1. Superpowers Face Off
U.S.S.R
USA
vs.

2. Focus
What do you remember about the Cold War from World History?

3. The Cold War [1945-1991]: An Ideological Struggle
Soviet & Eastern Bloc Nations [“Iron Curtain”]
US & the Western Democracies
GOAL  “Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist world. [George Kennan]
GOAL  spread world-wide Communism
METHODOLOGIES:
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]

4. Yalta Conference Feb. 1945
The Division of Germany once the war is over
Soviet Union would occupy Eastern European countries and agreed to hold elections in these countries following the war

7. Potsdam Conference July 1945

8. The Soviet Union

9. Roots of the Cold War
Differences between the Soviet Union and the United States reached back to the 1920s.
Soviet Union: communism, totalitarian dictatorship
United States: capitalism, republic
Philosophical
Differences
Allies during the war, but not truly friends
Soviets wanted British and Americans to open a second European front earlier in the war. 28
U.S. atomic bomb plans worried Soviet Union.
World War II
Conflicts
Map
The Soviet Union refused to let Eastern Europe hold elections as promised at Yalta.
The United States resisted Soviet expansion.
Postwar
Conflicts
Which of the causes do you think was the major source
Of conflict leading to the Cold War?

10. Pair Share
What were some causes of the Cold War?

11. The Iron Curtain What is an Iron Curtain?
Stalin wanted to retain political and economic control over Eastern Europe.
The Soviets managed to install Communist governments throughout Eastern Europe.
Stalin outlawed political parties or newspapers that opposed the Communists.
The Soviets jailed or killed some political opponents.
The Soviets rigged elections to ensure the success of Communists.
Yugoslavia was the one Eastern European nation that was not under the direct control of Stalin and the Soviet Union.
Josip Broz Tito, a Communist, refused to take orders from the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union relocated Germans living in Poland and other countries of Eastern Europe.

12. The Iron Curtain Western Views of the Iron Curtain
Winston Churchill attacked the Soviet Union for creating an Iron Curtain.
The term reflected Churchill’s belief that communism had created a sharp division in Europe.
Harry S Truman urged his secretary of state to get tough with the Soviets.
Soviet Views of the Iron Curtain
Stalin believed that the Iron Curtain was necessary to protect the Soviet Union from western attacks.
Stalin used Churchill’s words to help persuade his people that the United States and Great Britain were their enemies.
He also used this as an excuse to rebuild the military.

13. Iron Curtain

14. Explain the meaning of the political cartoon. Who are the people
Explain the meaning of the political cartoon. Who are the people? What are they doing? Etc.

15. Buffer Zone

16. Soviet Union & Communism

17. Russian History of Invasion
France (Napoleon) 350,000 Russians killed
Germany (WWI) 5 million Russians killed
Total deaths of WWI- 16 million
Germany (WWII) 30 million Russians killed
*Japan 2 million, Germany 7 million killed
Total deaths of WWII million
Stalin wanted a Buffer Zone against future attacks
What is a Buffer Zone? Was he Justified?

18. Analyze this Political Cartoon
Pair Share:
Analyze this Political Cartoon

19. Analyze this Political Cartoon
Pair Share:
Analyze this Political Cartoon

20. Who said, “An Iron Curtain has descended upon the Continent?”
What is the Iron Curtain?

25. United States Response to Communism
George Keenan comes up with the containment policy (keep communism where it is, do not let it spread)
Truman Doctrine: We will help countries at risk of becoming communist
Marshall Plan: Sent $13 billion to Western European nations
Berlin Airlift: Soviets close Berlin; US flies in supplies to the people for nearly 1 year, flying 280,000 flights in and out or Berlin

26. What is the official Cold War policy of the United States?
Define

27. How did the United States respond to Soviet actions in Europe?
Containment
George F. Kennan created a policy known as containment.
This policy stated that the United States should resist Soviet attempts to expand its power.
Containment included economic aid, sanctions, and military force.
Truman Doctrine
Said that the United States would help people fight against oppressors
Truman wanted to send aid to Greece and Turkey to help them fight Soviet pressure.
Congress agreed to send millions of dollars to Greece and Turkey.
Marshall Plan
An aid program to rebuild the economies of European countries to create stable conditions for democracies
17 countries received $13.4 billion dollars in aid.
Helped build strong political support in Western Europe
Map
Plan

28. What was the Truman Doctrine?
What was the Marshall Plan?

29. Crisis in Berlin
With the start of the Cold War, it became clear that the Soviets planned to keep their German zone under Communist control.
The British, Americans, and French began to take steps to set up a free, democratic government within their German zones.
The western zone eventually became known as the Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany.
The British, Americans, and French also tried to set up a democratic government in West Berlin.
The Soviets were not happy with the idea of a Western-style government and economy in the middle of the Soviet zone of occupation.

32. The Crisis in Berlin Soviets Bloc Traffic
In June 1948 the Soviets announced that they would block any road, rail, or river traffic into West Berlin.
West Berlin’s residents were cut off from food, coal, and other products.
West Berlin was not completely cutoff because it had airstrips.
The Berlin Airlift
British and American planes began making deliveries to West Berlin.
The Berlin Airlift continued for months and months.
Finally, the Soviet Union lifted its blockade on May 12, 1949.
NATO Forms
In 1949 the U.S. and 6 other nations joined Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the U.K. to form NATO.
An armed attack against one would be considered an attack against all.
Today, 26 countries belong to NATO.
Berlin

33. Berlin Airlift

35. Berlin Air Lift June 1948- May 1949 7,000 tons of supplies daily

36. Analyze this Political Cartoon.
Pair Share:
Analyze this Political Cartoon.

37. Why did the Soviet Union block all traffic into West Berlin?
How did the U.S. respond?
What is NATO?

38. What were two different ways that the
Marshall Plan benefited the United States?
Why did the U.S. offer aid to Eastern
European countries?
Why do you think the Soviet Union refused
U.S. aid?
Back

39. Crisis In Berlin
The Soviet Union has just blocked all access routes into West Berlin million residents are now without food, water, and other basic necessities? If you were the president, what would you do?
Back

40. NATO
NATO

42. NATO Today

43. Back

44. Back

45. Why help Greece and Turkey?
Back