Images from the
Post World War I
Era.
The objectives for this slide show are:
• You will have a visual picture of the devastation
of World War II.
• You will understand the reasons behind the
Berlin Airlift
• You will learn about some of the Treaties after
World War II that helped to build European
Unity and prevent future war.
• You will learn about terms closely associated
with the Cold War between the Soviet Union
and the West (USA & Europe).
After World War II, many parts of
Europe were ruins.
The Soviets moved in and took
Berlin.
Hunger and devastation was
everywhere.
The concentration camps were
opened…and the terrible sights were
beyond comprehension…
An “iron curtain” separated Eastern Europe from
Western Europe—and iron curtain of Soviet
controlled countries.
Remember, the Soviet
Union had lost 25 million of
its citizens and soldiers, so
they felt they deserved a
large “share” of Eastern
Europe.
In 1945, in San Francisco the
United Nations was formed.
In 1948, the
Berlin Blockade
begins…when
the Western
Zone refuses to
dismantle
factories and
other
infrastructure
and send to the
Soviet Union for
reparations.
Communism remains a threat, but the
Marshall plan helps to re-build Europe.
Europe moves toward more
economic cohesion..
The European Coal and Steel
community was a start…
Great Britain was a declining
power…rationing continued long after
the end of the war…
England had a
new queen when
George VI
died…
In Britain, coal
and steel were
nationalized.
This would have
a long term
detrimental effect
on Britain’s
economy.
Charles de Gaulle came back to lead
France—after the role of President (the
executive) was strengthened.
France entered it Fifth Republic
from 1958 to the present day.
Germany struggled to rebuild its
psyche. and its country
It is sad to say, that despite this,
Germany will be forever “stained”
by the deeds of the Holocaust.
Germany had the Nuremberg trials, and
paid reparations to Russia and the newly
formed state of Israel.
Stalin died in 1953. He was revered as
a leader—but soon after, the atrocities
of his “leadership” were made known.
The new leader was Nikita
Khrushchev.
The ideas of containment and
brinkmanship and mutually assured
destruction were part of the cold war
vocabulary.
NATO—the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization was formed to draw Europe
and North America closer together: they
united against a common enemy…
The Communists, in turn, formed the
Warsaw Pact.
And throughout
the world, the
former colonial
powers evacuated
their
colonies….who
would fill that
gap?
Communism or Democracy: the
choice contributed to great tension.
And lurking behind all this was the very
real fear that the nuclear arsenal would
blow the world to bits.
All sorts of films and books were made
about life after the nuclear war. People
built bunkers in their back yards.
Mrs. Olsen remembers bomb drills at
Faye Wright Elementary School in the
1960s…
In Europe, in 1961, Krushchev told the Western
Powers to leave the City of Berlin, which was a
free island in the middle of communist controlled
Eastern Germany.
Too many Germans were fleeing to
the free, West Germany through
Berlin.
The Berlin wall was built—a 28 mile wall of
concrete, barb wire and guard stations. Several
hundred would meet their deaths trying to
escape.
Khrushchev was
kicked out of
office in 1964.
The next
Russian premier
was Leonid
Brezhnev. He
saw the benefit
of relaxing
relations.
This became known as “détente.”
Many agreements were reached
during this time:
The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (Salt I)
1972 and later SALT II all sought to limit the
arsenal of nuclear weapons.
The Helsinki Accord focused on
Human Rights abuses
But just when things begin to improve, Iran
overthrows its Shah, the Russians invade
Afghanistan to prop up the weak government
there—they do not want Afghanistan’s pro-Soviet
government to turn fundamentalist like Iran.
We boycott the Moscow
Olympics—and then the Russians
boycott the LA Olympics in 1984.
It seems as though the cold war is
going strong….stay tuned—!
The objectives for this slide show
are:
• You will have a visual picture of the
devastation of World War II.
• You will understand the reasons behind
the Berlin Airlift
• You will learn about some of the Treaties
after World War II that helped to build
European Unity and prevent future war.