An overview of the Cold War How can a war be ‘cold’? What were the Hotspots of the Cold War?

The Cold War

YALTA (in the USSR) Date: Feb 1945 Present: Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin

POTSDAM (Germany) Date: July 1945 Present: Churchill, Truman and Stalin

After World War 2 the Cold War began and caused tension throughout the world. The USA and the USSR were the two world Superpowers. The USA was a capitalist society with a democracy. The USSR was a communist country with a dictatorship. Both wanted to be the most powerful nation in the world.

Two sides of Cold War NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization USA, France, Great Britain, West Germany CAPITALISMCAPITALISM Warsaw Pact – pro Soviet countries – USSR, and all countries controlled by the USSR. COMMUNISM

NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Warsaw Pact Countries

Nuclear tensions The USA had shown its atomic power when it exploded the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War 2. The USSR was also developing atomic weapons/bombs. The USA and the USSR were in competition with each other to have the best, most powerful weapons in the world – this was called the Arms Race.

After World War 2, the world changed! Many countries became communist after World War 2 including: -Czechoslovakia (1948) -Poland (1947) -Hungary (1947) -China (1949) -Cuba (1959) -North Korea (1945)

Germany - divided Germany, which had been ruled by the Hitler and the Nazis until their defeat in 1945 was split in two. The western side became West Germany and the eastern side became East Germany. East Germany became another communist country.

Iron Curtain – A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the separating of Those communist lands of East Europe from the West.

Improve your knowledge The Russians took very high casualties to capture Berlin in May They spent the early occupation trying to take over all zones of the city but were stopped by German democrats such as Willy Brandt and Konrad Adenauer. Reluctantly the Russians had to admit the Americans, French and British to their respective zones.

Berlin Wall Berlin is Germany’s capital city. The Soviets built the wall to keep communists from escaping to the American sector.

Berlin Wall

Berlin West Berlin, was an outpost of Western democracy and economic success deep within the communist zone – like a capitalist island within communist East Germany The Berlin Blockade was an attempt to starve West Berlin into submitting [giving up] to the communists The Allied [western powers] airlift signalled the West’s determination to use all resources to defend Berlin. It was fuelled by both sides : Berlin could act as the trigger for general war between capitalist and communist countries

Create greater security for itself – lost tens of millions of people in WWII and Stalin’s purges – feared a strong Germany Establish defensible borders Encourage friendly governments on its borders Spread communism around the world “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.” Excerpt from Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain Speech.”

The domino effect The USSR had a lot of influence over many of the new communist countries (especially those in Europe). The USA was very worried that the USSR’s influence over these countries was making the USSR and communism more powerful. The USA did not want communism to spread any further – they were worried about the domino effect (one country becomes communist, then another, then another etc)

Domino Theory Communism spreads like a disease

Truman Doctrine The Truman Doctrine in March 1947 promised that the USA “would support free peoples who are resisting” communism. This led to containment – policy of containing communism where it is.

The ‘Marshall Plan’ The Marshall Plan offered huge sums to enable the economies of Europe to rebuild after World War II, and, by generating prosperity, to reject the appeal of Communism. The Soviet Union (USSR) prevented Eastern European countries from receiving American money.

Cold War? The tension and rivalry between the USA and the USSR was described as the Cold War ( ). There was never a real war between the two sides between 1945 and 1990, but they were often very close to war (Hotspots). Both sides got involved in other conflicts in the world to either stop the spread of communism (USA) or help the spread (USSR).

The Korean War

The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

The Vietnam War c

Space Race The USA and the Soviet Union raced as the world watched to be the first to conquer space.

1957 Sputnik – first satellite Score 1 for Soviets !

First man in space Score: USA – 0 Soviets - 2

Apollo program USA spent the 60s trying to catch up to the Soviets.

Armstrong lands on moon! What is the purpose of a space program?

Nuclear Missiles!