Transcript Document
Focus
• What do you remember about
the Cold War from World
History?
The Cold War [1945-1991]:
An Ideological Struggle
Soviet &
Eastern Bloc
Nations
[“Iron Curtain”]
GOAL spread
US & the
Western
Democracies
GOAL
“Containment” of
Communism & the
world-wide
Communism
METHODOLOGIES: eventual collapse
of the Communist
1. Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]
world.
2. Arms Race [nuclear escalation] [George Kennan]
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 Conference
Feb. 1945
• The Division of
Germany once the war
is over
• Soviet Union would
occupy Eastern
European countries
and agreed to hold
elections in these
countries following
the war
Potsdam Conference
July 1945
The Soviet Union 1922-1991
Roots of the Cold War
• Differences between the Soviet Union and the
United States reached back to the 1920s.
Philosophical • Soviet Union: communism, totalitarian
Differences
dictatorship
• United States: capitalism, republic
• Allies during the war, but not truly friends
World War II • Soviets wanted British and Americans to open a
second European front earlier in the war. 28
Conflicts
• U.S. atomic bomb plans worried Soviet Union.
Postwar
Conflicts
• The Soviet Union refused to let Eastern Europe
hold elections as promised at Yalta.
• The United States resisted Soviet expansion.
Which of the causes do you think was the major source
Of conflict leading to the Cold War?
Map
Pair Share
• What were some causes of the Cold
War?
The Iron Curtain
What is an Iron Curtain?
• Stalin wanted to retain political and economic control over
Eastern Europe.
• The Soviets managed to install Communist governments
throughout Eastern Europe.
– Stalin outlawed political parties or newspapers that opposed the
Communists.
– The Soviets jailed or killed some political opponents.
– The Soviets rigged elections to ensure the success of Communists.
• Yugoslavia was the one Eastern European nation that was not
under the direct control of Stalin and the Soviet Union.
– Josip Broz Tito, a Communist, refused to take orders from the Soviet
Union.
• The Soviet Union relocated Germans living in Poland and other
countries of Eastern Europe.
The Iron Curtain
Western Views of the Iron Curtain
• Winston Churchill attacked the Soviet Union for creating an
Iron Curtain.
• The term reflected Churchill’s belief that communism had
created a sharp division in Europe.
• Harry S Truman urged his secretary of state to get tough with
the Soviets.
Soviet Views of the Iron Curtain
• Stalin believed that the Iron Curtain was necessary to protect
the Soviet Union from western attacks.
• Stalin used Churchill’s words to help persuade his people that
the United States and Great Britain were their enemies.
• He also used this as an excuse to rebuild the military.
Iron Curtain
Explain the
meaning of the
political cartoon.
Who are the
people? What are
they doing? Etc.
Buffer Zone
Soviet Union & Communism
Russian History of Invasion
• France (Napoleon) 350,000 Russians killed
• Germany (WWI) 5 million Russians killed
Total deaths of WWI- 16 million
• Germany (WWII) 30 million Russians killed
*Japan 2 million, Germany 7 million killed
Total deaths of WWII- 60-70 million
Stalin wanted a Buffer Zone against future attacks
What is a Buffer Zone? Was he Justified?
Pair Share:
Analyze this
Political
Cartoon
Pair Share:
Analyze this
Political
Cartoon
• Who said, “An Iron Curtain has
descended upon the Continent?”
• What is the Iron Curtain?
United States Response to Communism
• George Keenan comes up with the containment
policy (keep communism where it is, do not let it
spread)
• Truman Doctrine: We will help countries at risk of
becoming communist
• Marshall Plan: Sent $13 billion to Western
European nations
• Berlin Airlift: Soviets close Berlin; US flies in
supplies to the people for nearly 1 year, flying
280,000 flights in and out or Berlin
• What is the official Cold War policy of
the United States?
• Define
How did the United States respond to Soviet
actions in Europe?
Containment
Truman Doctrine
Marshall Plan
• George F.
Kennan created a
policy known as
containment.
• Said that the
United States
would help people
fight against
oppressors
• An aid program to
rebuild the
economies of
European countries
to create stable
conditions for
democracies
• This policy stated
that the United
States should
resist Soviet
attempts to
expand its power.
• Containment
included economic
aid, sanctions, and
military force.
• Truman wanted to
send aid to Greece
and Turkey to help
them fight Soviet
pressure.
• Congress agreed
to send millions of
dollars to Greece
and Turkey.
Map
• 17 countries
received $13.4
billion dollars in aid.
• Helped build strong
political support in
Western Europe
Plan
• What was the Truman Doctrine?
• What was the Marshall Plan?
Crisis in Berlin
• With the start of the Cold War, it became clear that the Soviets
planned to keep their German zone under Communist control.
• The British, Americans, and French began to take steps to set up
a free, democratic government within their German zones.
– The western zone eventually became known as the Federal
Republic of Germany, or West Germany.
• The British, Americans, and French also tried to set up a
democratic government in West Berlin.
– The Soviets were not happy with the idea of a Western-style
government and economy in the middle of the Soviet zone of
occupation.
The Crisis in Berlin
Soviets Bloc Traffic
The Berlin Airlift
NATO Forms
• In June 1948 the
Soviets announced
that they would
block any road, rail,
or river traffic into
West Berlin.
• British and
American planes
began making
deliveries to West
Berlin.
• In 1949 the U.S. and
6 other nations
joined Belgium,
France, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, and
the U.K. to form
NATO.
• West Berlin’s
residents were cut
off from food, coal,
and other products.
• West Berlin was not
completely cutoff
because it had
airstrips.
Berlin
• The Berlin Airlift
continued for
months and
months.
• Finally, the Soviet
Union lifted its
blockade on May
12, 1949.
• An armed attack
against one would be
considered an attack
against all.
• Today, 26 countries
belong to NATO.
Berlin
Airlift
Berlin Air Lift
June 1948- May 1949
7,000 tons of supplies daily
Pair Share:
Analyze this
Political
Cartoon.
• Why did the Soviet Union block all
traffic into West Berlin?
• How did the U.S. respond?
• What is NATO?
What were two different ways that the
Marshall Plan benefited the United States?
Why did the U.S. offer aid to Eastern
European countries?
Why do you think the Soviet Union refused
U.S. aid?
Back
Crisis In Berlin
• The Soviet Union has just blocked all
access routes into West Berlin. 2.1
million residents are now without
food, water, and other basic
necessities? If you were the
president, what would you do?
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NATO
NATO
NATO Today
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Why help Greece and Turkey?
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