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The Cold War Begins
Part 1: Soviet Expansion in Europe
After World War II, a new conflict began: the cold war. Countries in the cold war did
not actually fight. But they were ready to do so. On one side were the United States
and its democratic allies. On the other side were the Soviet Union and other
communist countries.
Communist countries follow a political system called communism. Communism is
based on the idea that all people should share their nation's wealth equally. There
should be no social classes, or groups of people who are rich or well-off or poor.
Everyone should work together for the good of the nation.
Under communism, people do not practice free enterprise or capitalism: A person
usually cannot buy or sell property, own a business, or invest in stocks. Almost all
property and businesses are owned and run
by the government.
Communism in Russia
Russia was the first country to become communistic. In 1917, the Communist Party
seized power and set up a government. Russia was renamed the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics (USSR). It is often called just the Soviet Union.
V.1. Lenin, the leader of the Communist Party, became dictator. Under him, the
communist government became totalitarian.
In 1924, Joseph Stalin became dictator. Stalin used terrorism to increase his control.
During Stalin's long rule, millions of Soviet people were arrested and killed. Basic rights
such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to a fair trial were
abolished. Churches were closed and religious leaders arrested. Lenin and Stalin
believed that communism should spread throughout the world. They encouraged
people in other countries to revolt and set up communist governments.
Communism Spreads to Eastern Europe
During World War II, the Soviet Union had been greatly damaged by German
armies. When the war ended, Stalin wanted to protect the Soviet Union from ever
being invaded again. The do that, he had to control the countries near it.
In the last two years of World War II, Soviet troops had fought the Germans in eastern
Europe and had taken over the countries there. At the end of the war, the Soviet
Union set up communist governments in those countries and made them its
satellites- nations completely controlled by the Soviet Union.
An Iron Curtain Falls on Eastern Europe
The Soviet Union cut off communications between its satellites and western Europe.
People from western Europe could not travel in communist eastern Europe. And
eastern Europeans were not allowed to leave the communist countries. In 1946,
Winston Churchill said an "iron curtain" had fallen across Europe. That curtain
separated Russia and its Soviet satellites from the democratic, or free, nations of the
world.
Americans Oppose the Soviet Union
Americans were against the Soviet Union. Its political system was not
democratic. It did not protect people's individual rights and freedoms.
Americans saw communism as a threat. It threatened free enterprise and capitalism.
And it threatened to take over all governments in the world - including America's.
Part 2: American Policy in Europe
President Truman and his advisors believed that the United States should try to keep
communism from spreading. So, American foreign policy was developed to contain
communism – keep it in eastern Europe and out of other European countries.
The Truman Doctrine
In 1947, President Truman spoke before Congress. He said that the United States
should “support free peoples” in Europe. The United States should provide money,
military supplies, and other aid to nations that were fighting against communism. That
idea became known as the Truman Doctrine.
The Marshall Plan
World War II damaged the economy of many countries in western Europe. Their
people were homeless, hungry, and out of work. Their money was almost worthless.
To many of those people, communism seemed to be the answer to their problems.
In 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall announced a plan to help countries of
western Europe recover from the war. The plan became known as the Marshall Plan.
Under the plan, the United States sent over $10 billion to help rebuild the cities and
industries of western European countries. When the economy of those countries
became stronger, communism became less popular.
The Berlin Airlift
At the end of World War II, Germany was divided among the four major Allies. Britain,
France, and the United Sates each occupied a western part of the country. The
Soviet Union occupied the eastern part.
Each Ally also occupied a part of Berlin, the German capital. Berlin was located in
the Soviet part of Germany.
In 1948, Britain, France, and the United States decided to combine the western parts
of Germany into a new nation. Stalin then ordered a blockade of roads and rail lines
into Berlin. He also wanted control of western Germany.
President Truman immediately ordered an airlift to Berlin. Every day, American planes
flew food, coal, and other supplies to the western parts of the city. Nearly a year
later, in May 1949, Stalin gave up his attempt to control all of Berlin. He reopened the
roads and rail lines into the city. Berlin would remain a divided city, and Germany a
divided country, for the next 40 years.
New Alliances
In 1949, the United States, Canada, and ten western European nations set up the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). They agreed to aid any NATO nation that
was attacked.
In 1955, the Soviet Union and it satellite nations created their own alliance. It was
called the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact ended with the collapse and breakup of
the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s Today, a number of former Warsaw Pact nations
have joined NATO!
Military Forces Are Built Up
Both the United States and the Soviet Union believed that the Cold War could
escalate (grow) into a real war. They began to build up their military power.
The United States began building a ring of American military bases around the Soviet
Union and eastern Europe. Those bases were built in countries that were friendly to
the United States. The United States build bases in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the
Middle East.