2. Stalin continued being an oppressive dictator until his death in 1953

3. Nikita Khrushchev then took over and began a policy of de-Stalinization

4. Khrushchev sought peaceful coexistence with the West, avoiding war but finding other ways to compete

5. Both superpowers engaged in a massive military build-up, with the Soviet Union testing ICBMs … Any war would lead to mutually assured destruction

6. Tensions in the 1950s and 60s were extremely high, especially due to incidents like the Cuban Missile Crisis

7. Khrushchev’s policies were not successful, and eventually Leonid Brezhnev took over, reversing the de-Stalinization (re-Stalinization?) and becoming more oppressive

8. Cold War hot spot: berlin, Germany
The Soviet Union tried to block the U.S., UK, & French plan to unite their zones of occupation in western Germany
Soviets blocked land routes into the western side of Berlin
The Western allies launched a massive airlift of supplies into Berlin w/ planes bringing in supplies every few minutes for nearly a year
Soviets gave up and Germany split into two separate countries – West Germany and East Germany

9. The BERLIN WALL
Physical barrier that separated West Berlin from East Berlin (and the rest of East Germany)
It was built on the night of Aug , 1961, because of the large amount of people from the east who were fleeing to West Berlin
97 miles long (surrounding West Berlin)
Physical symbol of the “Iron Curtain”

10. East and West Germany East Germany West Germany
Under Communist control
People were dissatisfied with Soviet rule
Many of the best trained workers fled to the West
Belonged to Warsaw Pact
West Germany
Capitalist
Democratic
Prosperous economy
Modern and industrialized
Belonged to NATO
Most Germans wanted to reunify…