ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR: CONTAINMENT

US History: Spiconardi

O UR TRAGEDY TODAY IS A GENERAL AND UNIVERSAL PHYSICAL FEAR SO LONG SUSTAINED BY NOW THAT WE CAN EVEN BEAR IT . T HERE ARE NO LONGER PROBLEMS OF THE SPIRIT . T HERE IS ONLY THE QUESTION : W HEN WILL I BE BLOWN UP ?

~W ILLIAM F AULKNER

Yalta Conference

 Prior to the end of WWII, the Allies met to discuss plans for a post-war world  Yalta Conference   FDR, Churchill, and Stalin agree to split Germany into 4 zones, each controlled by one of the Allied Powers Stalin would see creation of governments in Eastern Europe

Division of Germany

 In 1945, after the end of the war, Germany and the capital city of Berlin were divided • West Germany • Divided into spheres of influence controlled by the US, Great Britain, and Germany • Democratic government • East Germany • Controlled by Stalin and the USSR • Communist government • Berlin • Divided into four sections • Which Allied Power controlled sector is Berlin in?

Containment

  Despite being allies during the war, the U.S. did not trust the Soviet Union, especially after Stalin moves Soviet troops into Eastern Europe The U.S. views the U.S.S.R. as a threat to the non communist world According to the cartoonist, what is Stalin doing?

Containment

 Containment  policy of confining communism to areas it already existed  Do not let communism spread into new areas George Keenan, a U.S. diplomat who first coined the term

The Truman Doctrine

 Read the excerpt from President Truman’s speech. Based on the speech, how would you describe the Truman Doctrine?

 Read the Soviet Ambassadors telegram. What is the Soviet criticism of Truman and U.S. foreign policy?

Truman Doctrine

 Truman Doctrine turn communist  policy of economic and military aid to countries that could potentially   Sets a precedent that America would provide assistance to any anti-communist regimes, even if they were undemocratic U.S. wanted a global military alliance to protect against the Soviet threat

Truman Doctrine

“A RE WE TO SHOULDER THE MANTLE OF NINETEENTH CENTURY B RITISH IMPERIALISM ? A RE WE ASKING FOR A THIRD WORLD WAR ?”

The Marshall Plan

 Much of Europe was in shambles after World War II  Cities and industrial centers destroyed  Starvation  Europeans struggled to find shelter  Communism seemed to offer a solution to such problems

The Marshall Plan

 Secretary of State George Marshall has an idea…  The Marshall Plan  an economic aid program that allocated $13 billion to rebuild Europe after WWII  The money was to fight against “hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos”  Helps stabilize the economies  Allowed Western Europe to restart consumer production Why is consumer production desirable to the U.S.?

The Marshall Plan

Which three countries received the most money under the Marshall Plan?

Stalin’s Reaction

 How do you think Stalin would react to the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan?

Berlin Blockade

Berlin Airlift

NATO & Warsaw Pact

 Fearing further aggressive Soviet actions, the US and its allies band together  North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)  In 1949, US and 11 other nations sign collective security agreement  Agreed that if one member were attacked, the others would come to their defense  Warsaw Pact  Soviets later form alliance in response to NATO

The Cold War

 In 1949, Truman learns that the Soviet Union successfully tested an atomic bomb 

Distrust + Military Alliances + Atomic Bomb = COLD WAR

 Cold War  Period of tense conflict, militarism, mistrust & uneasiness between the United States and Soviet Union