Cold War An Introduction

While viewing the animated version of The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss you are asked to create a t-chart in order to document information revealed about the Yooks and the Zooks (keep in mind what you see AND hear!). YooksZooks

YooksZooks -Butter side up-Butter side down

 Even though US and Russia had fought side by side against Hitler, there were basic differences in outlook  Russia was communist – government controlled property and businesses, basic freedoms controlled by government  USA was democratic – freedom of their citizens, capitalism, right to vote

New type of warfare begins  USA and USSR knew that an all-out war would destroy both countries so a new type of struggle started – COLD WAR  The superpowers never directly fought each other, but fought wars in other countries usually with a clash of two ideologies – communism vs. democracy

During World War 2  The Russian army had invaded countries of Eastern Europe  Stalin had promised to withdraw troops from these countries when the war ended  He refused  Stalin used his army to force these nations to turn communist

Reasons for these actions: 1) Stalin set up countries as a defensive wall in case Russia faced an attack from the west 2) Russia had suffered great losses of men and material in WW2, and the countryside was destroyed – by controlling nations on her borders, Russia hoped to ensure next war would be fought in these countries

The United Nations (1945)  Its goals are to maintain international peace and security, promote social progress, better living standards and human rights.  Second generation of League of Nations.  Established in April 1945 by “Big Five” nations – Soviet Union, United States, Britain, France, China

Countries in Eastern Europe became Russian Satellites  Russia sealed off these nations from contact with the free nations of the world  Travel into the free world became difficult  Trade was cut off with non-communist nations  News from outside the communist world was not allowed to enter these countries

U.S.A vs. U.S.S.R Clashing ideologies  Democratic vs. Autocratic/Dictatorship  Free elections vs. No elections  Capitalist vs. Communist  Survival of the fittest vs. Everybody helps everybody else  Personal freedom vs. Controlled society

The Iron Curtain  “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent”  On March 5,1946, Winston Churchill first referred to a Communist “iron curtain” across eastern Europe Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill looking under the iron curtain

Truman Doctrine (1947)  Truman stressed the duty of the US to combat totalitarian regimes worldwide.  The Doctrine was a shift in American foreign policy to a policy of containment of Soviet expansion.  Often used it to mark the starting date of the Cold War

NATO (1949)  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established as an international organization for defense collaboration which attempted to align nations opposed to Soviet expansion.  The agreement stated that if any member of NATO was attacked by a communist state, all the members of NATO promised to help

Warsaw Pact (1955)  Formal name is the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance formed in response to NATO.  Signed by eastern European nations in an effort to combat western alliances.  Military treaty that bound its members to come to the aid of the others if threatened by foreign aggression.

Zooks, Yooks, Russians and Americans, oh my!  Revisit the t-chart you created about Dr. Seuss’ Butter Battle featuring the Yooks and the Zooks.  Can you draw parallels between their ‘battle’ and that of the Cold War?  In which ways are they similar?  In which ways are they different?