The Cold War

Key Events and Policies

Key U.S. Policies

►Containment►Collective Security►Deterrence (MAD)►Foreign Aid►Defense build up, race to maintain

technological superiority►Summitry

The Cold War [1945-1991]: An Ideological Struggle

Soviet & Eastern Bloc

Nations[“Iron

Curtain”]

US & the Western

Democracies

GOAL spread world-wide Communism

GOAL “Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist world.[George Kennan]

METHODOLOGIES:1. Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]

2. Arms Race [nuclear escalation]

3. Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts of Third World peoples [Communist govt. & command economy vs. democratic govt. & capitalist economy] “proxy wars”

4. Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]

Yalta 1945

►Considered the beginning of the Cold War

►Allowed for Soviet control of countries (including East Germany) that it liberated from Nazi control (i.e. Eastern Europe)

►Stalin promises “free elections”

The Division of Berlin

Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech 1946

►Referring to Soviet domination of eastern Europe and the installation of Communist governments with varying degrees of Soviet pressure.

►1946 Poland, 1947 Hungary, Rumania, 1948 Czechoslovakia, etc.

The Bipolarization of Europe

The Truman Doctrine March 1947

►The United States pledges to support “free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures”.

►Immediate application: Greece and Turkey

National Defense Budget [1940-1964]

1947-1948

►1947 The Marshall Plan►1947 The policy of containment is

articulated by George F. Kennan►1948 Berlin Blockade and the Berlin

Airlift (321 days)

1949

►NATO established►West Germany formed►Soviets explode A-bomb►Chinese communists win civil war,

Nationalist government flees to Taiwan

1950

►The U.S. begins aid to the French in Vietnam

►Sino-Soviet Pact►The Korean War (1950-1953)

Korean War

[1950-1953]

Korean War[1950-1953]

Syngman Rhee

Kim Il-Sung

“Domino Theory”

The Shifting Map of Korea[1950-1953]

1955-1957

►1954 French lose Vietnam►1955 Warsaw Pact►1956 Hungarian Revolt crushed by

Soviets►1956 Suez Crisis►1956 Khruschev’s “we will bury you”

speech►1957 Eisenhower Doctrine (Middle

East)►1957 Soviets launch Sputnik 1 and 2►1957 U.S. and Soviets test ICBM’s

1959-1972

►1959 Cuban Revolution►1959 U2 spy plane shot down over

U.S.S.R.►1961 Bay of Pigs invasion►1962 Cuban Missile Crisis►1968 Prague Spring►1972 Nixon visits China: détente, SALT

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