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The Cold War 1946-1989 Winston Churchill states:
“An Iron Curtain has descended across the continent (Europe). Symbolizes division of democracy/communism
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United Nations Organized to keep peace & punish aggressors
Founded in 1945 w/ 51 countries Organized to keep peace & punish aggressors Security Council: investigate & settle disputes 5 permanent members: Britain, China, France, the U.S., Soviet Union General Assembly – each member nation would have an equal vote
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USA deters Communism Truman Doctrine -to show support for Greece to maintain democracy, US supplies $ to prevent communism. Marshall Plan - US allots $13 billion to European countries to rebuild in hopes they will opt for democratic govt. COMECON – USSR response to the Marshall Plan Policy of Containment - US vows not to let communism spread.
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Division of Germany Post WWII: Germany divided into four zones
West: U.S., GB, France East: USSR (1948 – unification of western Germany/Berlin) Sept. 1949: Federal Republic of Germany (West) German Democratic Republic (East)
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Berlin 1948
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Berlin Airlift Stalin establishes blockade preventing food, fuel, medicine from reaching West Berlin. Goal: to drive out US, French, British forces. Truman airlifts supplies for 11 months, Stalin gave up. Threatened possibility of war.
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Treaty Organizations NATO (1949)
North Atlantic Treaty Org.: US, Canada, Brit., France, Neth., Italy, others. Later W. Germany. Warsaw Pact (1955) USSR, Poland, Czech., Hungary, Romania, others. SEATO -Southeast Asia Treaty Org. CENTO -Central Treaty Org.: US, Brit., Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan.
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Arms Race USSR develops atomic bomb.
1953-USA develops Hydrogen bomb, over a thousand times more powerful than atomic bomb. USSR gets it eight months later. Deterrence or Brinkmanship -idea that each side has so many weapons, no one would threaten war.
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More Technology ICBM -Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, a nuclear bomb in a rocket. Sputnik I -USSR launches first successful orbiting satellite in 1957. U-2 Spy Plane -plane that takes photographs below. USSR shot down American Gary Powers. Increased tension between superpowers. Soviets put first man in space, Yuri Gagarin in 1961, USA puts Alan Shepard in space later that year.
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Cuban Missile Crisis Bay of Pigs:
Event: Invasion of Cuba (overthrow) using US military trained Cuban exiles Effect: complete disaster, failure led to distrust of US from Castro, Khrushchev (USSR) put missiles in Cuba American spy plane spots nuclear missile silos in Cuba. Major threat to USA only 90 miles from Florida.
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Cuban Missile Crisis USSR had secretly put 42 nuclear arms in Cuba. President Kennedy demanded they be removed. Tension rose around the world in fear of a nuclear war. Soviet premier Khrushchev agreed to remove missiles IF US promised not to invade Cuba.
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Vietnam Domino Theory -idea that if one nation in SE Asia fell to communism, all the rest would too Despite massive military superiority, the United States failed to defeat the N. Vietnamese
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