Years of tension & hostility
between Superpowers
U.S. Vs. USSR
War of ideas
Communism Vs. Democracy
Capitalism Vs. command
Arms Race, Space Race, etc.
Democracy restored to nations of
Western Europe
Aided by U.S. & G. Britain
Eastern Europe occupied by armies
of USSR
Stalin supported the establishment
of pro communist governments in the
Region
Churchill,
Roosevelt, Stalin
•Germany would
be divided into
zones of
occupation
Stalin promises
Eastern
European
countries will
have free
elections
Stalin,
Truman,Attlee
Stalin refuses free
elections in Eastern
European countries
•Establishes satellite
nations (pro
communist
governments) in
occupied countries
“An Iron Curtain has descended
across Europe”- W. Churchill 1946
Western Europe – Democratic
Eastern Europe- Communist
U.S. policy of blocking further
Communist expansion
Limiting Communism to
regions already under
Communist control
•Creating alliances,aiding
weak countries, military action
Ex. Vietnam, Korea, Marshall
Plan, Truman Doctrine
U.S. sent military &
financial aid to Turkey &
Greece
Dictated US foreign
policy for years to come
•$400 Million
•Helping them resist
communist forces
Proved successful
U.S. Secretary of State George
Marshall
Massive economic aid package for
European Recovery
12.5 Billion in loans
Strengthened
Democracies in Europe
Lessened the appeal of
communism
Germany is divided into 4
occupational zones
US, France, Britain USSR
Division is supposed
to be temporary
Tensions grew
between East & West
Stalin feared a strong united
Germany
Berlin the divided capital was located
in the Eastern sector
1948- three western zones unified
Stalin responded by
attempting to to force
the allies out of Berlin
Closed of all land routes to city
Shut off supplies to city
American & British
response to blockade
Yearlong airlift of
food, fuel & medicine
into Western Berlin
Planes fly around
the clock missions
The Soviets end
blockade in 1949
Planes took
off & landed
every 3
minutes
277,000
flights
2.3 million
tons of
supplies
1949-German
Democratic Republic
(East Germany)Communist
1949-German
Federal
Republic(West
Germany)Democratic
Division would last
until 1990
1961-East Germany
constructed a wall that
separated East from
West Berlin
Known as the
“wall of death”
The Wall’s
destruction in 1989
symbolizes the fall of
communism
1949-NATO- North
Atlantic Treaty
Organization
•Defensive alliance
10 Western
European nations w/
US & Canada
Pledged to
support each other if
attacked
1955 Warsaw Pact
•Soviet Response
to NATO
Also a defensive
alliance
Alliance between
USSR &7 of its
Eastern European
satellites countries
Stockpiling &
development of the
deadliest weapons
Atomic bomb US 1945/
USSR 1949
Hydrogen Bomb US
1952/ USSR 1953
Construction of ICBM’s
Intercontinental Ballistic
Missiles
Arms race raised
the level of tension
for over 40 years
•Raised fears that
conflict would
destroy the world
Brinkmanshipwillingness to go to
the brink or edge of
destruction
1957USSR launched first
satellite Sputnik
US founds NASA
1961USSR launch first
man in space
1969 US lands on moon
US & USSR explored
military use of spy
satellites
US & USSR Never clash head to head
They clashed through surrogate or
representative states
Following WWII
Korea is divided
@
38th Parallel
North(Communist),
South (non-communist)
1950- N. Korea invades
South
US Containment put
to the test
UN forces led by
Macarthur prevented
communist takeover
•Three years of
Back & forth
fighting
(Ping Pong)
Armistice signed in
1953
•Border is reset @
th
38 Parallel
Korea remains
divided
US troops patrol
DMZ
Hot spot in the
world today
North Korean
construction of
Nuclear weapons
1959-Cuban revolutionary
Fidel Castro overthrows
the government
Becomes Communist state
dependant upon USSR
Still rules today as dictator
1961- Bay of Pigs Invasion
•Exiled Cuban Nationalists
backed by US attempt
overthrow of Castro
Invasion is crushed
Kennedy administration
is humiliated
The Cuban Missile
Crisis
•USSR installs
missile bases in Cuba
Threat to US security
•US blockades Cuba
US & USSR brought
to the brink of war
(Brinkmanship)
Crisis is avoided after 13 days
USSR dismantles nuclear missiles
1954- France loses control
of its colonies in Indochina
to Communist/ Nationalist
forces
Vietnam is divided @
the 17th Parallel
Communist(North)
Led by Ho Chi Minh
Anti-communist (South)
US forces sent in to
prevent Communist
from uniting Vietnam
Eisenhower’s
“Domino Theory”
•US pulls out in
1973/ Saigon falls in
1975
Vietnam remains
communist today
USSR kept a tight grip
on its satellites
Any revolts were put
down with extreme
force
•East Germany&
Poland 1950’s
•1956 Hungary
•1969 Czechoslovakia
Soviet leader following Stalin
1953-1964
•Destalinization
Purged the USSR
of Stalin’s memory
•Policy of peaceful coexistence
with Capitalist states
Maintained strict control over
satellites
Adopted repressive measures
@ home & in Satellites
•Brezhnev Doctrine
Initiated Détente with the US
•A cooling down of tensions between
East & West
•SALTI & II- 1972,1979
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties
Drastically reformed the Soviet
government & failing economy
Withdrew Soviet Troops
from Afghanistan
Encouraged Glasnost (openness)
•Ended censorship & encouraged
free flow of ideas
Allowed open criticism of the
government
Perestroika
Movement towards a
free market economy
(Capitalism) NEP?
Democratization
Voters could choose
candidates for office
Allowed pro-democracy movements
in the Satellites
Repealed Breshnev Doctrine
Without threat of Soviet force,
communism crumbles in E. Europe
EX. The Berlin Wall 1989
1991 Baltic States Estonia, Latvia, &
Lithuania declare independence
Shortly after all other 15 Soviet
Republics gain independence
1991 The USSR ceases to exist
1989 Berlin Wall comes
down
1990 Germany is reunited
Financial strain on West
Germany
Unemployment
rises in East
1980 Independent trade
union Solidarity led by
Lech Walesa calls for a
change
Polish government
outlaws union &
arrested members
1989 Lech Walesa is
elected President of
Poland
Czechoslovakia breaks apart
Czech Republic & Slovakia
Croatia, Slovenia, BosniaHerzegovina, & Macedonia
separate from Yugoslavia
Bosnia becomes crisis point in
1990’s
Genocide of Non- Serbs
1991Communist
hardliners
attempt to
overthrow
Gorbachev
Attempts failed
but Gorbachev
resigns
Succeeds Gorbachev after failed coup
1st popularly elected
President of Russia
Adopted policy of Shock Therapy
Abrubt shift to a free market
economy
Living standards declined/ economy
faltered/ corruption rampant
Resigned 1999 due to poor health
Current President of Russia
Continues market reforms
Former KGB administrator
Problems still exist today with
rebel Province of Chechnya
Improved relations w/ U.S., E.U.,
NATO & China
US & USSR attempted to gain
influence over Third World
countries
Underdeveloped countries of
Africa & Latin America
Military, technical, & financial
assistance
Backed revolutions (Cuba,
Nicaragua, Afghanistan)