The Cold War Begins
Goal 11
Essential Idea
 During the Cold War, communism spread out
from the Soviet Union.
The Cold War
 The Cold War:
 This term
describes the
tension between
communist and
democratic
governments from
1946 to 1990
Yalta Conference
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Yalta Conference:
FDR, Stalin, and
Churchill met to discuss
how to divide Germany
after World War II
Germany was divided
into two countries
controlled by France, the
United States, Britain,
and the Soviet Union
Dividing Germany
 Where: West Germany
 Who owned it: Britain,
France, and the United
States
 Government Type:
 Democratic
East Germany
 Where: East Germany
 Who owned it: Soviet
Union
 Government Type:
Communist
Berlin Split Too
 The capital of Germany, Berlin, was located in the middle of
East Germany
 Berlin was also divided into a West and East Berlin
 West Berlin was democratic and East Berlin was communist
Other Nations
Become Communist
 Satellite Nations –
countries in Eastern
Europe that bordered the
Soviet Union
 Satellite Nations
DURING World War II:
Controlled by Germany
 Satellite Nations AFTER
World War II: Controlled
by the Soviet Union
The Iron Curtain
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The Iron Curtain –
Satellite Nations and
East Germany, which
provided a barrier
between communist and
democratic countries
Trying to Keep Communism from
Spreading Further
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Strategy:
Containment
What it was: this
idea arose out of the
fear of the spread of
communism
This foreign policy
said that
communism should
not spread (be
contained)
The Truman Doctrine
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Strategy: Truman
Doctrine
What it was: the United
States feared that
Greece and Turkey
would become
communist next
The Truman Doctrine –
the United States should
support democracies to
fight communism
The Marshall Plan
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Strategy: The Marshall Plan
What it was: countries were more likely to
become communist if they were poor
The Marshall Plan – gave 12 billion dollars
to Western European Countries (Satellite
Nations refused)
The Marshall Plan
 Which countries
got the most aid
from the
Marshall Plan?
 Why?
 Why didn’t
countries in the
East get aid?
Helping Berlin Get on Its Feet
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Problem:
The United States wanted to
extend the Marshall Plan to
West Berlin
These supplies would have to
travel through East Germany
Stalin blockaded the border,
hoping the United States would
give up on West Berlin
Berlin Airlift
 Solution:
 Berlin Airlift –
supplies were
transported by
airplane until
Stalin ended the
blockade
Alliances Again
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NATO – United States and Western Europe
(democratic countries)
Warsaw Pact – Soviet Union and Satellite
Nations
 What alliance are most former Allies in?
 What has happened to the land that the Soviet Union reclaimed from Hitler’s
Germany?
China Falls to Communism
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Aiding China:
The United States extended
the Marshall Plan to China
China Falls:
However, Chinese leaders
squandered the aid and China
fell to communism in 1949
(anti-communists fled to
Taiwan)
American Reaction:
America was shocked and
worried communism would
spread further in East Asia
Rebuilding Korea
 1. Korea After World War II:
 After World War II, Korea was divided along
the 38th Parallel (a line of latitude)
 North Korea was organized to be communist
by the Soviet Union
 South Korea was organized to be democratic
by the United States
The Korean War Begins
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2. War Begins:
In 1950, North Korea
invaded South Korea
President Truman saw
this as a test of the
containment policy
Truman sent troops into
South Korea, headed by
General Douglas
MacArthur
South Koreans on Their Heels
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3. Early Fighting:
At first, North Korea
pushed South Korean
troops south to the
city of Pusan (like the
Bataan Peninsula
during WWII, but with
a better ending)
However, this gave
MacArthur time to
gather reinforcements
A Clever Counterattack
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4. Counterattack:
MacArthur launched
a surprise attack
from behind at the
port city of Inchon
Korean and United
Nations troops were
able to push North
Korea all the way up
the Chinese border
China Joins, MacArthur Fired
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5. United States vs.
China?
China then came to the
aid of North Korea
MacArthur wanted war
with China and wanted
to use the atomic bomb
Truman refused, and
MacArthur criticized the
decision
Truman fired MacArthur
for insubordination
The War Ends
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China pushed troops back
to the 38th Parallel and
both sides then agreed to
peace negotiations (we
now have a North and
South Korea)
Why Significant?
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6. Significance of
the Korean War:
The Korean War
marked the
beginning of
using military
build up to fight
communism
Nuclear
Stockpiles Graph