Causes and
Effects of the Cold War
Causes:
In 1945, just after World War II, the alliance
between the United States, Britain and the USSR ended. An intense rivalry
between communist and non-communist nations led to the Cold War. It's called
the Cold War because it never led to armed or "hot" conflict. At
the end of World War II, at the Yalta Conference, Germany was divided into
four occupied zones controlled by Great Britain, France,
the Soviet Union, and the United States. Berlin was also divided into four
sections. Lack of a mutual agreement on German re-unification marked the
start of the Cold War. When the USA decided to drop the atomic bomb on Japan,
the USSR was upset that America had secretly developed the bomb. Churchill,
Truman and Britain's Atlee were angry that Stalin had already signed a border
treaty agreement with Poland.
By 1948, Russia controlled Poland, East Germany,
Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and
Czechoslovakia. Churchill was first to refer to this as an Iron Curtain that
divided Europe. The Allies were angered that the free elections promised by
Stalin at the Yalta Conference were not held and adopted a new foreign policy
of containment to keep communism to the areas where it was already in affect.
The Truman Doctrine of 1947 stated that America would help any non-communist
country to resist communist pressure. The Marshall Plan involved sending
large amounts of American money to help non-communist countries to recover
from World War II.
The Western Allies unified West Germany to form
the German Federal Republic (GFR). The USSR reacted by placing a blockade on
Berlin. All food and other necessities had to be airlifted to West Berlin
until May 1949. The Russian zone became the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
In 1949, Mao Zedong's communist forces had won a
victory in China and this added another front to the Cold War.
The Cold War was the result of a clash between
communism and capitalism, two opposing world-views. Another cause of the
build up to the Cold War was the intransigent attitude of both sides. The
Soviet Union was extremely concerned about its security after having been
invaded twice in the twentieth century. In 1945 America created and used the
atomic bomb against Japan and the USSR was determined to create one of its
own. Both the USSR and the USA built up huge arsenals of Inter-Continental
Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The United States tested a hydrogen bomb in 1952
and in November 1955, the USSR developed one too. After that the USA moved
its bombers into Europe. In 1955 West Germany was allowed to re-arm and join
NATO. Russia responded by forming the Warsaw Mutual Defense Pact with its
buffer zone neighbors.
In 1957 the Soviets used a missile to launch
Sputnik 1 into orbit around the earth. The arms race evolved into a space
race as the United States rushed to launch its own satellites. The space race
was an opportunity for the two nations to show their technological
superiority. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first orbiting
satellite, on October 4, 1957. On November 3, they launched Sputnik II with
the first living creature, a dog, named Laika.
On January 31, 1958 the United States launched
Explorer I, its first satellite. The U.S. began its Mercury program with an
18-minuteflight on January 31, 1961 that
carried a chimpanzee. The Soviet Union, meanwhile, had its Vostok program and
on April 12, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space and completed one
orbit aboard Vostok 1. In June 1963 Valentina Tereshkova became the first
woman in space. The United States started to catch up on
February 20, 1962 when John Glenn orbited the earth three times. The US
Apollo 11 mission launched on July 16, 1969 and Neil Armstrong became the
first person to step on the moon.
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and brought more
tension to the Cold War. The open border between East and West Berlin had
permitted thousands of East Europeans to escape from Soviet rule. This had a
negative economic impact on Eastern Europe and was as a political
embarrassment for the Soviet Union. On Sunday, August 13, 1969 East Germany
blocked off East Berlin from West Berlin with barbed wire. A few days later
the Berlin Wall was built to replace the barbed wire. From 1961 to 1981,
there were 37,800 successful escapes across the Berlin wall from the East to
the West. The reunification of Germany took place on October 3, 1990.
In 1962, Cuba was
convinced that the USA was planning to attack them and asked the Soviet Union
for military assistance. The USSR sent Cuba materials to build missile bases
and launch sites. When President Kennedy realized that Cuba could launch
missiles into America, he demanded that the USSR remove its weapons and
troops. The Americans formed a naval blockade as the world stood nervously on
the edge of a nuclear war. The USSR removed its weapons despite protests from
Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
The Effects of the Cold War
The United States believed that the Soviet Union's
expansion threatened the developing nations of the world. So, in 1949
President Truman and Congress approved nearly $400 million for technical
development programs in Latin America, Asia,
and Africa. The goal of this Point Four Program was to modernize and
strengthen developing nations and discourage the growth of communism.
Gorbachev's policy of Glasnost eliminated the
strict censorship practiced for hundreds of years. Glasnost stands for
openness, and Soviet citizens were now allowed to speak openly about their
country's problems. Perestroika, or "restructuring," was
Gorbachev's attempt to end the inefficiency and corruption in government.
The United States and other Western nations
decided to form alliances against possible Soviet attempts to extend their
sphere of influence. In April 1949 the United States signed the North
Atlantic Treaty. Members agreed that an attack on one of them would be
considered an attack on all of them. The Soviets later formed an opposing
alliance known as The Warsaw Pact.
Because of the arms race many countries in the world now own nuclear weapons.
Truman Doctrine
The Truman
Doctrine was a policy set
forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman on March 12, 1947 stating that
the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid
to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere.
Truman stated the Doctrine: it would be "the policy of the United States to support
free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or
by outside pressures." Truman reasoned, because these
"totalitarian regimes" coerced "free peoples," they
represented a threat to international peace and the national security of the
United States. Truman made the plea amid the crisis of the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). He argued that if
Greece and Turkey did not receive the aid that they urgently needed, they
would inevitably fall to communism with grave consequences throughout the
region.
The policy won the support of Congress and
involved sending $400 million in American money, but no military forces, to
the region. The effect was to end the Communist threat, and in 1952 both
countries joined NATO,
a military alliance that guaranteed their protection.
The Doctrine shifted American foreign policy
toward the Soviet Union from détente (friendship) to, as George F. Kennan phrased it, a policy of containment of Soviet expansion. Historians
often use it to mark the starting date of the Cold War.
Marshall Plan
|
The
reconstruction plan, developed at a meeting of the participating European
states, was established on June 5, 1947. It offered the same aid to the Soviet Union and
its allies, but they did not accept it.[2][3] The
plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. During that
period some US $13 billion in economic and technical assistance were given to
help the recovery of the European countries that had joined in the Organization for European Economic Co-operation. This $13 billion was in the
context of a U.S. GDP of $258 billion in 1948, and was on top of $12 billion in
American aid to Europe between the end of the war and the start of the Plan
that is counted separately from the Marshall Plan.
The
ERP addressed each of the obstacles to postwar recovery. The plan looked to the
future, and did not focus on the destruction caused by the war. Much more
important were efforts to modernize European industrial and business practices
using high-efficiency American models, reduce artificial trade barriers, and
instill a sense of hope and self-reliance.
By
1952 as the funding ended, the economy of every participant state had surpassed
pre-war levels; for all Marshall plan recipients, output in 1951 was 35% higher
than in 1938.[6] Over
the next two decades, Western Europe enjoyed unprecedented growth and
prosperity, but economists are not sure what proportion was due directly to the
ERP, what proportion indirectly, and how much would have happened without it.
The Marshall Plan was one of the first elements of European integration, as it erased trade barriers and
set up institutions to coordinate the economy on a continental level—that is,
it stimulated the total political reconstruction of Western Europe.
Belgian
economic historian Herman Van der Wee concludes the Marshall Plan was a
"great success":
"It
gave a new impetus to reconstruction in Western Europe and made a decisive
contribution to the renewal of the transport system, the modernization of industrial
and agricultural equipment, the resumption of normal production, the raising of
productivity, and the facilitating of intra-European trade."
NATO
The
size and power of the Soviet military after the Second World War produced
tremendous fear in the West. During the war, Stalin was able to create a
military machine capable of stopping and destroying much of the powerful armies
of Adolf Hitler. At the end of the war, Stalin did not disband his large
armies, but actually increased its size and capabilities. The Red Army also
became a tool to enforce the will of Stalin in the countries controlled by the
Soviet Union. In contrast, the democracies of the West could hardly wait to
reduce the size of their expensive armies. After several years of fighting, the
soldiers wanted to be returned to their homelands and continue with civilian
life. Quick disarmament in the West caused major concerns for military
strategists.
The
actions of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and the Berlin blockade indicated
that a World War Three might be on the horizon. If it came, concerns over the
ability of the Western nations to survive to wage war were evident. These fears
forced western nations to negotiate agreements to assist one another in the
case of war. The Berlin blockade forced negotiations between Western Europe,
Canada and the United States that ultimately led to the creation of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949.
The
purpose of NATO was to provide stability and freedom to its members through collective
security. In other words, all members would work together to assist and defend
each other against all forms of aggression. NATO was designed to provide strong
military forces to balance the threat from the Soviet Union. The United States
and Canada were expected to maintain forces in Europe as their commitment to
western security.
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union did not react immediately to the formation of
NATO. It became concerned when the West actively pushed West Germany towards
rearmament, to help balance the power of the Soviet Union. The fear of a strong
German military on the borders of Soviet controlled countries prompted action.
In 14 May 1955, all nations under the control of the Soviet Union signed the
Warsaw Pact agreement. The agreement unified the military forces of the Eastern
Bloc under the control of a supreme commander from the Soviet Union.
The
only time the Warsaw Pact utilized its military forces was to invade one of its
members. In 1956, Warsaw Pact nations invaded Hungary because it attempted to
change the Soviet dominated system in the country. The Hungarian people wanted
to "westernize" their country and have closer ties to the West.
Hungary was forced by military might to return to the control of the Soviet
Union. Czechoslovakia was also interested in moving away from the Soviet
dominated Eastern Bloc in 1968 but the USSR invaded and they were forced to
remain under the tight control of the Soviet Union for many years to come.
The Arms Race
Development of Weapons of Mass Destruction
At the end of Second World War, the United States held the technological and scientific edge in the development of atomic weapons. The Soviet Union was making a supreme effort to catch up to the American program and ultimately was successful. American military planners pushed for the construction of large numbers of bombs to offset the power and size of the Red Army. If necessary, atomic bombs were to be used against a possible Soviet military offensive in Europe.
.
Atomic
weapons were also becoming much more advanced and dangerous as billions of
dollars years were spent to improve them. Bigger, and more deadly, bombs were
constantly under development, but the greatest threat came when atomic bombs
were placed on rockets for delivery. The super powers took the idea from
Hitler's rocket program during the war. Missiles would carry warheads over
large distances to hit their targets, without the need of a bomber or human
crew. This development allowed rockets to be launched at targets thousands of
kilometers away, with the simple flick of a switch.
As
more and more nuclear missiles were developed and put into service, fears over
the effects of the bombs became more apparent. The blasts and radiation that
would be released, should a full-scale nuclear war occur, could result in the
end of human life on the planet. The concept of a "nuclear winter"
was brought forward by scientists to explain what would occur in a nuclear war.
The explosions would release so much dust into the atmosphere that sunlight
would be blocked out from the planet. With no sunlight, plants would die and,
therefore, animals that eat plants would die, Humans who eat animals and plants
would also die.
It
was understood by both super powers that if a war were to break out; the planet
earth would be faced with doomsday. The theory was named Mutual Assured
Destruction (MAD), and therefore, neither side was prepared to start a nuclear
war for fear of destroying humanity. Both sides hoped that the other side
understood that nuclear war would be suicidal and, therefore, must be deterred
from using their weapons. Thus, the concept of nuclear deterrence and the fear
of using these weapons would unsure peace.
The
term "Cold War" was the idea of conflict between the East and West,
but without the fighting and casualties of actual fighting. Korea provided a
classic example of the type of conflict that would be fought throughout the
Cold War. The super powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were not
officially involved in a face-to-face conflict.
Over
time, it became acceptable for both powers to fight the Cold War by any means
necessary including, spying, assassination, and sabotage or supporting small,
localized wars. It was not considered acceptable to come face to face in a
shooting war that may end life on the planet. Although this was understood, the
world came very close to a full-blown in 1962 war during the Cuban Missile
Crisis.
The Rise of Fidel Castro
In 1959 a major change in the political landscape of Cuba, an island only 135 kilometers off the coast of Florida, took place. A young revolutionary named Fidel Castro led a popular uprising against the American controlled dictatorship of General Batista. Although Castro was not a communist during the uprising, he became one once the United States attempted to overthrow his new government. Later, the United States even tried to remove Castro by sponsoring an invasion of Cuba. Under the direction of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the plan called for taking Cubans living in America, training and equipping them, then invading their homeland to eliminate Castro.
The
"Bay of Pigs" invasion as it was named, was a complete failure. It
was an embarrassment to the United States and the young President, John F.
Kennedy. The attempt to attack Cuba forced Castro to look for support against
the United States. The natural choice was America's enemy, the Soviet Union.
Khrushchev,
the leader of the USSR, welcomed the political changes in Cuba and immediately
offered Soviet support for Castro. Included in that support were conventional
weapons like tanks, artillery and bomber planes. In addition, the placement of
nuclear weapons in Cuba was also part of the package. This was a natural move
as for the USSR because other countries allowed the United States to place
nuclear missiles directed at the USSR. The Soviets, therefore, took the
opportunity to do the same to the Americans.
The Vietnam War
Replacing the French
Under
the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, communist guerillas declared independence for
the northern regions of French Indo-China, at the end of the Second World War.
The communist guerillas had successfully fought against the Japanese; using
supplies received supplies from the American Office of Strategic Services
(OSS), the forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency. With the defeat of
the Japanese, Ho Chi Minh did not want a return of French colonial rule.
France,
on the other hand, was anxious to recover her colonies to help in the
reconstruction of the homeland after German occupation. In response to the
declaration by Ho Chi Minh, French bombers hit the city of Hanoi killing 6000
people. The bombing kicked off a guerrilla war against the French occupation
troops sent to recover the region. During the eight-year struggle against Ho
Chi Minh's guerillas, the United States began supplying the French with weapons
and equipment to help stop the spread of communism.
The
question of independence was finally settled at the battle of Dien Bien Phu,
where the well-organized and disciplined communist guerillas defeated elite
French troops. The French quickly withdrew from the region after a settlement
was reached in July 1954. The agreement called for the establishment of a
communist government above the 17th parallel, and a pro-American government in
the South under Ngo Dinh Diem. The agreement looked much like the one
established in Korea the agreement also stated that free elections were to be
held in South Vietnam to see if they wanted a communist government, as well.
America Takes Over
Ngo
Dinh Diem chose not to hold free elections, and ruled South Vietnam as a
dictator. This decision angered communists in the south, and they began to
organize against Diem, calling themselves the Vietcong. The Vietcong was
supported with weapons and training by North Vietnam, wishing to unite the
country into one communist state. Forces under the control of the Vietcong were
able to gain control in rural areas, but received only limited support in the
cities.
In
1963 Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated by one of his own generals, launching a
twelve-year civil war where neither side was able to gain the upper hand. The
United States increased its interest in the area, and decided to increase
military support by sending "advisors" to train the South Vietnamese
Army.
As
the North began to increase support to the Vietcong in the South, the Americans
sent over more and more military advisors. US fighting forces quickly replaced
the "advisors" as the intensity of Vietcong attacks increased. By the
end of the 1960s, the United States had deployed over one-half a million armed
forces personnel.
Problems in South Vietnam - The End of the War
As
the intensity on the battlefield increased, the government of South Vietnam
began losing the overall support of the people. The government was unable to
protect the population from Vietcong attacks; the army was corrupted and often
mistreated villagers. As well, officials were becoming wealthy from corruption
while the average person suffered.
Furthermore,
the American government was facing a number of major problems in South Vietnam.
They were unable to achieve a military solution to the situation unless they
made the war into a much larger conflict. By doing that, there was a danger
that they would draw in the Soviet Union, leading to the danger of a world war.
Moreover, the corruption of the government of South Vietnam caused the people
in America to wonder why they were sacrificing young men for an unpopular war
in Asia.
As
criticism against the war increased, the United States began looking for a way
out of the conflict. Over the years, they began withdrawing US soldiers, and
making the Vietnamese take on a larger role in the fighting. By 1973, the
American Army left South Vietnam, after the North promised not to invade. Two
years later the promise was broken, and the North took over South Vietnam. They
were united into one large communist nation. America had suffered its severest
military and political defeat in the history of the Cold War.
Détente and Arms
Reduction
Fears over Mutually Assured Destruction
The Cuban Missile Crisis had a powerful effect upon the United States and Soviet Union. Both realized that the threat to life on the planet was a real possibility, as the number of nuclear weapons continued to grow. Shortly after the Cuban Crisis, discussions were held in the attempt to limit development and testing of nuclear weapons. Although the United States and the Soviet Union did not trust each other, and negotiation took many years, agreements were finally put in place to limit nuclear weapons.
Partial
Test Ban Treaty - 1963
The year after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the three major nuclear
powers of the time agreed to stop testing nuclear weapons above ground. Before
the treaty, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union would test
their nuclear weapons by dropping bombs on various deserted parts of the world.
As more and more bombs were tested, the environmental damage caused by these
tests was becoming a concern. The treaty forbade atmosphere tests of nuclear
weapons, but underground explosions were allowed to continue. .
The
Outer Space Treaty - 1967
The purpose of this treaty was to ban the use of outer space to
store, deploy, or attack from earth's orbit. The drive by both superpowers to
put humans on the moon and explore space also opened the possibility for using
outer space for military purposes. The Soviets and Americans agreed that the
outer space around the planet should be left neutral.
The
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - 1968
Ninety countries were to sign the agreement to limiting the spread
of nuclear technology and weapons on the planet. The treaty was proposed to
eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons from getting into the hands of unstable
countries or terrorist groups. The treaty was to only have only limited success
because several nations refused to sign, and continued developing nuclear
weapons.
The
Biological Warfare Treaty - 1972
Like nuclear weapons, biological weapons also have the capability
of eliminating life on the planet. These weapons were considered extremely
dangerous, and in need of serious limitations. Thirty countries signed an
agreement to stop all production and storage of biological weapons. Attempts
were also made to destroy existing stocks of biological weapons. This has met
with some success over the years .
The
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)
The United States and Soviet Union also realized that it was
necessary to limit their ever-growing nuclear arsenals. Talks began in late
1969 and were finalized in 1972. Both sides agreed to limit the construction of
new inter continental missiles and anti-ballistic missiles. Negotiations
continued throughout the 1970s leading to a number of smaller proposals and
agreements. In an attempt to limit possible full-scale war, it was agreed that
both super powers would observe each other's major military exercises, and that
the leaders of both nations would meet regularly.
Berlin Blockade
The
main cause of the Berlin Blockade was the Cold War, which was
just getting started. Stalin was taking over eastern Europe
by salami tactics and Czechoslovakia had just turned Communist (March
1948). On
the other side, the USA had just adopted the Truman Doctrine to ‘contain’ the
USSR. The
Berlin Blockade was just another event in this ‘Cold War’ between the superpowers.
The
second reason for the Berlin Blockade was that the USA and the USSR had different Aims for
what they wanted to do to Germany. The
USSR had already disagreed with Britain and the USA at Potsdam (July 1945)
about this. Stalin wanted to destroy Germany, and
the USSR had been stripping East Germany of its wealth and
machinery. On the other side, Britain and the USA wanted to
rebuild Germany’s industry to become a wealthy trading partner (so as not to
repeat the mistake of Versailles). This
difference in aims was the underlying cause of the Berlin Blockade. The
policy of the USA and the USSR towards Germany was so different that conflict
was bound to break out there sooner or later.
These
were the two causes which underlay the conflict in Berlin in 1948. Then
there were three events which actually led to Stalin blocking off the borders.
Firstly,
in January 1947, Britain and the USA joined their two zones
together. They
called the new zone Bizonia (‘two zones’). The
Russians realised that Britain and the USA were beginning to create a new,
strong Germany, and they were angry.
Then, on
31 March 1948, Congress voted for Marshall Aid. Stalin
(rightly) saw this as an attempt to undermine Russian influence in eastern
Europe. Immediately,
the Russians started stopping and searching all road and rail traffic into
Berlin.
Finally,
on 1 June, America and Britain announced that they wanted to create the new
country of West Germany; and on 23 June they introduced a new
currency into
‘Bizonia’ and western Berlin. People in eastern Europe began to
change all their money into the new western currency, which they thought was
worth more. The next day the Russians stopped all
road and rail traffic into Berlin.
The
Americans claimed that Stalin was trying to force the USA out of Berlin, and
that the blockade was Russian empire-building in eastern Europe. Stalin,
however, claimed that – by introducing the new currency – the USA and Britain
had been trying to wreck the east German economy. And
he said that the airlift was ‘simply a propaganda move intended to make the
cold war worse.’
Berlin wall
At
the end of World War II, the Allied powers divided conquered Germany into four
zones, each occupied by either the United States, Great Britain, France, or the
Soviet Union (as agreed at the Potsdam Conference). The same was done with
Germany's capital city, Berlin.
As
the relationship between the Soviet Union and the other three Allied powers
quickly disintegrated, the cooperative atmosphere of the occupation of Germany
turned competitive and aggressive. Although an eventual reunification of
Germany had been intended, the new relationship between the Allied powers
turned Germany into West versus East, democracy versus Communism.
In
1949, this new organization of Germany became official when the three zones
occupied by the United States, Great Britain, and France combined to form West
Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany). The zone occupied by the Soviet
Union quickly followed by forming East Germany (the German Democratic
Republic).
This
same division into West and East occurred in Berlin. Since the city of Berlin
had been situated entirely within the Soviet zone of occupation, West Berlin
became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany.
Mass Emigration
Within
a short period of time after the war, living conditions in West Germany and
East Germany became distinctly different. With the help and support of its
occupying powers, West Germany set up a capitalist society and experienced such
a rapid growth of their economy that it became known as the "economic
miracle." With hard work, individuals living in West Germany were able to
live well, buy gadgets and appliances, and to travel as they wished.
Nearly
the opposite was true in East Germany. Since the Soviet Union had viewed their
zone as a spoil of war, the Soviets pilfered factory equipment and other
valuable assets from their zone and shipped them back to the Soviet Union. When
East Germany became its own country, it was under the direct influence of the
Soviet Union and thus a Communist society was established. In East Germany, the
economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted.
Problems in the Middle East
Background to the Middle East
The Middle East region, for many years, had agitated for independence from Great Britain and France. During the 1930s, the British established independent for the countries of Iraq and Egypt, while the French allowed Syria partial independence. After the Second World War, the trend to allow independence of Arab nations continued. Countries like Lebanon, Transjordan and Syria were given full independence, and the promise of a European military withdrawal.
A
major problem in the region, however, revolved around a 1917 British promise
for a Jewish homeland. A British politician, Arthur Balfour had published a
document committing England to the establishment of a Jewish homeland in
Palestine. England was now caught between Arabs declaring independence on one
side, and the strong demand for a Jewish state in the other. The Arabs were
soon to call for a "jihad" or "holy war" against Britain
for independence. Jews in the region also began attacking British military
forces to force action on the homeland question. As well, after the end of the
Second World War, and the unfolding of the horrors of the Jewish "final
solution," there was strong international pressure by many nations for
granting the Jews a homeland in Palestine.
The Jewish Homeland Becomes a Reality
Caught
between the demands of two opposing groups, the British were forced to keep a
large military presence in the region. Increased terrorist activities by Jewish
"freedom fighters" and Arab independence groups caused heavy
casualties to the British. Finally, England asked the UN to resolve the issue.
In November 1947, the UN divided Palestine into a Jewish and Arab area. Jewish
militia forces quickly took the opportunity to grab the holy city of Jerusalem
as the British forces withdrew. On 14 May 1948, Israel declared itself a
nation.
Day One of Israel -
War
The
day after Israel declared itself a nation, Syria, Egypt, and the Transjordan
launched a massive attack on the new country. The attack by large Arab forces
came from the north, east and south. The Israelis, faced with extinction, fought
with determination and turned the tide of battle. They were able to stop the
Arab forces and take over most of the lands the UN had given the Palestinians
for their homeland. The fighting finally ended with a ceasefire, but over
750,000 Palestinians were forced to become refuges in the West Bank and Gaza
strip areas.
Major
Wars in the History of Israel
The
Arab nations of the Middle East continued to oppose the existence of Israel.
Israel, over the years, took opportunities to expand its borders for the
benefit of its people. During the various wars fought between Arabs and
Israelis, the ability of the two sides to resolve issues has become lost. The
situation in the Middle East remains tense to this day.
The Suez Crisis
1956
Although
the Suez Crisis was not directly related to the existence of the Jewish state,
Israel made a secret agreement with the British and French to help fight Egypt.
Egypt, under the leadership of President Nasser, had seized control of the Suez
Canal, which was used by western nations as the gateway to the East. The threat
to the canal brought prompt military action by France and Britain. For the
Europeans to attack, however, they needed an excuse for intervention, and
Israel was to provide the excuse.
In
October 1956, Israel launched a major attack into the
Sinai region driving towards the Suez Canal. The Israelis wanted to increase
the size of Israel and the Suez Crisis would provide a good cover for the
expansion. They were able to quickly overrun the entire region and drive toward
the canal. This became the excuse for the British and French to move in and
"separate" the two warring nations of Egypt and Israel. As well, the
British and French would keep the canal "free" for the world to use.
The
UN was ultimately asked to intervene to preserve the peace. The UN forced the
British, French and Israelis to return home, peacekeepers were placed in the
region. The canal was opened to the world and events cooled down.
.
The Six-Day War 1967
For
eleven years, an uneasy peace was maintained between Israel and its Arab
neighbors. Egyptian President Nasser did not wish the UN peacekeeping force to
remain in Egypt any longer, and demanded that they be removed by May of 1967.
Once removed, the Egyptian Army quickly moved forward into the Sinai region.
Israel felt the move was very serious and dangerous to the existence of the
country. Furthermore, Syria believed that the Israelis were planning to attack
them. Tensions quickly escalated between Israel and her Arab neighbors to the
point where Israel decided to launch an attack before the Arabs did.
Using
her powerful air force, Israel destroyed the Egyptian air force on the ground,
and then turned against targets in Syria and Jordan. During the ground phase of
the attack, Israeli defense forces were able to inflict serious damage to the
three nations. In the span of six days of fighting, Israel was able to take
land in the Golan Heights, Sinai and Jordan.
The Yom Kippur War 1973-74
In
October 1973, Arab nations surrounding Israel launched a surprise attack in the
hopes of destroying the country. Arab nations surrounding Israel had accepted
large sums of Soviet money, and training after the Six Day War. Israel, on the
other hand, was supplied with American equipment and assistance. The two superpowers
would continue to supply weapons around the world, but not fight directly
against each other. This became an important aspect of the Cold War.
The
attack on Israel was launched on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday and caught the
country unprepared. Syria and Egypt were able to make serious gains in Israeli
territory before the tide turned against them. Once again, the Israelis were
able to stop the Arabs and then move to the offensive. Israel had suffered
serious losses, but nothing like those inflicted upon the advancing Arabs. A
cease-fire was finally arranged in December 1973, and once again peacekeepers
were put into the area. In May 1974, all sides agreed to withdraw their forces
and the conflict was ended.
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