Cold War: Superpowers Face Off

Chapter 17.1

Setting the Stage

Recall that during WWII, the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union teamed up to defeat Hitler’s Nazis and the Japanese.

Recall that the United States, as a democratic capitalist country, does not typically get along well with communist countries.

Recall that communism’s STATED main goal is to spread worldwide to unite all workers against the rich bosses.

The Cold War:

Who? The United States and its allies against the Soviet Union and its Allies.

What? A long period of “cold” relations, proxy wars, and tension but never direct fighting.

When? 1945 until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Where? Worldwide, but major areas of importance

included Europe, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia.

Why? The US and USSR disagreed in terms of their basic beliefs.

Allies Become Enemies: The Yalta Conference

The postwar world appeared full of promise and peace. At a resort on the Black Sea, US President Franklin Roosevelt met with Churchill and Stalin to discuss the postwar world. At this meeting, they agreed that

Germany would be divided into zones to allow it to be occupied, and Stalin promised free elections for all territories overrun by the Soviets as they pushed the Germans back to their homeland.

Allies Become Enemies:The United Nations

Another development for the postwar world was the creation of the United Nations, dating back to one of the first meetings of the Allied leaders in 1942. All nations could become members, but the real

power for the UN lied in the security council, on which the US, USSR, Britain, France, and China were five permanent members.

These members could veto any vote to prevent countries from ganging up on one another.

   

Allies Become Enemies:The United Nations

The UN was much more powerful than the League of Nations that had failed to prevent WWI. First, the United States joined. Second, members often pledge

troops and other assistance to help nations defend themselves against attackers.

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Allies Become Enemies: The Superpowers Disagree

WWII had affected the US and USSR differently, and they began to differ sharply in their basic postwar goals.

The United States wanted to Spread Democracy in freed countries Rebuild Europe to create more trading partners to expand the US

economy Reunite Germany eventually to create a stable ally

The Soviet Union wanted to Encourage communism to spread the “workers’ revolution” to other

countries Rebuild the USSR’s economy by seizing materials and machines from

places it conquered in Eastern Europe Control Eastern Europe for defense reasons Keep Germany divided so that they can never attack again

Eastern Europe’s Iron Curtain:Stalin’s Buffer Zone

Russia had been invaded by an enemy from the West at least once per century as far back as the 1600s, largely because its Western border area was flat grassland that was not easily defended. As a result, Stalin intended to dominate the small

countries that the Red Army had overrun to create a wall or “buffer zone” of small countries that would defend against another Western invasion and take the brunt of the damage, leaving Russia protected.

Stalin therefore did not fulfill his promise to allow these countries to have free elections.

Eastern Europe’s Iron Curtain:Stalin’s Buffer Zone

Eastern Europe’s Iron Curtain:Stalin’s Buffer Zone

This difference was among the first to split the US and USSR as FDR’s successor (he died of a stroke in April, 1945), president Harry Truman felt that Stalin had lied and was violating the basic rights of Eastern Europe. As the gap between the countries

widened, it can be said that an “Iron Curtain” had fallen over Eastern Europe because the two superpowers basically closed themselves off to one another.

The United States Tries to Contain Communism

The primary concern that the US and its allies had about communism was its goal to spread worldwide. As communism in practice involves a single political

party and a dictator, it can easily violate every principle of democracy, freedom, and capitalism that the US holds dear.

Containment: To answer this problem, Harry Truman used a policy called the Truman Doctrine, or containment to stop communism from spreading to other countries without directly going to war with the Soviets.

The United States Tries to Contain Communism

The Truman Doctrine/Containment can mean several things: Forming alliances to protect smaller countries from

domination. Giving money to countries fighting communism. Giving surplus weapons and other military aid

to countries fighting communism.

The United States Tries to Contain Communism

The Marshall Plan was among these tactics and sought to remove any reason for free European countries to pursue Communism. According to the plan, $12.5

billion was committed to rebuild Europe and its economy to eliminate the reason many Europeans had to look toward communism for answers and support.

The United States Tries to Contain Communism

The Berlin Airlift: West Germany was also reunited to create a stable ally in order to contain communist threats from East Germany and other countries in Eastern Europe. In the post-war splitting up of Germany, its capital was kept at

Berlin, which lies deep inside East Germany. Just like Germany itself, Berlin was divided up into zones.

In response to the unification of West Germany, Stalin closed all land transportation routes into Berlin, hoping to either starve Berlin out and conquer it, or force the Allies to back down

East and West Germany

COLD WARTH

E

Berlin

The Berlin Airlift; NATO

Earlier, when only military supply was cut off, British Air Commodore Reginald Waite had calculated the resources required to support the entire city: •646 tons of flour and wheat•125 tons of cereal•64 tons of fat•109 tons of meat and fish•180 tons of dehydrated potatoes•180 tons of sugar, 11 tons of coffee•19 tons of powdered milk, five tons of whole milk for children•3 tons of fresh yeast for baking•144 tons of dehydrated vegetables•38 tons of salt •10 tons of cheese. •In total, 1,534 tons were needed daily to keep the over two million people alive.•Additionally, the city needed to be kept heated and powered, which would require another 3,475 tons of coal and gasoline.

The United States Tries to Contain Communism

In an amazing effort that lasted over 11 months, the US and Britain made 200,000 flights carrying 4000 tons of food per day to keep Germany’s capital from starving to death. In the end, the Allies pulled off an impossible

feat and the Soviet Union backed down and reopened Berlin.

The Cold War Divides the World

Superpowers Form Rival Alliances: The blockade of Berlin by the Soviets caused Western fears of Soviet aggression to rise. In response, a military alliance was

formed in 1949 among ten countries including the US, Britain, Canada and other Allies called NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

Weapons and military supplies were shared, and an attack on any member would be met with force by ALL member nations.

The Cold War Divides the World The Soviet Union responded

with its own Alliance in 1955, consisting mainly of the USSR and its Eastern European “satellite nations” in its buffer zone called the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact included the

Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and several other nations that pledged to defend each other as well.

The Cold War Divides the World

Threat of Nuclear War: If two rival superpowers dividing the world were not serious enough, the threat of nuclear war brought the seriousness of the Cold War to terrifying levels,The United States had developed the bomb to end WWII and used them as a trump card against the Soviets. This nuclear monopoly would not last, however.

In 1949, using quite a bit of stolen information, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb.

The US responded by building an even bigger bomb, and a nuclear arms race had begun.

 

The Cold War Divides the World