Topic 10
Cold War Era (1945-1991)
Lesson 1
Terms and People
•
superpowers – nations stronger than other
powerful nations
•
Cold War – a state of tension and hostility between
nations aligned with the U.S. on one side and the
Soviet Union on the other
•
détente – the relaxation of Cold War tensions
•
Truman Doctrine- US policy, established in 1947,
of trying to contain the spread of communism
•
Fidel Castro – leader of an armed rebellion in
Cuba, who took power there in 1959 and allied
with the Soviet Union
•
John F. Kennedy – the president of the United
States from 1961 to 1963
•
ideology – a system of values and beliefs
•
Marshall Plan- massive aid package offered by
the US to Europe to help countries rebuild after
WWII
•
Nikita Khrushchev – the leader of the Soviet Union
after Stalin’s death in 1953, who called for “peaceful
coexistence” with the West
•
Leonid Brezhnev – the leader of the Soviet Union
from the mid-1960s until 1982; reinstated the policy of
imprisoning critics
•
containment – the policy of trying to keep
communism within its existing boundaries and
preventing further expansion
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization(N.A.T.O.)a military alliance between several North American
states to safeguard them from the presumed threat
of the Soviet Unions communist bloc, countries from
other regions later joined the alliance
• Warsaw Pact- mutual defense alliance between
the Soviet Union and seven satellites in Eastern
Europe set up in 1955
Start of the Cold War
• After World War II ended, the United
States and the Soviet Union emerged as
superpowers.
• by 1945 the wartime alliances were
crumbling
• The United States and Soviet Union had
conflicting ideologies and mutual distrust
• They engaged in a Cold War that involved
most of the world for the next 40 years.
Eastern Europe’s Iron Curtain
• Soviets Build a Buffer
• Soviets control Eastern European
countries after World War II
• Stalin installs Communist governments in
several countries
• Truman urges free elections; Stalin
refuses to allow free elections
• In 1946, Stalin says capitalism and
communism cannot co-exist
The Cold War Begins
• Stalin had 2 main goals:
• 1. Spread communism
• 2. Create a buffer zone of
friendly governments as a
defense against Germany
• Roosevelt and Churchill
rejected Stalin’s view and
wanted free elections in
Eastern Europe
After World War II, the United States and
the Soviet Union faced off along the Iron
Curtain.
The United States
led the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization
(NATO) in democratic
Western Europe.
The Soviet Union
led the Warsaw
Pact in communist
Eastern Europe.
Both sides relied on European alliances: the
United States with the West and the Soviet
Union with the East.
The Truman Doctrine
• President Truman saw communism as an evil
force threatening countries around the world
• This doctrine outlined a policy of protecting
free people who resisted attempt subjugation
by armed minorities of by outside pressure
• It used containment of Soviet expansion in
Europe as its main idea.
Marshall Plan
• A massive aid package of food and
economic assistance to Europe
• Truman offered aid the Soviet Union
and the other countries
• Stalin refused and did not allow any
of the satellites to accept either
• Stalin's resentment of the
Westerners help lead to the blockade
in Berlin resulting in the Berlin Airlift
The Cold War Divides the World
• The Cold War
– Cold-War—struggle of U.S. and Soviet Union using
means short of war
• Superpowers Form Rival Alliances
– In 1949, U.S., Canada, and West European
countries form NATO
– NATO—North Atlantic Treaty Organization—is a
defensive military alliance
– In 1955, Soviets and Eastern nations sign the
Warsaw Pact alliance
– In 1961, Soviets build the Berlin Wall to separate
East and West Berlin
Warsaw Pact
Nations
• Note: Federal
People’s Republic
of Yugoslavia is
forced out of the
Warsaw Pact in
1948
NATO
Warsaw Pact
and
Non-aligned
nations
The Cold War Divides the World
• The Threat of Nuclear War
• Soviet Union explodes its first atomic
bomb in 1949
• U.S. and Soviet Union both develop
the more powerful hydrogen bomb
• Increasing tensions lead to military
buildup by U.S. and the Soviets
Despite Cold War tension, the two sides did
meet to discuss limiting nuclear weapons.
(SALT)- Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
(START)-Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
An era of détente,relaxation of
tentions, occurred
during the 1970s due
to the arms control
agreements.
Détente ended in 1979
when the Soviet Union
invaded Afghanistan.
In 1968 dozens of
countries signed the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) which they
agreed to not develop
nuclear weapons
Confrontations in Latin America
• Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution
• Fidel Castro—leads revolt in Cuba against
dictator supported by the U.S.
• By 1959, Castro in power, nationalizes
economy, takes U.S. property
• In 1961, Castro defeats U.S. trained
Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs
Fidel
Castro
Confrontations in Latin America
• Nuclear Face-off: the Cuban Missile
Crisis
• In 1962, U.S. demands removal of
Soviet missiles in Cuba
• Soviets withdraw missiles; U.S.
promises not to invade Cuba
• Cuban economy is left dependent on
Soviet support
Soviet Policy in Eastern Europe and China
• Destalinization and Rumblings of
Protest
– Nikita Khrushchev—leader of Soviet
Union after Stalin dies (1953)
– Khrushchev condemns Stalin; Soviets
and West can peacefully compete
– Citizens of Soviet-controlled
governments begin protesting
communism
– Khrushchev sends Soviet military to
put down Hungarian protesters.
– Leonid Brezhnev—Soviet leader after
Khrushchev—represses dissent
Life in the United States during the Cold War
was marked by a fear of both nuclear fallout
and communism within.
• Many
people built bomb shelters in
their yards.
• Public
schools conducted air-raid drills.
• Americans
worried there were
communists in the United States. This
“red scare” led to many
false accusations and ruined lives.
Review Questions
1. The Soviets control _________ _________
countries after World War II.
2. _________ urged free elections, but
__________ refuses to allow them.
3. One major goal Stalin had was to spread
__________.
4. The _________ _________ was used to
contain Soviet expansion in Europe.
5. The _______ ________ was a massive aid
package to Europe.
6. In 1961, The Soviets built the _________
_________ to separate east and west
Germany.
7. In what year did the Soviet Union exploded
its first atomic bomb?
8. In 1961, _______ defeats the U.S. trained
exiles at the Bay of _______.
9. Life in the U.S. during the Cold War was
marked by a _________ of nuclear fallout.