The Early
Cold War:
1947-1970
Thanks to Ms. Susan M. Pojer
Horace Greeley HS
Chappaqua, NY
1945 - 1991
Copy Down Vocab
• Superpower – an extremely powerful and
influential nation, both economically and
militarily
• Containment – U.S. policy to stop the
spread of communism by creating
alliances and helping weak countries
• Cold War – the state of diplomatic hostility
between the U.S. and Soviet Union
• Proliferation – the growth or spread of
something such as nuclear weapons
• Communism –economic and political
belief where everything should be owned
by the public
Copy Down Vocab
• Arms Race – competition between
countries to expand the amount of
weapons they have
• Détente – policy of reducing Cold War
tension between the U.S. and SU
• Democratization – the process of making
a country into a democracy
• Nonalignment – nations that remained
neutral and did not pick a side in the Cold
War
• Nuclear Holocaust – annihilation of
humanity by nuclear warfare
Post-WWII Europe
• EQ: How does Europe
change after WWII and
how does it recover?
Post-War Europe
• How is Europe after the war?
– Devastated by war, 60 million dead
(2/3 civilians)
– Cities destroyed, famine, and
disease
• How are the people of Europe?
– They are looking for new leadership
– Desire stability and peace
Europe’s Question:
Who will countries
look to for
leadership?
Emergence of Superpowers
• Before WWII
– There were several great powers:
France, Great Britain, Germany,
U.S., USSR, Japan
• After WWII
– United States and Soviet Union
(winners of WWII) emerge as
superpowers
VS
Europe is Divided
• What happens?
– By 1945, Europe is divided between
the Soviets in the East and the
Western Powers (U.S., GB, and
France) in the West
– Germany and Berlin are divided
• Why does this happen?
– Stalin takes over eastern countries
for protection against the West.
The Iron Curtain
• Soviets kept the
countries they
freed from the
Germans
• Installed
communist govts
• No elections, no
freedom
• It was as if an
“iron curtain”
divided Europe
American vs Soviet Goals
U.S. Goals
• Encourage
democracy
• Rebuild Europe to
create stability and
new markets
• Reunite Germany
• Stop the spread of
communism
Soviet Goals
• Encourage
communism
• Control Eastern
Europe for
protection
• Keep Germany
divided
Allies Become Enemies
America’s Challenge
• What is America’s challenge?
– How to keep the Western European
countries democratic and rebuild their
economies
• What does the U.S. decide to do?
– U.S. will give money, aid, food,
machines to countries in Europe
– This was known as the Marshall Plan
– Very successful in helping Europe
recover
Directions
• Complete the Marshall Plan
worksheet on the back of
the graphic organizer
• Answer all of the questions
• Turn in when completed for
a grade
Post-War World:
International
Cooperation
Essential Question
• How were the efforts made
after WWII at creating a
lasting peace more
successful than those after
WWI?
Quick Review of Post-WWI
• Germany is severely punished
• Creation of League of Nations
– U.S. did not join so not powerful
• Dictators and Aggression throughout
Europe
• WWII Begins
Allies Debate Post-War World
• Need to think beyond Europe
• “The Big Three” meet at Yalta in 1945
to discuss post-war plans
• The issues discussed:
– Germany, reparations, and the formation
of international organizations
Thinking Internationally
• The Allies agree that they
need to change how the world
works to avoid war, famine,
atrocities, etc…
• Instead, need to promote
peace, security, stability, and
tolerance
How do we achieve this?
• By creating international
organizations where
countries can cooperate and
help one another
United Nations
• Think of it as a congress for countries
around the world
• Diplomacy first – talk out your issues
before jumping into war
• Promote peace and stability
• 193 countries are members as of 2013
Security Council
• This is the leadership branch of the UN
• The permanent members of the
Security Council have veto power
– U.S., Russia, France, Great Britain, and
China (winners of WWII)
World Health Organization
• Branch of the UN
• Researches and fights off diseases
• Promotes public health around the
world
World Bank
• Goal: fight poverty and increase the
standard of living
• Provides loans and investments to
countries
– Schools, electricity, disease control
International Monetary Fund
• Purpose is to maintain economic
cooperation and trade so not to
repeat 1930s Depression
• Give loans to countries
Directions
• Use the sheet (front and back) to
answer the following questions on
the back of your graphic
organizer.
• The first six questions go with the
WWI & WWII Compare &
Contrast
• The next five questions go with
the League of Nations vs UN
sheet
The Cold War:
Strategy and
Competition
Essential Question
• How did Cold War
strategies and competition
foster conflict?
Containment (1947)
• President Truman says
the U.S. will follow a
policy of containment
– Contain communism
– Use military alliances and
economic aid to protect
countries
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
(1948)
• Soviets block Western Berlin so U.S.
cannot send in supplies
– Why? – Soviets want control of all
Berlin
• Berlin Airlift
– Allies/U.S. fly food/supplies into Berlin
for 11 months
– Stalin backs down
Soviets Get Atomic Bomb
(1949)
• Soviets test their first atomic
bomb
• U.S. no longer has atomic bomb
advantage
Formation of NATO (1949)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization is
formed
• Defensive Alliance against the
Soviet Union
Korean War (1950 – 1953)
• North Korea (communists) invades
South Korea
• UN puts together force led by U.S.
to push them back
• Stalemate at 38th parallel
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcmMtNOVORc
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uojhwx0k8A
U.S. and Soviets Create
H-Bomb (1952-1953)
• Now it becomes an arms race
as to who can develop the
deadliest nuclear weapons
Nuclear Weapons
Soviets Launch Sputnik
(1957)
• Soviets launch satellite using ICBM
(intercontinental ballistic missile)
• Americans feel they are falling
behind in space
– Competition in space
Cuban Revolution (1959)
• Communists overthrow the American
backed dictator in Cuba
– Only ninety miles off the coast
– U.S. starts plotting invasion
Essential Question
• How did Cold War
strategies and competition
foster conflict and
communication?
U-2 Incident (1960)
• U.S. U-2 spy plane is shot down
over the Soviet Union and pilot
is captured
Bay of Pigs (1961)
• President Kennedy allows CIA and
U.S. military to back Cuban-refugee
invasion to overthrow Castro
(dictator backed by the Soviets).
• Epic fail
• Soviets feel they need to protect
Cuba
• “There is an old saying
that victory has a thousand
fathers, but defeat is an
orphan.”
~President Kennedy
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
• The closest the world came to
nuclear war
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj_19REPJ7Q
• Soviets shipped nuclear weapons
to Cuba
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W50RNAbmy3M
• U.S. finds out and “quarantines”
the island (blockade) from Soviets
• Soviets back down as Kennedy
works out an agreement
http://www.
youtube.co
m/watch?v
=Ig8UdfQK
XSY
Kennedy-Khrushchev
Connection1962
• Kennedy and Khrushchev create a
direct telephone link to one another
• They begin a semi-friendly dialogue
Partial Test Ban Treaty
(1963)
• Signed by President Kennedy and
Khrushchev
• Banned the testing of nuclear bombs
in the atmosphere, water, or space
• Work on disarmament
Vietnam War (1965-1973)
• Kennedy had planned on withdrawing
troops in 1964
• He was assassinated in Nov 1963
• Lyndon Johnson assumes office and
pledges full support to South Vietnam
Cuban Missile Crisis Letter
Analysis
• Read the three letters from
Khrushchev, Bobby Kennedy, and
John F. Kennedy
• Answer the analysis questions to
understand the deals they made
Vietnam War
• Essential Question: How
are people affected by war
and how do they respond
to it?
Background
• Divided in two after WWII
• Communists in North and noncommunists in South
– South Vietnam was ruled by American
backed dictator
– Communists oppose him
Why bother with Vietnam?
• It goes back to containment and
stopping communism
• Domino Theory – if one country falls
to communism, it will spread to
others
U.S. Goes to War
• Bombs cities and rural areas
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M6cpjP7GIo
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T6_bpLwTrc
• Enemy uses guerilla warfare
– Hit and run tactics
• U.S. will suffer 60,000 dead and
300,000 wounded
• Millions of Vietnamese die
• U.S. pulls out in 1973
– Gained nothing
Vietnam War Song Analysis
• Listen to the song
• Be sure to note the year it was
released [Vietnam War 1965-1973]
• After listening to each song, answer
the questions.
Vietnam War Songs
• “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire
(1965)
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I98KeKV_F9g
• “Ballad of the Green Berets” by Barry
Sadler (1966)
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNfscIsSIfQ
• “War” by Edwin Starr (1970)
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dKAX7Jp8wo
• “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye
(1972)
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6jKE6YIxmc
Cold War Study Guide
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All ten vocabulary words
U.S. Marshall Plan
Escalation and De-Escalation Events
U.S. vs Soviet Goals
International Organizations
What is healthy competition? – Space Race
Domino Theory
Vietnam: Why we were there? What
happened?
• United Nations vs League of Nations