Transcript THE COLD WAR

La Guerre Froide
Causes 1-7
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1. Idéologies concurrentes
2. La Révolution Russe 1917
3. Le Pacte Nazi- Soviétique DGM août 1939
4. Le délai de l’ouverture du deuxième font
5. Les Conférences Yalta & Potsdam – 1945
6. La Bombe Atomique
7. L’Europe d’Est
Causes 8-15
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8. Les Discours de deux Camps
9.Le discours Rideau de fer
10. Division en Allemagne
11. La Doctrine de Truman
12. Le Plan de Marshall
13. Blocus de Berlin
14. La bombe Atomique de L’URSS
15. Les Alliances Rivales
How did tensions between the Soviet Union & the United
States influence and shape global events?
Defining The Cold War
• 1945 -1991
• Competitive ideological struggle between the
superpowers: the United States and the Soviet
Union
• Called a cold war because no direct armed
conflict occurred between the two
• Fought their battles through various countries
across the globe in Asia, the Americas, & Africa
What is a Superpower?
• A country with superior
technological, economic, and
military strength
• Has the ability to dictate &
control international events to
suit its own interests
• Used in 1944 to describe the US
and SU
Causes of the Cold War
1. Competing Ideologies
Soviet Union – Communist One
Party State
US – Capitalist Democracy
Both made it clear they
wanted to spread their beliefs
and influence around the world.
2. The Russian Revolution 1917
February 1917 – Tsar Nicholas II overthrown in revolution by
the people - elections planned, but never happened
October Revolution 1917 - Lenin’s Bolshevik party seized power
and established a Communist state
Lenin abolished private property, nationalized key industries &
banks, suppressed religion, banned political parties, limited
freedom of speech
US sent troops during the Russian Civil War (1918-1921) to
help restore Tsar - Communists victorious and Tsar and family
executed
Established the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics in 1922
(USSR) - US refused to formally recognize the SU until 1933
3. WWII Nazi-Soviet Pact - August
1939
Stalin signed a non-aggression pact
with Hitler – to last 10 years
Secretly agreed to attack and divide
Poland between them (occurred Sept.
1939)
Lasted until June 1941 – when Nazis
attacked SU in Operation Barbarossa
4. The Second Front Delay
After joining the Allies in
1942, Stalin pushed US & Britain
to open a 2nd front
Did not occur until June 1944 – Stalin
suspicious Allies wanted Nazis to kill as
many Soviets as possible (80% of Nazis
Military resources thrown at SU)
Catastrophic losses – Stalingrad
99% of city destroyed, 2 million deaths
Nazis withdrew after 200 days – turning
point in the war for the Allies
5. Yalta & Potsdam Conferences - 1945
US and SU disagreements over the
fate of Germany, Poland & Eastern
Europe
Stalin’s aims: sphere of influence for
security - keep territory in Poland,
Finland & Romania, establish
pro-Soviet governments in Eastern
Europe, weaken Germany through harsh reparations
US aims: curtail Soviet expansion, rebuild Germany & Eastern Europe to
ensure future economic prosperity
6. Atomic Bomb
SU not included in the
Manhattan Project
Stalin saw it as a future
warning to the SU of
America’s power.
7. Eastern Europe
At the end of WWII, Soviet troops
remained in the Eastern European
countries it had freed from the Nazis
Stalin “influenced” the set up pro Soviet
Communist governments in East Germany,
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,
Romania, and Bulgaria
Goal: create a buffer zone to protect the
SU from future attacks (Satellite states)
US - policy of containment and domino
theory
8. Two Camps Speech
Feb. 1946 – USSR declared
the world was now divided
into two hostile camps of
Communism and Capitalism
9. Iron Curtain Speech
Mar. 1946 – Winston Churchill
declared an “Iron Curtain” had
fallen across Europe seperating the
free people of Western Europe and
“the enslaved” people of Soviet
controlled Eastern Europe
Stalin accused the West of
wanting to “rule over the
remaining nations of the world.”
10. Divisions in Germany
After Nazi defeat, Germany and capital city
Berlin were divided between the Allies
West Germany and West Berlin were
temporarily divided into zones, each
one controlled by the British, French,
and Americans
East Germany and East Berlin were
controlled by the SU
West Germany received aid to rebuild
and held free elections in 1949
East Germany left in poverty and
under the control of the SU until 1989
11. Truman Doctrine
1947 – President Truman promised the US
would fight the spread of communism and
Soviet influence anywhere in the world
Financial and military help
Civil war in Greece was the first test
case – US provided $400 million in aid to
defeat the communists
Soviets saw it as a declaration of war against
Communism
12. Marshall Plan
1947 – US offered economic
aid ($13 billion) to all
countries rebuilding after
the war
Stalin refused any help for
SU or Eastern Europe saw it as America spreading
their ideology
13. Berlin Blockade
June 1948 – Soviets blockaded
West Berlin to protest the creation
of a new West Germany currency
Saw this move as American &
capitalist meddling
Blocked all road and railway
access through East Germany
Electricity in West Berlin was cut
Stalin wanted all of Berlin
14. SU Atomic Bomb Test
1949 – SU detonated an atomic bomb
“First Lightning” (nicknamed Joe 1
by Americans)
US atomic superiority disappeared
15. Rival Alliances
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) signed in 1949 and included
most of Western Europe and Canada. It was led by the US. 8 million soldiers
Warsaw Pact signed in 1955 and included all of Eastern Europe,
controlled by the SU. 7.7 million soldiers