After WWII
The Cold War
1945-1991
Yalta Conference
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Met off of Black Sea before
end of WWII to discuss
outcome
U.S.A (FDR), Soviet Union
(Stalin), & Britain (Churchill)
Soviets wanted buffer zone so
don’t get invaded (Poland)
Want to weaken Germany
(break into 4 parts)
U.S. & Britain don’t agree (start
WWIII) but U.S. needs Soviet
help with Japan so agree, but
Soviets have to give new
nations free elections
The United Nations
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Formed with 51
countries that met in
San Francisco to
prevent conflict
Based in N.Y. today
Five countries ledU.S.A, Britain,
France, U.S.S.R,
China
Fate of Great Britain
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Had to pay back Lend Lease
fall into depression
Oust Churchill (blame for
depression)
P.M. Attlee
Socialist
Can’t afford to keep empire
India independence 1946
Then Burma, Australia,
Canada
Does not want atomic bomb
Arab-Israeli Conflict
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U.N. sectioned off to
make two countries to
create a Jewish
homeland for refugees
from Holocaust
First War 1947-1948
750,000 Palestinians
misplaced-still a
controversy today
Fate of U.S.
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We become world power
We have atomic bomb
1952 get Hydrogen bomb
Capitalist
Truman President until
1953
Dwight Eisenhower “Ike”
President 1953-1961
Fate of Soviet Union
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Stalin dies 1953
Khrushchev becomes
leader
Communist
Mad we did not tell them
we had atomic bomb &
feels they had to fight the
eastern front without help
(most causalities)
Does not keep promise
from Yalta
Get atomic bomb 1949
Get Hydrogen bomb 1953
Welcome to the
Cold War!!!!
Fate of Germany
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Sectioned into 4 parts
East Germany went
to U.S.S.R
West to France, GB,
U.S.A (We eventually
combine to make
West Germany)
Split capital of Berlin
in Soviet zone as well
Berlin Airlift
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First conflict of Cold War
Soviets block supplies
from coming into Berlin
so they would gain
complete control
June 1948-May1949
US & Britain airlift ~
13,000 tons of supplies
Afterward became East
Germany & West
Germany
Berlin Wall 1961
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Built in 1961 under
J.F.K
Separated East from
West Berlin
Fell in Nov. 1989
Symbol of the Cold
War & Fall marks the
beginning of the end
of the Cold War
Berlin Wall
In 1960’s
Fall in 1989
Red Scare -Senator Joe
McCarthy
Vows to rid of spread of
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communism because he “has
a list of names” to get elected
HUAC-House Un-American
Activities Committeeinvestigated suspected
communist
Hollywood Ten-accused actors
and actresses of spreading
communism
McCarthyism
Impact: started a widespread
fear of communism
Julius & Ethel Rosenberg
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Accused of selling bomb
secrets to Soviets
Tried & executed 1953
Ethel re-executed
Targeted because they
were Russian immigrants
(shows shift in
discrimination)
NATO-North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
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United States
Canada
United Kingdom
France
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Iceland
Denmark
Belgium
Luxemburg
Portugal
An agreement against an
attack from the Soviet Union
Warsaw Pact
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Soviet Union
Albania
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
East Germany
Poland
Romania
Bulgaria
The Iron Curtain
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Churchill states
“An iron curtain
has descended
upon the
Continent”
The Eastern Bloc
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Satellite Nation:
appears to be an
independent nation
but really is ruled by
another.
Soviets had areas
around them as
satellite nations
during the Cold War.
Yugoslavia
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Leader Josip Tito
Split from Stalin 1948
Was an Ally in WWII
so independent
Communist but not
part of Stalin’s
satellite nations
Yugoslavia divided in
1992 after ethnic wars
Communist China
China became
communist in 1949
 Mao Zedong
(1949-1976)
controversial
leader
 China is in
transition today
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The Space Race
In 1957 Soviets
launch Sputnik
 First earth orbiting
artificial satellite
 Starts Space Race
in Cold War
 Changes US
school curriculum
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And so it begins…
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Marshall Plan: U.S. aid
European countries
economically so they don’t fall
to communism after WWII
Truman Doctrine: 1947
Truman fears Soviets will not
live up to their agreements at
Potsdam Conference and
begins policy of containment
NSC-68: signed in 1950 by
Truman quadrupled the
amount spent on defense and
stated ~20% GDP go to
defense
It’s a Cold War with Hot Zones…
Conflicts will break out in:
-Korea
-Vietnam
-Latin America
-The Middle East
 Why?
-Containment: US policy to stop
the spread of Communism
-Domino Theory: fear that if one
country falls to communism
their neighbor will too
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Communism
99 Red balloons-1984