The Cold War

From Allies to Adversaries A fter World War II the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the two main superpowers. The conflict between the two nations lasted over 40 years and was called the Cold War.

The Iron Curtain I n 1946 Winston Churchill declared the Soviets were the enemy. He said the eastern European countries were behind an “Iron Curtain.”

Eastern vs. Western Europe A fter World War II Europe was divided. Eastern European countries became communist and were part of the “Soviet Bloc.” Western European nations were allied with the US.

N.A.T.O. I n 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed by the US and its western European allies. The NATO alliance protected members against communist aggression.

The Warsaw Pact I n response to the western military alliance NATO, the Eastern European countries formed their own military alliance with the Soviets in 1955, known as the Warsaw Pact.

The Division of Germany A fter WW II the French, British, Americans and Soviets controlled part of occupied Germany. The capital Berlin was also divided into four sectors.

The Berlin Crisis: What would you do? In 1948 the Soviets cut all road and rail traffic to West Berlin. Truman met with advisors to discuss options including: 1. armed actions against the Soviets to keep the rail lines open 2. Allowing West Berlin to fall to Soviet control 3. Air lifting food and supplies to West Berlin What would you suggest?

The Berlin Airlift F rom June of 1948 the Soviets blockaded all land access to Berlin. For almost a year the US and British planes airlifted 1.5 million tons of supplies to residents in West Berlin.

Eastern Europe Resists T he eastern European communist countries tried to resist Soviet domination. Uprisings in East Germany, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia were crushed by the Soviet Warsaw Pact troops.

The Berlin Wall T he communist authorities in East Germany begin the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.

The Nuclear Arms Race I n 1949 the Soviet Union announced it had successfully tested an atomic bomb. In 1952 the US exploded the first hydrogen bomb at a test site. Less than a year later, the Soviets announced their first test of a hydrogen bomb. The arms race was on.

Nuclear Missiles in Cuba In 1959 Fidel Castro led the Cuban Revolution against the Batista dictatorship. The Castro regime took over US sugar companies and in 1961 the US tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Castro Regime. In 1962 the Cubans sought aid from the Soviet Union, including Soviet nuclear weapons.

The Cuban Missile Crisis US President John F. Kennedy blockaded additional Soviet ships from bringing missiles to Cuba. People feared the US and the Soviets might have a nuclear confrontation. After a tense negotiation the US President convinced the Soviet leader Khrushchev to remove nuclear weapons from Cuba. The Soviets removed nuclear weapons from Cuba in 1962.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) T he arms raced continued in the 50’s and 60’s with both sides having enough nuclear weapons to destroy the other superpower. Finally, in 1969 the US and the Soviets agreed to limit nuclear weapons with the SALT treaty.

Industrial Democracies Industrial Democracies = industrial nations with democratic forms of government Example: The US, Japan and Western Europe nations were the industrial democracies after World War II

Boom Boom = a period of economic growth with more goods and jobs. For example, the 1950’s and 1960’s was a boom period for the American economy.

Recession Recession = fall in amount of goods produced. Unemployment rises. For example, The US suffered recession in the 1970’s due to rising oil prices.

GDP Gross Domestic Product = total amount of goods and services produced in a year. For example, Germany has a rapidly growing GDP since the reunification of its nation.

Currency Currency = money For example, the US currency is the dollar and the British currency is the pound.

Welfare State Welfare state = a government which provides health care, unemployment benefits, and old age pensions Britain was a welfare state in the 1960’s and 70’s.

The Spread of Communism in Asia After World War II communism spread to China with the Chinese Revolution. North Korea and South Korea were also communist countries. It was in Asia that the Cold War became hot, with wars in Korea and Vietnam.

Civil War in China After World War II, Chinese nationalists led by Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai Chek) fought Chinese communists led by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse- Tung) for control of China.

Chinese Revolution I n 1949 the Chinese Communists, led by Mao Zedong took over China. Now China joined the Soviet Union as the second communist nation in the world. The nationalists escaped to Taiwan.

Chinese Communism The Chinese Communist Party took over the government of China, without allowing other political parties or democracy. The communist government collectivized land and ran industries.

The Great Leap Forward In the 1950’s the Chinese communists tried to increase industrial production by having people build backyard furnaces to make steel. This policy failed to produce high quality steel to industrialize China.

The Cultural Revolution In the 1960’s Mao mobilized student to support his position in the Party. They read his “Red book” of quotations. The Red Guard organization accused people of being counter revolutionaries.

Ping Pong Diplomacy In the 1970’s, US President Richard Nixon reopened friendly relations with China. He sent US ping pong players to compete in China. China moved away from the Soviet Union

The Korean War After WW II Korea was divided, with US troops controlling the south and Soviet troops controlling the north. In 1950 communist North Korea invaded South Korea,beginning the Korean War.

The US enters Korean War Truman wanted to contain North Korean communist aggression and sent US troops to support the South China and the Soviet Union backed North Korea. The war was fought for three years.

A Stalemate In 1953 the Korean war ended with each side maintaining its territory and Korea remained divided at the 38th parallel 33,600 US soldiers died in the war The Korean war marked the expansion of the Cold War into Asia

Vietnam Divided In 1954 a nationalist and communist movement led by Ho Chi Minh defeated the French in Indochina. The Geneva Accords called for a temporary division between North and South Vietnam.

The US Enters the Vietnam War The US entered the Vietnam War in 1965, and supported South Vietnam against communist North Vietnamese aggression. The US sent over 500,000 soldiers between 1965 and In the US, Americans were divided over the war.

Vietnam Falls to Communism US negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, agreeing to leave in US soldiers left Vietnam, leaving South Vietnam to fight alone. In 1975 North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam, uniting the country under the communist system.

Soviet Union in Trouble In the 1980’s a stagnant Soviet economy could not deliver consumer goods to its citizens. Soviet Union poured too much money into military spending, to keep up with the US. The USSR Invaded Afghanistan and became bogged down in this war.

Gorbachev Tries to Reform Soviet System In the 1980’s Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev tried to reform the Soviet system. He instituted, glasnost, extending new freedoms to citizens. In the economy he tried introducing market reforms called perestroika.

The Soviet Union Collapses In 1991 Gorbachev was ousted as Soviet Premier. Boris Yeltsin, supported by protestors, took over Russia. The Soviet Union was dissolved in December of 1991.

The Berlin Wall Falls S oviet Premier Gorbachev abandons Soviet control of east Germany. After massive public demonstrations in East Germany the Berlin Wall falls on November 1989.

Germany Reunified I n 1990 the Soviet Union, Great Britain, the US, and France withdrew from Germany. East and West Germany united as the Federal Republic of Germany.

Cold War Ended T he fall of the Berlin Wall and the creation of independent countries from the former Soviet Union signaled the end of European communism, and the Cold War.

Credits PowerPoint Slideshow by Dave Forrest Visuals from Ditto.com and CNN Cold War Website PECIALS/cold.war PECIALS/cold.war