1. The Cold War Begins ????

2. What is a cold war?

3. What is a cold war?
A cold war is an intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between nations that stops short of military conflict.

4. How are cold wars fought?

5. Incompatible Economic Systems
USA - Capitalism
Private ownership of resources and businesses.
The majority of economic decisions are made by consumers and businesses.
USSR – Communism
Public ownership of resources.
Businesses are controlled by the government.
All economic decisions are made by the government.

6. Incompatible Political Systems
USA – Democracy (Liberty)
Individual rights are protected and celebrated.
Citizens elect their governing leaders from multiple political parties.
Systems built into governing documents to protect citizens’ rights.
Ultimate source of governing power = people.
USSR – Communism (Equality)
One party rule.
The Communist Party elects its leaders.
The government decides what’s best for the people, nominally in pursuit of equality and fairness.
The government does not allow individual rights like free speech and free press.
Ultimate source of governing power = state/government.

7. Incompatible Ideological Systems
CAPITALISM
COMMUNISM
People need freedom
When people compete against one another, they achieve greater things
Some people have more than others because they make better use of their abilities
Governments should not interfere with the rights of individuals to make their own living
The government should interfere in the economy as little as possible
People need one another
When people work together as equals, they achieve greater things
No-one should have more than anyone else - everybody's needs are equally important
Governments should make sure that everyone's needs are being met
There is central control of the economy

8. Who does communism appeal to?
historically poor
working class who feel exploited
masses that live under oppressive colonial rule
those who might be desperate, hopeless

9. Why are capitalism & communism incompatible?

10. “An iron curtain has descended across Europe…”
Soviets allow elections to be held in the occupied Eastern European Nations. These so-called “free elections” bring to power communist leaders under the control of the USSR
1946 Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech

11. George Kennan’s Long Telegram
George F. Kennan:
U.S. Diplomat to the USSR (Soviet Expert)
In 1946 he sent the “Long Telegram” to Washington, in which he presented his theory on how to address communism:
Russians have a traditional insecurity about foreign threats
Soviet foreign policy is driven by Stalin, who uses a threat like capitalist encirclement to justify his brutal regime
Kennan recommended that if the USSR was e contained, and communism prevented from spreading, it would collapse.
George F. Kennan

12. The Truman Doctrine The Truman Doctrine:
Influenced by Kennan and Sec. of State George Marshall, Truman announces the Truman Doctrine, which declared the US policy to “help the free peoples of Europe to resist communist aggression” by providing them with military and economic aid.

13. The 1947 National Security Act
This act was a major restructuring of the United States government's military and intelligence agencies following World War II. This act created:
The Department of Defense
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
The National Security Council
The US Air Force
*Strengthened the executive branch’s control of foreign policy.

14. Truman & US Cold War Policy
Marshall Plan: The United States initially sought to use US soft power to counter communism in post-war Western Europe. The best example of this was the 1948 Marshall Plan, which was a massive effort to prop-up international capitalism via a massive recovery of Western Europe. *The US will spend $15 billion rebuilding Europe.

15. The Berlin Airlift June 1948, the USSR cuts off access to Berlin.
The US & British refuse to allow West Berlin to fall to the Soviets.
US & British planes will fly in all supplies needed for survival for 15 months.
*Berlin = Symbol of resistance to Soviet .

16. The formation of NATO
Many Western European countries were fearful of the menacing Soviet Army in Eastern Europe and continued Soviet Aggression in Germany. In 1949, eight countries come together to form a defensive alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. It stated that an attack upon one was an attack upon all, pledging the US to a common defense of Western Europe.
In retaliation, the Soviets forms the Warsaw Pact.

17. NATO vs Warsaw Pact