The Cold War

A look back: Yalta ConferenceFebruary 1945Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin

Purpose was to discuss Europe's post-war reorganization

The Cold WarThe Big 3’s decisions:

USSR was given control of E. Europe until free elections could be held—ha!Germany was divided into U.S., France, England & USSR zones

Results of the Yalta Conference

E. Europe never had free electionsE. European nations became satellite states of USSRGermany was split into East (communist) and West (democracy)

Stalin and Eastern Europe

He created “buffer states” between USSR and the West

East and West Germany 1945-1990

Iron Curtain

Term coined by ChurchillUsed to described the division of Europe

**This is an invisible curtain!!

East and West Berlin 1945-1990

Berlin was divided into East (Commie) and West (Democracy)

Good to Remember…

North-East = Communism

South-West = Democracy

Cold War Policy of US and the WestTensions developed:

US and USSR don’t trust each other

Soviets (totalitarianism and communism)

VsUS and West (democracy and capitalism)

US saw Soviets as a threat to spread communism throughout Europe

ContainmentPolicy of US and West was to “contain” (stop) the spread of Communism: Truman Doctrine

Domino Theory If one country “falls” to communism, soon after its neighbor will also become communistThen the next neighbor will “fall” … and so onThis was used to justify U.S. involvement in Europe

US Policy-The Truman Doctrine

1947 – Pres. Truman’s economic and military aid program to help people resist communist aggression

The Marshall PlanUS feared poor countries of Europe would come under Soviet controlMP: offered economic aid to “any country that needed it” to lessen appeal of communism

Berlin Blockade - 1948 3 democratic sides combinedUSSR cut-off all land access to BerlinUS sent in packages to help outSoviets gave in and eventually opened access routes

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Includes US, Canada and most of W Europe

Warsaw Pact – Defensive alliance between the Soviet Union and its satellites

Formed in response to NATO

NATO (Green) and Warsaw Pact (Red)

Berlin – The WallAfter the split of Germany and Berlin, thousands of Germans fled to W Berlin to escape communist E Germany1961 – E Germany built a wall to stop the flowThe wall symbolized the Cold War

“Checkpoint Charlie”

BrinkmanshipUS Pres. Eisenhower threatened to “retaliate instantly” to any Soviet aggressionThis led to an arms race

Both sides threatened to use all-out nuclear war

Bay of PigsUnsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba An attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro Invasion was launched in April 1961 The Cuban armed forces, trained and equipped by Eastern Bloc nations, defeated the invading combatants within three days. All Cuban Nationalists were taken prisoner

Gave Soviets the feeling that the US couldn’t stop them in the Western HemisphereThis will eventually lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis

Results…

Cuban Missile CrisisA thirteen-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other JFK vs Nikita Khrushchev The Cuban and Soviet governments secretly began to build bases in Cuba for a number of medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic nuclear missiles (MRBMs and IRBMs) with the ability to strike most of the continental United States.

On October 14, 1962, a United States Air Force U-2 plane on a photoreconnaissance mission captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba Marks the first documented instance of the threat of mutual assured destruction (MAD) being discussed as a determining factor in a major international arms agreement Confrontation ended when Soviets decided to remove missiles from Cuba and US privately removed their missiles from Turkey and Italy