The Cold War An Overview of Global Events

Confrontation of the superpowers The division between Western Europe and Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe was the beginning of the Cold War. BASICALLY… The Soviets feared the capitalist West. The United States feared communism.

A Famous speech On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill gave a speech in Fulton, Missouri, expressing his growing concern about the rift between the Soviets and the West.

“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 the Soviet sphere and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and increasing measure of control from Moscow.”

What did he mean? What did Churchill mean when he said that “an iron curtain has descended across the continent?” The Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites were totally separated from the West, as if behind an iron curtain.

Who is responsible? Who was responsible for beginning the Cold War? BOTH superpowers took steps that escalated the conflict and tensions. What were their opposing views? After WWII, the U.S. & Great Britain wanted Eastern European nations to determine their own governments (Self-Determination). Stalin feared they would be anti-Soviet if they were allowed free elections.

President truman & the truman doctrine In early 1947, President Harry S Truman issued the Truman Doctrine. U.S. would give money to countries threatened by Communist expansion. U.S. was concerned that communism would spread throughout the free world if left unchecked.

The Marshall Plan June European Recovery Program - the Marshall Plan, began. Provided $13 billion in aid to rebuild war-torn Europe. Gen. Marshall won Nobel Peace Prize Idea: Countries with severe economic problems might be more likely to fall to Communism.

The confrontation continues… Soviet Union & economically/politically dependent Eastern European satellite states refused to participate in the Marshall Plan. Soviets saw it as attempt to buy the support of countries. How they might come to this conclusion? In 1949, the Soviet Union set up the Council for Mutual Assistance (COMECON) as a response to the Marshall Plan & to help the economies of Eastern European states.

The Confrontation Continues… U.S. had previously adopted the policy of containment. What does this mean? Attempt to keep communism within its existing boundaries and prevent further Soviet aggressive moves rather than overthrow it by force.

The Confrontation Continues… By 1948, Great Britain, the United States, and France worked to unify the three western sections of Germany and Berlin and create a West German government. The Soviets opposed the creation of a West German state, so they tried to prevent it by setting up a blockade of West Berlin. The U.S. and Great Britain set up the Berlin Air Lift to fly in supplies to West Berlin. The Soviets ended the blockade in May 1949.

West Germany was formally created in September, A month later, East Germany was set up by the Soviets. Berlin was divided into parts. West Germany was formally created in September, A month later, East Germany was set up by the Soviets. Berlin was divided into parts.

Review: causes of the cold war Soviets feared capitalist West U.S. feared communism U.S. and Great Britain wanted Eastern European nations to determine own government (Self- Determination) Stalin feared Eastern European nations would be anti- Soviet if allowed free elections. The Truman Doctrine gave money to countries threatened by Communist expansion. The Marshall Plan set up to rebuild Europe.

Review: causes of the cold war Soviets saw Marshall Plan as attempt to buy support of countries. Set up COMECON to help economies of Eastern European states (Satellite States). U.S. adopted containment policy to keep communism from spreading. Great Britain, the U.S. and France tried to unify three western sections of Germany and Berlin to create West German government. Soviets tried to prevent it by setting up blockade of West Berlin. The U.S. and Great Britain set up Berlin Air Lift to fly in supplies to West Berlin.

Spread of the cold war

Chinese Communists took control of the government of China in 1949 & in the same year, the U.S.S.R. exploded its first atomic bomb. Prompted an arms race between the U.S. & U.S.S.R. with both countries building up armies, weapons, & nuclear programs. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in April Military alliance: Great Britain, France, the U.S., Canada, and other Western European nations.

The Warsaw pact Eisenhower is now president of the U.S. Soviet Union and Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania formed the military alliance called the Warsaw Pact. Result was a divided Europe with a hostile alliance system, just like it had been before WWI.

The Warsaw pact

The Korean War The Korean War (which we will focus on soon!) began in 1950 (when Truman was still President) when the Communist government of North Korea, friends with the U.S.S.R., tried to take over South Korea. As a result, the United States extended its military alliances around the world. By the mid 1950s, the U.S. was in military alliances with 42 Nations.

Alliances: SEATO & CENTO The United States, Great Britain, France, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand formed the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) to stop the Soviet expansion in the East. Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Great Britain, and the United States formed the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) to stop Soviet expansion to the south.

SEATO & CENTO

The arms race Early 1950s, U.S. & U.S.S.R. both developed the even more deadly hydrogen bomb. Mid-1950s, both countries had intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that were capable of sending bombs anywhere. A policy of deterrence developed: huge arsenals of nuclear weapons held by both sides was thought to PREVENT war. Thought? neither side would launch a nuclear attack because the other side would simply strike back.

The Arms Race: Sputnik I In 1957, the Soviets sent Sputnik I, the first man-made space satellite, to orbit the earth. Eisenhower and many Americans feared there was a missile gap between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The Berlin Wall In August 1961, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev ordered East German government to build a wall between West Berlin and East Berlin in order to stop the flow of East Germans escaping into West Berlin. Why do you think people wanted to escape from East Berlin to West Berlin? Western powers controlled West Berlin, which offered greater economic and political freedom.West Berlin was located within east Germany, so before the Berlin War was erected, East Germans could escape into the city from many directions.

The Berlin Wall

The Bay of Pigs 1959, President Kennedy approved a secret plan for Cuban exiles to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs & revolt against Soviet-supported Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. Invasion was a disaster. Many exiles were killed or captured at attempted landing. Soviet Union sent arms and military advisers to Cuba.

The Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962, Khrushchev (U.S.S.R.) began to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. In October 1962, President Kennedy found out that Soviet ships carrying nuclear missiles were headed to Cuba. He ordered a blockade of Cuba to stop the ships from reaching Cuba. Khrushchev agreed to send the ships back and remove nuclear missiles in Cuba if Kennedy agreed not to invade Cuba (& pull missiles out of Turkey). Kennedy agreed but the Cuban missile crisis brought the world close to nuclear war.

Vietnam and the Domino Theory

The Vietnam War (which we will get into soon!) had an important impact on the Cold War. What was it’s purpose? To keep the Communist government of North Vietnam from gaining control of South Vietnam. U.S. policy makers applied the domino theory to the war. According to this theory, if South Vietnam fell to communism, then other countries in Asia would fall like dominoes to communism.