Transcript Slide 1
THE COLD WAR VS. 1945 - 1991 The Cold War 1) U.S. involvement in the Second World War quickly cured the economic dilemma of the Great Depression and forever shattered the American tradition of isolationism. World War II completely devastated Europe and Asia and thrust the United States into a position of global dominance (A “Super-power”). Berlin, 1945 Paris Londo London n Tokyo The Cold War 4) It was evident during the Second World War that the Communist Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin would inevitably clash with the democratic and capitalist United States over the shape of the post-war world. The Cold War 6) Both powers were intensely suspicious of one another and continually sought to challenge and threaten the other’s influence and control over international affairs. Despite a number of tense confrontations, they never directly fought one another. The Cold War 7) This polarized international system of “indirect conflict” between the United States and the Soviet Union fittingly became known as the “Cold War.” From Ally to Enemy 4) The Yalta Conference = The last meeting that included President Roosevelt was in February 1945 on the shores of the Black Sea in the resort town of Yalta. The Big Three made numerous agreements concerning the postwar European peace that would later serve as a cause of conflict that quickly dissolved their wartime alliance. From Ally to Enemy USSR 6) As the Stalin’s Red Army drove back the Germans and eventually encircled Berlin, the Soviet tanks remained in the countries of Eastern Europe after the German surrender. Stalin broke his promise at Yalta and used military force to make the nations of Eastern Europe “satellite states” which became a part of the Soviet Union. The United Nations 1) Despite several broken promises, the Yalta conference also secured the creation of the United Nations as a significant international peacekeeping organization. The United Nations 4) Reflecting the monumental shift in American foreign policy since the rejected Treaty of Versailles, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved of U.S. membership in the United Nations in the summer of 1945. Postwar Germany 1) Defeated Germany was divided into four military occupation zones that were individually governed by the four major Allied powers, the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Postwar Germany 3) It became evident that the Soviets never intended to reunify the divided German state. The U.S., British, and French zones eventually formed into the independent and democratic nation of Western Germany. Postwar Germany 4) The city of Berlin was also divided into four military occupation zones, but the city was dangerously located within the Soviet sector of East Germany. The Truman Doctrine 1) In an effort to stem the tide of Soviet expansionism and military threats, the Truman Administration announced its bold “containment” policy in 1947. The Truman Doctrine USSR 2) The “Truman Doctrine” of containment declared that the United States would vigilantly use a combination of economic aid and military force to prevent the spread of communism around the world. The Marshall Plan (1947) 3) During the summer of 1947, Truman’s Secretary of State, George C. Marshall developed a bold plan to provide substantial U.S. financial assistance to war-torn Europe if the individual nations developed a joint plan for regional economic recovery. The Marshall Plan (1947) 4) In exchange for vital U.S. aid, the democracies of Western Europe eagerly cooperated and committed themselves to non-protectionist economic policies (no tariffs) that fostered regional economic recovery in Western Europe. The Marshall Plan (1947) 6) The Marshall Plan was wildly successful and provided an astounding $12.5 billion over four years in sixteen different European nations. A number of nations met or exceeded their pre-war production levels just a few years after the plan was implemented. NATO (1949) 1) Fearing the possibility of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe; Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg signed a defensive alliance in late 1948 known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO (1949) 2) Shortly after NATO was formed, the United States was officially invited to join. The NATO alliance depended upon the principle of ‘collective security” and the member nations were military committed to the defense of one another in the event that one was attacked. NATO (1949) 3) The United States had historically avoided entangling military alliances because they directly conflicted with the tradition of American isolationism. However, NATO could greatly strengthen U.S. national security and could employ the help of Western European nations in the enforcement of containment. 4) Reflecting the shift in postwar U.S. foreign policy, President Truman decided to join NATO and the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved in July 1949. NATO (1949) 5) The Soviet Union responded in 1955 by establishing a similar agreement known as the “Warsaw Pact” among its satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe. (Poland, Hungary, Romania, etc.) N.A.T.O vs. U.N. NATO is an organization (smaller in size) designed to fight war, if necessary, in order to defend peace. N.A.T.O The U.N. is an organization designed to avoid war in order to maintain peace. U.N.