NYU Historical Explanation Communism and Events that Led to The Collapse of Communist Governments A NEW WORLD ORDER, 1939-1991 Details: In 300-500 words d

NYU Historical Explanation Communism and Events that Led to The Collapse of Communist Governments A NEW WORLD ORDER, 1939-1991

Details: In 300-500 words develop a written argument and historical explanation for any of the following essential questions found in your course notes for weeks 1-2. In order to receive full credit for the assignment, the answer in your essay should include at least one example from each of the following sources:

-An example from our in-class lectures and discussions. (This can be a video link shared in class or a topic explained by the instructor.)

-An example from your assigned readings (in parenthesis list the text author and page number).

-A topic or term covered in your course notes or embedded powerpoint links, supplemented by your own independent research. (If using an outside resource make sure to list all of your references at the bottom of your submission).

-An open-ended question that speculates at an alternative historical outcome, had the featured event or individual turned out or acted differently.

Students are welcome to choose any of the following questions to answer and explain:

1.Compare and contrast the competing aims of the various Allied and Axis powers during World War II. What fundamental flaws in Germany’s Nazi Regime and Japan’s Imperial Army made their loss inevitable?

2.In your opinion what was the turning point of World War II? Some historians argue that it was the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Midway, Hitler’s failed invasion of the USSR, or the Normandy Invasion. Use evidence to support your argument.

3.In the final weeks of the Second World War, an Iron Curtain descended across Europe the Soviet Union invaded Japan. In 1949, Germany divided in two and China’s Communist Party took over. How did these events lead to the creation of a “Domino Theory” in the West and lead to a series of proxy wars between global superpowers?

4.What events led to the collapse of communist governments across the globe in 1989? Why were the governments of Cuba, China, and North Korea able to remain intact during the Autumn of Nations?

5.briefly describe at least one example of how the Cold War played out through either economic aid or sanctions, nuclear espionage, or proxy wars between capitalist and communist factions in other countries. SECTION 5: A NEW WORLD ORDER, 1939-1989
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. Compare and contrast the competing aims of the various Allied and Axis powers during
World War II. What fundamental flaws in Germany’s Nazi Regime and Japan’s Imperial
Army made their loss inevitable?
2. In your opinion what was the turning point of World War II? Some historians argue that
it was the Battle of Britain, the American entry to the war, the Battle of Midway, Hitler’s
failed invasion of the USSR, or the Normandy Invasion. Could Hitler’s plan for world
conquest actually have been achieved?
3. In the final weeks of the Second World War, an Iron Curtain descended across Europe
the Soviet Union invaded Japan. In 1949 Germany divided in two and China’s
Communist Party took over. How did these events lead to the creation of a “Domino
Theory” in the West and lead to a series of proxy wars between global superpowers?
4. What events led to the collapse of communist governments across the globe in 1989?
Why were the governments of Cuba, China, and North Korea able to remain intact during
the Autumn of Nations?
LESSON 1: WORLD WAR II – GERMANY RAVAGES EUROPE
September 1, 1939 – Hitler invades Poland, officially starting World War II. Two days later,
Britain and France, now obliged by treaty to help Poland, declared war on Germany. Hitler and
Stalin’s armies used the tactic of Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war,” a combination of armored attack
accompanied by air assault. Before British and French power could be brought to bear, in less
than four weeks, Poland collapsed. Germany’s military conquest put it in a position to establish
the New Order, a plan to abuse and eliminate so-called undesirables, notably Jews and Slavs.
Fall of France – May 10 – June 22, 1940 – The fall of France was an extraordinary victory for
Hitler. The supposedly unbeatable French army had melted away before the onslaught of his
mobile units, with their convincing display of mechanized power. Nazi Germany then occupied
most of France and permitted the establishment of a friendly government at Vichy, in central
France on the Allier River. French fortifications along the Maginot Line (the former site of the
Western Front in WWI) completely failed to repel the German blitzkrieg.
Miracle at Dunkirk – May 27 – June 4, 1940 – As the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the
beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France. The operation was decided upon when large numbers of
British troops were cut off and surrounded by the German army. British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill (1874 – 1965) called the events in France “a colossal military disaster,” saying that
“the whole root and core and brain of the British Army had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed
about to perish or be captured.” He hailed their rescue as a “miracle of deliverance.”
Battle of Britain – July 10 – October 31, 1940 – In the summer and fall of 1940, German and
British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom, locked in the largest sustained
bombing campaign to that date. A significant turning point of World War II, the Battle of Britain
ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite
months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and, ultimately, its civilian population.
Britain’s decisive victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by
German forces while proving that air power alone could be used to win a major battle.
LESSON 2: WORLD WAR II ESCALATES
Operation Barbarossa – June 22 – December 5, 1941 – The Axis Powers go back on their
previous treaty with the Soviet Union and engage in the largest land invasion in human history.
Hitler’s army of over 4 million soldiers covered a front with a distance of two thousand miles.
The operation was named after Fredrick Barbarossa (1122 – 1190) the Holy Roman Emperor
who introduced the concept of “Lebensraum” – or “living space,” where it was the natural right
of those of a “superior race” to displace those of “inferior stock,” for their own territorial gain.
Barbarossa was the crucial turning point in World War II, for its failure forced Nazi Germany to
fight a two-front war against a coalition possessing immensely superior resources.
Pearl Harbor – December 7, 1941 – Was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial
Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of
December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States’ entry into World War II.
LESSON 3: THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
Island Hopping Campaign – This was a military strategy employed by the Allies against Japan
and the Axis powers. The idea was to bypass heavily fortified Japanese positions and instead
concentrate the limited Allied resources on strategically important islands that were not well
defended but capable of supporting the drive to the main islands of Japan.
Fall of the Philippines – December 8, 1941 – March 11, 1942 – The invasion of the Philippines
started on December 8, 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. As at Pearl Harbor,
American aircraft were severely damaged in the initial Japanese attack. Lacking air cover, the
American Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines withdrew to Java on December 12, 1941.
Douglas MacArthur (1880 – 1964) – Escaped the island on the night of March 11, 1942 for
Australia. The 76,000 starving and sick American and Filipino defenders on Bataan surrendered
on April 9, 1942, and were forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March during which
7,000–10,000 American soldiers were killed or were murdered. Upon his evacuation of the
Philippines, General MacArthur famously declared, “I came through and I shall return.”
Guadalcanal Campaign – August 7, 1942 – February 9, 1943 – Was the first major offensive
and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. With Japanese troops stationed in this
section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took
control of an air base under construction. Reinforcements were funneled to the island as a series
of land and sea clashes unfolded, and both sides endured heavy losses to their warship
contingents. However, the Japanese suffered a far greater toll of casualties, forcing their
withdrawal from Guadalcanal by February 1943.
Liberation of the Philippines – October 20, 1944 – August 15, 1945 – The American and
Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Philippines,
during World War II. The Liberation of the Philippines commenced with amphibious landings on
the eastern Philippine island of Leyte on October 20, 1944, and hostilities in a small part of the
Philippines continued through the end of the war in August 1945.
Tokyo B-29 Air Raids – Often referred to as a series of firebombing raids, was conducted as
part of the air raids on Japan by the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaigns
of World War II. Strategic bombing and urban area bombing began in 1944. The
Operation Meetinghouse air raid of March 1945 was later estimated to be the single most
destructive bombing raid and highest civilian casualties in the history of warfare
LESSON 4: THE COST OF WAR
Japanese Internment Camps – Two months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, U.S.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 ordering all Japanese-Americans
to evacuate the West Coast. Traditional family structure was upended within the camp, as
American-born children were solely allowed to hold positions of authority. Some JapaneseAmerican citizens of were allowed to return to the West Coast beginning in 1945, and the last
camp closed in 1946. In 1988, Congress awarded restitution payments to survivors of the camps.
Battle of Stalingrad – August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943 – Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet
Union comes to a halt as it vies for control of the city of Stalingrad. Marked by constant close
combat and disregard for military and civilian casualties, it is considered by historians to be the
bloodiest battle in the history of warfare. The heavy losses inflicted on the Wehrmacht make it
arguably the most strategically decisive battle of the whole war. It was a turning point in the
European theatre of World War II–the German forces never regained the initiative in the East
and withdrew a vast military force from the West to replace their losses.
LESSON 5: MEDITERRANEAN THEATRE
North Africa Campaign – June 10, 1940 – May 13, 1943 – It included campaigns fought in the
Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War) and in
Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch) and Tunisia (Tunisia Campaign). The Allied war effort
was dominated by the British Commonwealth and exiles from German-occupied Europe.
Erwin Rommel (1891 – 1944) – Known as the “Desert Fox,” served as the German Field
Marshall for much of World War II. He commanded the 7th Panzer Division and initially
successfully repelled Allied forces in North Africa. He later conducted the defense operations
during the Invasion of Normandy. His Afrika Korps was never accused of war crimes, and
soldiers captured during his Africa campaign are reported to been treated humanely. Orders to
kill Jewish soldiers, civilians and captured commandos were ignored.
Operation Soft Underbelly – September 1943 – September 1944 – With North Africa secured
and Sicily—the stepping-stone to Italy—conquered, the Allied forces launched their invasion of
Italy on September 3, 1943. American and British forces commenced a successful campaign,
which resulted in the overthrow of Italian leader Benito Mussolini. Though the Americans
remained reluctant, Roosevelt understood the need to continue engaging the enemy to relieve
Axis pressure on the Soviet Union until landings in northwest Europe could move forward. Also,
as the Italians had approached the Allies with peace overtures, it was hoped that much of the
country could be occupied before German troops arrived in large numbers.
LESSON 6: RETAKING EUROPE
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 – 1969) – Served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied
Forces during World War II. He was responsible for coordinating U.S. and British campaigns in
North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. He most famously organized the Normandy Invasion,
and the subsequent reconquest of Europe.
Battle of Normandy (D-Day) – June 6, 1944 – Resulted in the Allied liberation of Western
Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on
June 6, 1944, when 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along
a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was
one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior
to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the
Germans about the intended invasion target.
By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the
Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the
end of war in Europe.
Battle of the Bulge – December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945 – Hitler sends a quarter of a
million troops across an 85-mile stretch of the Allied front, from southern Belgium into
Luxembourg. In deadly cold winter weather, German troops will advance some 50 miles into the
Allied lines, creating a deadly “bulge” pushing into Allied defenses.
Yalta Conference – February 4-11, 1945 – The meeting was intended mainly to discuss the reestablishment of the nations of war-torn Europe. Within a few years, with the Cold War divided
the continent, Yalta became a subject of intense controversy. To some extent, it has remained
controversial.
Fall of Berlin – April 16, 1945 – May 2, 1945 – The Soviet Red Army manages to breach the
last of the German defenses and marches on Berlin. By this time the German forces had been
reduced to young boys and old men, and the defense of the city was extremely weak. The final
assault by the Soviets.
LESSON 7: I AM BECOME DEATH
Harry S. Truman (1884 – 1972) – After Franklin Roosevelt’s death on April 12, 1945, Vice
President Harry Truman, becomes the 33rd President of the United States. Truman oversaw the
crucial process of conclusion of the European and Pacific Wars. After the war he directed the
U.S. as it entered into a prolonged Cold War with the Soviet Union.
Manhattan Project – Was a research and development project that produced the first atomic
bombs during World War II. It was led by he United States with the support of the United
Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General
Leslie Groves of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was the
scientific director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory that designed the actual bombs.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki – August 6, and August 9, 1945 – A uranium gun-type atomic bomb
(Little Boy) was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, followed by a plutonium implosiontype bomb (Fat Man) on the city of Nagasaki on August 9. Within the first two to four months of
the bombings, the acute effects of the atomic bombings killed 90,000–166,000 people in
Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki; roughly half of the deaths in each city occurred on
the first day. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation
sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness and malnutrition. In both cities, most of the
dead were civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizable military garrison.
On August 15, just days after the bombing of Nagasaki and the Soviet Union’s declaration of
war, Japan announced its surrender to the Allies. On September 2, it signed the instrument of
surrender, effectively ending World War II. The bombings’ role in Japan’s surrender and their
ethical justification are still debated today.
After Stalin learned of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a Soviet atomic bomb
project was pursued aggressively and accelerated through effective intelligence gathering about
the German nuclear weapon project and the American Manhattan Project. The Soviet efforts also
rounded up captured German scientists to join their program, and relied heavily on knowledge
passed by spies to Soviet intelligence agencies.
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) – is a doctrine of military strategy and national security
policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause
the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender (see pre-emptive nuclear strike
and second strike). It is based on the theory of deterrence, which holds that the threat of using
strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy’s use of those same weapons. The strategy
is a form of Nash equilibrium in which, once armed, neither side has any incentive to initiate a
conflict or to disarm.
LESSON 8: REBUILDING EUROPE
Iron Curtain – Symbolized the ideological conflict and physical boundary dividing Europe into
two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991.
The term symbolized efforts by the Soviet Union to block itself and its satellite states from open
contact with the west and non-Soviet-controlled areas. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were
the countries that were connected to or influenced by the Soviet Union. On either side of the Iron
Curtain, states developed their own international economic and military alliances:
–
Member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the Warsaw Pact,
with the Soviet Union as the leading state.
–
Member countries of the European Community and/or the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and with the United States as the leading country
Berlin Declaration – The four governments of the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom
and France, acting on behalf of the Allies of World War II, jointly assumed ‘supreme authority’
over German territory and asserted the legitimacy of their joint determination of issues regarding
its administration and boundaries, prior to the forthcoming Potsdam Conference.
Potsdam Conference – After Germany’s unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945, the Allies
divided Germany into four military occupation zones — France in the southwest, Britain in the
northwest, the United States in the south, and the Soviet Union in the east, bounded eastwards by
the Oder-Neisse line.
At Potsdam the four Allied Powers exercised the sovereign authority they now claimed within
Germany in agreeing ‘in principle’ the future transfer of lands of the former German Reich east
of ‘Germany as a whole’ to Poland and the Soviet Union. These eastern areas were notionally
placed under Polish and Soviet administration pending a final peace treaty (which was not
formalized until 1990, 45 years later); but in actuality were promptly reorganized as organic
parts of their respective sovereign states.
Berlin Airlift – In June 1948, the Russians–who wanted Berlin all for themselves–closed all
highways, railroads and canals from western-occupied Germany into western-occupied Berlin.
This, they believed, would make it impossible for the people who lived there to get food or any
other supplies and would eventually drive Britain, France and the U.S. out of the city for good.
Instead of retreating from West Berlin, however, the U.S. and its allies decided to supply their
sectors of the city from the air. This effort, known as the “Berlin Airlift,” lasted for more than a
year and carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo into West Berlin.
Marshall Plan – The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, channeled
over $13 billion to finance the economic recovery of Europe between 1948 and 1951. The
Marshall Plan successfully sparked economic recovery, meeting its objective of ‘restoring the
confidence of the European people in the economic future of their own countries and of Europe
as a whole.’ The plan is named for Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who announced it in a
commencement speech at Harvard University in 1947.
Truman Doctrine – Was an American foreign policy whose stated purpose was to counter
Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It was announced to Congress by President
Harry S. Truman on March 29, 1947, and further developed on July 4, 1948, when he pledged to
contain threats in Greece and Turkey.
Domino Theory – A theory prominent from the 1950s to the 1980s, that speculated that if one
state in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would
follow in a domino effect. The domino theory was used by presidential administrations during
the Cold War to justify the need for American intervention around the world.
NATO (North American Treaty Organization) – constitutes a system of collective defense
whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any
external party. Since its founding, the admission of new member states has increased the alliance
from the original 12 countries to 29. No military operations were conducted by NATO during the
Cold War. Following the end of the Cold War, the first operations, Anchor Guard in 1990 and
Ace Guard in 1991, were prompted by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Warsaw Pact (Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) – Was a collective
defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland between the Soviet Union and seven Eastern Bloc
satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe in May 1955, during the Cold War. The Warsaw
Pact was the military complement to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
(CoMEcon), the regio…
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