Download The Cold War

The Cold War
Mrs. Bryant’s 5th Grade
Georgia Standards
SS5H7 Discuss the origins and
consequences of the Cold War.
SS5H7a Explain the origin and meaning of the
term “Iron Curtain.”
The Cold War
At the end of World War II, the Allied
armies freed all the nations in western
Europe that had been conquered by
Germany. They agreed to help the countries
recover from the war. The Allies helped
them form new governments and gave them
money to rebuild their cities. Then the
Allies left Europe.
Communism
Communism is a system where the
government owns the factories and
natural resources and controls the
production of goods; people are not
free.
Communism
Things were different in eastern
Europe. Soviet troops moved into
eastern Europe and never left. They
stayed in countries like Poland,
Romania, Hungary, and the eastern half
of Germany. They set up their political
system known as communism.
America verses Soviet Union
There was distrust between America and
the Soviet Union. The two countries had
different beliefs and political systems. These
feelings grew into a state of tension called
the “Cold War” because it never involved
fighting, or a “hot” war. The Cold War
divided the world into two camps- those who
supported a free society and those who
supported communism.
The Iron Curtain
People living in countries controlled by the
Soviet Union could not leave. Armed guards
watched over the borders. In a 1946 speech,
British prime minister Winston Churchill warned
that an iron curtain had fallen across the
continent of Europe. He meant that there was now
a dividing line between eastern and western
Europe. The Iron Curtain cut people off from the
rest of the world.
The Iron Curtain
No one is sure who used the term
“iron curtain” first to describe a
political boundary. But it comes from
the actual iron curtain used in German
theaters to separate the stage from the
audience in case of a fire.
SS5H7b Explain how the
United States sought to stop the
spread of communism through
the Berlin airlift, the Korean
War, and the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization
The Battle to Stop Communism
The United States wanted to stop the
spread of communism. One of their first
challenges was in Germany.
The Battle to Stop Communism
When Germany was divided after World
War II, the city of Berlin was divided, too.
The Soviet Union controlled the eastern half
of the city, and the Allies controlled the
western half. The Allied-controlled part of
Germany became an independent nation in
1949.
The Battle to Stop Communism
The Soviet Union did not like that.
They wanted to control all of Germany
and get the Allies out of West Berlin. In
1948, they decided to block all supplies
from getting into West Berlin by railroad,
train, or waterway. That meant no food, or
fuel for heat in the cold winter. They
thought that would drive the Allies out of
the city.
The Battle to Stop Communism
The Berlin Airlift
Their plan didn’t work. U.S. and
Allied airplanes delivered supplies to
West Berlin every day for 321 days! This
operation was known as the Berlin
Airlift. Planes landed all day and all
night. The U.S. was determined to stop
Communism. In June 1949 the Soviet
Union gave up and lifted the blockade.
The Battle to Stop Communism
The Korean War
After World War II, Korea was divided
along the 38th parallel of latitude.
Communists controlled North Korea, and
the United States backed South Korea. In
1950, North Korea invaded South Korea.
The Battle to Stop Communism
The Korean War
The United States was willing to go to war to
keep Communism from spreading to this area.
President Truman sent U.S. troops over and
asked the United Nations to help him. It was a
hard fight, but North Korea was finally driven
out of South Korea. United Nations troops tried
to go farther north to the Chinese border. The
Communist country of China attacked them and
killed many soldiers.
The Battle to Stop Communism
The Korean War
In 1953, the Korean War ended in a
stalemate (a tie with no winner). The
border between the two countries was
almost the same as the original border
before the war.
The Battle to Stop Communism
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The United States and European countries
decided to form an alliance for protection against
Communist aggression. In 1949, 12 nations formed
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The treaty stated that they would help each other in
the event of a military attack. The U.S. hoped that
the strong union of free nations would help stop the
spread of Communism.
The Battle to Stop Communism
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)
The 12 original members of NATO;
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy,
Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, & United States
Other countries that have joined NATO since 1949;
Greece and Turkey (1952), Germany (1955), Spain (1982), the Czech
Republic, Hungary and Poland (1999), Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia (2004), and Albania and Croatia
(2009).
NATO
SS5H7c Identify Joseph
McCarthy and Nikita Khrushchev
Are There Communists Among Us
Americans began to fear that Communist spies
might be in the United States. The House of
Representatives even created a committee to
investigate people accused of Communist activity.
In the late 1940s, many people in the
entertainment industry were accused of being
Communists. They were put on a “blacklist,”
which meant that movie producers would not hire
them.
Are There Communists Among Us
In 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy of
Wisconsin accused U.S. state department officials
of being Communists. This was a serious charge
because the state department handles U.S.
relations with other countries. His accusations
could not be proven. He convinced many
Americans that he was protecting the security of
the country, and became a powerful man. People
were afraid to speak out against him.
Joseph McCarthy
Are There Communists Among Us
People used the term “McCarthyism” to
describe how McCarthy made charges against
people without real evidence. His accusations
ruined the reputations and lives of many people.
In 1954 the Senate made a formal statement
condemning McCarthy and his actions.
Nikita Khrushchev
The Cold War got even colder after a
comment made by the Soviet Union’s
political leader. Nikita Khrushchev was
premier of the Soviet Union and head of the
Soviet Communist Party. In a 1956 speech to
ambassadors from Western countries, he said,
“History is on our side. We will bury you!”
This comment alarmed many people in
the West. It led to more suspicion between
the Western countries and the Communist
countries in Eastern Europe. It also led to an
“arms race,” where the U.S. and Soviet
Union built lots of weapons and stored them
in case of war. Each country also tried to
have more powerful weapons than the other
one.
Arms Race
Within a few years of the U.S. dropping its first atomic
bomb, the Soviet Union developed its own nuclear weapons. A
few years later, both nations developed hydrogen bombs that
were thousands of times more powerful than the bombs
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A nuclear arms race
developed between the U.S. and the USSR. Both nations
created more and more nuclear weapons. Soon both sides had
nuclear missiles that could travel thousands of miles in
minutes and destroy cities on the other side of the world.
People lived in fear of a nuclear war that would destroy the
entire planet.
Enduring Understandings
Beliefs and Ideals
The beliefs and ideals of a society influence the social,
political, and economic decisions of that society.
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How does democracy differ from communism and socialism?
How did the United States and other sympathetic European
nations try to contain the spread of communism or socialism in
the world?
How successful was the United States and other nations in
limiting and containing communism or socialism in the world?
Why did the United States get involved in the Berlin Airlift?
Why were organizations like the United Nations and NATO
created?
Enduring Understandings
Conflict and Change
When there is conflict between or within
societies, change is the result.
• How did the term “Cold War” and the term “Iron
Curtain” originate and are the terms accurate
descriptions of the time immediately following
WWII?
Enduring Understandings
Individuals, Groups, Institutions:
The actions of individuals, groups, and/or
institutions affect society through intended and
unintended consequences.
• How did the actions of Joseph McCarthy impact the
lives of innocent Americans?
• Thinking ahead; How did the actions of Nikita
Khrushchev influence the Cuban Missile Crisis?
(This is coming up in the next unit)
Enduring Understanding
Location
Location affects a society’s economy, culture,
and development.
• How was the United States able to supply its
armed forces overseas in Europe and Asia?
Enduring Understanding
Production, Distribution, Consumption
The production, distribution, and
consumption of goods/services produced by
the society are affected by the location,
customs, beliefs, and laws of the society.
• What was the opportunity cost for Americans
that supported the efforts of the home front
during WWII?
Enduring Understanding
Technological Innovation
Technological innovations have consequences,
both intended and unintended, for a society.
• How did technology help the military forces
engaged in WWII?