1. Aim: How did the Persian Gulf War
end the “Vietnam Syndrome”?
Do Now:
o Get into the groups from
yesterday
o Share your portion of the
organizer with your group.
2.
3. Brinkmanship & MAD
At the start of the Cold War, American presidents
(Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson) practiced
‘Brinkmanship’ or the policy of pushing a dangerous
situation to the brink of disaster
4. 4
Reduction in Arms
•In 1969 Nixon began negotiations with USSR on
SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
Agreement.) and Detente
•SALT II was a second round of US/USSR talks
(1972-1979), which sought to reduce manufacture of
nuclear weapons.
Carter and Brezhnev sign the SALT II
treaty.
Nixon and Brezhnev toast the SALT I
treaty.
6. Iran-Contra Affair
• Beginning in 1979, Nicaragua faced a revolution
between the “Sandinistas” and Contras.
• Beginning in 1982, Hezbollah a terrorist organization
from Iran kidnapped several Americans living in
Lebanon.
The Iran-Contra affair was a secret deal not approved
of by the US Congress that began in 1985, when
President Reagan supplied weapons to Iran— a US
enemy— in hopes of securing the release of
American hostages held in Lebanon by Hezbollah
terrorists. At the same time, the US supplied the
Contras who were radical guerrillas who became
terrorists in Nicaragua.
7. Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
– The USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support
the Afghan communist party. The US supported the
anti-communist party.
– In 1989, the USSR withdrew from Afghanistan
– The Soviet economy and those of its eastern and
central European satellites were in serious trouble
after a long war/intervention in Afghanistan.
8. Gorbachev
• With economic and political
reforms obviously needed,
Soviet premier Mikhail
Gorbachev initiated perestroika
(the “restructuring” or
decentralizing of the economy)
and glasnost (an “opening” of
the Soviet society to freedom of
speech)
• Gorbachev’s reforms proved
difficult to implement and led to
conflicts within the USSR
10. Collapse of the USSR
• Revolutions broke out
throughout eastern
Europe as people
overthrow communist
dictators in places like
Poland, Bulgaria, and
Romania and countries
such as Czechoslovakia
and Yugoslavia broke
apart
• When the Berlin Wall
came down East and
West Germany united in
1990 The 1989 Romanian Revolution was a violent
overthrow of the communist regime.
11. Collapse of the Soviet Empire
• Beginning in August 1991,
Soviet republics began
declaring their independence
from the USSR
• Also in August, a group of
conspirators representing
dissatisfied members of the
Communist Party, the KGB,
and the military attempted to
seize power while Gorbachev
was on vacation
• Gorbachev was replaced
• By the end of 1991, the USSR
had ceased to exist
Who died????
12. The USSR Dissolves
•On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev
yielded as the president of the USSR,
declaring the office extinct.
Rocky beats Ivan Drago.
“If I can change,
you can change,
everyone can
change!!”
13. Effect of the Cold War on the U.S.
• The demise of the
Soviet Union left the US
as the world’s sole
superpower
• Without the danger of a
superpower
confrontation, the US
was now more free to
use its military power
• This was tested when
Iraq invaded Kuwait in
1990
14. Aim: How did the Persian Gulf War
end the “Vietnam Syndrome”?
Task:
Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, protecting
United States national interests was a major goal of US foreign
policy. This goal led the United States to fight wars in Korea,
Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf (1990–1991). These wars had a
significant impact on the United States and on other countries.
Write a paragraph detailing US involvement in the Persian
Gulf War where you
•Describe the historical circumstances that led to United States
involvement in that war
•Discuss the impact of the war on the United States and/or on
another country or region
16. Background
• Long-standing disputes between Iraq and Kuwait.
– Iraq argues Kuwait is an Iraqi province.
• Iraq mobilized and prepared for invasion in
1961 immediately after Kuwait was granted
independence by Britain.
– Iraq accuses Kuwait of overproduction of oil/theft
of Iraqi oil.
•On Aug 2,
1990, Iraq
invaded
Kuwait
17.
18. Operation Desert Storm
• The objective of Desert
Storm was to liberate
Kuwait, not to destroy
the Iraqi army or
remove Saddam
• Even though the
coalition experienced
amazing military
success, Saddam
remained in power
19. Legacy of Desert Storm
• In 100 hours of
combat, American
forces destroyed or
captured more than
3,000 tanks, 1,400
armored carriers, and
2,200 artillery pieces
• Only about 140
soldiers died in direct
combat
• Erased the “Vietnam
Syndrome”
Success!!
!
The US can win a
war again!
Goodbye Vietnam….
20. Aim: How did the Persian Gulf War
end the “Vietnam Syndrome”?
Task:
Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, protecting
United States national interests was a major goal of US foreign
policy. This goal led the United States to fight wars in Korea,
Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf (1990–1991). These wars had a
significant impact on the United States and on other countries.
Write a paragraph detailing US involvement in the Persian
Gulf War where you
•Describe the historical circumstances that led to United States
involvement in that war
•Discuss the impact of the war on the United States and/or on
another country or region
