The Cold War: An Overview
The Arms Race:
A “Missile Gap?”
}
The Soviet Union
exploded its first
A-bomb in 1949.
}
Now there were
two nuclear
superpowers!
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.
Premier Nikita Khrushchev
About the capitalist
states, it doesn't
depend on you
whether we
(Soviet Union) exist.
If you don't like us,
don't accept our
invitations, and don't
De-Stalinization
invite us to come
Program
to see you. Whether
you like it our not, history is on our
side. We will bury you. -- 1956
The Ideological Struggle
Soviet &
Eastern Bloc
Nations
[“Iron Curtain”]
GOAL  spread worldwide Communism
METHODOLOGIES:
US & the
Western
Democracies
GOAL  “Containment”
of Communism & the
eventual collapse of the
Communist world.
[George Kennan]
 Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]
 Arms Race [nuclear escalation]
 Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts
of Third World peoples [Communist govt. &
command economy vs. democratic govt. & capitalist
economy]  “proxy wars”
 Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]
The Cold War: Roots of the Conflict
Soviet
Expansion:
· The Soviet
Union
occupied
most of
Eastern
Europe by
the end of
World War
II.
• In 1946,
Winston
Churchill
correctly
warned that
the Soviets
were creating
an “iron
curtain” in
Eastern
Europe.
Winston Churchill giving the “Iron
Curtain” address at Westminster College on
March 5, 1946
Post-War Germany
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 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.
The ‘Truman Doctrine’
• Truman had been horrified at the pre-war
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.
An
overview
of the
Cold War
How can a war be
‘cold’?
What were the
Hotspots of the
Cold War?
After World War 2 the Cold War
began and caused tension
throughout the world.
• The USA and the USSR were
the two world Superpowers.
• The USA was a capitalist
society with a democracy.
• The USSR was a communist
country with a dictatorship.
• Both wanted to be the most
powerful nation in the
world.
Nuclear tensions
• The USA had shown its atomic power
when it exploded the A-bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of
World War 2.
• The USSR was also developing atomic
weapons/bombs.
• The USA and the USSR were in
competition with each other to have the
best, most powerful weapons in the world
– this was called the Arms Race.
After World War 2, the
world changed!
• Many countries became communist after
World War 2 including:
- Czechoslovakia (1948)
- Poland (1947)
- Hungary (1947)
- China (1949)
- Cuba (1959)
- North Korea (1945)
Germany - divided
• Germany, which had been
ruled by the Hitler and the
Nazis until their defeat in
1945 was split in two.
• The western side became
West Germany and the
eastern side became East
Germany.
• East Germany became
another communist country.
The domino effect
• The USSR had a lot of influence over
many of the new communist countries
(especially those in Europe).
• The USA was very worried that the
USSR’s influence over these countries was
making the USSR and communism more
powerful.
• The USA did not want communism to
spread any further – they were worried
about the domino effect (one country
becomes communist, then another, then
another etc)
Cold War?
• The tension and rivalry between the USA
and the USSR was described as the Cold
War (1945-1990).
• There was never a real war between the
two sides between 1945 and 1990, but they
were often very close to war (Hotspots).
Both sides got involved in other conflicts
in the world to either stop the spread of
communism (USA) or help the spread
(USSR).
The Korean War
1950-1953
The Berlin Wall 1961
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 feld by both sides that Berlin could act
as the trigger for general war between
capitalist and communist countries
The Cuban Missile Crisis
1962
The Vietnam War
c.1963-1975
• Berlin and the Wall
By Mr Crowe
www.SchoolHistory.co.uk
THE BERLIN WALL
Another Cold War crisis
• Background
• East – West rivalry
• Berlin divided – contrast the two halves.
WEST: Prosperous, helped
by US, attracted people
from the East. Seen by
USSR as ‘infection’ in the
heart of Communist East
Germany.
EAST: Much less
prosperous and under
Communist control
Focus on refugees from East Germany
or East Berlin to West
1949-129,245
1951- 165,648
1953- 331,390
1955- 252,870
1957- 261,622
1959- 143,917
1961- 207,026
1962- 21,356
1963- 42,632
1964- 41,876
What they wanted
The West
• Prevent USSR from
gaining control of East
Germany
• To see a united,
democratic Germany
The East
• Maintain control over E
Germany
• Make the West
recognise it as an
independent state
• Stop the flood of
refugees especially the
skilled and professional
ones – much needed in
1958-Soviet demands
West should:
• Recognise GDR
• Withdraw troops from West Berlin
• Hand their access routes over to the East
German government
West refused and Khrushchev backed down.
Events of 1961
• June - Khrushchev pressured new
American President John F Kennedy
• Demanded withdrawal of Western
forces from West Berlin – Kennedy
refused
• July 23 – Flow of refugees from East to
West = 1000 a day
• July 25 – Kennedy repeats support for
West Berlin and announced increase in
arms spending
Events cont’d
• 13-22 August – Khrushchev and East
German govt. orders barbed wire barrier
across Berlin, followed by a wall of
concrete blocks
• All of West Berlin encircled apart from
access points
• This was against the Four Power
agreement made in 1949.
Results
• Important results for Berlin, Germany
and the Cold War:
• Berlin was divided, free access ended
between East and West, many families
split, many attempted to escape to the
West-between 1961 and 1989; 86
people died trying to cross the Berlin
Wall
Results continued…
• Kennedy accepted the Soviet action. He
refused to use US troops to pull down
the wall to avoid war.
• Kennedy looked weak but West turned
it into propaganda – why if Communism
was so attractive was a wall needed?
• 1963 – Kennedy visited West Berlin –
pledged continued support – ‘Ich bin ein
Berliner’ (I am a Berliner) – famous
speech
• Khrushchev lost face by failing to
remove the West from Berlin