Chapter 33 – Section 1
Two Superpowers Face Off
The conflicting goals of the US and USSR lead to fierce competition and rivalry.
Despite the agreements at Yalta and the formation of the United Nations, the two
countries would pursue opposing goals on a global scale.
Creation of the United Nations
 50 nations sign the U.N. charter
o Pledges “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”
o All member nations are part of the General Assembly
o 11 members nations are on the Security Council
 The US, USSR, Britain, France and China are permanent
 Each permanent member can veto any security council action
The Soviet Union Corrals Eastern Europe
 History of Invasion
o USSR had been invaded by Poland, Sweden, France, Germany
o Stalin wants a buffer zone as a wall of protection for USSR
 Soviets Build a Wall of Satellite Nations
o Stalin ignored Yalta promise to hold free elections in Eastern Europe
o He installed or secured Communist governments in Albania, Poland,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia
o These become Soviet satellite nations, influenced by Moscow
 Iron Curtain Divides East and West
o Europe was divided into a Communist East and democratic West
 “Iron Curtain” was used to describe this division of Europe
 Germany was also divided into East and West
United States Counters Soviet Expansion
o The Truman Doctrine
 Stressed the policy of containment
 Block Soviet influence and prevent spread of Communism
 Supported countries that rejected or resisted Communism
o The Marshall Plan
 U.S. financial support for any European country that needed it
 Designed to revive the war-torn economies of Europe
 Provided food, machines, other materials
 $12.5 billion in loans to 17 countries
 USSR and soviet satellite nations did not participate
 Generally considered a very successful plan
o The Berlin Airlift
 Allies plan to withdraw occupation forces, unifying Germany
 Soviets want Germany divided and weak
 Soviets cut off all allied access to Berlin
 Want allies to surrender W Berlin, or quit reunification
 US and Britain air drop supplies to Berlin for 11 months
 277,000 flights, 2.3 million tons of supplies
 USSR lifts blockade in 1949
The Cold War and a Divided World
These increasing conflicts were the beginnings of the Cold War, a state of
diplomatic hostility that developed between the two superpowers
 Rival Alliances
o NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) formed
 US, Canada and 10 European nations join
 Attack on one is an attack on all – armed force used
o Warsaw Pact formed
 Soviet response to NATO
 USSR, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary,
East Germany, Albania, and Poland join
o Non-Aligned nations
 China, India, Egypt and others remained unallied
 Many play superpowers off each other
 Get needed financial support from both
 Nuclear Threat
o US and USSR compete for superior weapons
 Atomic bomb 1945-US, 1949-USSR
 Hydrogen Bomb 1952-US, 1953-USSR
o Brinkmanship
 Eisenhower appoints JF Dulles as Secretary of State
 Said if Soviets attack, US would “retaliate instantly”
 Showed willingness to go to the brink of war
 US and USSR begin to strengthen air forces and stockpile
nuclear weapons to prepare for this
 Cold War in the Skies
o USSR develops first ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile)
 First true long range rocket
o USSR launches Sputnik – first satellite
 US feels it has fallen behind in science
 Spends huge amounts of money to increase education in
science, math, foreign languages
o U-2 incident
 Secret US spy plane is shot down over USSR and pilot is
captured
 Increased distrust and tension between the two nations
Key Concepts:
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US and Soviet goals differ widely after WWII
Soviets control Eastern Europe through satellite nations
US uses Truman Doctrine and NATO to counter Soviet aggression
Nuclear threat increases as brinkmanship leads to an arms race
Development of ICBMs and satellites bring the cold war to the sky
Chapter 33 – Section 3
War in Korea and Vietnam
The cold war would flare up into real wars supported by the USA and USSR.
The USA and USSR would not actually fight each other, but would use
“surrogate nations” in this war of ideology.
War in Korea
 After WWII, Korea develops into 2 separate nations
o North Korea – Communist, industrialized - supported by USSR
o South Korea – Non-Communist, rural - supported by USA
o Nations were divided at the 38th parallel
 North Korea attacked the South with soviet supplied tanks, planes and $$
o Truman felt North Korean aggression was like the 1930’s
o Truman felt his policy of containment was being challenged
o U.N. sent international force to help South Korea
 After see-saw battles, UN forces had pushed North Korea to China
o Chinese felt threatened and sent 300,000 troops to help N Korea
o Battles fought for 2 more years
 Results of war
o Cease fire agreement reached in July 1953
o Korea remained divided near the 38th parallel
o 5 million soldiers and civilians dead
o North is Communist and industrialized
 Heavy industry, nuclear weapons, military build up
 Food and energy shortages
o South is democratic and industrialized
 Massive aid from USA
 Boosted foreign trade, high economic growth
War in Vietnam
 Vietnam was a French colony (French Indochina) until 1954
o France was defeated at Dien Bien Phu – USA sees a threat
o Domino theory – if one Southeast Asian nation falls to
communism, its neighbors will fall as well
o International peace conference decides fate of Indochina
o Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel
 N. Vietnam - Communist - ruled by nationalist Ho Chi Minh
 S. Vietnam - Anti-communist gov’t – ruled by dictator Diem
and supported by the USA
 Diem’s gov’t was corrupt and unpopular
 Rebel group (Vietcong) forms in S Vietnam to oppose
him
 Vietcong gains support in S. Vietnam as rulers remain unpopular
o N. Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh), USSR, and China are supporting rebels
with troops, munitions, and money
o USA was sending troops (“advisors”), planes, tanks, equipment
o U.S. support of an unpopular gov’t combined with our bombings of
farmland strengthened peasant’s opposition to S Vietnam govt
 USA withdraws from Vietnam
o Public support for war in USA drops in 1960’s
o Intense public pressure forces gradual withdraw from 1969-73
o Vietnamization – gradual withdraw of US troops as South
Vietnamese increase their combat role
 Results of war
o N. Vietnam overruns the South in 1975
o 1.5 million Vietnamese dead - 58,000 Americans dead
o Nationalized industries and strictly controlled businesses
o Thousands sent to “reeducation camps” – trained in Communism
o 1.5 million refugees fled (200,000 “boat people” died at sea)
Key Concepts:
 US fights Korean War to “contain” Communism and stop it’s spread
 US uses the “domino theory” to justify Cold War foreign policy in SE Asia
Chapter 33 – Section 4
Cold War Around the World
Third World nations suffered from poverty, and political instability. This was
due to a lack of education and technology, and from a long history of
imperialism. The USA and USSR try to gain influence in Third World regions.
Cold War Strategies
 Superpowers use techniques to gain influence
o Backed wars of revolution, counter-revolution, or liberation
o Spy agencies engaged in covert activity (spying, assassinations, etc)
o Provided military aid, civilian aid, technical assistance and
programs to combat poverty
 Non-Aligned Nations
o Nations such as India, Indonesia, and Egypt wanted to be uninvolved
o “Creative Confrontation” - playing the superpowers off one another
while still not taking sides
 peaceful coexistence with the great powers was both
preferable and possible - a way to get aid from both sides
o Bandung Conference – 1955
 Leaders of African and Asian countries met to become a
“third force” of independent nations. Non-Aligned Movement
Cold War in Latin America
o Cuban Revolution
 1950s – Cuba ruled by an unpopular dictator - Batista
 USA supported him because he protected US business
 1959 – Castro leads revolt – Communist gov’t established
 nationalized millions of acres owned by US companies
 bought oil from USSR - US companies refused to refine
it - Castro then nationalizes the refineries
 US places trade embargo on Cuba
 Cuba looks to USSR for economic and military aid
o Bay of Pigs Invasion
 U.S. trained Cuban exiles and invaded Cuba
 Castro’s forces win when Kennedy did not give air support
o Cuban Missile Crisis
 USSR secretly began to build 42 missile sites in Cuba
 CIA notices an increase in number of Soviet ships to Cuba
 US spy planes take pictures of missile sites
 Air strikes and invasion were considered to stop this
 Naval Quarantine was decided upon
o stop and search all ships heading to Cuba
o any ships with offensive weapons are turned away
 Tensions mount as Soviet ships near Cuba
 US and USSR on the brink of nuclear war
 USSR backs down and agrees to remove missiles
 US agrees never to invade Cuba
 US agrees to secretly remove missiles from Turkey
Key Concepts:
 Superpowers try to influence the governments of Third World nations
through aid, spying, and support of revolutionary activity
 Some Third World nations resist taking sides – non-aligned nations
 US relationship with Cuba changes when Castro takes power
 Soviets gain influence with Cuba and install missile sites
 US and USSR go to the brink of nuclear war over Cuba
o Both sides realize how close we had come to war – the Cold War
almost went hot
Chapter 33 – Section 5
The Cold War Thaws
While the USSR retains a tight grip on Eastern Europe, the two superpowers
enter an era of uneasy diplomacy and a lessening of tensions
Soviets Dominate Eastern Europe
 Destalinization
o Stalin dies in 1953 – Nikita Kruschev becomes leader
 Destalinization – removing the memory of Stalin
o Kruschev calls for “peaceful competition” with capitalist states
o Despite this change, satellite states still resented Soviet rule
 Hungarian Revolt – October 1956
o Citizens and Hungarian army joined to overthrow the Soviet
controlled Hungarian government
o Imre Nagy emerges as leader
 Formed new gov’t, promised free elections
 Called for removal of Soviet troops
o November – 1956
 Soviet tanks and troops enter Budapest - Defeat protesters
 Pro-Soviet leaders installed – Nagy executed
 Czechoslovakian Revolt – Spring 1968
o Kruschev is replaced by Brezhnev after Cuban Missile Crisis
o Brezhnev did not tolerate dissent in USSR or Eastern Europe
o Prague Spring
 Czech leader Alex Dubcek loosened controls on censorship
 A period of new ideas and reform took place
o Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia to stop this
 Brezhnev Doctrine - USSR had the right to invade satellites
to prevent them from rejecting communism
From Brinkmanship to Détente
 The U-2 incident, Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam War made nuclear
war always seem possible. The U.S. moves away from this policy of
direct confrontation with the Soviets
 Détente – a policy of reducing Cold War tensions started
under Nixon
o Nixon visits Communist China and the Soviet Union
 SALT 1 Treaty (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)
 Limits number of ICBMs each country can have
o Carter and Brezhnev sign SALT 2 agreement
 Congress won’t ratify due to Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
 US begins to retreat from détente back toward tension
 Reagan Abandons Détente
o Fiercely anti-Communist president
o Supports SDI - Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars program)
 Defensive - stops enemy missiles from space – never done
o US-Soviet tensions increase during the Reagan Era (1980-1988)
Key Concepts:
 Soviets show they will use force to retain satellite nations, despite the
protests of those nations
 After repeated crises from the 1960s-1970s, the US moves from
brinkmanship to détente under Nixon
 US-Soviet tensions ease during the 1970s
 Cold War heats up in the 1980s under Reagan as he abandons détente
Chapter 35 – Section 3
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev was a young, energetic ruler who wanted change
Gorbachev’s Reforms
 Glasnost – “openness”
 Economic and social reforms could not occur without the free
flow of information and ideas
 Encouraged citizens to discuss ways to improve Russia
 Released dissidents from prison
 Published banned books
 Opened churches
 Reporters openly criticized gov’t officials
 Perestroika – “economic restructuring”
 Wanted to make communism more efficient – moved away
from inefficient central planning
 Local mangers gained more control over farms, factories
 Small, private businesses were allowed - capitalism
 Democratization
 Gradual opening of the political system
 Citizens actually voted from a list of candidates rather than
simply approve a hand-picked party member
 Many long-time bosses were voted out
 Many reformers elected
 Foreign Policy
 USSR can’t afford the arms race – moved toward diplomacy
 Renounced Brehznev Doctrine – USSR will no longer use
force to keep satellites communist – let people decide
 USSR will not oppose reform
Soviet Union Faces Turmoil
 Old-time Communists did not like Gorbachev’s reforms. They felt it
made the Soviet Union weaker
 They try to overthrow Gorbachev in a coup
 Yeltsin denounced the action – coup fails
 Communist Party collapses
 Soviet Republics begin to declare independence
 Lithuania is the first – it is blockaded, then invaded
 14 dead, hundreds wounded – Gorbachev criticized
 After the coup, Estonia and Latvia break away
 Within 3 months, all 15 republics had declared independence
 CIS – Commonwealth of Independent States
 Former Soviet territories form a loose federation
 Gorbachev resigns – USSR ceases to exist
Russia Under Yeltsin
 Yeltsin becomes president of Russia – tries to fix economic problems
“Shock Therapy” – an abrupt shift to a free-market economy
Actions
Results
Lowered trade barriers
Prices soared
Removed price controls
Inflation averaged 800 percent
End subsidies to state owned businesses Factories dependent on government
money cut down production or closed
Thousands forced out of work
 1996 - Chechnya rebels – wants to be independent
o Yeltsin sent in troops – destroys the capital – Yeltsin criticized
o Cease fire signed – fighting resumes later
o Yeltsin resigns – names Vladimir Putin as president
Russia Under Putin
 Problems persist – high rates of domestic violence and unemployment,
Steep population decline, lower standard of living and life expectancy
Chapter 35 – Section 4
Changes in Central and Eastern Europe
Change in the Soviet Union led to change in their satellite nations
Reforms in Poland
 “Solidarity” in Poland
 Illegal worker’s union goes on strike – millions support it
 Gov’t gives in to demands
 “Solidarity” is banned the next year – martial law instituted
 Communist gov’t can’t help economy - workers walk off jobs
 “Solidarity” Union is legalized
 Free elections agreed to – Communists voted out,
“Solidarity” members overwhelmingly voted in

Lech Walesa – Solidarity Union Leader
 Elected President
 Tries “shock therapy” to revive economy – after initial
inflation and unemployment, economy begins to recover
 Progress was too slow – Walesa voted out
Reforms in Hungary

Inspired by Poland, Hungary makes reforms
 Encouraged free enterprise, small stock market opens
 New constitution – free elections
 Communist Party dissolves itself
Both Poland and Hungary joined NATO in 1999.
Fall of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification
 East Germans were fleeing through Hungary and Austria to W. Germany
o East German gov’t closed its borders entirely
 Huge demonstrations break out – police refuse to break them up
o New leader thinks free travel will restore stability
 The East German border and the Berlin wall are opened –
thousands pour through
 Wall is torn down in the process
German Reunification
 Germany reunited on October 3, 1990
o Germany had learned lessons from the past
o Committed to human rights and democracy
 Challenges
o East Germany infrastructure was outmoded (built after WWII)
o East Germany industry could not compete in the global market
o Taxes were raised, unemployment increased, inflation continued
Democracy Spreads
 Czechoslovakia
o Gov’t crackdowns on demonstrations anger the public
o 500,000 protestors gather, Communists resign
o Tried “shock therapy” as an economic program
 Country differs on economic policy
 Splits into 2 countries in 1993
 Romania
o Dictator Ceausescu kept a firm grip on power until Dec. 1989
o Scores of protestors were killed and wounded on gov’t orders
o Army joins the uprising against the dictator – tried and executed
o Holds elections in 1990, 1992, 1996, and 2000
Economy
 In 2001, production was only 75% of 1989 levels
 In 2001, two-thirds of the economy was still state-owned
 Made reforms to introduce elements of capitalism
 Encouraging foreign investment