The Cold War 1947-1991

Soviet Union after WWII Josef Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union after Lenin’s death. Government Soviets set up a puppet government; People do what they are told. The government becomes one party (Communist) system did

Iron Curtain Life in East Europe/Soviet Union New factories were built All decisions about factories made by the government Collective farms ~ All crops produced by collective farms were distributed by the gov’t. After WWII an invisible wall was created between the Soviet-controlled countries of Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Five Year Plan Made 5 plans to improve the economy Building factories and collective farms. Stalin used secret police to get rid of people he did not trust

What did the end of WWII mean for Russia? ~Communist government and troops occupied/took over Eastern Europe What was Russia now called? ~Soviet Union Cold War Division Which countries were against communism? ~US and Britain What type of government did they want? ~Democracy What was set up to help Western Europe recover? ~Marshall Plan and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Berlin Wall Describe the purpose of the Berlin Wall What did each side of the wall represent? symbolized Cold War divisions ~East: Warsaw Pact – communism ~West: North Atlantic Treaty Organization – U.S. strong member helped rebuild W. Europe

Democratic West Unites What did W. Europe represent? ~democracy/free government What was helping W. Europe rebuild? ~economy ~democracy Describe NATO ~North Atlantic Treaty Organization – US strong member helped rebuild Western Europe

Communist control East What was the E. European alliance called? ~ Warsaw Pact – communist East Europe List at least 3 facts about E. European control: ~communism ~Used force to control citizens ~Used E. European countries as satellites/puppets ~E. Europeans were not free to cross borders ~Government controlled all businesses

The European Union What is the European Union? ~economic and political partnership Why did countries want to join? ~Economic stability Define currency ~Type of payment – EU had 1 common currency = Euro

Democracy Spreads What was happening in Europe in the 1980s? ~Communism was failing in Soviet and Eastern Europe Communism fails List 2 reasons communism was failing? ~Eastern economies couldn’t compete with industrial western Europe ~Western Europe market economies – stronger than E. Europe’s command Economy What was happening in E. Europe economies? ~government made decisions better for country than for the people ~no motivation to work hard – govt limited pay ~food shortages

Who was Mikahil Gorbachev? ~New leader of Soviets after Stalin What did Gorbachev do for the Soviet gov’t? ~Loosen Communist control Which type of gov’t did Gorbachev support/want for the Soviets? ~Democracy

Democratic Revolution Spreads What happened in 1980? ~Polish workers striked How did Poland help to spread democracy? ~Polish won over Polish leaders and had free elections – end communist Rule What/who was Solidarity? ~Union of Polish workers

Germany Reunifies List at least 4 facts about the reunification of Germany ~1989 protests for democracy begins ~demands led to free elections ~1989 Berlin Wall destroyed – reuniting Europe ~People in E. Germany were reunited with family in W. Germany When the Berlin wall came down, what did it symbolize? ~FREEDOM!!!

Cold War p 263 of orange text Causes: Political tension between the members of NATO and the nations in the Warsaw Pact W. Europe – democracies or constitutional monarchies (NATO) E. Europe – communist (Warsaw Pact) Feared use of nuclear weapons if war began Effects: Called Cold War because neither side wanted an actual war. These countries refused to trade or cooperate with each other