Transcript origins of the cold war

ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR
The first serious conflict between the
practices of capitalism and communism
occurred in 1917 after the Russian
Revolution. At this point, the Soviet Union
had become the world’s first major
communist power. With the Russians now
supporting communism, their relations
with the United States became more
difficult. Other events that put a strain on
the relationship were when America
supported the White Army, which opposed
the communists during the Soviet Civil
War, the communists contesting the values
of capitalism, democracy and religion and
ultimately, the Russians withdrawing from
World War I thanks to the Treaty of BrestLitovsk.
The Bolshevik soldiers march to Red Square
in the Soviet Union
COUNTRIES INVOLVED
IN THE COLD WAR
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
THE SOVIET UNION
and its allies
and its allies
THE YALTA CONFERENCE
Also known as the Crimea or Argonaut
Conference, it was a meeting that was held
February 4– 11, 1945. It was between the
leaders of the United Kingdom (Winston
Churchill), United States (Franklin
Roosevelt), and the Soviet Union (Joseph
Stalin). Many different ideas were discussed
and finalized during this meeting.
British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill (left), United States President
Franklin D. Roosevelt (center), and
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the Yalta
Conference
THE YALTA CONFERENCE
An agreement between the three countries
that would make Nazi Germany
unconditionally surrender. In addition, the
United States, United Kingdom, Soviet
Union, and France would occupy Berlin
before East and West Germany were reunified with one another.
British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill (left), United States President
Franklin D. Roosevelt (center), and
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the Yalta
Conference
THE YALTA CONFERENCE
 A strict period of demilitarization would occur in Germany, in addition to the Nazi regime
being removed from power.
 Reparations for Germany could not come in the form of forced labor.
 An allied reparation council would be created, taking place in Moscow, Russia.
The communist Polish government would be reorganized. The Polish Provisional
Government of National Unity would be established and would have democratic elections.
This did not include the Polish government that was in exile since 1939.
The eastern border of Poland would follow the Curzon Line, as well as getting territorial
compensation from Germany in the West. However, the exact location of where the Western
border would be located would be discussed in a future peace treaty between the two
countries.
THE YALTA CONFERENCE
 Soviet and Yugoslavian citizens would be returned to their own countries, no matter if
they had consent or not.
 Stalin promised Roosevelt that he would participate in the United Nations. This
agreement came after it was decided that the five permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council would have veto power. At the same time, Churchill was trying to
get France on the Security Council.
 Stalin also wanted all 16 Soviet states to be granted entry into the United Nations. The
only two that were granted this request were Ukrainian SSR and Byelarussian SSR.
 Stalin also agreed that he would join the Allies in their fight against the Japanese Empire
within ninety days of the Allies’ defeat of Germany. The Soviet Union would also get the
Kurile Islands and the southern part of Sakhalin after the Japanese were defeated.
 The Committee of Dismemberment of Germany was also going to be established. The
main part of the meeting was to see how Germany would be divided into several different
nations and what borders these nations would have.
PARTION PLANS FOR
GERMANY
The eventual
Partition Plan
for Germany
Churchill’s
Partition Plan
Roosevelt’s
Partition Plan
Henry
Morgenthau’s
Partition Plan
* Henry Morgenthau was the United States Secretary of the Treasury
HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BOMB
The United States, thanks to the
completion of the Manhattan Project, had
constructed the first atomic bomb. In an
effort to end the war in the Pacific, the
United States dropped its first atomic
bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy” on
Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb was
dropped by the B-29 bomber Enola Gay
piloted by Paul Tibbets. The bomb
initially killed approximately 80,000
people. After the costs of injury and
radiation were incurred, the total number
of casualties ranged between 90,000 and
140,000. Almost three quarters of the
city’s buildings were damaged in the
attack.
The atomic bomb is dropped over
Hiroshima, Japan
JAPAN SURRENDERS
The United States dropped a second
atomic bomb on the Japanese, this time
on the city of Nagasaki. It was dropped
out of the B-29 Superfortress Bockscar.
Nicknamed “Fat Man,” the bomb killed
40,000 to 75,000 instantly, with the total
deaths reaching approximately 80,000 by
the end of 1945. The United States had
been planning for a third and possibly
more atomic attacks in Japan. After these
attacks, Japanese Emperor Hirohito met
with many people in his administration.
They decided that if the Japanese were to
continue to fight, it would result in their
Japanese representatives meet aboard the
obliteration by another atomic bomb.
USS Missouri in September 1945 for the
They decided the only way to save their
official surrender ceremonies
people was to surrender.
CICERO © 2012
10
THE IRON CURTAIN
Winston Churchill,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom
Churchill was not prime minister at the time
of the speech. FDR was in the audience.
The term “Iron Curtain” was used to describe the influence
of communism that was slowly falling over Europe.
German politician and Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph
Goebbels was the first to discuss an Iron Curtain that was
coming down on the countries of Europe. Winston Churchill
popularized the term on March 5, 1946, when he gave his
Sinews of Peace speech at Westminster College in Fulton,
Missouri. In the speech he stated, “From Stettin in the
Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has
descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the
capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe.
Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade,
Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the
populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet
sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only
to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases,
increasing measure of control from Moscow.”
THE MARSHALL PLAN
The map shows the countries in Europe
that received aid from the Marshall Plan.
The red bars show how much aid was
received.
The Marshall Plan was a plan that was
devised by United States Secretary of State
George Marshall. The plan called for a
comprehensive program of economic
assistance for the war-ravaged countries of
Western-Europe. The Marshall Plan also
offered the same amount of aid to Japan, but
only if it made specific reforms to its
government and allowed parts of its country
be controlled from the outside. The United
States also offered to aid the Soviet Union.
However, the Soviets later rejected this plan,
saying it was too similar to dollar
imperialism. This term meant that the United
States was trying to create its own
“economic empire” in Europe after World
War II had concluded.
The Soviets were also not willing to undergo a comprehensive American
audit of the proposed aid funds. They did not want the Americans to see
the issues with their communist economy.
THE RED SCARE
Logo of the Communist Party of
the United States
Beginning in 1947, the “Red Scare” in the
United States had reached its peak.
Americans had an increased fear of
communists infiltrating the United States
government. Due to the Great Depression,
the government feared that Americans could
eventually embrace the ideology. This was
apparent when in 1939, there were
approximately 50,000 Americans who were a
part of the Communist Party of the United
States (CPUSA). Claims of the infiltration of
the government gained credibility when
former CPUSA members Elizabeth Bentley
and Whittaker Chambers said that Soviet
spies and communists had breached the
American government.
THE SOVIET’S FIRST
ATOMIC BOMB
The Soviet Union tested its first atomic
bomb on August 29, 1949. The test,
which was known to Americans as the
Joe 1, was a success. The bomb was
tested at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. This
made the Soviet Union the second
nuclear power in the world. The design of
the bomb was very similar to that of the
“Fat Man” bomb that was dropped on
Nagasaki, Japan. The thing that shocked
Americans was that the development of
the atomic weapon came years ahead of
when they thought the Soviets were going
to construct the bomb.
The first Soviet atomic bomb, Joe 1, explodes in
Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, on August 29, 1949.
MCCARTHYISM
Senator Joseph McCarthy
During the height of the Red Scare of the 1950s,
Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin made a
speech in which he claimed he had a list of two
hundred five known communists that were
working in the United States’ State Department.
He also claimed that Secretary of State Dean
Acheson was aware of these claims and did
nothing about it. McCarthy would go on to
conduct hearings in Congress in which he would
accuse people of being communist sympathizers
who were trying to infiltrate the United States
government. McCarthy’s purported “communist
witch hunt” made him politically popular but
ruined the lives of many men and women that he
accused, based on dubious evidence. McCarthy
later tried to accuse members of the army of being
communists. This led to a trial and his
condemnation in the Senate.
THE KOREAN WAR
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950.
It was the culmination of many border
clashes between North Korea and South
Korea. The communist North Korea was
attempted to exert its influence in South
Korea during South Korea’s free
elections in May 1950. When communist
leaders were not elected, the North
Koreans were angry, demanding that the
South Koreans have another election.
When the South Koreans refused, the
army of North Korea launched an attack
on South Korea. Over time, both the
United States, the People’s Republic of
China, and the Soviet Union became
involved in this conflict, as it become part
of the Cold War.
American trucks cross the 38th Parallel
in Korea
THE ROSENBERG TRIAL
Ethel (left) and Julius Rosenberg
after their conviction
The trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who
were charged with giving information about the
atomic bomb to the Soviet Union, began on
March 6, 1951. For both the Rosenbergs, there
was a sufficient amount of evidence for the jury
to find them guilty of conspiracy and espionage.
The Rosenbergs were convicted on March 29,
1951 and later sentenced to death by the electric
chair. Their convictions had helped Senator
McCarthy’s claims of communists infiltrating
the United States government. Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg were the only two American citizens
killed for spying during the Cold War.
DEATH OF JOSEPH STALIN
Joseph Stalin’s body lies in state at the
House of Trades in Moscow, Russia
Nikita Khrushchev
On March 5, 1953, Joseph Stalin died of a cerebral hemorrhage. There was no potential
successor to fill in for Stalin. The highest officials in the Communist Party stated that they
would jointly rule the Soviet Union, although a power struggle eventually took place. Nikita
Khrushchev won the struggle and assumed control of the Soviet Union by the mid 1950s.
END OF THE KOREAN WAR
When Eisenhower was campaigning for president of
the United States, he had promised to go to Korea to
negotiate an end to the conflict. India had proposed a
ceasefire to the United Nations for North and South
Korea. Eisenhower took part in the talks and secretly
threatened to use atom bombs against North Korea if
a truce could not be reached. It agreed to a truce. It
was put into action on July 27, 1953. A demilitarized
zone was established behind the front lines. Peace
talks occurred in Kaesong, the old capital of Korea.
While both North Korea and the United States signed
the truce agreement, South Korea refused to sign the
document.
Graphic shows how territory
changed hands in the early
part of the Korean War
SPUTNIK
The first Sputnik, which was a satellite
launched by the Soviets, was sent into
orbit on October 4, 1957. The impact of
the successful launch of the satellite was
felt in the United States. The United
States had failed in two launch attempts
for Project Vanguard, which had intended
to launch the first artificial satellite into
the orbit of earth. Not to be outdone, the
United States launched many satellites
into orbit in rapid-fire succession.
America did not want the Soviets to have
better technology. Some of the satellites
that the United States launched were
Project SCORE, Explorer 1, and the
Courier 1B. Increased government
spending also went toward scientific
research.
A model of the first Sputnik satellite
CUBAN REVOLUTION
Fidel Castro in 1959
The Cuban Revolution was the revolt that resulted
in the rise of Fidel Castro to power in the now
Marxist Cuba. General Fulgencio Batista, who
was supported by the United
States, was overthrown on January 1, 1959 by a
group known as the 26th of July Movement. Castro
had been exiled to Mexico after being let out of a
fifteen-year sentence early for attacking Batista’s
government. While in Mexico, Castro gathered
more Cuban exiles to start planning for a
revolution against Batista. The fighting raged for
approximately three years, with the exiles slowly
closing in on Batista. Batista fled to the
Dominican Republic. This enabled Castro to take
control of the island, with Manuel Urrutia Lleo
being the first president under him. Soon, Cuba’s
new communist leaders became allied with the
Soviet Union.
BAY OF PIGS INVASION
The poster warns of the pending
invasion of the Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs Invasion occurred between
April 15–19, 1961. It was an unsuccessful
attempted invasion in southwest Cuba by
Cuban exiles, headed by the CIA. They were
attempting to overthrow the government of
Fidel Castro. The invasion occurred shortly
after John F. Kennedy became president.
When the invasion failed, it proved to be a
severe blemish for the Kennedy
administration. In addition, it made Cuba’s
Fidel Castro become very concerned about
the tenuous relationship between the United
States and Cuba. Three major Central
Intelligence Agency officials were forced to
resign as well, with the most notable being
CIA Director Allen Dulles.
APOLLO PROGRAM
At his inauguration, John F. Kennedy
announced his intentions for the United
States to put a man on the moon by the end
of the decade. This would become the start
of the Apollo Program. America did not
want to be left behind in the space race, as
they saw Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
become the first man to fly in space on
April 12, 1961. The next day, Congressmen
were talking about catching up with the
Russians. Kennedy was determined to have
the United States put a man on the moon
before the Russians. Kennedy’s challenge
for an American to go to the moon was
answered on July 20, 1969, when Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the
moon.
President Kennedy announcing his
intentions to go the moon on May 25, 1961
THE BERLIN WALL
Construction of the Berlin Wall begins
Construction of the Berlin Wall began on
August 13, 1961. Its purpose was to divide
East Berlin and West Berlin. The wall was
being built by the Soviets in order to stop the
flood of people who had been attempting to
make their way out of East Germany. During
the construction of the wall, some of the
streets that were alongside the barrier were
torn up so that cars and other vehicles would
not be able to make their way through to the
other side. Soldiers were stationed at the
wall, with orders to shoot anyone who tried
to escape from either side. In addition to this,
minefields and chain fences were set up to
further prevent people from escaping.
U.S. ROOTS IN VIETNAM
When the French withdrew from Vietnam, the United States
organized a conference to prevent Ho Chi Minh and the
communists from controlling all of Vietnam. Vietnam was
divided into two sections, North and South. Like Korea, the
North was governed by Ho Chi Minh and his party. The South
would be independent and have its own elections in 1956. A
temporary government, backed by the United States, was set
up in Saigon. The United States provided financial and
military support to the South.
South Vietnamese who supported Ho Chi Minh made up a
resistance group known as the National Liberation Front. Its
military arm was known as the Viet Cong. The 1956 election
never occurred. The United States became more involved in
the conflict by 1962. The Republic of Vietnam, located in
South Vietnam, was aided by the United States in its war
against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in the North, and
Viet Cong forces operating in South Vietnam.
The map depicts the military
regions of South Vietnam
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
President Kennedy talks with his Cabinet
in a meeting during the Cuban Missile
Crisis.
The Soviets had been secretly installing
military bases on the island of Cuba, which
was only 90 miles off the coast of the United
States. In 1962, photographs from a U-2 spy
plane revealed these bases appeared to have
nuclear weapons. President John F. Kennedy
ordered a “quarantine” of the island, which
sparked a thirteen-day conflict that brought
the United States and the Soviet Union close
to nuclear war. In the end, the Soviets backed
down and agreed to withdraw their nuclear
missiles from Cuba, in exchange for a secret
agreement by Kennedy guaranteeing that the
United States would not move against the
Castro regime and would remove their
nuclear weapons from Turkey.
KENNEDY ASSASSINATION
On November 22, 1963, President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Kennedy had been struck by gunshots while
riding in his presidential motorcade through
Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. The official
explanation was that he was assassinated by
Lee Harvey Oswald, who fired shots from the
sixth floor of the Texas School Book
Depository. This conclusion was made after a
ten-month investigation by the Warren
Commission, which looked into the death of
President Kennedy. After Kennedy was
declared dead at 1 p.m. at Parkland Hospital,
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn
in as President while on Air Force One.
Speculation persists that there may have been a
larger conspiracy behind the shooting rather
than Oswald working as the lone gunman.
A photograph taken just seconds after the
fatal shot to President Kennedy
APOLLO 11
Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon. Neil
Armstrong took this photo.
The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned
space mission to land on the Moon. In addition,
it was the fifth manned flight in the history of
the Apollo program. The mission was launched
on July 16, 1969. The astronauts were
Commander Neil Armstrong, Command
Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar
Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. Four days
later, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first
men to land and walk on the moon. As stated
before, this fulfilled the late President
Kennedy’s goal of reaching the moon by the
end of the 1960s. Upon landing on the moon,
Neil Armstrong stated “That’s one small step
for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
IRANIAN REVOLUTION
The Iranian Revolution started on January
16, 1979. It was the transformation of Iran
from a monarchy to an Islamic Republic.
The pro-Western Shah of Iran, Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi, was ousted from power. In his
place, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became
the leader of the Islamic Republic. The
interesting part of the revolution was that it
did not contain many of the aspects of a
traditional revolution, such as a military
rebellion or a war. Many thought that the
regime of Pahlavi would never be
overthrown. The revolution was prophetic in
that the Iranian leaders opposed both the
United States and the Soviet Union, and set
up a government based on the laws of Islam.
Ayatollah Khomeini departs a
plane
IRANIAN HOSTAGE CRISIS
An American hostage being escorted
by the Iranian captors
The Iranian Hostage Crisis was a diplomatic crisis
between Iran and the United States. During this
incident, fifty-three United States diplomats were
taken hostage by members of the Muslim Student
Followers of the Imam’s Line. The reason that the
Americans were being held hostage was that they
perceived Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former
Shah of Iran, to be a war criminal and demanded
that the United States return him to Iran for trial.
Pahlavi was in the United States to receive medical
treatment. The American diplomats were held
hostage by the Iranians, who would not release
them until their demands were met. Iran and the
United States eventually worked out a deal,
releasing the hostages four hundred forty-four days
after they were captured.
THE MIRACLE ON ICE
The “Miracle on Ice” was the nickname that
was given to the victory of the United States
Olympic Hockey team over the Soviet Union
in the final group stage game of the 1980
Winter Olympics. The event occurred on
February 22, 1980. The American team was
comprised of athletes for amateur and
college level teams, and was coached by
Herb Brooks. The United States was able to
defeat the Soviets 4-3. After this, the United
States defeated Finland 4-2 in the
championship game for the gold medal. The
Soviet Union ended up winning the silver
medal.
United States captain Mike Eruzione
celebrates after scoring a key goal
against the Soviets.
FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL
A crane removes part of the Berlin
Wall toward the end of 1989
Soviet reforms and its eventual state of
bankruptcy allowed the eastern part of Europe to
rise up against the communist governments. On
November 9, 1989, the border that had been
dividing East and West Germany was finally
opened. This occurred after weeks of civil unrest
within the country. Upon hearing this decree, a
swarm of East Germans rushed the wall, with the
guards at the wall caught off guard by the
massive amounts of people who were coming.
The East Germans were able to climb onto the
wall and cross it, meeting up with friends and
family that had been in West Germany. Over the
new few weeks, parts of the wall were taken by
those wanting a piece of history. It was later torn
down with traditional construction equipment.
LEGACY OF THE COLD WAR
In the end, the Cold War cost the United States
up to $8 trillion in military costs. In addition,
more than 100,000 Americans died in Vietnam
and Korea as a result of the United States’
involvement in these conflicts. The Soviets spent
even more of their resources to maintain their
superpower status. In the end, the cost of the
incessant arms race drove the Soviet Union into
bankruptcy and then out of existence.
The end of the Cold War left the United States a
major player in the post-Cold War global
economic and political systems. By 1989,
America was accountable for alliances with fifty
different countries, with United States soldiers
stationed in one hundred seventeen countries.