The Cold War 1945By Mr Moss
1991
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The Cold War [1945-1991]:
An Ideological Struggle
Soviet &
Eastern Bloc
Nations
[“Iron Curtain”]
US & the
Western
Democracies
GOAL 
“Containment” of
Communism &
GOAL  spread
world-wide METHODOLOGIES: thld.
[George Kennan.]
Communism
1. Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]
2. Arms Race [nuclear escalation]
3. Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts
of Third World peoples [Communist govt. &
command economy vs. democratic govt. & capitalist
economy]  “proxy wars”
4. Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]
YALTA (in the USSR)
Date: Feb 1945
Present: Churchill,
Roosevelt and Stalin
POTSDAM (Germany)
Date: July 1945
Present: Churchill,
Truman and Stalin
Improve your knowledge
• The Russians took very high casualties to
capture Berlin in May 1945. They spent the
early occupation trying to take over all
zones of the city but were stopped by
German democrats such as Willy Brandt
and Konrad Adenauer. Reluctantly the
Russians had to admit the Americans,
French and British to their respective
zones.
Iron Curtain –
A term used by
Winston Churchill
to describe the
separating of
Those communist
lands of East
Europe from the
West.
Improve your knowledge
• The nuclear bomb gave America a lead
which was expected to last at least 5
years. The rapid Russian development of
nuclear technology, helped by the work of
the “atom spies” was a shock.
Significantly, Russia hurriedly declared
war against Japan at the beginning of
August 1945 and rushed to advance into
Asia to stake out a position for the postwar settlement. This helped make both the
Korean and Vietnamese conflicts more
likely.
http://www.cosmolearning.com/doc
umentaries/cold-war-by-cnnperspectives/6/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
CZidBq8QS-g&feature=related
The ‘Truman Doctrine’
• Truman had been horrified at the prewar Allied policy of appeasement and
was determined to stand up to any Soviet
intimidation.
The Truman Doctrine in March 1947
promised that the USA “would support
free peoples who are resisting
subjugation by armed minorities or
by outside pressures”.
• Triggered by British inability to hold the
line in Greece, it was followed by aid to
Greece and Turkey, and also money to
help capitalists to stop communists in
Italy and France.
It signalled the end of “isolationst”
policies.
The ‘Marshall Plan’
• The Marshall Plan offered huge sums to
enable the economies of Europe to rebuild
after World War II, and, by generating
prosperity, to reject the appeal of
Communism.
The Soviet Union (USSR) prevented Eastern
European countries from receiving American
money.
Berlin
• West Berlin, was an outpost of Western
democracy and economic success deep within
the communist zone – like a capitalist island
within communist East Germany
• The Berlin Blockade was an attempt to
starve West Berlin into submitting [giving up]
to the communists
• The Allied [western powers] airlift signalled the
West’s determination to use all resources to
defend Berlin.
It was felt by both sides that Berlin could act as
the trigger for general war between capitalist
and communist countries
The North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) was formed in 1949 in a
defensive alliance against Soviet aggression.
In response to NATO, the Soviet Union organized the
Warsaw Pact among its European satellites.
Soviet Union Shows its Muscles
In 1949, the Soviets
developed their own
nuclear capability
and the world was
being divided
between two rival
camps.
A Bipolar World
was taking shape.
Postwar Soviet Union
Soviets made it plain that they
would push their Soviet sphere of
influence as far west as possible.
USSR forces were kept on the
borders not only to threaten the
Allied powers, but also to keep the
newly formed Communist regimes
(i.e. Poland, Yugoslavia, etc.) under
their control.