UNIT SIX

FOUNTAIN OF KNOLWEDGE SCHOOL

2015 E.C (2022/23) ACADEMIC YEAR

SECOND SEMESTER Note on Unit-6

Subject: History Grade 10

POST SECOND WORLD WAR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

6.1. The Formation of the United Nations Organization (UNO)

President Roosevelt of the USA, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain signed what
was called the Atlantic Charter in Canada in August 1942.They expressed their commitment to the
creation of an international organization.
The foundation of the UN
The Atlantic Charter was accepted by the Washington conference in January 1943.The conference was
attended by 26 nations. China, Britain, the Soviet Union and the USA met in Moscow. They pledged
to create strong international organization that could take place of the League of Nations.
The Moscow Declaration was implemented at the Dumbarton Oaks conference in Nov.1944.

The United Nations was finally founded at the San-Francisco Conference on April 25, 1945.
50 nations approved the charter of the United Nations.
The Goals of the UN are the following;
 Maintain international peace and security
 Take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace and
suppress acts of aggression.
 Encourage international cooperation in solving economic, social, cultural and humanitarian.
 Develop friendly relations among nations.
 Promote respect for human rights without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.
 See the structure of the UN on page 163.
The Structure of the United Nations Organization
The General Assembly; is composed of all member states. Each member state has one Vote in the
Assembly by sending up to five delegates to its meeting.
The Security Council; this is the leading organ of the UN which has five permanent members or veto
Powers. These are Britain, Russia, France, China (after 1971 replacing Taiwan) and the USA. There
are also 15 non-permanent member states elected every two years. Their number increased from 6 to
10 then to 15.
The Secretariat; it has about 15000 workers from various member states. It runs the day-today
activities of the UN.
The Secretary General; the Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly on the
recommendation of the Security Council for a period of 5 years.

1|Page
The Economic and Social Council; assigned by the General Assembly for three-year term to handle
matters related to economic and social affairs. The Council has the following specialized agencies.
 International Labor Organization (ILO)
 THE Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
 The World Health Organization (WHO)
 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
 The United Nations High Commission for Refugees ( UNHCR)
 The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund ( UNICEF)
The success of UN Success
The UN has achieved impressive success since its formations.
 Stopped civil wars in Greece and Korea.
 Halted the religious bloodshed between India (Hindus) and Pakistan (Muslims).
 Arbitrated the Arab-Israel conflicts.
 Mediated the Suez Crisis Canal Crisis of 1956 among Britain, France, Egypt and Israel.
 Adopted the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. It is a world charter that gave
recognition to the natural rights of man.
 Approved the Genocide Convention in 1948 to protect any ethnic group from
extinction.
The Limitation of the UN
 The Veto Powers affect the UN very principle of the equality of member states.
 Could not establish a permanent international armed force.
 Existence of political blocks within the UN such as ;
 The American bloc
 The Soviet bloc
 Afro-Asian bloc
All these factors hindered its internal unity and effectiveness
6.2. The Emergence of Rival Super powers and the Cold War
Post-War Political Developments
The major powers of the world ended their war-time alliance and cooperation and after the Second
World War in 1947.This gave rise to the Cold War which lasted from 1940s to 1980s.
The Cold War was;
 Post World War II struggle between the two power blocs.
 The Western bloc headed by the USA
 The Eastern bloc headed by the Soviet Union
Characteristics of the Cold War were;
 Armed race
 War of propaganda against each other, rather than open military clashes.
 Race in espionage against each other.
 Conflicting political and economic goals. This was the basic causes of the Cold War.

2|Page
The Russian Satellites
They were Communists states formed by Russia Eastern Europe fearing American influences in
Western Europe.
These Russian Satellite’s states were Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Czechoslovak, Poland,
and East Germany. Yugoslavia under Marshal Tito broke away these assemblage of satellite states.

China became Communist state in 1949 and assisted the formation of a communist state in North
Korea. The Soviets supported Greece communists to seize power. Communisis spread to the Middle
East, Latin America, South East Asia and Africa. The USA was irritated by these developments.
The Western Reaction to Communism
The Western struggle against the expansion of Soviet bloc (Communism) took three forms.
Containment
 Also known as the Truman Doctrine aimed at containing or stopping communist expansion. It
was introduced by US president Harry Truman.
 Providing military and financial assistance to any nation under pressure from communism.
 The USA directly intervened in the Indo-China and the Korean wars.
 Forming military organizations such as NATO, SEATO, and METO to prevent the expansion
of communism. (See page 167).
Strengthening Europe’s Economic Defense
 Also known as the Marshall Plan named after George Marshal, USA secretary of state to help
Europe to recover from the ruins of wars. So the Marshal Plan was to rebuild Europe’s
economy from 1948-1952.
 Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader announced that no Russian satellite would receive this aid.
Western Europeans benefited from the Marshall Plan.
 Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was formed to distribute 13 billion
dollars provided by the USA in 1952 among the West European countries. The Marshall Plan
helped Europe recover after the war.
Strengthening of Non-European Economic Defenses
 Checking the expansion of communism into the more backward areas of the world like Africa
and Southeast Asia by providing
 economic aid
 technical assistance
 improving their natural resource and agriculture
The United States spent billions of dollars to contain the expansion of communism and the Soviet
power in the world.
The Chinese Revolution
China was a feudal nation between 1644 and 1911 with development of trade and, crafts and capitalist
economic activities which attracted Western merchants. Manchu rulers grew weak and European
nations used force to impose their will on China. The ineffective Manchu government could not

3|Page
 defend the interests of China which came under foreign domination. This was the main cause of the
Chinese Revolution.
Two new political forces emerged in China to bring about democratic reforms.
The Kuomintang (KMT) or the Nationalist Party
 Founded by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. It was based in urban areas. In 1911-12 the Nationalists set out
Revolution and the Manchu dynasty was abolished. This was anti-imperialist revolution. Then
a republican government was set up in China under the KMT. But the new government faced
opposition from Chinese warlords.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
 Was formed in 1921 by Mao Tse-tung or Mao Zedong. The CCP had support from the rural
areas.
Both the KMT and the CCP became rivals on the Chinese political scene in the 1920s and 1930s.Both
struggled for power in China. Chiang Kai-Shek succeeded Sun Yat-Sun and became the leader of
China. The two forces made an alliance in their struggle against the warlords and their common
enemies.
But their alliance came to an end when Chiang Kai-Shek attacked the communists and destroyed the
warlords. In 1928 he became the sole ruler of China.
The Long March
Chiang Kai-Shek attacked the communists in their base in the Kiangsi region. Mao Zedong and his
followers escaped from encirclement in Kiangsi and made an epic retreat to north western China. The
retreat covered 9000 kilometers.

The Long March took place in October 1934.Chiang Kai-Shek preferred to destroy the communists
instead of fighting Japan that invaded China in 1931.
The communists secured (gained) crucial peasant supports and backings as the result of the land
reform adopted in communist held territories.

The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)

Fought between China and Japan following Japan’s all out invasion of China. Both the Nationalists and
the Communist forces attempted to resist the Japanese invasion on their own as they could not trust each
other for a united action against the invaders. Japan was finally defeated by the Allied Powers in 1945
and withdrew from China.

The Chinese Civil War (1945-1949)

Fought following Japanese withdrawal from China between the Nationalists and the Communists Red
Army. In 1949 Chiang Kai-Shek’s army was defeated. He was forced to leave the mainland China and
fled to Taiwan (Formosa) where he established a nationalist government with the support of the USA.
Peoples Republic of China was set up in October 1949 with Beijing as its capital under Mao Zedong.
The revolutionary communist government introduced various reforms.

4|Page
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Began in China in 1966 in order to fight against corruption, reactionary ideas, transform China’s culture,
and struggle against revisionists (those who wanted to go back to capitalist trend). The Soviet Union was
considered by China as revisionist after the death of Joseph Stalin. Both competed for the leadership of
the communist world.
 The Cultural Revolution did not completely achieve its objectives.
 Mao Zedong became unpopular and replaced by new forced.
China gradually as emerged as a world power replacing Taiwan as a permanent member of the
Security Council of the UN in 1971. The Chinese had also set the example for those fighting for their
freedom and independence in the region.

The Korean War (1950-1953)

Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945.The Allied Powers met in Cairo in 1943 to discuss
the fate Japanese colonies. President Roosevelt of America, Winston Churchill of Britain, and the
Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek participated in the meeting.
 They agreed restoration of Chinese territories taken by Japan.
 Korea was to become a free and independent state.
But Korea was divided in to two on the 38th parallel between North and South after the defeat
Japanese in 1945.
 North was occupied by the Soviet Union and became communist state called Korean Peoples
Republic in 1948 with the help of Russia.
 South was occupied by the USA and became capitalist state called the Republic of Korea with
the help of the USA.
th
The 38 parallel remained a dividing line between the two Koreans. The UN tried to organize national
elections in 1948 to unite the Koreans but Russia refused to cooperate.
The beginning of the Korean War
The war began in June 1950 when North Korean troops crossed the 38 th parallel and invaded South
Korea. The USA persuaded the Security Council to condemn the North Korean aggression. The
Security Council sent UN forces most whom were Americans to drive North Korean troops out of the
South. Ethiopia was one the countries that sent to Korea under the UN.
The Course of the War
 The UN forces were defeated and forced to retreat at the beginning of the war.
 Later however, the UN forces drove the North Korean forces back across the 38 th parallel.
Then it launched an offensive into the North as far as Chinese border.
 China joined the war on the side of communist North Korea. The war stopped following this.
The End of the War
 An armistice (agreement stopping the war) was signed on July 27, 1953.
 The 38th parallel remained a dividing line

5|Page
  The two Koreans remained divided ever since to this date.

Consequences of the Korean War

 Seriously affected the relationship between the USA and the nations of the Far East.
 The Cold war thus spread into Asia.
 The South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) was set up in 1954 to check the expansion
of communism in the region.
The Vietnam War (1954-1976)
Vietnam was the French colony which was part of French Indo- China. Indo- China was made up of
Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. French lost these colonies to Japan before 1945.After the defeat
Japanese by Allied Powers in 1945, France wanted to regain these colonies.

The people of Vietnam expected independence and determined to fight. A Vietnamese nationalist Ho
Chi Minh led peasant based resistance and formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the 17 th
parallel North. This state was recognized by the U.S.S.R and China in 1950. The Vietnamese fought
the French and defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu 1954. The French withdrew from Indo-China.
The 17th parallel became a dividing line between the two Vietnamese. In the same year the Geneva
Agreement was signed and divided Vietnam into two on condition for later reunification.
 Communist North Vietnam supported by the U.S.S.R and Peoples Republic of China.
 Capitalist South Vietnam supported by the USA. The Viet Congs were communist forces in
Southern Vietnam for the unification of Vietnam. They were supported by the North Vietnam.
The Beginning of the War
 North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam by crossing the 17th parallel.
 The USA intervened supporting the South.
 The U.S.S.R. and China supported the North.
The USA could not win the war and President Richard Nixon introduced the policy of
“Vietnamization”. This was a plan intended to enable South Vietnamese to defend their state without
much external help. Following the policy of Vietnamization;
 The USA reduced its American troops by half.
 The Viet Congs and the Vietnamese defeated South Vietnam in1976.
 Ho Chi Minh died in 1969.
The war came to an end in 1974 and the two Vietnamese were united under a communist state in 1976.

The Arab-Israel Wars

The Middle East is the most important and volatile region of the world where the three Abramic
religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic. It was under the Ottoman Turkish Empire up to

6|Page
the End of the World War I (1918). After the war, the region was divided up between Britain and
France. Palestine became British mandate territories.

The British had issues the Balfour Declaration which encouraged large scale Jews immigration
from different parts of the world into Palestine. The Declaration was aimed at creating a national
homeland for the Jews in Palestine. This was however opposed by the Arabs. The Jews made
large scale immigration between 1920s to1930s.

Zionism; was international Jews movement aimed at establishing national Jews State in
Palestine. It provided an ideology and leadership for the international Jews movement. Theodro
Herzel was the leader of the Zionism who organized the First Zionist Congress in Switzerland in
1897. Zionism became a political movement as a result of the growth of Jews nationalist feelings
and as a reaction for anti-Semitism in Europe.

In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly decided the partition of Palestine into two
independent Arab and Jews states. Jerusalem was recognized as an international city. The plan
did not satisfy both the Arabs and the Jews.

1948 the state of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948 with David Ben Gunrion as its first
Prime Minister. The British departed from Palestine a year later on May 15, 1948.This led to the
first Arab Israel war of 1948.

Causes of the Arab-Israel Wars;

 Arab versus Jews nationalism was the main causes of the Arab-Israel Wars. The
neighboring Arab nations sympathized the cause of Palestine Arabs.
 Strategic position of the Middle East.

Four major wars were fought between the Arabs and Israel from 1948 to 1973. In all of these
wars, Israel was successful. We shall discuss these wars below.

The First Arab-Israel War (1948-49)

The Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, and Trans-Jordanian armies attacked the State of Israel. However,
they were all pushed back on all fronts. Israel controlled the following territories.

 Half of Jerusalem
 Northwest coastal area along the Mediterranean Sea.

Trans-Jordan also gained the territory designated for the Arabs by the UN plan and the Arabs
fled to the neighboring Arab states and became refugees.

The Second Arab-Israel War (October 29, 1956)

7|Page
Also known as the Suez Crisis of 1956 caused by government change in Egypt in 1952. King
Farouk of Egypt was overthrown by an organization called Society of Free Officers led by
colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser. Egypt was proclaimed a Republic and became center of Arab
nationalism.

The British left Egypt in 1956 and the government of Gamal Abdul Nasser nationalized the Sues
Canal. Israel began the attacks on Egypt. France and the British helped Israel. Egypt suffered
losses and was saved from total defeat when the UN and U.S.S.R. forced Israel, France, and
Britain to stop the war.

 Israel did not gain territory in this war.

The Third Arab- Israel War (19671)

Was also known the Six Day War fought from June 5 to June 10. The Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi,
and Trans-Jordanian armies attacked the State of Israel. In this war, the U.S.S.R. supplied
weapons to the Arabs while the USA, Britain, France, and the Federal Republic of Germany
assisted Israel. Israel had occupied the;

 Golan Heights from Syria

 The Sinai and the Gaza strip from Egypt.
 The West Bank from Jordan.

These newly occupied territories have been used as buffer zones by Israel. The Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964 and began a guerrilla warfare against Israel.

The Fourth Arab- Israel War (1973)

 Also known as the Yom Kippur War fought on the Jews religious celebration called
Yom Kippur on October 6, 1973. Anuar Sadat succeeded Gamal Abdul Nasser in 1970.
 The Arab forces were defeated. Following the Yom Kippur, War, Palestinians intensified
their struggle through the Fedayeen (guerrilla fighters).
 The PLO and the popular front for the Liberation of Palestine and later the “Black
September” continued series attacks on Israel targets.

The Camp David Agreement

The agreement was signed between President Anuwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister
Menaaihem Begin, at Camp David, in Washington D.C. in September 1978. By the treaty, Egypt
became the only Arab state to give recognition to the State of Israel.

However, he was soon assassinated by Arab extremists in 1981. Recognition to the State of
Israel by all Arab states, and the future of territories occupied by Israel during the wars are issues
that have not been resolved yet.

8|Page
The Non-Aligned Movement

Non-Aligned movement is also referred to as neutralism in international relations during the

Cold War period. This policy was endorsed by India, Egypt, Indonesia, and Yugoslavia and
other African states.

The most prominent personalities in the Non-Aligned were;

 Jawaharlal Nehru of India

 President Sukarno of Indonesia
 Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt
 President Joseph Broz Tito of Yugoslavia

The first conference of the Non-Aligned movement was held in Bandung Conference of 1955
in Indonesia attended by 29 countries and in the course the number of states in joining the
movement increased to one-hundred.

The member states of the Non-Aligned movement;

 Feared that close relations with any one of the two major blocs could
threaten their strategy.
 Claimed to get assistance from both camps.
 Hoped to relax the East-West conflicts before they develop into a total and
catastrophic war.
 Had anti-colonialism stance.
 Constituted a sizable group in the United Nations.
 Were not always neutrals in their relations with the two blocs.

Problems of the Non-Aligned movement

 Could not formulate uniform policies on several issues in international affairs.

 Dependency on the developed world because of their underdeveloped economies.
 They could not always act independently.

The Non-Aligned movement or neutralism gradually, lost much of its influence in 1980s
following the relaxation of tensions between the two world blocs.

9|Page