1. The Cold War

2. Eastern Europe
At the end of the war, Eastern Europe was occupied by the Soviet Union.
Soviet Union was communist

3. Germany
Germany was divided into zones—one each for France, Britain, the US, and the USSR
Berlin was also divided.
West Germany became democratic and resumed self-government shortly after the war.
East Germany remained in the Soviet bloc and did not develop democratic institutions.

4. Japan Japan was occupied and protected by the US.
The US rebuilt Japan and its economy.
As a result, Japan became democratic and a strong ally of the US.

5. The Marshall Plan At the end of the war, most of Europe lay in ruins.
The US implemented the Marshall Plan to assist in rebuilding Europe.
The US also hoped that supporting war-torn nations would encourage them to steer clear of Communism.
Western European nations welcomed the aid, BUT Eastern European nations were forbidden to receive American aid by the USSR.

6. The United Nations
Formed near the end of WWII to create a body of nations to prevent future global wars
Stronger than League of Nations
Has military force
All nations are welcome to join (currently 193)

7. Origins of the Cold War
“Cold War”- war without official military fighting
Last from the end of WWII until the collapse of the Soviet Union ( )
U.S. = represented democratic institutions and a generally free market economy
USSR = totalitarian government with communist (socialist) economic system

8. Truman Doctrine
“Containment of communism”- guiding principle of American foreign policy through the Cold War
Domino Theory: If one country fell to communism, their neighbors or nearby countries would as well.
President Truman introduced the Truman Doctrine to aid nations who were threatened by the USSR and wanted to remain democratic, like Greece and Turkey

9. NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Formed as a defensive alliance among the US and western European countries to prevent a Soviet invasion of Western Europe
Warsaw Pact was the Soviet response
For nearly 50 years both sides maintained large military forces facing each other in Europe

10. Brinkmanship
Soviet Union matches the U.S. in nuclear weaponry in the 1950s
Threat of nuclear war would destroy both countries and was ever-present throughout the Cold War
Under President Eisenhower, America adopted a policy of “massive retaliation” to deter any nuclear strike by the Soviets
In the event of an attack from an aggressor, a state would massively retaliate by using a force disproportionate to the size of the attack
Pushing a nation to the “brink” of nuclear war to keep peace