The Cold War

Unit 6Mr. Hardy

RMS IB 2014-2015

Post World War II• Immediately following WWII- Tension developed between the U.S. and the Soviet

Union. This fierce struggle for world power would last for decades and become known as the Cold War.

• Why did the U.S. and Soviet Union stop being allies and become enemies?• U.S. and Soviet Union were the strongest nations following WWII• Titled “Superpowers”• They had Opposite ideas about government

• U.S.- Democracy/ Capitalist economy• Soviet Union- Dictatorship/ Communist command economy

• U.S. practiced policy of Containment- attempt to restrict Soviet power and influence around the world by preventing the spread of communism.

• Soviet Union took control of Eastern European countries (economically and militarily)• Eastern Germany, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Latvia and

Lithuania. *Think about it- Why would East Germany being controlled by Soviet Union be an issue?

Soviet Union Control in East Germany

• West Germany was controlled by the Allied Powers, The Soviet Union dominated East Germany• Berlin Blockade- Soviet government shut

down all highways and railroads to East Berlin. • East Germany could not receive any

supplies

• Berlin Airlift• Rather than send troops into Soviet

territory, Allied Powers used planes to drop food, clothing, and fuel each day

• After 321 days of the airlift- Soviets ended the blockade

Causes of the Cold War- Containment Policy

Truman Doctrine – U.S. support for countries trying to resist communist influence.• Four-Point Program- use American money and technical specialist to help developing

nations grow• Goal- increase agricultural production, improve government, advance education, and promote

public health• Created by President Truman

• Much of Europe was in need of help after WWII- Soviet Union promised support! Helped Soviet Union to spread power throughout Europe!• Marshall PlanThe Marshall Plan was the U.S. response to Soviet Aid to Europe.

• Organize all European nation to work together in order to rebuild and recover• U.S. would provide money and support for the plan• Result- Between 1948 and 1952- $12 billion went to 16 Western European countries (no

communism spread there)

The Iron Curtain

The term “Iron Curtain” from a famous speech by Winston Churchill came to symbolize the growing divide between the East and West

Stalin was very critical of Churchill’s speech.

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent.” Winston Churchill – March 1946

Cause of the Cold War- Alliances

• Soviet Union and U.S. both joined multiple world organizations that helped to lead to additional tension

• The United Nations (UN) 1945 – The United Nations is an international body with its headquarters in New York City. Its mission is to promote peace, security, and cooperation between all the member countries of the world. It is similar to the old League of Nations, but the U.N. is authorized by its charter to use military force. Both the Soviet Union and the United States were charter members.

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) 1949- Atlantic bordering nations promised to defend each other from Soviet attack• U.S. provided troops to be stationed in Europe

• Warsaw Pact, 1955- Soviet Union and Soviet Satellite nations joined in a treaty to protect each other from a NATO alliance attack

*Think about it- How is this similar to WWI and WWII?

NATO and Warsaw Pact Map

Blue- members or countries favoring NATO.Red – members or countries favoring the Warsaw Pact.

Cold War – International Organizations

The flag of the U.N. The flag of NATO The Warsaw Pact logo.

U.N. Headquarters in New York. NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Warsaw Pact HQ in Warsaw

Causes of the Cold War- Nuclear Threat• 1949- Soviet Union

develops and successfully detonates Atomic Bomb!• Arms Race- U.S. and Soviet

Union competed with each other to develop more powerful and expansive armories/ weapons• The nuclear weapons of the

Arms Race threatened to destroy the world.

The Space Race• On October 4, 1957 the world changed

forever when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man made satellite in to orbit around the Earth. • The launching set off a panic in the

United States and lead to the creation of the “space race” between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The goal of the space race was to be the country that could send a man in to outer space, land men on the moon first, and ultimately, be the country to dominate outer space.

SPUTNIK

The First Man in Outer Space

In April of 1961, the Russians took another leap forward in the Space Race, when they launched the first human in to outer space on board a space craft called Vostok-1

Vostok 1 was piloted by Soviet Cosmonaut,Yuri Gagarin. The young, air force pilot became an immediate international celebrity.

Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship, I marveled at the beauty of our planet. People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty --not destroy it! Yuri Gagarin.

Men on the Moon

The United States won the space race when they landed Apollo 11 on the moon on July 20, 1969.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, a former naval test pilot became the first man to set foot on the moon. The Space Race had been won. To this day, no other country but the U.S. has landed a man on the moon.

The Cold War- The Berlin Wall

• During the night of August 13th, 1961, Soviet military constructed a wall dividing West and East Berlin.• Why?- Communist government of East

Germany wanted to stop people from fleeing to Western Germany

• Following the building of the wall, East Germany released some economic control and allowed economic growth.• People who were found trying to escape to

West Berlin were arrested or killed by border guards.

Some People did Escape East Berlin

An East German soldier escapes to the West in thisfamous photo.

Do you think this border guard helpedthis boy escape?

The Cold War- The Cuban Missile Crisis• 1959- Fidel Castro becomes dictator of Cuba

after leading a revolution• In two years, Castro converted Cuba to a

Communist Dictatorship and allied the nation with the Soviet Union.

• Fall of 1962- U.S. satellites showed Soviet medium range nuclear missiles being placed on Cuban territory (90 miles from the Florida coast)

• The U.S. Navy blockaded Cuba. For 13 days the nations “stared war in the face”

• President John F. Kennedy demanded the missiles be removed • Soviet leader Khruschev agreed if U.S. missiles

be removed from Turkey and promise to not invade Cuba

End of the Cold War• 1972- policy of détente established

• Détente is a French word meaning “relaxation of strained relations”• President Nixon and Soviet leader Brezhnev signed many

agreements promising to work together on technology, sciences, and economically

• 1989- Berlin Wall is removed• President Reagan- “Tear down this wall!”

• Overtime, tensions “cooled” as the nations worked together• 1990 – East and West Germany reunited to form one nation

again.• 1991 - The Soviet Union collapsed. It became 15 separate

countries. Video- “Stay Tuned (TV’s Unforgettable Moments)- Episode 20- “The Fall of The Berlin Wall”, 4 mins.Following the video, turn and talk to your neighbor about the following questions:• How do you think former U.S. Presidents viewed Eastern

Germany and the Soviet Union following WWII?• What actions do you believe would have been necessary to

break down the Berlin Wall sooner?

Mikhail Gorbachev was a true reform leader In the Soviet Union. He led reforms in the SovietUnion and worked closely with U.S. President Reagan.

Annotated Timeline- The Cold War

• For each of the following events, illustrate a picture and write 2-3 sentences which describe the event.• Policy of Containment• Creation of Alliance• Nuclear Threats• Berlin Wall• Cuban Missile Crisis

• On the back of your timeline, write a 4-5 sentence summary regarding which events you think are the most important in understanding the Cold War. • Your timeline must be neat, use correct information, and provide a summary

that uses evidence!