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What do you know about the Cold War? List as
many things as you can.
Where did you learn or hear about this
information?
Review: What is Communism? Why does
Communism conflict with democracy? If you
need help, look back in your notes.
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What was the Cold War?
Why did World War II cause a split between
the United States and the Soviet Union?
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Conflict between the United States and the
Soviet Union between 1945-1991
Why “cold”?
Not fought like a typical war (battles)
Struggle over different political ideologies
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Espionage (spying)
Propaganda
Multinational alliances
Foreign aid to win allies
Brinkmanship: Going to the “brink” (edge) of
war
Surrogate wars/proxy wars: Opposing powers
use other countries as substitutes for fighting
each other directly
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Three zones under military rule
◦ British, US, Russian
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Berlin in the Soviet zone
Berlin divided into four zones:
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French (West Berlin)
British (West Berlin)
US (West Berlin)
Soviet (East Berlin)
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Yalta Conference, 1945: Stalin promises free
elections in Eastern Europe
But wants Poland to be a barrier between the
USSR and Germany (wants Poland
Communist)
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By the Potsdam Conference:
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◦ Separate “spheres of influence”
◦ Big 3 are no longer allies
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Founded in 1945 by 51 countries (now 192)
General Assembly
Security Council
◦ 5 permanent members
 US, China, Russia, Great Britain, France
 Veto powers
◦ 15 members total
◦ Goal to settle disputes and keep peace
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Look at the chart on pg. 532.
Which US and Soviet aims in Europe
conflicted?
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Our Essential Question today: What events
occurred post-World War II that increased
tensions between the USSR and US?
Causes of the Cold War:
Ideological/social
Political
Economic
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Is this an example of an American or Soviet
escalation (“heating up”) of the Cold War?
Is this a social/ideological, political, or
economic cause? Or all three?
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What is a superpower? (there can be multiple
answers for this…)
What are some famous superpower countries
from history?
Who are the superpower countries today?
Why?
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Yalta and Potsdam
Soviet satellite nations
Containment (1947)
Truman Doctrine (1947)
Marshall Plan (1947)
Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-49)
NATO and Warsaw Pact
Iron Curtain (1946)
Brinkmanship
Based on your findings, who is more to
blame—the US or the USSR? Explain.
What is the event that had the greatest
influence in causing the Cold War and why?
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Read and highlight.
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Questions:
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Why did Halvorsen (“Uncle Wiggly Wings”)
drop candy for the children of Berlin?
How do you think the candy bombings
(Operation Little Vittles) influenced German
attitudes towards the US following World War
II?
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Read and highlight.
Circle any words that are unfamiliar to you.
Questions:
What is the Soviet Union’s goal, according to
Churchill?
What does Churchill call for at the end of this
excerpt? What recent event does he contrast
with this?
1. What was the Iron Curtain?
2. What was the policy of containment?
3. Take a guess: What do you think the “domino
theory” was?
1. Hint: What do dominoes do? What was the
main goal of the US during the Cold War?
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If one country falls to Communism,
neighboring countries will too…
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China becomes Communist!
What were some of the problems with the
Qing dynasty? Why did the Kuomintang rebel
and establish a democracy?
What did the Japanese do in China during
World War II?
Two leaders, two different ideologies:
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Nationalist Leader:
Jiang Jieshi (or Chiang
Kai-shek)
Communist Leader:
Mao Zedong
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Despite US support for Nationalists,
Communists defeat them
New government: People’s Republic of China
◦ Supported by USSR
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Nationalists set up their own government on
the island of Taiwan
◦ Supported by US
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Communist China:
Land given to peasants
Collective farming and living
◦ All food goes to the government
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Propaganda: Cult of Mao
Censorship, no political rights
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Key terms to look out for in the film:
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Collective farms/communes
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“The Great Leap Forward” (1958-1961)
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Red Guards
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The Cultural Revolution (1966-1968)
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What is one similarity you notice between the
Communist countries we have learned about
so far (Russia and China)?
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1949: USSR gets the bomb
1952 and 1953: US and USSR create the Hbomb, more powerful than the A-bomb
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Brinkmanship
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1957: Soviets create ICBM rocket
(intercontinental ballistic missile) and
launched Sputnik
1958: American satellite Explorer
1960: U-2 spy plane incident
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Step 1: Read the title, author, and intro.
Step 2: Read the questions, especially the
long answer question!
Step 3: Highlight or underline:
◦ Main ideas
◦ Answers to the questions
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Carefully re-read the sections of the text
when you answer the questions!
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Review: Today and tomorrow we will be
learning about the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Make a prediction: with what we have learned
about Eastern Europe and China, what do you
think happens in these countries? Why do you
think the US gets involved?
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1950-1953
First “hot war” of the Cold War
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World War II:
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◦ With Japanese surrender, Allies divide Korea at the
38th parallel (dividing the country)
◦ North: Soviet Union, communist
◦ South: United States, democratic
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Both sides wanted to reunify the country
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1950: N. Korea invades S. Korea
◦ US, United Nations fights with the South
◦ China backs the North, sends 300,000 troops
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Result: Cease fire and stalemate at the 38th
parallel
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Why might textbooks from different countries
offer different versions of the same historical
events?
When textbooks offer conflicting accounts,
how do you decide which textbook to believe?
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According to each textbook, how did the war
start?
Which textbook do you find more
trustworthy? Why?
Where else would you look to find out how
the Korean War started?
Which textbook comes from North Korea?
Which comes from South Korea?
Compare these textbooks with ours.
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Demilitarized zone
Communist dictator Kim Il Sung and son Kim
Jong Il
Development of nuclear weapons
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1. What did you think of the North Korea
travel clips yesterday?
2. List the divided countries following World
War II.
3. What are problems of divided countries?
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America’s longest war: 1950-1975
Millions of Vietnamese deaths and 58,000
American deaths
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Vietnam a French colony
Ho Chi Minh: Communist revolutionary
1945: Beginning of fight for Vietnam’s
independence
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Geneva Convention divided Vietnam along the
17th parallel
S. Vietnam:
◦ Anti-communist Ngo Dinh Diem backed by US
◦ Corrupt dictatorship
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N. Vietnam:
◦ Communist Ho Chi Minh
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Northern plan to unify the country
Revolt in the South:
◦ National Liberation Front (NLF) or the Vietcong
◦ Guerilla warfare
◦ Took control of the countryside
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Ho Chi Minh Trail: Armies from the North
move South
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Gulf of Tonkin, 1965:
◦ Justification to go to war (Pres. Johnson)
◦ Stated that N. Vietnamese boats had attacked 2 US
destroyers
◦ In fact, it is likely that no attack took place
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Obstacles to victory:
◦ Jungle fighting
 Tunnels
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Anti-war feeling at home
Vietnamization: Giving more responsibility for
the fighting to the Vietnamese
Tet Offensive, 1968
My Lai
US leaves the war in 1974; in 1975 S.
Vietnamese gov’t. falls to N. Vietnam
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Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot in Cambodia
◦ Communist rebels
◦ Pol Pot murdered 2 million people
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Industrialized, capitalist nations: 1st world
Communist nations: 2nd world
Developing nations: 3rd world
Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East
“Nonaligned”
◦ Not with either side
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Cuba:
◦ Revolution
◦ Missile Crisis
◦ Bay of Pigs
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Nicaraguan Civil War
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Iranian Revolution
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Soviets in Afghanistan
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Imagine you’ve gotten into an argument with
your best friend and now you are in a “cold
war.”
How could you “relax the tensions” between
the two of you?
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French for “relaxation”
Relaxation of tensions between the US and
USSR in the 1970s
Why?
◦ Duck and Cover Video Clip
◦ Arms Race Terms
◦ Discussion Question: What might have led to
détente in the middle of the Cold War?
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What was an example of détente that you
learned from yesterday’s presentations?
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What does evidence mean?
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What does analysis mean?
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Finally, take a look at your thesis statement.
Is it arguable?