Origins of the Cold War East v. West

WWII Ends 1945 Two views of world –Soviet view Millions of Soviets dead Shattered economy Germany must be forever weakened so nothing like this can ever happen again –U.S. view 400,000 dead Prospering economy Build a free world with the U.S. as its example, leading the way

Germany is Occupied by Allies How many countries occupy Germany after WWII? Who controls Berlin?

Map of Berlin, Germany Notice Berlin is not one city –Divided by the same four countries

Berlin Blockade 1 st serious crisis of Cold War Three western parts are combined –Wanted a free western state –Instituted new currency Soviets retaliate –Institute their own new currency –Shut off electricity in Western Berlin –Cut off all highways and railroads to Western sector No food No fuel –Plan: starve the city –Goal: force Allies to give up plans for West Germany or surrender Berlin to Communist control

Berlin Airlift “Operation Vittles” –2.5 million Berliners depend on supplies via airlift shipments –11 month operation via cargo plane –277,000 flights –delivered 2 million tons of supplies to West Berlin Disaster for Stalin –World opinion turned against him U.S. seen as a hero

Soviet Bloc Soviets had large losses in WWII Wanted a large “buffer zone” in Eastern Europe Soviet sponsored dictators began seizing governments in Eastern Europe –

Marshall Plan Helped rebuild war torn Europe U.S. feared European countries would turn to communism Provided financial assistance to European countries that had a plan for rebuilding –U.S. appropriated $13 billion in aid Britain France Italy West Germany –70% of goods came from U.S. companies Miraculous economic recovery in the West

Excerpt from Churchill’s speech ll.htmlhttp:// ll.html March 5, 1946 Refers to “iron curtain” that has descended upon the continent –Symbolic reference to Stalin blocking the Soviet people from ideas of the western world & vice versa

Iron Curtain Symbolic boundary Divided Europe from WWII until end of Cold War –

North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO Military alliance of western states –Western Europe –United States April 4, countries agreed to defend one another if attacked by an outside party Due to: –Berlin Blockade –Spread of Communism across Europe

Warsaw Pact Military alliance of socialist states May 14, 1955 Countries to the east of the Iron Curtain –In red To counter potential threat of NATO –In blue

Cold War in Asia China Falls to Communism

China China ally of U.S. –Chiang Kai-shek leader of Nationalist government Civil war in China –Chiang Kai-shek and Nationalists vs. Mao Zedong and Communists Communists redistributed land from wealthy landowners to poor farmers –Farmers supported Communist party Mao Zedong won control in 1949 Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan

U.S. Response to Mao Refused to acknowledge Mao Zedong as the rightful government of China Acknowledged Nationalist government in Taiwan instead The U.S. thought it had failed to “contain” communism –500 million Chinese were now “lost” to communism