THE COLD WAR

What is More Important?

• Equality

• Freedom

• Should we all share the same grade?

• Should all students be given different grades?

The Scene

• Following WWII, the world needed to be rebuilt.

• The two nations that performed this task were the United States and the Soviet Union.

• They became known as the two SUPERPOWERS.

TWO NATIONS

United States:

Political System: Democracy

Economic System: Free Enterprise, Market, Capitalist.

Soviet Union

Political System: Single Party Rule

Economic System: Communism

COMMUNIST THREAT ABROAD

• Iron Curtain: This phrase referred to the division between Democratic West Europe and Communist East Europe.

Soviet Aggression

• East Europe: Countries were forced to have Communist governments by the USSR.

• Turkey and Greece: The Soviet Union threatened to force Turkey and Greece into Communism.

Truman Doctrine

• Truman Doctrine: Truman declared that the United States would support any nation resisting a Communist takeover.

• Containment: The belief that Communism should be contained and not allowed to spread.

Rival Plans

• Marshall Plan: This gave money to nations in Europe to rebuild their economies. Over 13 billion dollars in aid was provided.

• Molotov Plan: The Soviet plan to help Eastern European nations recover.

Rival Teams

• NATO: (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) An Alliance between Western democracies to protect against and attack from the Soviet Union.

• Warsaw Pact: An Alliance between Communist Eastern European countries designed for protection.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Cold_war_europe_military_alliances_map_en.png

Berlin Trouble

• Berlin Blockade: In June 1948 the Soviet Union cut off access to West Berlin.

• Berlin Airlift: The US airlifted 2.5 millions tons of supplies into Berlin to keep the city functioning.

• Berlin Wall: In 1961 the East German Army built a wall separating East and West Berlin.

• http://www.history.com/videos/berlin-wall-deconstructed#berlin-wall-deconstructed

Cracking the Whip

• Feb. 1948: Czechoslovakia becomes Communist under threat of Soviet invasion.

• Oct. 1956: Hungary attempted to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact but the Soviet Union crushed the “rebellion”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EasternBloc_BorderChange38-48.svg

Asian Issues

• China: In 1949 Mao’s Communists took over China.

• Korean War: In 1950, Communist North Korea invaded South Korea.

• Ambush: The UN forces pushed the North up to the Chinese border where Chinese soldiers entered the fight.

• Stalemate: In 1953, both sides agreed to a cease-fire and the nation remains divided to this day.

• http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/koreanwar/

• http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war/videos#truman-sacks-general-macarthur

Red Scare

• Red Scare: During the 1950’s many in the government became worried about Soviet spies.

• McCarthyism: Term for the wild accusations of communists by Senator Eugene McCarthy.

What’s the Big Deal?

• Soviets Get the Bomb: In September 1949, the Soviet Union tested their own atomic bomb before it was thought possible.

• Sputnik: A Soviet satellite launched in 1957.

Arms Race

• Arms Race: Both nations sought to build up their nuclear arsenal to gain an advantage.

• Mutually Assured Destruction: The build-up of nuclear weapons meant war between the US and the USSR would destroy both nations.

Real Consequences

• Rosenberg Trial: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of stealing atomic secrets and sentenced to die.

• Soviet Spies: Many Soviet spies operated in the United States. The Communist Party was directly tied to the Soviet Union.

Legal Anti-Communism

• Taft-Hawley Act: This act limited the power of unions and outlawed “closed shops”.

• Other Laws: Many were forced to swear allegiance to the United States in order to keep their jobs.