Cold war
The Cold War is the name given to the relationship that developed primarily between the USA and the USSR after World War Two. The Cold War was to dominate international affairs for decades and many major crises occurred - the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Hungary and the Berlin Wall being just some. For many, the growth in weapons of mass destruction was the most worrying issue. A clash of very different beliefs and ideology - capitalism versus communism - each held with almost religious conviction, formed the basis of an international power struggle with both sides vying for dominance, exploiting every opportunity for expansion anywhere in the world. Before the war, America had depicted the Soviet Union as almost the devil-incarnate. The Soviet Union had depicted America likewise so their ‘friendship’ during the war was simply the result of having a mutual enemy - Nazi Germany. In fact, one of America’s leading generals, Patton, stated that he felt that the Allied army should unite with what was left of the Wehrmacht in 1945, utilise the military genius that existed within it and fight the oncoming Soviet Red Army. Churchill himself was furious that Eisenhower, as supreme head of Allied command, had agreed that the Red Army should be allowed to get to Berlin first ahead of the Allied army. His anger was shared by Montgomery, Britain’s senior military figure. So the extreme distrust that existed during the war, was certainly present before the end of the war……..and this was between Allies. The Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, was also distrustful of the Americans after Truman only told him of a new terrifying weapon that he was going to use against the Japanese. The first Stalin knew of what this weapon could do was when reports on Hiroshima got back to Moscow. So this was the scene after the war ended in 1945. Both sides distrusted the other. One had a vast army in the field while the other, the Americans had the most powerful weapon in the world, the A-bomb and the Soviets had no way on knowing how many America had.
So why were these two super powers so distrustful of each other?
America
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Soviet Union
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“We have to get tough with the Russians. They don’t know how to behave. They are like bulls in a china shop. They are only 25 years old. We are over 100 and the British are centuries older. We have got to teach them how to behave.” - Harry Truman, April 1945
Important PEOPLE IN THE COLD WAR:
Dwight D. EisenhowerA World War II hero and former supreme commander of NATO who became U.S. president in 1953 after easily defeating Democratic opponent Adlai E. Stevenson. Eisenhower expanded New Deal–era social welfare programs such as Social Security and passed the landmark Federal Highway Act to improve national transportation. His New Look at foreign policy emphasized nuclear weapons and the threat of massive retaliation against the Soviet Union in order to cut costs and deter the USSR from spreading Communism abroad. Eisenhower committed federal dollars to fighting Communists in Vietnam, resolved the Suez crisis, and authorized CIA-sponsored coups in Iran and Guatemala.
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Ho Chi MinhThe nationalist, Communist leader of the Viet Minh movement, which sought to liberate Vietnam from French colonial rule throughout the 1950s. After being rebuffed by the United States, Ho received aid from the USSR and won a major victory over French forces at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. This French defeat forced the Geneva Conference of 1954, which split Vietnam into Communist-dominated North Vietnam and French-backed South Vietnam.
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John F. KennedyThe thirty-fifth U.S. president, who set out to expand social welfare spending with his New Frontier program. Kennedy was elected in 1960, defeating Republican Richard M. Nixon. Feeling that their hands were tied by Eisenhower’s policy of “massive retaliation,” Kennedy and members of his foreign policy staff devised the tactic of “flexible response” to contain Communism. Kennedy sent “military advisors” to support Ngo Dinh Diem’s corrupt regime in South Vietnam and formed the Alliance for Progress to fight poverty and Communism in Latin America. He also backed the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, which ultimately led to the Cuban missile crisis. In 1963, after Kennedy had spent roughly 1,000 days in office, he was assassinated, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson took office.
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Nikita KhrushchevThe head of the Soviet Communist Party and leader of the USSR from 1958 until the early 1960s. Initially, many Americans hoped Khrushchev’s rise to power would lead to a reduction in Cold War tensions. Khrushchev toured the United States in 1959 and visited personally with President Eisenhower at Camp David, Maryland. The U-2 incident and 1962 Cuban missile crisis, however, ended what little amity existed between the two nations and re-polarized the Cold War. Party leaders, upset with Khrushchev for having backed down from the Cuban missile crisis, removed him from power in 1964.
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Douglas MacArthurFive-star American general who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, MacArthur led the American occupation in Japan, helped establish a democratic government there, and in large part rewrote the country’s new constitution outlawing militarism. He later commanded United Nations forces in Korea, driving North Korean forces back north of the 38th parallel after making the brilliant Inchon landing. He ignored Chinese warnings not to approach the North Korean–Chinese border at the Yalu River, however, and was subsequently driven back down to the 38th parallel by more than a million Chinese troops. President Harry S Truman later rejected MacArthur’s request to bomb North Korea and China with nuclear weapons. MacArthur’s public criticism of the president’s decision prompted Truman to remove him from command in 1951.
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Joseph McCarthyRepublican senator from Wisconsin who capitalized on Cold War fears of Communism in the early 1950s by accusing hundreds of government employees of being Communists and Soviet agents. Although McCarthy failed to offer any concrete evidence to prove these claims, many Americans fully supported him. He ruined his own reputation in 1954 after humiliating himself during the televised Army-McCarthy hearings. Disgraced, he received an official censure from the Senate and died an alcoholic in 1957.
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Richard M. NixonRepublican congressman from California who rose to national fame as a prominent member of the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 1940s when he successfully prosecuted Alger Hiss for being a Communist. Nixon later served as vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961. He lost his own bid for the presidency against John F. Kennedy in 1960 but defeated his Democratic opponent eight years later and became president in 1969.
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Harry S. TrumanVice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt who became president upon Roosevelt’s death in April 1945 and successfully carried out the remainder of World War II. Truman was instrumental in creating a new international political and economic order after the war, helping to form the United Nations, NATO, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. His Marshall Plan also helped Western Europe rebuild after the war and surpass its prewar levels of industrial production. Determined not to let the Soviet Union spread Communism, Truman adopted the idea of containment, announcing his own Truman Doctrine in 1947. His characterization of the Soviet Union as a force of “ungodly” evil helped shape the Cold War of the next four decades. He also led the nation into the Korean War but eventually fired General Douglas MacArthur for insubordination.
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5 interesting facts...
1- It cost the U.S. about $8 trillion.
Eminent foreign relations historian Walter LaFeber has put the U.S. military expenditures bill for the Cold War at around $8 trillion. This is a reasonable figure when you take into consideration wars in Korea and Vietnam; intervention in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Chile, Grenada, and elsewhere; psychological warfare through covert CIA operations such as the Congress for Cultural Freedom and Radio Free Europe; and, of course, the research, development, testing, and construction of tens of thousands of nuclear weapons.
2- It was predicted by Adolf Hitler.
3- Its first casualty was a Christian missionary.
In 1942, John Morrison Birch was working in occupied China as a Christian missionary when, by accident, he came to the rescue of Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and his Tokyo Raiders, who had to bail out during the Doolittle Raid, the first U.S. aerial raid on Japanese soil. The men had been hiding from Japanese troops and Birch led them to safety. Doolittle hooked Birch up with his CO, who noted that Birch’s experience and contacts in China, along with his command of Mandarin, would make him an outstanding intelligence resource. From then until the end of the war in the Pacific, Birch served with distinction in the U.S. 14th Air Force.
4- It ended in part because of Apple.
The hobbyist culture and the economic flexibility in the U.S., both largely absent in the Soviet Union and Soviet-bloc countries, encouraged guys like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to take on industry giants like IBM. As a result, the information age erupted, spreading information that wasn’t spun by news outlets or crafted by governments into propaganda, but expressed by everyday citizens.
5- At one point, the U.S. had more communists on its side than the USSR.
In 1969, the CIA concluded that there was no possibility of an alliance with the People’s Republic of China. At the same time, Soviet troops were exchanging gunfire with Chinese troops along their shared border, leading China to wonder how far the Soviets would take the aggression, and further, what they could do to prevent it. The solution was to open discussions with their most imminent new enemy’s biggest enemy: the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. wanted China in their corner regarding their increasing troop commitment in Vietnam. President Nixon’s 1972 trips to China proved a diplomatic coup for both countries, and following them both, Henry Kissinger penned a memo to Nixon calling China “a tacit ally,” swinging 870 million communists to the U.S. side. This shaky alliance is considered a pivotal moment in bringing the Cold War to an eventual end.
Eminent foreign relations historian Walter LaFeber has put the U.S. military expenditures bill for the Cold War at around $8 trillion. This is a reasonable figure when you take into consideration wars in Korea and Vietnam; intervention in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Chile, Grenada, and elsewhere; psychological warfare through covert CIA operations such as the Congress for Cultural Freedom and Radio Free Europe; and, of course, the research, development, testing, and construction of tens of thousands of nuclear weapons.
2- It was predicted by Adolf Hitler.
3- Its first casualty was a Christian missionary.
In 1942, John Morrison Birch was working in occupied China as a Christian missionary when, by accident, he came to the rescue of Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and his Tokyo Raiders, who had to bail out during the Doolittle Raid, the first U.S. aerial raid on Japanese soil. The men had been hiding from Japanese troops and Birch led them to safety. Doolittle hooked Birch up with his CO, who noted that Birch’s experience and contacts in China, along with his command of Mandarin, would make him an outstanding intelligence resource. From then until the end of the war in the Pacific, Birch served with distinction in the U.S. 14th Air Force.
4- It ended in part because of Apple.
The hobbyist culture and the economic flexibility in the U.S., both largely absent in the Soviet Union and Soviet-bloc countries, encouraged guys like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to take on industry giants like IBM. As a result, the information age erupted, spreading information that wasn’t spun by news outlets or crafted by governments into propaganda, but expressed by everyday citizens.
5- At one point, the U.S. had more communists on its side than the USSR.
In 1969, the CIA concluded that there was no possibility of an alliance with the People’s Republic of China. At the same time, Soviet troops were exchanging gunfire with Chinese troops along their shared border, leading China to wonder how far the Soviets would take the aggression, and further, what they could do to prevent it. The solution was to open discussions with their most imminent new enemy’s biggest enemy: the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. wanted China in their corner regarding their increasing troop commitment in Vietnam. President Nixon’s 1972 trips to China proved a diplomatic coup for both countries, and following them both, Henry Kissinger penned a memo to Nixon calling China “a tacit ally,” swinging 870 million communists to the U.S. side. This shaky alliance is considered a pivotal moment in bringing the Cold War to an eventual end.
THE CLASHES
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the crisis-point of the Cold War. It was the time when the world came nearest to annihilating itself and the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the US and the Soviet Union. There were primarily three main causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis --
1. Superpower Tension: ll the tensions that had grown up between Russia’s assertive ‘peaceful competition’ and Kennedy’s promise to be tough on Russia – including the space race, the arms race and nuclear testing, American funding of anti-Communists in Vietnam and Laos, the failed Vienna summit (1961) and the Berlin Wall.
2. Fidel Castro’s Cuba: In 1959, Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. This was very threatening to the USA because it was right next to America. In 1960, Castro made a trade agreement with Russia, whereby Cuba sent sugar to Russia, in return for oil, machines and money. This frightened the Americans more, and in 1960 they stopped trading with Cuba. In retaliation, Cuba nationalised all American-owned companies.
3. The Bay of Pigs: In April 1961 the CIA encouraged, funded and transported an attempt by anti-Castro Cuban exiles to invade Cuba. It failed miserably, greatly embarrassing Kennedy. In September 1961, therefore, Castro asked for (and Russia publicly promised) weapons to defend Cuba against America.
The consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis were --
1. Khrushchev lost prestige because he had failed. China broke from Russia.
2. Kennedy gained prestige. He was seen as the men who faced down the Russians.
3. Both sides had a fright. They were more careful in future. The two leaders set up a telephone ‘hotline’ to talk directly in a crisis.
4. In 1963, they agreed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Cuba was the start of the end of the Cold War.
5. Cuba remained a Communist dictatorship, but America left it alone.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the crisis-point of the Cold War. It was the time when the world came nearest to annihilating itself and the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the US and the Soviet Union. There were primarily three main causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis --
1. Superpower Tension: ll the tensions that had grown up between Russia’s assertive ‘peaceful competition’ and Kennedy’s promise to be tough on Russia – including the space race, the arms race and nuclear testing, American funding of anti-Communists in Vietnam and Laos, the failed Vienna summit (1961) and the Berlin Wall.
2. Fidel Castro’s Cuba: In 1959, Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. This was very threatening to the USA because it was right next to America. In 1960, Castro made a trade agreement with Russia, whereby Cuba sent sugar to Russia, in return for oil, machines and money. This frightened the Americans more, and in 1960 they stopped trading with Cuba. In retaliation, Cuba nationalised all American-owned companies.
3. The Bay of Pigs: In April 1961 the CIA encouraged, funded and transported an attempt by anti-Castro Cuban exiles to invade Cuba. It failed miserably, greatly embarrassing Kennedy. In September 1961, therefore, Castro asked for (and Russia publicly promised) weapons to defend Cuba against America.
The consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis were --
1. Khrushchev lost prestige because he had failed. China broke from Russia.
2. Kennedy gained prestige. He was seen as the men who faced down the Russians.
3. Both sides had a fright. They were more careful in future. The two leaders set up a telephone ‘hotline’ to talk directly in a crisis.
4. In 1963, they agreed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Cuba was the start of the end of the Cold War.
5. Cuba remained a Communist dictatorship, but America left it alone.
BERLIN BLOCKADE
The Berlin Blockade (June 24 1948 – May 12 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the occupation of Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under allied control. The causes of the Berlin Blockade were -- first, Stalin was taking over eastern Europe by salami tactics, and America had just adopted the Truman Doctrine. Secondly, America and Russia had different Aims for Germany. Stalin wanted to destroy Germany, and was stripping East Germany of its wealth. Britain and America wanted to rebuild Germany’s industry – in January 1947, they joined their two zones together into Bizonia. On March 31 1948, Congress voted for Marshall Aid. Stalin saw this attempt to undermine Russian influence in eastern Europe. The Russians started stopping and searching all road and rail traffic into Berlin. Finally, on June 23, Britain and America introduced a new currency into Bizonia. The next day the Russians stopped all road and rail traffic into Berlin. The Americans thought Stalin was trying to force them out of Berlin. Stalin claimed the new currency was an attempt to wreck the East German economy. The effects of the Berlin Blockade limited Stalin from shooting down planes. Another effect was that nuclear testing increased.
The Berlin Blockade (June 24 1948 – May 12 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the occupation of Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under allied control. The causes of the Berlin Blockade were -- first, Stalin was taking over eastern Europe by salami tactics, and America had just adopted the Truman Doctrine. Secondly, America and Russia had different Aims for Germany. Stalin wanted to destroy Germany, and was stripping East Germany of its wealth. Britain and America wanted to rebuild Germany’s industry – in January 1947, they joined their two zones together into Bizonia. On March 31 1948, Congress voted for Marshall Aid. Stalin saw this attempt to undermine Russian influence in eastern Europe. The Russians started stopping and searching all road and rail traffic into Berlin. Finally, on June 23, Britain and America introduced a new currency into Bizonia. The next day the Russians stopped all road and rail traffic into Berlin. The Americans thought Stalin was trying to force them out of Berlin. Stalin claimed the new currency was an attempt to wreck the East German economy. The effects of the Berlin Blockade limited Stalin from shooting down planes. Another effect was that nuclear testing increased.
VIETNAM WAR
The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and known by the Vietnamese as the American War, was a proxy war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from December 1956 to the fall of Saigon on April 30 1975. The big picture of the cause of the Vietnam War was the rise of global communism. After WWII there was a great amount of instability in many countries that were occupied by Japan. There was a power vacuum when the Japanese left and often times there was many competing parties for power in countries like China and Vietnam. The threat of a global communist insurgency was recognized by Truman and instituted the Truman Doctrine. The consequences of the war involved chemical warfare that adversely affected the environment; poisoning of rivers, crops and forests destroyed by the 'Orange and Blue Agents'. The war also caused deaths of close to 60,000 Americans and estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths, not to mention the immorality and poverty that was associated with the war.
The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and known by the Vietnamese as the American War, was a proxy war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from December 1956 to the fall of Saigon on April 30 1975. The big picture of the cause of the Vietnam War was the rise of global communism. After WWII there was a great amount of instability in many countries that were occupied by Japan. There was a power vacuum when the Japanese left and often times there was many competing parties for power in countries like China and Vietnam. The threat of a global communist insurgency was recognized by Truman and instituted the Truman Doctrine. The consequences of the war involved chemical warfare that adversely affected the environment; poisoning of rivers, crops and forests destroyed by the 'Orange and Blue Agents'. The war also caused deaths of close to 60,000 Americans and estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths, not to mention the immorality and poverty that was associated with the war.
KOREAN WAR
The Korean War (June 25 1950 – July 27 1953) was a war between the Republic of Korea (South Korea), supported by the United Nations, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), supported by China and the Soviet Union. The cause of the Korean War was the Korean peninsula being split between the US and Russia in 1945 at the 38th parallel line of latitude upon the surrender of Japan. The Russian occupied north had a government installed that was determined to invade and take over the south. That invasion took place on June 25, 1950. The US and UN came to South Korea's defense. The consequence or effect was a stalemate developing in which no side could win after China backed North Korea. A truce was signed on July 27 1953 permanently dividing the peninsula into two hostile neighbors.
The Korean War (June 25 1950 – July 27 1953) was a war between the Republic of Korea (South Korea), supported by the United Nations, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), supported by China and the Soviet Union. The cause of the Korean War was the Korean peninsula being split between the US and Russia in 1945 at the 38th parallel line of latitude upon the surrender of Japan. The Russian occupied north had a government installed that was determined to invade and take over the south. That invasion took place on June 25, 1950. The US and UN came to South Korea's defense. The consequence or effect was a stalemate developing in which no side could win after China backed North Korea. A truce was signed on July 27 1953 permanently dividing the peninsula into two hostile neighbors.
AFGHANISTAN (1979-89)
The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted nine years from December 1979 to February 1989. It was fought between Soviet-led Afghan forces against insurgent groups called the Mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances – the Peshawar Seven and the Tehran Eight. The causes of the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan were primarily--
1 To prop up the democratically elected Communist regime that was coming under pressure from the emerging Mujaheddin.
2 For ideological reasons, the CPSU - communist party of the Soviet Union - did not want a communist country to fall to "bourgeois elements".
3 For strategic reasons. Afghanistan is an important crossroads between India and Pakistan, and Iran. It also gave the Soviets "Global Reach" - the means to reach anywhere in the World, something the US had had since the end of WWII.
4 Russia had always wanted access to the Indian Ocean and to the trade routes of that part of the World, Afghanistan got them to within a few hundred miles of the ocean.
5 To control their own population.
The consequences of the battle were several million Afghans had either fled to Pakistan for refuge or had become internal refugees. Millions had died from starvation or from the bombings and raids. Homes, animals, and irrigation systems were destroyed, leaving the country in ruin. USSR was also affected by its failure. They lost fifteen thousand troops, but the true damage done was in its image, and the billions of dollars it spent during the war. This defeat and vast expenditure of money, partly caused the USSR to fall apart in the early 1990s. It also leads to the establishment of a breeding ground for terrorism. The US provided the resistance with guns and antiaircraft missiles which now they face, even if it seemed like a good idea at that time. When the war ended, United States and Europe largely abandoned Afghanistan, leaving it to Pakistan to create a settlement. Pakistan did this by creating the Taliban and helping it to take over the country. The Taliban, proved welcoming hosts for former mujaheddin Osama bin Laden, who brought his followers to Pakistan. The result of the Soviet invasion, war and years of neglect that followed lead to the attacks of 9/11 and many terrorists attacks all over the world.
The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted nine years from December 1979 to February 1989. It was fought between Soviet-led Afghan forces against insurgent groups called the Mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances – the Peshawar Seven and the Tehran Eight. The causes of the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan were primarily--
1 To prop up the democratically elected Communist regime that was coming under pressure from the emerging Mujaheddin.
2 For ideological reasons, the CPSU - communist party of the Soviet Union - did not want a communist country to fall to "bourgeois elements".
3 For strategic reasons. Afghanistan is an important crossroads between India and Pakistan, and Iran. It also gave the Soviets "Global Reach" - the means to reach anywhere in the World, something the US had had since the end of WWII.
4 Russia had always wanted access to the Indian Ocean and to the trade routes of that part of the World, Afghanistan got them to within a few hundred miles of the ocean.
5 To control their own population.
The consequences of the battle were several million Afghans had either fled to Pakistan for refuge or had become internal refugees. Millions had died from starvation or from the bombings and raids. Homes, animals, and irrigation systems were destroyed, leaving the country in ruin. USSR was also affected by its failure. They lost fifteen thousand troops, but the true damage done was in its image, and the billions of dollars it spent during the war. This defeat and vast expenditure of money, partly caused the USSR to fall apart in the early 1990s. It also leads to the establishment of a breeding ground for terrorism. The US provided the resistance with guns and antiaircraft missiles which now they face, even if it seemed like a good idea at that time. When the war ended, United States and Europe largely abandoned Afghanistan, leaving it to Pakistan to create a settlement. Pakistan did this by creating the Taliban and helping it to take over the country. The Taliban, proved welcoming hosts for former mujaheddin Osama bin Laden, who brought his followers to Pakistan. The result of the Soviet invasion, war and years of neglect that followed lead to the attacks of 9/11 and many terrorists attacks all over the world.
ANGOLA
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (Angola) was part of the Angolan Civil War. The MPLA strategic objective was to destroy UNITA, win the civil war and thus take sole control of the entire country. As part of that process their army advanced south-east from Cuito Cuanavale to attack UNITA at Mavinga. The cause of the battle was a multi-faction struggle for the control of Portugal's Overseas Province of Angola among three nationalist movements and a separatist movement. The consequences of the Angola was a victory for the Socialist MPLA. The war ended when Jonas Savimbi, leader of UNITA (the main enemy of the MPLA) was killed by government troops in 2002. The two sides then agreed to a ceasefire and elections.
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (Angola) was part of the Angolan Civil War. The MPLA strategic objective was to destroy UNITA, win the civil war and thus take sole control of the entire country. As part of that process their army advanced south-east from Cuito Cuanavale to attack UNITA at Mavinga. The cause of the battle was a multi-faction struggle for the control of Portugal's Overseas Province of Angola among three nationalist movements and a separatist movement. The consequences of the Angola was a victory for the Socialist MPLA. The war ended when Jonas Savimbi, leader of UNITA (the main enemy of the MPLA) was killed by government troops in 2002. The two sides then agreed to a ceasefire and elections.
CHILE
Fidel Castro described Salvador Allende's democratic election as president of Chile in 1970 as the most important revolutionary triumph in Latin America after the Cuban revolution. Yet celebrations were short lived. In Washington, the Nixon administration vowed to destroy Allende's left-wing government while Chilean opposition forces mobilized against him. The result was a battle for Chile that ended in 1973 with a right-wing military coup and a brutal dictatorship lasting nearly twenty years. This battle was part of a dynamic inter-American Cold War struggle to determine Latin America's future, shaped more by the contest between Cuba, Chile, the United States, and Brazil than by a conflict between Moscow and Washington. In its "agreement", on August 22, 1973, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile asserted that Chilean democracy had broken down and called for "redirecting government activity", to restore constitutional rule. Less than a month later, on September 11, 1973, the Chilean military deposed Allende, who shot himself in the head to avoid capture, was surrounded and bombed. Subsequently, Augusto Pinochet exploited his role as Commander of the Army to seize total power and to establish himself at the head of a junta.
Fidel Castro described Salvador Allende's democratic election as president of Chile in 1970 as the most important revolutionary triumph in Latin America after the Cuban revolution. Yet celebrations were short lived. In Washington, the Nixon administration vowed to destroy Allende's left-wing government while Chilean opposition forces mobilized against him. The result was a battle for Chile that ended in 1973 with a right-wing military coup and a brutal dictatorship lasting nearly twenty years. This battle was part of a dynamic inter-American Cold War struggle to determine Latin America's future, shaped more by the contest between Cuba, Chile, the United States, and Brazil than by a conflict between Moscow and Washington. In its "agreement", on August 22, 1973, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile asserted that Chilean democracy had broken down and called for "redirecting government activity", to restore constitutional rule. Less than a month later, on September 11, 1973, the Chilean military deposed Allende, who shot himself in the head to avoid capture, was surrounded and bombed. Subsequently, Augusto Pinochet exploited his role as Commander of the Army to seize total power and to establish himself at the head of a junta.