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The Cold War
From Allies to Adversaries
After World War II the
United States and the
Soviet Union emerged
as the two main
superpowers. The
conflict between the
two nations lasted over
40 years and was
called the Cold War.
The Iron Curtain
In 1946 Winston
Churchill declared
the Soviets were
the enemy. He said
the eastern
European countries
were behind an
“Iron Curtain.”
Eastern vs. Western Europe
After World War II
Europe was divided.
Eastern European
countries became
communist and
were part of the
“Soviet Bloc.”
Western European
nations were allied
with the US.
N.A.T.O.
In 1949 the North
Atlantic Treaty
Organization was
formed by the US and
its western European
allies. The NATO
alliance protected
members against
communist
aggression.
The Warsaw Pact
In response to the
western military
alliance NATO, the
Eastern European
countries formed
their own military
alliance with the
Soviets in 1955,
known as the
Warsaw Pact.
The Division of Germany
After WW II the
French, British,
Americans and
Soviets controlled
part of occupied
Germany. The
capital Berlin was
also divided into four
sectors.
The Berlin Crisis: What would
you do?
 In 1948 the Soviets cut all road and rail traffic to
West Berlin.
 Truman met with advisors to discuss options
including:
 1. armed actions against the Soviets to keep the
rail lines open
 2. Allowing West Berlin to fall to Soviet control
 3. Air lifting food and supplies to West Berlin
 What would you suggest?
The Berlin Airlift
From June of 1948 the
Soviets blockaded all
land access to Berlin.
For almost a year the
US and British planes
airlifted 1.5 million
tons of supplies to
residents in West
Berlin.
Eastern Europe Resists
The eastern European
communist countries
tried to resist Soviet
domination. Uprisings
in East Germany,
Poland, Hungary and
Czechoslovakia were
crushed by the Soviet
Warsaw Pact troops.
The Berlin Wall
The communist
authorities in East
Germany begin the
construction of the
Berlin Wall in 1961
to prevent East
Germans from
fleeing to West
Berlin.
The Nuclear Arms Race
In 1949 the Soviet Union
announced it had
successfully tested an
atomic bomb.
In 1952 the US exploded the
first hydrogen bomb at a
test site. Less than a year
later, the Soviets
announced their first test
of a hydrogen bomb. The
arms race was on.
Nuclear Missiles in Cuba
 In 1959 Fidel Castro led the
Cuban Revolution against
the Batista dictatorship.
 The Castro regime took over
US sugar companies and in
1961 the US tried
unsuccessfully to overthrow
the Castro Regime.
 In 1962 the Cubans sought
aid from the Soviet Union,
including Soviet nuclear
weapons.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
US President John F. Kennedy
blockaded additional Soviet ships
from bringing missiles to Cuba.
People feared the US and the Soviets
might have a nuclear confrontation.
After a tense negotiation the US
President convinced the Soviet
leader Khrushchev to remove
nuclear weapons from Cuba.
The Soviets removed nuclear
weapons from Cuba in 1962.
Mutually Assured Destruction
(MAD)
The arms raced
continued in the 50’s
and 60’s with both
sides having enough
nuclear weapons to
destroy the other
superpower. Finally, in
1969 the US and the
Soviets agreed to limit
nuclear weapons with
the SALT treaty.
Industrial Democracies
 Industrial Democracies
= industrial nations with
democratic forms of
government
 Example: The US,
Japan and Western
Europe nations were
the industrial
democracies after
World War II
Boom
 Boom = a period of
economic growth with
more goods and jobs.
 For example, the 1950’s
and 1960’s was a boom
period for the American
economy.
Recession
 Recession = fall in
amount of goods
produced.
Unemployment rises.
 For example, The US
suffered recession in
the 1970’s due to rising
oil prices.
GDP
 Gross Domestic
Product = total amount
of goods and services
produced in a year.
 For example, Germany
has a rapidly growing
GDP since the
reunification of its
nation.
Currency
 Currency = money
 For example, the US
currency is the dollar
and the British currency
is the pound.
Welfare State
 Welfare state = a
government which
provides health care,
unemployment benefits,
and old age pensions
 Britain was a welfare
state in the 1960’s and
70’s.
The Spread of Communism
in Asia
 After World War II
communism spread to
China with the Chinese
Revolution.
 North Korea and South
Korea were also
communist countries.
 It was in Asia that the
Cold War became hot,
with wars in Korea and
Vietnam.
Civil War in China
 After World War II,
Chinese nationalists led
by Jiang Jieshi (Chiang
Kai Chek) fought
Chinese communists
led by Mao Zedong
(Mao Tse- Tung) for
control of China.
Chinese Revolution
In 1949 the Chinese
Communists, led by
Mao Zedong took
over China. Now
China joined the
Soviet Union as the
second communist
nation in the world.
The nationalists
escaped to Taiwan.
Chinese Communism
 The Chinese
Communist Party took
over the government of
China, without allowing
other political parties or
democracy.
 The communist
government
collectivized land and
ran industries.
The Great Leap Forward
 In the 1950’s the
Chinese communists
tried to increase
industrial production by
having people build
backyard furnaces to
make steel.
 This policy failed to
produce high quality
steel to industrialize
China.
The Cultural Revolution
 In the 1960’s Mao
mobilized student to
support his position in
the Party.
 They read his “Red
book” of quotations.
 The Red Guard
organization accused
people of being counter
revolutionaries.
Ping Pong Diplomacy
 In the 1970’s, US
President Richard
Nixon reopened friendly
relations with China.
 He sent US ping pong
players to compete in
China.
 China moved away
from the Soviet Union
The Korean War
 After WW II Korea was
divided, with US troops
controlling the south
and Soviet troops
controlling the north.
 In 1950 communist
North Korea invaded
South Korea,beginning
the Korean War.
The US enters Korean War
 Truman wanted to
contain North Korean
communist aggression
and sent US troops to
support the South
 China and the Soviet
Union backed North
Korea.
 The war was fought for
three years.
A Stalemate
 In 1953 the Korean war
ended with each side
maintaining its territory
and Korea remained
divided at the 38th
parallel
 33,600 US soldiers died
in the war
 The Korean war marked
the expansion of the
Cold War into Asia
Vietnam Divided
 In 1954 a nationalist
and communist
movement led by Ho
Chi Minh defeated the
French in Indochina.
 The Geneva Accords
called for a temporary
division between North
and South Vietnam.
The US Enters the Vietnam
War
The US entered the
Vietnam War in 1965,
and supported South
Vietnam against
communist North
Vietnamese aggression.
The US sent over 500,000
soldiers between 1965
and 1973. In the US,
Americans were divided
over the war.
Vietnam Falls to
Communism
US negotiated the Paris Peace
Accords, agreeing to leave in
1973.
US soldiers left Vietnam,
leaving South Vietnam to
fight alone.
In 1975 North Vietnam
conquered South Vietnam,
uniting the country under the
communist system.
Soviet Union in Trouble
 In the 1980’s a stagnant
Soviet economy could not
deliver consumer goods to
its citizens.
 Soviet Union poured too
much money into military
spending, to keep up with
the US.
 The USSR Invaded
Afghanistan and became
bogged down in this war.
Gorbachev Tries to Reform
Soviet System
 In the 1980’s Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev tried to
reform the Soviet system.
 He instituted, glasnost,
extending new freedoms to
citizens.
 In the economy he tried
introducing market reforms
called perestroika.
The Soviet Union Collapses
In 1991 Gorbachev was
ousted as Soviet
Premier.
Boris Yeltsin, supported
by protestors, took
over Russia.
The Soviet Union was
dissolved in
December of 1991.
The Berlin Wall Falls
Soviet Premier
Gorbachev
abandons Soviet
control of east
Germany. After
massive public
demonstrations in
East Germany the
Berlin Wall falls on
November 1989.
Germany Reunified
In 1990 the Soviet
Union, Great Britain,
the US, and France
withdrew from
Germany. East and
West Germany
united as the
Federal Republic of
Germany.
Cold War Ended
The fall of the Berlin
Wall and the
creation of
independent
countries from the
former Soviet Union
signaled the end of
European
communism, and
the Cold War .
Credits
 PowerPoint
Slideshow by Dave
Forrest - 2001
 Visuals from
Ditto.com and CNN
Cold War Website
 Http://www.cnn.com/S
PECIALS/cold.war