1. Cold War Events

2. The Marshall Plan
After World War II, Western Europe was in ruins. There were many economic problems and a lack of both food and jobs.
In order to give aid to the needy European countries, the U.S. Secretary of State, George Marshall, proposed a plan

3. The Marshall Plan
The purpose of the Marshall Plan was to provide food, machinery, and other materials to assist in rebuilding Western Europe. In total, a total of $12.5 billion dollars was given to help.
The U.S. Congress debated the expense of the Marshall Plan but decided to approve it Communists took power in Czechoslovakia.

4. The Marshall Plan
Any European country was eligible to get aid from the Marshall Plan. However, Communist countries did not take advantage of the assistance because the USSR forbid it. The only Communist country that did get assistance from the Marshall Plan was Yugoslavia because they had been able to break away from Soviet domination.

5. The Marshall Plan
Watch this clip about the Marshall Plan:

6. Division of Germany
After World War II, Germany would be divided into 4 occupation zones. Britain, France, the USSR and the United States would each have control over a zone.
The capital city of Berlin was also split into four zones, occupied by those same countries

8. Division of Germany
The city of Berlin was located in the Soviet occupation zone. Because the portions of Berlin that belonged to the US, British and French were democratic, it became very easy for those who did not wish to live under a Communist system to escape to freedom by going to the democratic portion of Berlin

9. Division of Germany
In 1948, the democratic occupation zones joined to create West Germany.
The USSR placed a Communist government in their occupation zone, creating East Germany and adding it to the buffer zone separating the USSR from Western Europe

10. Berlin Blockade/Berlin Airlift
The Soviet Union wanted to keep Germany weak and divided, and was angry with the U.S, British and French about their decision to remove their forces from Germany and unify their occupation zones, which they did in 1948.

11. Berlin Blockade/Berlin Airlift
The city of Berlin was in a unique situation, because ½ of it belonged to West Germany (which was Democratic) and ½ of it belonged to East Germany (which was Communist) and it was located in a Communist controlled country

12. Berlin Blockade/Berlin Airlift
To punish his former allies for their actions, Stalin decided to starve West Berlin by cutting off roads, rails and water between West Germany and West Berlin.
However, it was impossible to cut off air travel without the chance of starting a war, so the Americans and British flew food and supplies into Berlin for nearly 11 months before Stalin called off the blockade

13. Berlin Blockade/Berlin Airlift
Watch this video:

14. NATO/Warsaw Pact
The United States and its allies created NATO because of fears of Soviet aggression. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a defensive military alliance. Ant attack on a NATO member would be met with armed force by all member nations

15. NATO/Warsaw Pact
Founding NATO member countries

16. NATO/Warsaw Pact
The USSR formed the Warsaw Pact because it saw NATO as a threat.
Countries that were already allied with the USSR (East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania) were all original members of the Warsaw Pact

17. NATO/Warsaw Pact
Red: Warsaw Pact
Blue: NATO

18. NATO/Warsaw Pact
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to prevent people from fleeing to West Berlin to escape Communism.
It became the symbol of a world divided into rival camps; Democratic West vs. Communist East

19. NATO/Warsaw Pact
Watch this video:

20. 1st, 2nd and 3rd World Countries
A first world country is an industrialized capitalist nation (i.e. the US)
A second world country is a communist nation (i.e. the USSR)
A third world nation is a developing nation who did not align with either superpower. Most were located in Latin America, Asia and Africa

21. 1st, 2nd and 3rd World Countries
Most Third World nations are economically poor and politically unstable because of the long history of colonialism, ethnic conflicts, a lack of technology and education
In order to try to gain influence in these nations, both the US and USSR backed wars of revolution, assassination attempts, provided military aid, built schools, set up programs to combat poverty and sent volunteers

22. 1st, 2nd and 3rd World Countries
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23. Cuba
Fidel Castro became the leader of Cuba by overthrowing Fulgencio Batista (who was not really a nice guy). He came to power by promising elections but instead suspended elections, jailed or executed his opponents and tightly controlled the press

24. Cuba
When Castro nationalized Cuban businesses (specifically U.S. owned sugar mills and refineries), President Eisenhower ordered an embargo on all trade with Cuba
To remove Castro from power, the CIA trained anti-Castro Cuban exiles to overthrow him. This Bay of Pigs invasion failed and the US was humiliated.

25. Cuba
Watch this video:

26. Cuba
Nikita Khrushchev, the USSR’s leader, began to build missile sites in Cuba. These sites were spotted by a US spy plane. President Kennedy demanded their removal an announced a naval blockade of Cuba. These events led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, a stand off between the US and USSR and the closest the Cold War ever came to becoming a “hot war”

27. Cuba
In the end, Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba. In return, the US promised it would promise not to invade Cuba (and also remove missiles from Turkey, but no one talks about that as much)

28. Cuba
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29. Destalinization/Hungary
Nikita Khrushchev became the Soviet leader after Stalin. He criticized Stalin for his jailing and killing of loyal Soviet citizens.
He created a time of Destalinization, where the country was purged of Stalin’s memory, and destroyed monuments dedicated to him

30. Destalinization/Hungary
The people of Hungary took the period of Destalinization to mean a lessening of Soviet control. In 1956, the Hungarian army joined protestors to overthrow the Soviet controlled government. Imre Nagy formed a new government that promised free elections and demanded Soviet troops leave the Hungary.

31. Destalinization/Hungary
To combat this new Hungarian government, Soviet tanks and infantry entered the capital city of Budapest and a new pro-Soviet government was installed. Imre Nagy was executed.

32. Destalinization/Hungary
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33. Prague Spring/Brezhnev Doctrine
Under Leonid Brezhnev, the USSR was repressive. He put limits on basic human freedoms, censors controlled what was published, and he clamped down on those who protested his policies (think Stalin, but with a lot less killing)

34. Prague Spring/Brezhnev Doctrine
Meanwhile in Czechoslovakia, the new leader, Alexander Dubcek, began to loosen controls and offer his country what he called “socialism with a human face”.
During the Prague Spring, Czechoslovakia went through a period of reform and new ideas

35. Prague Spring/Brezhnev Doctrine
Brezhnev would not stand for such things in a Soviet satellite. The USSR sent armed forces from all Warsaw Pact nations into Czechoslovakia. Brezhnev said he had the right to prevent his Soviet satellites from rejecting Communism (becoming known as the Brezhnev Doctrine)

36. Prague Spring/Brezhnev Doctrine
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37. Detente
The US policy of detente backed away from direct confrontation with the USSR. This was begun by President Nixon, partly as a way for the country to heal from the Vietnam War.
As part of the Detente period, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was signed between the US and USSR.

38. Detente
SALT I limited the number of intercontinental ballistic and submarine launched missiles that both the US and USSR were allowed to have.
In addition, the Helsinki Accords were signed by the US, USSR and 33 other nations who made a commitment to detente and cooperation among nations

39. Detente
Even though a SALT II Treaty was signed by US President Carter and the Soviet leader Brezhnev, the US Congress refused to ratify the treaty due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
When President Reagan came to power, he moved away from the policy of detente and increased defense spending and began to put both economic and military pressure on the USSR

40. President Reagan speaks about our destiny:
Watch this video: