Origins of the Cold War 17.1

BIG IDEAS  MAIN IDEA: The U.S. and the Soviet Union emerged from WWII as two “superpowers” with vastly different political and economic systems  WHY IT MATTERS NOW: After WWII, differences between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led to a Cold War that lasted almost to the 21 st century.

Allies Clash U.S.  Economic freedom  Election of government officials  Post war anger about former alliance with Germany Soviet Union  Controlled economy  Appointed totalitarian government  Post war anger about the secrecy of the atomic bomb

The United Nations Created to act as a peace keeping body First official meeting in San Francisco in 1945 Became an arena for the superpowers to compete

Potsdam Conference  The New Big 3: Truman, Atlee, Stalin  All countries are responsible for reparations (payments) in their own occupied zones  Soviets had suffered the most death during the war and want to make claims of Eastern Europe

Post War Foreign Policy U.S.  Containment: preventing the extension of communism to any other countries where communism already exists Soviet Union  Stalin imposed communists governments in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland—Satellite Nations  The Iron curtain becomes the name for the divisions occurring in Europe

The Cold War in Europe  Cold War: conflict in which neither nation directly confronted the other on the battlefield  Truman Doctrine: attempt to keep Turkey and Greece from becoming communists countries; U.S. spends $400 mil in aid  Marshall Plan: 16 countries receive $13 billion in aid for war recovery  North Atlantic Treaty Organization: 12 members pledge military support to one another in case of attack

Struggle in Germany No written agreement regarding the reunification of Germany Stalin cuts off East Germany and ALL of Berlin from the Western powers Berlin airlift: sends food and supplies into Berlin via plane to combat Stalin’s blockade Germany is divided into 2 Nations; German Democratic Republic—controlled by the Soviet Union Federal Republic of Germany—including West Berl in