End of Term Reflection on the Cold War
We began this term by watching several music videos from the 1980’s which captured the sentiment of cynicism many were feeling towards both sides of the cold war after five decades of this struggle between super-powers. After seeing presentations on all five decades of the cold war do you think such cynicism about both sides was justified? What do think of the American claims to be fighting for freedom and democracy and the Soviet claims to be fighting for the interests of workers and the common people? Did either side represent a greater evil in your opinion?
Your reflection must be a minimum of 600 words and make specific reference to at least 6 of the events listed below and must include at least 1 event from each decade.
1940’s· Potsdam Conference
· Berlin blockade
· Coup d’état in Czechoslovakia
· The Chinese Civil War*
· The Marshall Plan
· The Greek Civil War / 1950’s
· McCarthy & the witch-hunt
· The Korean War
· Cuban Revolution
· Operation Ajax (Iran)*
· Coup d’état in Guatemala
· Hungarian Revolution of 1956
· China’s “Great leap forward”* / 1960’s
· The Gulf of Tonkin incident & the beginnings of the US War in Vietnam
· The Bay of Pigs Invasion The Cuban Missile Crisis
· US occupation of the Dominican Republic
· Prague Spring
· Brazilian coup d’état of 1964
· China’s cultural revolution*
· The Nigerian-Biafran Civil War*
· Greek military junta
1970’s
· Operation Menu & The Cambodian Genocide
· Coup d’état in Chile
· The Soviet Afghan War*
· Argentina’s Dirty War
· Iranian Revolution*
· Coup d’état in El Salvador 1979
· The ‘Dirty War’ in Mexico (60’s and 70’s)* / 1980’s
· The Sandinista-Contra War & the Iran-Contra Affair*
· The School of the Americas
· Rise and fall of the Berlin Wall
· Tiananmen Square protests (China)*
· Romanian Revolution
· Velvet Revolution (Czechoslovakia)
· Polish Solidarity Movement
· Glasnost, Perestroika & The Malta Summit*