerpt from “The Truman Doctrine,” 1947)

1. What are the “alternative ways of life” to which Truman refers?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. What is the foreign policy being advocated by Truman?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. Critics of American Cold War policy argue that the United States was
hypocritical in its foreign relations–that the United States was no better than
the Soviet Union in imposing its will on various countries. Do you agree or
disagree? Utilize the Truman excerpt in your response.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
55
 Questions on the Berlin Blockade video

1- At what conference did the allies agree on temporarily to divide Germany?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2- How many zones was Germany divided into after World War II?

________________________________________________________________

3- What country controlled the zone where the capital city of Berlin was
located?
________________________________________________________________

4- Why was Berlin important?

________________________________________________________________

5- What did the Soviets do to the Eastern Part of Germany? And Why?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

6- How different was the western zone from the Eastern Germany? Why?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

56
7- How did Stalin view the American economic aid to Germany?

________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

8- How did the Soviet Union blockade the city of Berlin? How did Stalin

retaliate? When? And Why?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

9- When the blockade of Berlin started, what was the only way to get food and
supplies into the city?
________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

10- What was the cargo airlifted to West Berliners?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

57
11- On average how many airplanes landed in west Berlin? And how much
cargo was delivered in the whole operation?
________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

12- Around how long did the airlift last? When did the Berlin blockade end?
________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

13- What is the name to the united defense against soviet aggression called?
When was it created?
________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

14- When did Western Germany join this alliance?

________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

15- What was the response of the Soviet Union?

_________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

16- When were the Soviets successful in testing their atomic bomb?
________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

17- Who was the communist leader in China?

___________________________________________________________

58
 Summary of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was built by the communist government of East Berlin 1961. The
wall separated East Berlin and West Berlin. It was built in order to prevent people
from fleeing East Berlin. In many ways it was the perfect symbol of the "Iron Curtain"
that separated the democratic western countries and the communist countries of
Eastern Europe throughout the Cold War.

How it All Started

After World War II the country of Germany ended up dividing into two separate
countries. East Germany became a communist country under the control of the
Soviet Union and West Germany was a democratic country and allied with Britain,
France, and the United States. The initial plan was that the country would eventually
be reunited, but this didn't happen for a long time. Berlin was the capital of Germany.
Even though it was located in the eastern half of the country, the city was controlled
by all four major powers; the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain, and France

Defections

As people in East Germany began to realize that they did not want to live under
the rule of the Soviet Union and communism, they started to leave the eastern part
of the country and move to the west. These people were called defectors. Over time
more and more people left. The Soviet and East German leaders began to worry that
they were losing too many people. Over the course of the years 1949 to 1959, over 2
million people left the country. In 1960 alone, around 230,000 people defected.

Building the Wall

Finally, the Soviets and the East German leaders had had enough. On August
12th and 13th of 1961 Premier Nikita Khrushchev told the government of East
Germany to build a permanent border between the two parts of Berlin. Within two
weeks, using the army, police and volunteers, a structure of barbed wire and
concrete was erected. The wall was built around Berlin to prevent people from
leaving.

Before the building of the wall, people could move back and forth from East Berlin
to West Berlin. They could shop, visit friends and work. Subways and train lines
operated between the two parts. After the wall was built, passage from one part of
Berlin to the other was allowed only through three checkpoints in the wall. These
were called Checkpoints Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. Officials and diplomats were
screened carefully before being allowed to cross the border. Most other residents
could not ever make the crossing.

59
 The wall did stop the large flow of refugees from the east. President John
Kennedy, of course, did not like this situation, but said, 'A wall is a lot better than a
war.' As time progressed, the East Germans made the wall stronger and more
permanent. It became a 12-foot high wall which was four feet wide. A huge pipe went
across the top. This made escape very difficult. On the East German side of the wall
was a sandy area called the 'Death Strip.' Soldiers and dogs patrolled this stretch of
land. Floodlights prevented people from hiding in the dark. Escaping was extremely
dangerous and just about impossible.

Being caught planning or carrying out an escape attempt would lead to a hefty
prison sentence but there was a worse fate for those sighted crossing the death
strip.

Although 171 people were killed as they tried to escape over the wall, from the
time the wall was built in 1961 until 1989 when the wall came down, more than 5,000
people got out of East Germany. They used methods like jumping out of nearby
windows, using hot air balloons, crawling through sewers and climbing over barbed
wire. 600 border guards escaped as part of that total number.
The Wall is Torn Down

Tensions began to lessen in the late 1980s. The East Germans wanted a change
in their relations with western countries. In 1987 President Ronald Reagan gave a
speech in Berlin where he asked the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev,
to "Tear down this Wall!"

Around that time the Soviet Union was beginning to collapse. They were losing their
hold on East Germany. An odd turn of events, however, the disintegration of the
border came about from a mistake at a press conference. A few years later on
November 9, 1989 Günter Schabowski, a member of the East German government,
was told that border rules would be relaxed. In a press conference he announced
that beginning at midnight, citizens of East Germany could cross the border without
penalty. But the information that the opening was to take place in a controlled
manner the next day did not reach him. When asked when the changes would take
place, he spontaneously said “As far as I know it is from now, immediately”. These
few words, a misunderstanding by him, changed history. They were the words that
brought a wave of East Germans to move towards border checkpoints. People from
both sides of the wall ran to it at midnight drinking and shouting 'Tor auf.' This
means 'Open the gate!' The guards, who were supposed to be informed of the
changes the next day, were taken by surprise. Overwhelmed by the amount of
people flooding the checkpoints, guards eventually decided to let the people through.

60
The borders were open and people could freely move between Eastern and Western
Germany.

That weekend, more than 2 million people visited East Berlin. They were called
'mauerspechte', wall woodpeckers, because they tried to pull off stones and chunks
of cement off the wall. Much of the wall was torn down by people chipping away as
they celebrated the end to a divided Germany. On October 3, 1990 Germany was
officially reunified into a single country. The city was reunited for the first time since
1945.

Read the passage then answer the questions:-

1- When was the Berlin Wall built?

______________________________________________________________

2- Who was the leader of Russia when the wall was built?
______________________________________________________________

3- Why did East Germany build the Berlin Wall?

______________________________________________________________

4- Why were people fleeing East Germany? And what were they called?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

5- Around how many people left East Germany through the city of Berlin in the
ten years prior to the wall being built?
_____________________________________________________________

6- How did the Wall come into existence?

____________________________________________________________

7- What were the names of entrance checkpoints at the Berlin Wall?

______________________________________________________________

8- Was it difficult to cross the Wall? Why?

______________________________________________________________

9- What was the meaning of the words of President John Kennedy, 'A wall is a
lot better than a war.'
______________________________________________________________

61
10- What was the name of the section of sandy land on the East German side of
the wall?
______________________________________________________________

11- True or false: East German guards in guard towers were told to shoot anyone
they saw trying to escape over the wall. ( True – False )

12- What US President asked Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down
the wall? _______________________________________________________

13- What happened on November 9th 1989?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

14- What was the name given to people who crossed the borders in November
1989? Why were they given that name?
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

15- What happened on October 3, 1990?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

62
Space Race (Activity Timeline)

Creation of NASA

63
64
65
 Questions for the moon Landing Documentary

1- What was the step that reverberated through history?

______________________________________________________________

2- Who sent the first satellite into orbit? When? What was the name of the
satellite?
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

3- What does it demonstrate? And what does it personify?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

4- What was the first living thing launched into space? And When?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

5- Who was the first man to orbit the Earth? What is his nationality? On what
space ship? And When?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

6- Who was the first American in space? When?

______________________________________________________________

7- What is the name of the organization responsible for space programs

called?
______________________________________________________________

8- Who was the first American to orbit the Earth?

______________________________________________________________

9- Which country was successful to send the first space craft to the moon?
______________________________________________________________

66
10- What is the king of all rockets?
______________________________________________________________

11- When and on what was the journey that changed our view of the world?

______________________________________________________________

12- Who were on board?

______________________________________________________________

13- Who was the first man to make a decent on the lunar surface?

______________________________________________________________

14- What did the astronaut say when he was stepping down from his space
ship?
______________________________________________________________

15- What is the difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut?

______________________________________________________________

67
 Japan’s Profile

The Japanese name for Japan is "Nihon" or "Nippon" which means "sun origin".
Japan is an archipelago, or string of islands, on the Eastern edge of Asia. There
are four main islands .There are more than 4,000 smaller islands!

Almost four-fifths of Japan is covered with mountains. The highest peak is

Mount Fuji, which stands at 3,776m (12,388ft), a cone-shaped volcano.

Japan sits along the "Pacific Ring of Fire". Three of the tectonic plates that form
Earth's crust meet nearby and often move against each other, causing
earthquakes. More than a thousand earthquakes hit Japan every year. Japan
also has about 200 volcanoes, 60 of which are active. In 2011, an earthquake of
magnitude 9.0 hit Japan and created a tsunami which resulted in much
devastation.

Japan is an industrialized nation, producing some of the most technologically

advanced motor vehicles, electronics, and machine tools. Japan is a world
leader in robotics. Japanese engineers are known for producing a range of
human-like robots such as ASIMO. Some of the most well-known companies in
the world are Japanese such as Toyota, Honda, Sony, Nintendo, Canon,
Panasonic, Toshiba, and Sharp.

The Japanese people have a deep affection for the beauty of the landscape.
The ancient Shinto religion says natural features like mountains, waterfalls and
forests have their own spirit or soul.
68
Answer the following questions:-

1. What type of landform is Japan?____________________________________

2. What is the capital of Japan?_______________________________________

3. What ocean borders Japan to the south?_____________________________

4. Which countries border Japan?_____________________________________

5. What body of water separates Japan from mainland Asia?_______________

6. Japan consists of four major islands, what are they?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

7. What is the name of the largest of the Japanese island?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

8. The tallest peak in Japan is also a revered national icon. What is the name of
this mountain?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

69
 Occupation and Reconstruction of
Japan, 1945–52
After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the
United States led the Allies in the occupation and
rehabilitation of the Japanese state. Between 1945 and
1952, the U.S. occupying forces, led by General Douglas
A. MacArthur, enacted widespread military, political,
economic, and social reforms.

The groundwork for the Allied occupation of a

defeated Japan was laid during the war. In a series of
wartime conferences, the leaders of the Allied powers of Allied Occupation in Japan after WWII
Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the Republic of China,
and the United States discussed how to disarm Japan, deal with its colonies (especially
Korea and Taiwan), stabilize the Japanese economy, and prevent the remilitarization of
the state in the future. In the Potsdam Declaration, they called for Japan’s unconditional
surrender; by August of 1945, that objective had been achieved.
In September, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur took charge of the Supreme
Command of Allied Powers (SCAP) and began the work of rebuilding Japan. Although
Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the Republic of China had an advisory role as part of
an “Allied Council,” MacArthur had the final authority to make all decisions. The
occupation of Japan can be divided into three phases: the initial effort to punish and
reform Japan, the work to revive the Japanese economy, and the conclusion of a formal
peace treaty and alliance.
The first phase, roughly from the end of the war in 1945 through 1947, involved
the most fundamental changes for the Japanese Government and society.
"Demilitarization" was thus the first policy of the Occupation authorities and was
accompanied by abolishing Japan's armed forces, dismantling its military industry, and
eliminating the expression of patriotism from its schools and public life. The Allies
punished Japan for its past militarism and expansion by convening war crimes trials in
Tokyo. At the same time, SCAP dismantled the Japanese Army and banned former
military officers from taking roles of political leadership in the new government.
General Douglas MacArthur felt that only a democratic Japan would be truly
peace-loving. It was assumed that democratic countries like the United States and Great
Britain were more peaceful than nondemocratic countries such as Hitler's Germany and
prewar Japan under the emperor. But what makes a country "democratic"? Is a country
democratic simply because of certain political institutions, like free elections and free
speech? Can these political institutions survive if economic power is concentrated in just
a few hands, and social structures like the educational system and the family preach
unlimited obedience to authority? The American government believed that establishing
democracy in Japan involved change in all areas of Japanese life.

70
 Political Changes

The most obvious changes were political. In 1947, Allied advisors dictated a new
constitution to Japan’s leaders. Japan adopted a new constitution (sometimes called the
MacArthur Constitution because of the major role Americans played in its drafting). This
constitution was completely different from the Meiji Constitution of 1889.

 The most profound change in the constitution included downgrading the emperor’s
status to that of a figurehead without political control and placing more power in the
parliamentary system. It declared that sovereignty rested with the people, not the
emperor. This is the political basis of democracy.
 The emperor was to continue as a symbol of Japanese unity and culture, somewhat
like the Queen of England in Britain's democracy, but without any political authority
whatsoever.
 The supreme political institution was now to be Japan's parliament, the Diet, which
was to be made up of freely elected representatives of the people.
 Women were given equal rights under the new constitution, including the right to
vote.
 Local governments were strengthened to encourage "grass-roots level" political
participation.
 The constitution established many new civil liberties, such as the right of free
speech, and the powers of the police were weakened and carefully regulated.
 Finally, the military forces were completely abolished and Article 9 of the new
constitution forbade Japan to maintain an army or go to war ever again. Also
eliminating all non-defensive armed forces.

Economic Changes

By late 1947 and early 1948, the emergence of an economic crisis in Japan alongside
concerns about the spread of communism sparked a reconsideration of occupation
economic policies. SCAP became concerned that a weak Japanese economy would
increase the influence of the domestic communist movement, and the future of East Asia
appeared to be at stake. This period is sometimes called the “reverse course.” In this
stage of the occupation, which lasted until 1950, the economic rehabilitation of Japan
took center stage.

The Americans instituted reforms to make economic power in Japan more "democratic."
In the economic field, SCAP introduced land reform, designed to benefit the majority
tenant farmers and reduce the power of rich landowners, many of whom had advocated
for war and supported Japanese expansionism in the 1930s. In prewar Japan, two-thirds
71
of the agricultural land was rented, not owned, by the farmers who farmed it. The
farmers, who made up over 50 percent of the labor force, often rented the land from
landlords who lived in distant cities and paid them as much as half of the crops they
grew. Since the average "farm" was little more than an acre, many farm families lived in
poverty. The land reform took land away from big landlords and redistributed it to the
farmers, so that farm families could own the land they worked. Because farm families
became more independent economically, they could participate more freely in the new
democracy.

The Americans also tried to make workers in the industrial sector more independent by
changing the laws to allow free trade unions. Before the war there were only a few small
unions; by 1949, about half of all industrial workers belonged to a union.

To democratize economic power further and create competition, the Occupation

intended to break up the giant business corporations, the zaibatsu (the large Japanese
business conglomerates), as part of the effort to transform the economy into a free
market capitalist system. But after the Americans left, the anti-monopoly laws were
weakened, and new giant businesses appeared.

Occupation policies also addressed the weakening economy by tax reforms aimed at
controlling inflation.

However the most serious problem was the shortage of raw materials required to feed
Japanese industries and markets for finished goods. The outbreak of the Korean War in
1950 provided SCAP with just the opportunity it needed to address this problem,
prompting some occupation officials to suggest that, “Korea came along and saved
us.” After the UN entered the Korean War, Japan became the principal supply depot for
UN forces.

Changes in Civic Values

Besides changing Japanese institutions, the Americans wanted the Japanese people to
understand better the idea of democracy. To do this, the occupation government used its
control of newspapers and magazines to explain and popularize democracy.

They used American democracy as a model to be copied. The complete defeat and
devastation of Japan after the war had left many Japanese shocked and disillusioned
with their own military leaders, and they were open to the new ways of their American
conquerors.

To ensure that Japanese children learned democratic values, the Americans insisted that
the education system and the laws regulating families be revised. "Moral training" in
72
schools was abolished, and instruction in democratic ideas was begun. Control of
education and censorship of textbooks were taken from the central government and
given to local administrations. The laws giving the head of the household complete
control of every family member (for example, he could withhold his consent when his
children wished to be married) were changed to make each family member more equal
and thereby more democratic.

The Peace Treaty

In the third phase of the occupation, beginning in 1950,

SCAP set about securing a formal peace treaty to end both the
war and the occupation. The final agreement allowed the United
States to maintain its bases in Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan,
and the U.S. Government promised Japan a bilateral security
pact. In September of 1951, fifty-two nations met in San
Francisco to discuss the treaty, and ultimately, forty-nine of
them signed it. Notable holdouts included the USSR, Poland
and Czechoslovakia, all of which objected to the promise to
support the Republic of China and not do business with the
People’s Republic of China that was forced on Japan by U.S. politicians.

73
Read the above passage then answer the following questions:- “ In Your
Copybook”

1- What authorities designed and supervised the reforms carried out during the

Occupation? Why were they able to do this?

2- Who was named the Supreme Commander of the Occupation force of Japan?

3- Explain how did the Allied Powers render Japan incapable of ever returning to the

field of battle?

4- How did the supreme commander of the allied forces make sure that Japan was a

peace – loving country? (Make a list of the factors.)

5- What were the major changes in the Japanese constitution?

6- Describe what changes were made with regard to each of the areas listed below.

Explain the purpose of each change.

i. land reform

ii. trade unions

iii. large business conglomerates and monopoly

iv. Inflation

v. Shortage of raw material

vi. civic values

7- Why did some reforms introduced by the American Occupation authorities not last?

8- What did the final agreement ensure peace for both Japan and USA?

9- Which three countries did not sign the agreement? And Why?

74
 China’s Profile

China is located in the eastern parts of Asia. Stretching 3,100 miles (5,000
kilometers) from east to west and 3,400 miles (5,500 kilometers) from north to
south, it is the largest country that is entirely situated in Asia. China is the fourth
largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and the USA.

China has widely varying landscapes. Its territory includes mountains, high plateaus,
sandy deserts, and dense forests.

Mountains make up the majority of the landscape, dominating over 70% of the
landmass (One-third of China's land area is made up of mountains). In the west,
there are the Himalayas, which is the highest mountain range in the world. The
tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest, sits on the border between China and
Nepal located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas.

China has thousands of rivers. The Yangtze and the Yellow Rivers are the most
important. At 3,915 miles (6,300 kilometers) long, the Yangtze is the world's third
largest river.

PEOPLE & CULTURE

With a population of 1.43 billion people (2020), China has more people than any
other country on Earth. About a third of the population lives in cities. The rest of the
people live in the country.

Arts and crafts have a long history in China. Thousands of years ago the Chinese were
some of the first people to use silk, jade, bronze, wood, and paper to make art. The
artistic writing called calligraphy was invented in China.

Much of China's modern beliefs and philosophies are based on the teachings of a
government official who lived nearly 3,000 years ago. Kongfuzi, also known as
Confucius, taught people the value of such things as morality, kindness, and
education.

75
Answer the following questions:-

1- How many countries does China neighbor?________________________

2- What are they?

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

3- What is the capital of China?__________________________________

4- Which ocean boarders China?_________________________________

5- What is the size of China compared to the world?____________________

6- What makes the majority of the landscape of China? And at what percent?

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
7- What is the meaning of mountain range? And what is the highest?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

8- What is the highest mountain and where is its location?

_____________________________________________________

9- What are the two important rivers of China?

_____________________________________________________

10- What is the population of China?

_____________________________________________________

11- What was China famous for first to use?_________________________

12- On whose believes are the Chinese believes built on? And what are his most
important teachings?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

76
 The Chinese Revolution of 1949
On October 1, 1949, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of
the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The announcement ended the costly civil war
between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or
Kuomintang (KMT), which broke out immediately following World War II and had
been preceded by on and off conflict between the two sides since the 1920’s.
How did it start?
The Chinese Communist Party, founded in 1921 in Shanghai, originally existed as a
study group. In 1923 an alliance was formed “The First United Front or the KMT–
CCP Alliance”, between the Kuomintang (KMT - the Chinese Nationalist party that
ruled China 1927–48 and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in order to end
warlordism in China. Together, they formed the National Revolutionary Army and
set out in 1926 on the Northern Expedition to rid the nation of the warlords that
prevented the formation of a strong central government. This collaboration lasted
until the “White Terror of 1927, The Shanghai massacre of 12 April 1927”, when the
military forces of the Kuomintang under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek carried
out a full-scale purge of Communists in all areas under their control, and even more
violent suppressions occurred in many cities. KMT forces attacked members of the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Shanghai. Hundreds of communists were
rounded up, arrested and tortured; most were executed or assassinated. The purge
led to an open split between KMT and the Communist Party (CCP) and marked the
end of the First United Front between the CCP and KMT, and the end of Soviet
Russian support for the Nationalists.

After the Japanese invaded Manchuria in 1931, the KMT faced the triple threat of
Japanese invasion, Communist uprising, and warlord insurrections. Mao Tse-tung
became the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1935. Frustrated by the
focus of the Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek on internal threats instead of the
Japanese assault, a group of generals abducted Chiang in 1937 and forced him to
reconsider cooperation with the Communist Party and a Second United Front was
created to fight the Japanese during World War II.

The Japanese surrender (in 1945) set the stage for the resurgence of civil war in
China. By 1946 the two sides were fighting another civil war. Popular support for the
Communists increased. The Nationalist Party was a dictatorial government. These
undemocratic polices combined with wartime corruption made the Nationalist
77
Government vulnerable to the Communist threat. The Communist Party,
experienced success because of its early efforts at land reform and was lauded by
peasants for its unflagging efforts to fight against the Japanese invaders.
The Nationalist Government of Chiang Kai-shek continued to receive U.S. support
both as its former war ally and as the sole option for preventing Communist control
of China. The Soviet Union, meanwhile, occupied Manchuria and only pulled out
when Chinese Communist forces were in place to claim that territory.

As the civil war gained strength from 1947 to 1949, eventual Communist victory
seemed more and more likely. The Communists had strong grassroots support,
superior military organization and morale, and large stocks of weapons seized from
Japanese supplies in Manchuria. Years of corruption and mismanagement had
eroded popular support for the Nationalist Government.

In October of 1949, after a string of military victories, Mao Zedong proclaimed the
establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The PRC had driven the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) government from mainland
China. Chiang and his forces fled to the island province of Taiwan, off the coast of
Fujian Province, to regroup and plan for their efforts to retake the mainland. The
(KMT) established the Government of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan as
government in exile.

The “fall” of mainland China to communism in 1949 led the United States to suspend
diplomatic ties with the PRC for decades. The U.S. Government did not want to
admit its “loss” of China to communism. The unfinished nature of the revolution,
leaving a broken and exiled but still vocal Nationalist Government and Army on
Taiwan, only heightened the sense among U.S. anti-communists that the outcome of
the struggle could be reversed. Truman’s desire to prevent the communism from
spreading south led to the U.S. policy of protecting the Chiang Kai-shek government
on Taiwan and military and financial aid to the Nationalists continued.
For more than twenty years after the Chinese revolution of 1949, there were few
contacts, limited trade and no diplomatic ties between the two countries. Until the
1970s, the United States continued to recognize the Republic of China, located on
Taiwan, as China’s true government and supported that government’s holding the
Chinese seat in the United Nations.
78
Essay Questions:-

1-Explain the causes that led to the several unions between KMT and the CCP.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

2- What happened in Shanghai in April 1927? Why did this occur and how did it
shape the next two decades in China’s history?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3- Identify and discuss the most important reasons for the CCP victory in the Chinese
Civil War.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

5- Create a time line for the Chinese history during this period

79
 The Sino- American Relations

- Describe and evaluate the political relations between USA and China from 1927
to now
1. 1927-1936
2. 1937-1945
3. 1946-1949
4. 1949-1970s
5. 1970s-Now

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

80
 The Taiwan Question

The People's Republic of China was founded and the Kuomintang political officials
retreated to Taiwan after being defeated to form legitimate government of China in
Taiwan.

The Taiwan question is a question left over by the civil war in China, when on
October 1, 1949,

- Discuss the current problem of Taiwan

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

- Do the Taiwanese people have the right to form their own government and

country? (Their independence)

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

- Do they have the right to have a seat in the UN?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

81
- How is Taiwan treated nowadays by the international community?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

- Will China grant Taiwan its independence? Discuss

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

- Does Taiwan have the same currency as China? Why?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

82
 Korean War Map Activity

Basic Map Questions – Use the maps below to answer the following questions.
1. What serves as the dividing line between North Korea and South Korea?
________________________________________________________________
2. What is the capital of North Korea?
_______________________________________________________________

3. What is the capital of South Korea?

_______________________________________________________________

4. What 2 countries border North Korea?

________________________________________________________________

5. What country borders South Korea to the south?

________________________________________________________________

6. What bodies of water surround North and South Korea?

________________________________________________________________

7. What type of landform is North and South Korea combined?

______________________________________________________________

83
 The Korean War Who started it?

Textbook A
Upset by the fast and astonishing growth of the power of the Republic, the
American invaders hastened the preparation of an aggressive war in order to
destroy it in its infancy....The American imperialists furiously carried out the
war project in 1950....The American invaders who had been preparing the war
for a long time, alongside their puppets, finally initiated the war on June 25th
of the 39th year of the Juche calendar. That dawn, the enemies unexpectedly
attacked the North half of the Republic, and the war clouds hung over the once
peaceful country, accompanied by the echoing roar of cannons. Having passed
the 38th parallel, the enemies crawled deeper and deeper into the North half
of the Republic...the invading forces of the enemies had to be eliminated and
the threatened fate of our country and our people had to be saved.

Textbook B
When the overthrow of the South Korean government through social
confusion became too difficult, the North Korean communists switched to a
stick-and-carrot strategy: seeming to offer peaceful negotiations, they were
instead analyzing the right moment of attack and preparing themselves for it.
The North Korean communists prepared themselves for war. Kim Il-sung
secretly visited the Soviet Union and was promised the alliance of the Soviets
and China in case of war. Finally, at dawn on June 25th, 1950 the North began
their southward aggression along the 38th parallel. Taken by surprise at these
unexpected attacks, the army of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) fought
courageously to defend the liberty of the country....The armed provocation of
the North Korean communists brought the UN Security Council around the
table. A decree denounced the North Korean military action as illegal and as a
threat to peace, and a decision was made to help the South. The UN army
constituted the armies of 16 countries—among them, the United States, Great
Britain and France—joined the South Korean forces in the battle against the
North.

84
Answer the following questions:

1) According to each textbook, how did the Korean War start?

Textbook A Textbook B

2) Which of these textbooks do you find more trustworthy? Why? (Use

specific examples from each text to support your answer).
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

85
 3) Where else would you look in order to figure out how the Korean War
started?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

4) Which of these sources is for Textbook A and which is for Textbook B?

Kim, Doojin. Korean History: Senior High. (Seoul, South Korea: Dae
HanTextbook Co.), 2001.
Textbook _______
Provide language from the textbook excerpt to support your answer:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

History of the Revolution of our Great Leader Kim Il-sun: High School.
(Pongyang, North Korea: Textbook Publishing Co., 1999).
Textbook _______
Provide language from the textbook excerpt to support your answer:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

86
 Questions on the Korean War

1- What country had control of the Korean peninsula before World War II?
___________________________________________________________

2- How did the Korean Peninsula come to be divided into two countries?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

3- What triggered the start of the Korean War on June 25, 1950?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

4- Why did the US intervene in Korea when it did not intervene in China?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

5- Describe the role of the UN in the Korean War.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

87
6- How was the UN able to send troops to Korea without China and USSR
vetoing the decision?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

7- Explain how was the Korean War a proxy war?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

8- How did the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) intervene in the war?
And why?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

9- How do North Koreans refer to the Korean War? And how do South
Koreans refer to the Korean War?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

10- Why was the Korean War called "A Police Action" and why was it called
"The forgotten war"?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
88
 Geography of Vietnam
Look at the maps of Vietnam then complete the following:-

Vietnam is a long, narrow nation shaped like the letter ………….. It is in

…………… (Continent) on the eastern edge of the peninsula known
as……………….. Its capital is ………………………Its neighbors include
…………………….. to the north and ……………. and
……………………to the west. The ………………Sea lies to the east and
south. The mountains of the …………………………. rise over most of
the western side of Vietnam, while two of Vietnam's largest rivers, the
…………………….in the south and the …………… in the north, end at
the South China Sea in huge swampy plains called deltas. These
regions are home to most of the country's people and provide fertile
ground to grow rice and many other crops. One of the main cities of
………………….. (formerly Saigon).

89
 History of Vietnam

Vietnam War Dates: November 1, 1955 - April 30, 1975 The Vietnam War was
fought between communist North Vietnam and the government of Southern
Vietnam. The North was supported by communist countries such as the People's
Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The South was supported by anti-
communist countries, primarily the United States. The United States lost the
Vietnam War. It lasted for twenty years, something the US never expected when
it joined in the fight. Not only did the US lose the war and the country of
Vietnam to the communists, the US lost prestige in the eyes of the world.

Before WWII

Prior to WWII Vietnam was a French colony.

Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) was invaded by Napoleon III in July
1857.

During WWII

In 1940, France was swiftly defeated by Nazi Germany, and colonial

administration of French Indochina, modern-day Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia,
was passed to the Vichy French government, a Puppet state of Nazi Germany.
The Vichy government ceded control of Hanoi and Saigon in 1940 to Japan, and
in 1941, Japan extended its control over the whole of French Indochina. During
World War II the Japanese took control of the area.

At the end of WWII

At the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, the Allies decided that Indochina
would be divided at latitude 16°. The south was to be under the command of the
British and the north was to be under the command of China (Chiang Kai-
sheck).

Japan surrenders

In September 1945, Japanese forces located south of that line surrendered to

Britain and those to the north surrendered to Chiang Kai-shek.

The Chinese in the north accepted the communist forces (Viet Minh) as the
Vietnamese government under Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh had proclaimed in
Hanoi the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). The
British refused to do likewise in Saigon, and deferred to the French. France
attempted to reestablish its position in Indochina after 1945.
****************************************************************
90
The First Indochina War

However, Vietnamese revolutionary and communist Ho Chi Minh wanted

freedom for the country of Vietnam. Eventually Ho Chi Minh and his rebels
began to fight the French. Ho's soldiers in the north were called the Viet Minh.
In 1946, the French struggled to control its colonies in Indochina - Vietnam,
Cambodia, and Laos- despite financial assistance from the United States.
Fighting between French forces and the Viet Minh (communist forces) broke
out.

It was an anti-French Resistance War in Indochina (part of which Vietnam).

Began on 19 December 1946 and lasted until 1 August 1954.

On May 7, 1954, the French-held garrison at Dien Bien Phu fell after a four
month siege led by Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh the leader of the Viet
Minh. After the fall of Dien Bien Phu, the French pulled out of the region. The
defeat caused a negotiated settlement to the war. The Geneva Accords.

****************************************************************

The Geneva Accords 1954

The Geneva Conference (1954), called to determine the post-French (after their
defeat in Dien Bien Phu) future of Indochina.
In the wake of the French defeat, the French and Vietnamese, along with
representatives from the United States and China, met in Geneva (capital of
Switzerland) in mid-1954 to discuss the future of Indochina. They reached two
agreements. First, the French and the Viet Minh agreed to a cease-fire and a
temporary division of the country along the 17th parallel. French forces would
remain in the South, and Ho Chi Minh’s forces would control the North. The
second agreement promised that neither the North nor the South would join
alliances with outside parties, and called for general elections (referendum for
unification) in 1956.
(The country was divided up into a communist Northern Vietnam and a
Southern Vietnam. It was supposed to be reunited under a single election in
1956.)
The United States did not sign the second agreement, establishing instead its
own government in South Vietnam. The United States did not want the country
to become communist. As the French pulled out, the United States appointed
Ngo Dinh Diem to lead South Vietnam. Diem was an unpopular choice in
Vietnam as he had not joined the nationalist struggle against France. Diem had
also collaborated with the Japanese occupation, but he appealed to the Western
powers.
****************************************************************
91
The Second Indochina War or The 2nd Vietnam war

In December 1956 when the National unification elections did not occur, Ho
Chi Minh declared all-out war in order to unite Vietnam under one rule. It was
fought between North Vietnam (supported by China and USSR) — and the
government of South Vietnam (supported by the United States) proxy
war. Also Known as the Resistance War against America by the Vietnamese.

The armed revolution begins as Ho Chi Minh declares a People's War to unite
all of Vietnam under his leadership. Unite Vietnam by FORCE. Thus begins the
Second Indochina War. The war lasted to the fall of Saigon (Capital of South
Vietnam) on 30 April 1975.

****************************************************************
US intervention in the Vietnam War

The role of the United States in the Vietnam War began after World War II
and escalated into full commitment.
Harry S. Truman 1945-53, (33rd)
President Truman sent military advisors, non-combat troops and supplies to aid
the French to fight against the communist Viet Minh in the First Indochina War.

Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 to 1961, (34th)

During his term, Eisenhower greatly increased the U.S. military aid to the
French in Vietnam to prevent a Communist victory. President Eisenhower
deploys Military Advisors to South Vietnam to train the Army of the Republic
of Vietnam. This marks the official beginning of American involvement in the
war.

To justify America's financial commitment, Eisenhower cited a 'Domino

Theory' in which a Communist victory in Vietnam would result in surrounding
countries falling one after another like a "falling row of dominoes." The
Domino Theory will be used by a succession of Presidents to justify ever-
deepening U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

****************************************************************

92
Lyndon B. Johnson from 1963 to 1969, (36th)

Lyndon B. Johnson was the fourth President coping with Vietnam and will
oversee massive escalation of the war. He redefines America’s foreign policy in
Vietnam.

The Gulf of Tonkin incident, drew the US more directly into the Vietnam war.
It involved two separate confrontations involving North Vietnam and the United
States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.

On August 2, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox, while in international waters in

the Gulf of Tonkin, was pursued by three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo
boats. The Maddox fired three warning shots and the North Vietnamese boats
then attacked with torpedoes and machine gun fire. Maddox fired back. One
US aircraft was damaged, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats were allegedly
damaged, and four North Vietnamese sailors were said to have been killed, with
six more wounded. There were no U.S. casualties. Maddox "was unscathed
except for a single bullet hole from a Vietnamese machine gun round. And two
days later a second destroyer U.S.S. C. Turner was attacked.

In 1964 Lyndon passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.

President Johnson decides to retaliate. Congress passes “Gulf of Tonkin

Resolution” August 7, 1964, allowing President Lyndon Johnson to fight in
Vietnam. Eventually 500,000 American troops were committed to the war.

****************************************************************
The Truth about the Gulf of Tonkin incident

President Johnson approves Operation Plan 34A, CIA-run covert operations

using South Vietnamese commandos in speed boats to harass radar sites along
the coastline of North Vietnam. The raids are supported by U.S. Navy warships
in the Gulf of Tonkin including the destroyer U.S.S. Maddox which conducts
electronic surveillance to pinpoint the radar locations.

Three North Vietnamese patrol boats attack the American destroyer U.S.S.
Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin ten miles off the coast of North Vietnam. They
fire three torpedoes and machine-guns, but only a single machine-gun round
actually strikes the Maddox with no causalities. U.S. Navy fighters from the
carrier Ticonderoga, attack the patrol boats, sinking one and damaging the other
two.

At the White House, it is Sunday morning (twelve hours behind Vietnam time).
President Johnson, reacting cautiously to reports of the incident, decides against
retaliation. Instead, he sends a diplomatic message to Hanoi warning of "grave
93
consequences" from any further "unprovoked" attacks. Johnson then orders
the Maddox to resume operations in the Gulf of Tonkin in the same vicinity
where the attack had occurred.

The next day, The Maddox, joined by a second destroyer U.S.S. C. Turner
Joy begin a series of vigorous zigzags in the Gulf of Tonkin sailing to within
eight miles of North Vietnam's coast, while at the same time, South Vietnamese
commandos in speed boats harass North Vietnamese defenses along the
coastline. By nightfall, thunderstorms roll in, affecting the accuracy of
electronic instruments on the destroyers. Crew members reading their
instruments believe they have come under torpedo attack from North
Vietnamese patrol boats. Both destroyers open fire on numerous apparent
targets but there are no actual sightings of any attacking boats. There was no
evidence found of "Tonkin ghosts" (false radar images) and not actual North
Vietnamese torpedo boats.

Although immediate doubts arise concerning the validity of the second attack,
but still President Lyndon recommend a retaliatory bombing raid against North
Vietnam.

****************************************************************

94
The Vietnam War Ends

The Tet Offensive, 1968

In late January, 1968, during the lunar new year (or “Tet”) holiday, North
Vietnamese and communist Viet Cong forces launched a nationwide wave of
surprise attacks against a number of targets in South Vietnam.

As part of these attacks was the US Embassy compound in Saigon. Shortly

before 3 a.m. on January 31, 1968, a squad of Vietcong guerrillas blasted a hole
in the outer wall of the U.S. Embassy compound in Saigon, gunned down two
American military policemen who tried to stop them, and laid siege to the
lightly defended headquarters building where the flag of the United States was
officially planted in South Vietnam. The U.S. and South Vietnamese militaries
sustained heavy losses before finally repelling the communist assault. In fact,
the two-month struggle known as the Tet Offensive was a disaster for the
attackers. It ended with the expulsion of the North Vietnamese Army and the
southern-based insurgent troops, known in the West as Vietcong, from each
place they invaded.

The Tet Offensive played an important role in weakening U.S. public support
for the war in Vietnam. In the theater of public opinion in the United States,
however, the attacks were a great success for the North Vietnamese. Brought
into the living rooms of Americans by new communications satellites over the
Pacific, scenes of the carnage, particularly at the embassy, severely damaged
national confidence in the war policies of President Lyndon Johnson, who was
already under fire from a frustrated citizenry in a presidential election year. The
dramatic developments set in train during Tet led eventually to the withdrawal
of American forces and the collapse of South Vietnam

**The Việt Cộng were the National Liberation Front. It was a communist
political organization in South Vietnam and Cambodia with its own army –
the People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam (PLAF) – that fought
against the United States and South Vietnamese governments during
the Vietnam War. It had both guerrilla and regular army units,

95
Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1974 (37th)

The news of U.S. soldiers massacring hundreds civilians and other war
atrocities, in addition to the many American causalities, had made the war in
Vietnam become more and more unpopular among American people. Massive
anti-war protests were held throughout the country against the nation’s war
effort in Vietnam. Congress pressed Nixon to bring the American troops home.
He called his approach the Vietnamization. Which stated that the U.S. forces
would withdraw as Vietnamese troops assumed more combat duties.
‘Vietnamization’:- means to steadily reduce the number of U.S. combat troops
in Vietnam.

Peace Talks

Peace talks began in Paris and In January 1973, the Paris Peace Accords (PPAs)
were signed to restore peace and end direct U.S. military involvement in
Vietnam.

Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977. (38th)

Nevertheless, the treaty did not stop the fighting in South Vietnam as both
South and especially North Vietnam flagrantly violated the ceasefire in an
attempt to gain control of as much territory as possible

However South Vietnam Fell in April 1975 to the Communist Party of Vietnam.

A ceasefire was called on 30th April 1975. The end of the war ultimately
resulted in the re-unification of Vietnam under communist rule.

****************************************************************
A Difficult War

- The Americans were an invading force, and the Vietnamese were fighting on
their own soil.
- The jungles of Vietnam proved a difficult place to fight a war. It was very
difficult to find the enemy in the jungles and
- It was difficult to determine who was the enemy. As The Viet Cong were
Vietnamese rebels in the South who fought against the Southern Vietnam
government and the United States.
- The troops had to deal with booby traps and constant ambushes from people
they thought they were fighting for.
- The US was trying to supply a war 8,000 miles from America.

96
Divide the class into two groups. Leaders of each group would choose each
member to answer a certain question. Both leaders in the end will write a
full report on the war.

Questions:- “ in your copybook”

1- What is Indochina?
2- Explain how did Japan come to control Indochina?
3- What was the plan designed by the Allies for Indochina in the Potsdam and
how was it different from what happened in reality?
4- Who were the Viet Minh?
5- What happened to France in the First Indochina war?
6- What is the Geneva Accords? And what did it state?
7- Why didn’t America sign the second part of the Geneva Accords?
8- Why did the second war of Indochina begin?
9- How was it a proxy war?
10- What was the reason America intervened in Indochina?

11- When was the first US intervention in Indochina?

12- What was the first US intervention in Indochina?
13- Explain how did President Lyndon redefine the US intervention in Vietnam?
14- Explain the Gulf of Tonkin Incident?
15- What was the result of the Incident?
16- What was the Truth of that happened in the Gulf of Tonkin?
17- Who were the Viet Cong?
18- What was the Tet offensive?
19- What were its results? And what effect did it have on the Americans?
20- Why was the war unpopular in the US?
21- What were Richard Nixon's policies in Vietnam?
22- What does Vietnamization mean? What do you think Americanization
mean?
23- When did the Vietnam War end? Who won the war? And what is the result
of this war to both sides?

97
 The Cuban Missile Crisis

In 1962, Fidel Castro was the leader of Cuba when the Soviet Union began to
install nuclear missiles in the country. The United States did not want this to
happen because Cuba is located just 95 miles south of Florida. The U.S.
believed this was a dangerous and aggressive move by the Soviet Union
(today's Russia).

The movement of the missiles in Cuba began thirteen days of secret

negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Eventually, the Soviet
Union agreed to remove the missiles, but it was the closest the two countries
had ever come to a nuclear war during the Cold War years.

Everything that happened prior to the crisis began when the United States
attempted to overthrow Castro and the government of the Communist
country. This took place during the Bay of Pigs invasion, but it failed to
overthrow Castro. The U.S. also installed nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey,
which were close enough to strike Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union,
which was also a Communist country and an ally of Cuba.

The placement resulted in the Soviet Union placing missiles close to the U.S.
Cuba was ideal, plus the Cuban government wanted protection from the U.S.
and they counted on the Soviet Union. Things began to get very tense and
stressful for the U.S. government and the Soviet Union's leader, Chairman
Nikita Khrushchev.

On October 14, 1962, pictures of the missile sites were taken by a U.S. spy
plane. Experts learned the missiles could reach nearly any point in the country
and result in mass destruction and the deaths of many people. The U.S. had a
couple of options, either invade Cuba or use diplomacy. President John
Kennedy believed an invasion would start World War III, so he chose a third
option, a naval blockade.

The blockade on October 22, 1962 prevented Cuba from receiving weapons,
and Kennedy also stated that if Cuba chose to invade the U.S., it would be
considered an act of war from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union said they
were not giving in and two days later the U.S. was thinking about invading
Cuba.

98
The secret negotiations, however, were beginning even as the Soviet Union
publicly made comments against the U.S. Ultimately, the two sides made
peace and the Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end. The missiles would be
removed from Cuba and the United States agreed never to invade Cuba again.
The U.S. secretly removed their missiles from Italy and Turkey too.

President Kennedy's role during the crisis was called his greatest moment.
Previously, his leadership was questioned during the Bay of Pigs invasion and in
events related to the Berlin Wall. The Soviet Union and other world leaders
had viewed Kennedy as a weak leader. However, the world once again looked
to the U.S. with confidence again.

Following the incident, a special hotline was set up between the U.S. and the
leader of the Soviet Union. Some people in the U.S., though, were not happy
with the resolution. Some believed the United States suffered a loss to the
Soviet Union. Later, it was learned that Khrushchev had written a personal
letter to Kennedy asking they come to an agreement to avoid a war.

99
Answer the following questions:-

1) What were the reasons for Castro to be afraid of US?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

2) Who was the president of the USA during that time? And who was the
president of USSR?
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

3) Why did USSR place missiles in Cuba?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

4) How did America come to know about the missiles in Cuba?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

5) What were the president’s reaction to placement of missiles?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________

6) How many days of secret negotiations took place between the U.S. and Cuba
to prevent a war?
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

7) Why was the world standing on edge during this period?

______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

100
8) How did the U.S. learn about the nuclear missiles having the capability of
reaching the United States?
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

9) How did the crisis end?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

10) What was created to avoid slow communication?

________________________________________________________

11) Explain the following Cartoon.

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

101
 The Suez Crisis 1956

Introduction:
Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in July 1956. On October
29, 1956, Israeli armed forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal. The Israelis soon
were joined by French and British forces. In retaliation. Egypt blocked the canal by
intentionally sinking 40 ships. These events were known as the Suez Crisis.

Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal

The Suez Crisis began when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the British
and French-owned Suez Canal. The Suez Canal was completed by French engineers and
under the supervision of French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps in 1869. At its founding, the
Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was owned by French and Egyptian interests but in
1875, debt forced Egypt to sell its shares in ownership of the Suez Canal to the United
Kingdom. For the next 87 years, it remained largely under British and French control, and
Europe depended on it as an inexpensive shipping route for oil from the Middle East.

From 1954, the Egyptian military began pressuring the British to end their military presence
in the canal zone (which had been granted in the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty-the U.K. was
given the right to maintain military forces in the Suez Canal Zone and control entry points).

The decision of president Gamal to nationalize the Suez canal was because the United States
reneged on a promise (broke its promise) to provide funds for construction of the High Dam
on the Nile River, so Nasser wanted to fund the High Dam from the revenue of the Suez
Canal. He hoped to charge tolls that would pay for construction of the dam.

The British were angered by the nationalizing of the canal move and sought the support of
the French (who believed that Nasser was supporting rebels in the French colony of Algeria)
and neighboring Israel in an armed assault to retake the canal.

Israel's reasons to join the attack was because Nasser's armed forces were engaged in
sporadic battles with Israeli soldiers along the border between the two countries, and the
Egyptian leader did nothing to conceal his antipathy toward the Israeli nation. With the
creation of Israel in 1948, the Egyptian government prohibited the use of the canal by ships
coming and going from Israel.

Suez Crisis: 1956-57

The Israelis struck first on October 29, 1956. Two days later, British and French military
forces joined them. Originally, forces from the three countries were set to strike at once, but
the British and French troops were delayed.

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The British and French troops landed at Port Said and Port Fuad and took control of the area
around the Suez Canal. However, their hesitation had given the Soviet Union time to
respond.

The Soviets, eager to exploit Arab nationalism and gain a foothold in the Middle East.
Supplied arms from Czechoslovakia to the Egyptian government beginning in 1955, and
eventually helped Egypt construct the Aswan Dam on the Nile River after the United States
refused to support the project. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) railed against
the invasion and threatened to rain down nuclear missiles on Western Europe if the Israeli-
French-British force did not withdraw.

Why Did the U.S. Intervene in the Suez Crisis?

The response of USA: President Dwight Eisenhower warned the Soviets that reckless talk of
nuclear conflict would only make matters worse, and cautioned Khrushchev to refrain from
direct intervention in the conflict. However, Eisenhower also issued stern warnings to the
French, British and Israelis to give up their campaign and withdraw from Egyptian soil.

Eisenhower was upset with the British, in particular, for not keeping the United States
informed about their intentions. The United States threatened all three nations with
economic sanctions if they persisted in their attack. The threats did their work. The British
and French forces withdrew by December; Israel finally bowed to U.S. pressure in March
1957, relinquishing control over the canal to Egypt.

The Suez Crisis marked the first use of a United Nations peacekeeping force. The United
Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was an armed group dispatched to the area to supervise
the end of hostilities and the withdrawal of the three occupying forces.

Aftermath of the Suez Crisis

In the aftermath of the Suez Crisis, Britain and France, once the seat of empires, found their
influence as world powers weakened as the United States and Soviet Union took a more
powerful role in world affairs.

The crisis made Nasser a powerful hero in the growing Arab and Egyptian nationalist
movements. Israel, while it did not gain the right to utilize the canal, was once again granted
rights to ship goods along the Straits of Tiran.

Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal following the Six-Day War (June 1967). For
almost a decade, the Suez Canal became the front line between the Israeli and Egyptian
armies.

In 1975 as a gesture of peace, Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat reopened the Suez Canal.

Today, about 300 million tons of goods pass through the canal each year.

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 Questions for the Suez Crisis 1956

1. Why did President Gamal Abde-lNasser nationalize the Suez Canal?

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__________________________________________________________

2. There were three countries that decided to attack Egypt as a reaction to

President Gamal's actions. What were these three countries and what
reasons did each have for their attack on Egypt? (Two reasons for every
Country)

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3. Explain the role played by the two superpowers in the Suez Crisis?
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4. What are the important points of the aftermaths of the Suez Crisis?
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 The Yemen Crisis 1962

Background
- The Ottoman Empire withdrew from Yemen in 1918 and Imam Yahya took
control over the country until his death in 1948. He was succeeded by his son
Imam Ahmed.
- In September 1962, Imam Ahmed bin Yahya died and was succeeded by his
son, Imam Mohammed Al-Badr.
- A week later, a coup d'etat was carried out by revolutionary forces
(The army) led by Abdullah Esallal. He overthrew the new Imam and
proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic.
- Following his overthrow, Imam Al-Badr managed to escape from San'a, the
capital, with other members of the royal family.
- With financial and material support from external sources, the royalists fought
a fierce guerrilla campaign against the republican forces.
- The new Government was recognized by the United Arab Republic
(Union between Egypt and Syria) and by the Soviet Union, which was the first
nation to recognize the new republic.
- Nikita Khrushchev cabled Sallal: "Any act of aggression against Yemen will be
considered an act of aggression against the Soviet Union. But other major
Powers with interests in the area, including the United
Kingdom and the United States, withheld action on the question of recognition.
- The revolution was supported by Egypt who supplied troops and supplies.
- The royalists were supported by Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Britain
- The British sent mercenaries to fight with the royalists.
- Saudi Arabia, fearing the U.A.R. military presence on the Arabian peninsula
constituted a threat to its monarchy and its oil fields. It reacted by sending
supplies and money to the royalist forces.
- The United States was concerned that the conflict might spread to other parts of
the Middle East. President Kennedy supported Saudi Arabia in secrecy.
- Later on December 19, the US became the 34th nation to recognize the Yemen
Arab Republic. United Nations recognition followed that of the US by a day.

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The Result of Yemen's Civil War

- After the war's end in 1970, Yemen remained a republic, but Egypt had paid a
terrible price:
- The conflict, often viewed as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
- President Nasser's armed intervention in Yemen is the most ambitious and
dangerous foreign adventure of his career.
- The Egyptian expeditionary force--put at between 12,000 and 70,000- had
fought a savage guerrilla war. These Egyptian forces were trained for desert not
for mountain warfare. Their expensive Soviet-built equipment, were not ideally
suited for operations in the crazy maze of narrow defiles mountains of northern
Yemen.
- Egyptians were uncertain why they are there, why were they involved in the
war.
- It was a long, costly war for Egypt for nearly a decade.
- More than 10,000 Egyptian soldiers died and the country ran up massive war
debts.
- It has brought Egypt to the brink of war with Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
- It was the greatest challenge to American diplomacy in the Middle East since
Suez crisis.
- The Yemen's Civil war was one of the reasons why the Egyptian military
suffered such a withering defeat in the Six-Day War with Israel in 1967.
- The U.S. intended to preserve the status quo of Middle East power relations
and prevent an escalation of the conflict beyond Yemen.
- Egypt employed chemical weapons they had developed in the 1950s and
obtained from the Soviet Union; defensive equipment was also obtained from
the Soviets. Egypt was the first Arab state to use chemical weapons. Despite
having signed the 1925 Geneva Convention, which outlawed the use of
chemical weapons, Egypt employed chloroacetophenone tear gas, mustard
blistering gas, phosgene, and nerve agents repeatedly from 1963 to 1967
- The conflict has been named as "Egypt's Vietnam,"
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Answer the following Questions

1. What started the civil war in Yemen in 1963?

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_____________________________________________________

2. How was it a proxy war?

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3. Why is the Yemen war called Egypt's Vietnam?

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_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

4. Compare between US involvement and reasons for its loss in Vietnam with
Egypt's involvement and reasons for loss in Yemen?
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 QUESTIONS: The Collapse of the Soviet Union

1. Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?

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2. What did Gorbachev want to do?

__________________________________________________________

3. Name Gorbachev’s two main platforms and explain each.

__________________________________________________________

4. What were the feelings of the other countries under Soviet control?

__________________________________________________________

5. Why was Gorbachev kidnapped by hardliners?

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6. What were the feelings of the military when Gorbachev was kidnapped?

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