The Cold War

Postwar outcomes Origins of the Cold War

There were 2 wartime Allied conferences. Yalta was the first. It dealt mainly with the settlement of post-war Europe. FDR was too ill to withstand Stalin’s demands, look at Stalin in the following picture, who does it look like he is ‘buddying’ up with? Yalta then Potsdam WWII Ends

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

United Nations A new peacekeeping organization created to prevent future global wars

POTSDAM (Germany) Date: July 1945 Present: Churchill, Truman and Stalin Harry S Truman, FDR’s successor, took a tougher line. By the time of the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, the U.S. had the A-bomb and was anxious to restrict Russia. Does it look like Stalin is having a good time now?

The nuclear bomb gave America a lead which was expected to last at least 5 years. Russian development of nuclear technology, sped up with info from “atom spies” was a shock. Russia declared war against Japan at the beginning of August 1945 and rushed to advance into Asia to stake out a position for the post-war settlement.

EUROPE After WWII Soviet Union & Western Democracies (Britain, France and the United States) found themselves competing for control of Europe –Soviet Union dominated most of Eastern & Central Europe & eastern portion of Germany –Western Democracies controlled Western Europe

DIVISION OF GERMANY Soviet Union & West agreed to divide Germany into 4 zones controlled by Soviets, Britain, France & U.S. British, French & American zones later form democratic West Germany Soviet zone later form communist East Germany Berlin, deep in the Soviet zone, was also divided by the 4 nations

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 Soviets built wall to keep communists from escaping to the American sector

Winston Churchill coins the phrase “Iron Curtain”

JAPAN American forces occupied Japan Soon adopted democratic form of govt & resumed self-government Became strong U.S. ally

Cold War Cold War lasted from the end of WWII till the collapse of the Soviet Union It was a time after WW2 when the USA and the Soviet Union were rivals for world influence

Truman had been horrified at the pre-war Allied policy of appeasement and was determined to stand up to any Soviet intimidation.

The Truman Doctrine March 1947 promised the USA “would support free peoples who are resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures” This led to containment – policy of containing communism where it was & to keep it from spreading

Domino Theory Communism spreads like a disease

Marshall Plan USA’s plan to send massive financial aid to rebuild European economies & to keep them from turning communist

Stalin enacted the Berlin Blockade The Berlin Blockade was an attempt to starve the city into submission and the Allied airlift signalled the West’s determination to use all resources to defend Berlin. Marshall plan angered Soviets who felt U.S. was trying to pull Communist countries to the west

USA responds with the Berlin Airlift! 1 plane every 3 minutes * 227,000 flights * 2.3 million TONS of supplies

Vittles, the boxer dog flew 131 missions with his owner, 1Lt. Russ Steber, during the Berlin Airlift. Gen. Curtis LeMay ordered the parachute made for him to ensure his safety. Vittles, a boxer, accumulated around 2,000 flying hours, but never had to use the parachute

Halverson received the Bundesverdienstorden in 1974 and carried the placard for Germany during the Salt Lake City Olympic opening ceremony in 2002 US Air Force Lieutenant Gail Halverson throws chocolate and chewing gum with mini parachutes he made himself out of his aircraft in October 1948

Stalin removes the blockade when he realizes the allies are not going to give up their sector of Berlin.

Stalin wigged out other nations with his aggression regarding the Berlin Blockade = NATO

Stalin called his buddies the Warsaw Pact.

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

It was accepted by both sides that Berlin would act as the trigger for war. Both sides finding Europe too dangerous a site for confrontation, looked elsewhere to compete.

China is taken over by communists freaking out U.S., but China and the U.S.S.R. become quick enemies fighting for territory and diplomatic influence –Anti-communist Chinese fled to the island of Formosa and created Taiwan The Peoples Republic of China sought to create communist regimes in nearby Asian countries Mao Zedong

US and Soviet Union were equal in regards to nuclear weapons by 1950.

Eisenhower warned the Soviets that the US would follow a plan of MASSIVE RETALIATION if the US was bombed.

Put the following in Order: NATO is FormedPotsdam Conference A-Bomb is droppedWarsaw Pact Formed Capitalism v. Communism Marshall Plan Berlin BlockadeTruman Doctrine Eisenhower’s Massive Retaliation Yalta (UN, split up Germany) Berlin Airlift Churchill coins term “Iron Curtain” 1950 Nuclear Tie (USSR & USA) China become Communist