Transcript Spread of the Cold War

Topic: The Cold War (1945-1991)
The United States and the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics (USSR) emerged as the two
strongest powers in international affairs.
Ideologically opposed, they challenged one
another in a series of confrontations known as
the Cold War. The costs of this prolonged
contest weakened the USSR so that it collapsed
due to internal upheavals as well as American
pressure. The Cold War had social and political
implications in the United States.
Content Statement:
The United States followed a policy of
containment during the Cold War in
response to the spread of communism.
Expectations for Learning:
Analyze the policy of containment the
United States followed during the Cold War
in response to the spread of communism.
Truman Doctrine: Background
• Greek Government vs Greek Communists
• Truman requested that Congress provide
$400,000,000 worth of aid to both the Greek
and Turks to stave off communism in the
region
• Truman argued that a Communist victory in
the Greek Civil War would endanger the
political stability of Turkey, which would
undermine the political stability of the
Middle East
Truman Doctrine: Background
• This could not be
allowed in light
of the region’s
immense strategic
importance to
U.S. national
security
Truman Doctrine – 1947
• The U.S. was compelled to assist “free
peoples” in their struggles against
“totalitarian regimes” because the
spread of authoritarianism would
“undermine the foundations of
international peace and hence the security
of the United States.”
Truman Doctrine – 1947
• The Truman Doctrine
committed the U.S. to
actively offering
assistance to preserve
the political integrity of
democratic nations
when such an offer was
deemed to be in the
best interest of the U.S.
Truman Doctrine: Legacy
• The Truman Doctrine effectively
reoriented U.S. foreign policy, away from
withdrawal and isolation to one of
possible intervention in faraway conflicts
• It became the U.S. policy for decades
Containment and the Truman Doctrine
• The policy for the U.S. to provide military
and economic aid to Greece and Turkey
because they were threatened by
Communism
• Policy of Containment
– Adopted by U.S. in 1947
– Keep communism within its existing
boundaries and prevent further Soviet
aggressive moves
Marshall Plan 1948:
Rebuild War-torn Europe
“The U.S. should provide aid to all
European nations that need it. This move
is not against any country or doctrine, but
against hunger, poverty, desperation, and
chaos.”
~ George Marshall
Secretary of State under
President Truman
Marshall Plan: Legacy
• A great humanitarian effort
• Secretary of State Marshall became the
only military general ever to receive a
Nobel Prize for peace
• The Marshall Plan also institutionalized
and legitimized the concept of U.S.
foreign aid programs, which have
become a integral part of U.S. foreign
policy
Marshall Plan Aid to Europe 1948 - 1952
The Problem of Germany
• Split into 4 zones
–U.S., Great Britain, France, and Soviet
Union
• Berlin also split into 4 zones
–Surrounded by the Soviet Union zone
of Germany
Divided Germany/Berlin
The Problem of Germany
• Soviet Union
–Eventually, they took control of East
Germany and East Berlin
–Forced their regime and communism
on their new territories, even though
Stalin promised free and democratic
elections in these places
Eastern European nations
East Germany
The Spread of Communism
• Following WWII, the Soviets stayed in
Eastern European countries after chasing
Hitler back to Germany
• The Soviets set up Communist
governments in:
–Poland
–Hungary
–Latvia
–Bulgaria
–Lithuania
–Romania
–Estonia
The Spread of Communism
• Stalin wanted
a communist
buffer
• Communism
threatened all
of Europe
Iron Curtain
Berlin Blockade:
June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949
• The three western sections of Germany
and Berlin and created a West German
government and announced a new
currency
• Stalin responded by attempting to force
the western allies out of Berlin altogether
− He cut off rail and road access to the
western side of the city and turned off
electricity
Berlin Airlift Begins: June 25, 1948
• The U.S. and Great
Britain mounted a
massive airlift to keep
the western sectors
supplied with the 5000
tons of food per day and
fuel that the city
needed…and chocolate
for children
Lt. Halvorsen
dropping candy.
He became known
as the “candy
bomber”.
Berlin Airlift
277,264 flights
and 1.5 million
tons of aid
Video
Berlin Blockade Ends
• Lasted 324 days
• May 1949, Stalin cancels blockade
• Germany divided after blockade cancelled
– September, 1949
The Federal Republic of Germany, or
West Germany was formally created
– October 7, 1949
The German Democratic Republic, East
Germany was set up by the Soviets
Alliances Soon Formed
• NATO – North Atlantic
Treaty Organization
–A military alliance of 28 North
American and European countries
An attack on one = An attack on all
–The role of the organization is to
safeguard the freedom and security of
its member countries by political and
military means
Alliances Soon Formed
• Warsaw Pact
–An organization formed
in 1955 comprising
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,
East Germany, Hungary,
Poland, Romania, and the
U.S.S.R., for collective
defense under a joint
military command
Warsaw Pact
• Alliance formed by the Soviet Union
• Countered NATO
• This increased fears during the Cold War
Spread of the Communism: China
• Communist Mao Zedong was victorious
over Chiang Kai-shek, who was
supported by the U.S.
• Establishment of the People's Republic
of China (PRC)
• The “fall” of mainland China to
communism in 1949 led the U.S. to
suspend diplomatic ties with the PRC for
decades
Mutually Assured Destruction
Whoever shoots first, dies second.
Spread of the Cold War: Proxy Wars
• The policy of containment was the basis
for U.S. involvement in the Korean and
Vietnam wars
• Mindful that a full-scale nuclear
exchange would be a disaster for both
sides, the superpowers fought each other
through a variety of proxy wars in other
places