Countdown to Armageddon The Cold War Countdown to Armageddon

The division of Germany After the war, Germany is divided between American, French, British and Russian zones Western allies zones will merge in 1949 to form the Federal Republic of Germany (“West Germany”) Russian zone becomes the German Democratic Republic (“East Germany”) in 1949 Berlin is also divided up into 4 zones, however its location is well within the eastern “Russian” zone This will create problems, as “West Berlin” is separated from the rest of West Germany

The ‘Iron Curtain’ falls Soviets and Americans jostle for post war position at the end of WWII Russia has been invaded from the west 3 times in past 130 years Wants buffer in case of another attack How does the west see this? Europe begins to take sides Russia blockades West Berlin in June 1948 Western allies conduct the “Berlin Airlift”- 200,000 flights in a little over a year to resupply the city Airlift works and Soviets lift the blockade in September 1949

Marshall Plan Containment- policy of stopping Soviet expansion and keeping communism “contained” Marshall Plan- billions of dollars in aid given by US to Western Europe. Why?

“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.” -Winston Churchill

Balance of Power America Soviet Union A-bomb Technology Forms NATO with western allies Massive land army in Europe Numbers Forms Warsaw Pact with Soviet block

The game changes Soviets had been working on the bomb since 1942 Gain information from spies and captured Nazi scientists Successful test atomic weapon in 1949 Changes how the cold war will be conducted Arms race

The game changes…again United States Ivy Mike and Castle Bravo tests Development of Thermonuclear weapons (“H-bomb”) Use fusion and fission Far more powerful than atomic bombs (Castle Bravo is 1,000 times bigger than the bomb of Hiroshima)

Comparison of new nuclear weapons Little Boy .015 Megatons - Dropped on Hiroshima Ivy King .5 Megatons - Largest pure fission bomb Ivy Mike 10 Megatons - First Thermonuclear bomb Castle Bravo 15 Megatons - Largest US test Tsar Bomba 50 Megatons - Largest nuclear weapon ever tested

The Korean War War by proxy

“38th Parallel” What does that mean? - Border between N and S Korea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2IcmLkuhG0