The Cold War: A World Divided
Download
Report
Transcript The Cold War: A World Divided
Relationship b/w U.S. & Soviet Union was shaky
before WWII even ended
U.S. was upset Stalin signed non-aggression pact
Stalin blamed Allies for not invading sooner
Yalta Conference-February 1945
Churchill, FDR, Stalin agree to:
decide to divide Germany into zones of occupation
controlled by military forces (American, Soviet,
British, French)
Germany to pay war reparations to Soviet Union
Soviet Union to join war against Japan
Stalin promises Eastern Europeans would have free
elections
1946 United Nations is created,
headquarters NYC
50 countries join international
organization to protect members from
war
Security Council: 11 rotating members,
5 permanent (U.S., Britain, France,
Soviet Union, China) have veto power
WWII-U.S. lost 400,000, cities were not
damaged, richest & most powerful
Encourage democracy
Rebuild European gov’ts to bring stability
& new markets for American goods $$$
Reunite & stabilize Germany, make Europe
more secure
Gain raw materials
WWII-Soviet Union lost 20 million (1 in 4
Soviets were killed/wounded), cities destroyed
Encourage communism (promote worldwide
workers’ revolution)
Rebuild the economy destroyed by war using
Eastern European industry & raw materials
Control Eastern Europe to protect Soviet
borders & balance out the U.S. influence in
Western Europe
Keep Germany divided to prevent it from ever
starting another war
Represents Europe’s division into Democratic Western
Europe & Communist Eastern Europe
Russians were tired of being invaded (centuries of
invasion-Poles, Swedes, Napoleon, Germany twice)
Create buffer (wall of protection) along Russia’s
western border
turns those countries communist (Poland,
Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia,
Bulgaria, Albania)
Potsdam Conference- 1945 Truman, Stalin, Churchill
Stalin refuses to allow free elections, says communism
& capitalism cannot exist in same world
Germany is divided in half-east & west at Berlin
A peep under
the iron
curtain
Containment
U.S. policy to stop Soviet influence & communism from
expanding
Form alliances and help weak countries resist
communism
Truman Doctrine
Truman announces the U.S. will give economic &
military aid for countries to resist communism
Controversial…should U.S. interfere in the affairs of
other countries?
$400 million to Greece & Turkey
Western Europe in
ruins after WWII
Not enough jobs or
food
U.S. Secretary of State
George Marshall
proposed an assistance
program
Provide food,
machines, materials to
rebuild Western
Europe
Huge success
After World War II,
Germany was divided
into four zones,
occupied by French,
British, American, and
Soviet troops.
Occupation zones after
1945. Berlin is the
multinational area
within the Soviet zone.
Soviet blockade:
East Berlin
West
Germany
East
Germany
West Berlin
· In June of 1948, the
French, British and
American zones were
joined into the nation of
West Germany after the
Soviets refused to end
their occupation of
Germany.
Berlin Airlift
1948 U.S., Britain, France decide to withdraw
troops from Germany
Soviet Union wanted Germany kept weak &
divided
responded by taking West Berlin hostage
city faced starvation
Allies flew food & supplies into West Berlin for
11 months
Germany remains divided:
· In May of 1949, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union ended the
blockade.
· The Soviet
zone of
Germany,
including
East Berlin,
became
known as the
nation of East
Germany.
October, 1949
Cold War
Struggle over political differences carried on
without using war
Lasted over 40 yrs b/w U.S. & Soviet Union
NATO=North Atlantic Treaty Organization 1949
10 Western European countries joined U.S. &
Canada to form military alliance
Attack on any NATO member is an attack on all
Warsaw Pact 1955
Formed as response to NATO
Alliance of Soviet Union, East Germany,
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary,
Romania, Bulgaria, Albania
Built Berlin Wall to separate East & West
Berlin
Symbol of the world divided
The Korean War 1950-1953
At end of WWII, Japanese
troops surrendered
38th parallel line Korea is
split into 2 nations
North Korea communist,
supported by Soviets
South Korea democratic,
supported by West
Soviets supply NKorea w/
tanks, airplanes, $$$ to take
over entire peninsula
Truman’s policy of
containment is put to the test
June 25, 1950 North
Invasion
Korea invades South
Korea
Takes over entire
peninsula except
Pusan (p543)
UN sends in
international
peacekeeping forces to
help South Korea
(soldiers from 15
nations, 80% U.S.)
Leader: General
Douglas MacArthur
Here comes China
Sept. 1950 MacArthur leads UN invasion of Korea
Pushes NKoreans back to Chinese border
Chinese feel threatened & sends in 300,000 troops
Push UN & SKorean troops out of NKorea &
capture Seoul (capital South Korea)
MacArthur calls for nuclear attack against China
Truman sees this as reckless
“We are trying to prevent a world war, not start
one.”
MacArthur won’t let up & is removed
1953 UN regains control of SKorea
Aftermath of Korean War
July 1953 UN & NKorean forces sign ceasefire,
agree to border at 38th parallel (same as before
war)
4 million soldiers & civilians dead
N&S Korea still divided today
Communist NKorea established collective farms,
build up military
Kim Jong Il built up nuclear weapons, serious
economic problems
South Korea prospered (w/ U.S. help)
Huge foreign trade & economic growth
The Nuclear Threat
U.S. had atomic bombs
1949 Soviet Union exploded its own atomic weapon
1950 Truman responded by working on Hydrogen
Bomb (thousands xs stronger than a-bomb)
1952 U.S. tests H-Bomb
1953 Soviets test H-Bomb
“brinkmanship-”willingness to go to the brink
(edge) of war (retaliate for any attack)
Need nuclear weapons & planes to carry out
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS=brinkmanship
The World is Divided
1st world=United States & allies
2nd world=Soviet Union & allies
3rd world=developing nations, not
aligned with either
Located in Latin America, Africa, Asia
Poor, politically unstable (colonialism)
Fidel Castro’s Cuba
1950s Cuba backed by U.S., unpopular dictator
Fidel Castro leads revolution & becomes dictator
Suspends elections, jails & executes opponents,
controls media, took over economy
Turns to Soviet Union more economic & military
aid
U.S. tries to invade Cuba (Bay of Pigs)…disaster
Soviets respond by placing nuclear missiles in
Cuba (90 miles from U.S.)
Read The Cuban Missile Crisis & answer
questions
Major Strategies
Foreign Aid
Both superpowers gave $ to countries to influence &
win allies
Propaganda
Both used to win support
Espionage
Spies were sent into both sides, U-2 spy planes, etc.
Brinkmanship
Going to the brink of war to get the other to back
down
Ex: Cuban Missile Crisis
Alliances
NATO, Warsaw Pact
Surrogate (substitute) Wars
Korea, Vietnam
Uprisings in Poland, Hungary, &
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
1956 anti-communist revolt, new
gov’t & leader
Soviet troops crush uprising &
execute leader (Nagy)
Czechoslovakia
1968 communist leader Dubcek
begins reforms during “Prague
Spring”
End censorship, allow criticism of
gov’t
Soviets invade country, reverse
reforms, kick him out of party
Détente & SALT
Détente: lessening of Cold War tensions
After Vietnam War, U.S. backed away from
direct confrontation w/ Soviet Union
President visits China & Soviet Union
SALT=Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Nixon & Soviet leader Brezhnev sign treaty
limiting the number of missiles in both
countries
Falls apart during late 1970s-1980s under Carter
& Reagan