1. Ch. 27, Section 1 The Beginning of the Cold War

2. The “Big Three” leaders at the Yalta Conference near the end of WWII
Winston Churchill (GB), Franklin Roosevelt (US), and Joseph Stalin (USSR)
February
1945

3. Three things agreed upon by the Allied leaders at the Yalta Conference
Free elections in Eastern Europe
The Soviet Union would help with the defeat of Japan after Germany defeated
An international organization to solve world problems would be created (would become known as the United Nations)

4. Potsdam Conference in July 1945 (Near Berlin)
LEADERS PRESENT:
Winston Churchill and Clement Atlee (Great Britain)
Harry S Truman (US)
Joseph Stalin (USSR)

5. Potsdam Conference in July 1945 (Near Berlin)
The leaders agreed Germany and the city of Berlin would be divided into 4 zones of occupation
The US, USSR, Great Britain and France each would control one of the zones
Berlin

6. Nuremburg Trials – high-ranking Nazis put on trial for “crimes against humanity” in November 1945 by Allied leaders
19 Nazi leaders were found guilty and 12 were sentenced to death
Another set of war crimes trials took place in Japan and their wartime leader, Hideki Tojo, was convicted and sentenced to death with 7 others
War Crimes Trials

7. Principle Establish by War Crimes Trials
The trials in Germany and Japan helped establish the principle that individuals must be held responsible for committing war crimes, even when acting on behalf of a government
Hideki Tojo on trial in Japan →

8. United Nations
As agreed to at the Yalta Conference an international organization dedicated to resolving international conflicts was created – the U.N.
5 Security Council nations with a veto power were:
United States
Great Britain
France
Soviet Union
China
U.N. Meets in New York

9. U.N. in Cold War and Today
U.N. unable to resolve problems of the Cold War as either the U.S. or the Soviet Union would veto any related action
Today the U.N. works to avoid wars and provides disaster relief, prevents hunger and disease, and combats international terrorism

10. Palestine Mandate
Many Jews moved back to their ancient homeland after WWII
Arab Palestinians lived there
One of the UN’s first actions was to divide Palestine into separate sections for Jews and Arab Palestinians

11. Jewish leaders announced the creation of the nation of Israel in May 1948
The US quickly recognized the new nation
5 neighboring Arab nations attacked Israel
With US aid, Israel drove them back and took more land than given by the UN
Other wars have been fought since, and tensions have remained high all the way to the present
Creation of Israel

12. Iron Curtain
A term originated by Winston Churchill which refers to the line in Europe following WWII separating the communist nations in Eastern Europe from the democratic nations of Western Europe
In the same speech Churchill warns of Soviet ambitions to keep control of the nations of Eastern Europe and to force them to submit to Soviet control
Winston Churchill giving his
“Iron Curtain” speech when
visiting the US in 1946

13. Iron Curtain
“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent”
-- Winston
Churchill
U.S.S.R.
◄ BALTIC SEA
◄ Stettin
◄ Trieste
ADRIATIC SEA ►

14. The Cold War
A conflict between the US and the Soviet Union, without direct confrontation on the battlefield, that lasted from after WWII until 1991
It began as Soviet leader Joseph Stalin broke his promise from the Yalta Conference to have free elections in Eastern Europe and instead set up communist dictatorships in these nations
It caused nations of the world to choose what side they would be on, and led to the fear of nuclear war
Churchill, Truman, and Stalin
at the Potsdam Conference in
the summer of 1945

15. Sources of Distrust between US and USSR that led to the Cold War
Different political and economic systems (US democratic and capitalist and USSR communist)
Disagreement in WWII over when the US would start a second front against Germany
US didn’t tell USSR about our atomic bomb program
Soviet Union broke Yalta Conference pledge to allow free elections in Eastern Europe
Truman
Stalin

16. Containment
U.S. foreign policy under Pres. Truman to stop the spread of communism to any places that were not already communist during the Cold War
It meant that the U.S. would stop the spread of communism even if it meant going to war (which it did in places like Korea and Vietnam)
Telegram from a U.S. State Dept.
official in Moscow, George Kennan,
which described the need to contain
the spread of Soviet influence

17. Truman Doctrine
Policy of the U.S. under Pres. Truman which promised aid to people resisting threats to their democratic freedom
U.S. aid helped defeat communist overthrow attempts in Greece and Turkey
Showed other nations that we would back up our containment policy
President Truman giving the
speech before Congress in
1947 that outlined his Truman
Doctrine and asked for aid to
help Greece and Turkey

18. Marshall Plan
Plan created by U.S. Secretary of State, George Marshall, which sent $13 billion in aid to western and southern Europe to help them rebuild after WWII
The plan was to help our democratic allies to handle post-war problems before communism could threaten to take over in their nations
Green nations received aid, and
the red bars show how much in
comparison to other nations

19. Division of Germany after WWII
The division of Germany was first agreed to by Allied leaders at the Yalta Conference, and the exact borders were set at the Potsdam Conference after Nazi Germany was defeated
Later the British, French, and American zones would combine to become the democratic nation of West Germany
British zone
Soviet zone
U.S. zone
French zone

20. Division of Berlin
The German capitol city of Berlin was also divided into 4 occupied zones
The French, British, and American sectors of the city combined and became known as West Berlin
West Berlin became a democratic zone
in the middle of communist East Germany

21. Berlin Airlift
After the Soviet Union blocked access to West Berlin in 1948, Truman responded by airlifting food, fuel, and equipment to West Berlin for nearly a year with non-stop flights until the Soviet Union called off its blockade
Prevented WWIII and showed U.S. would uphold containment
Flight paths to West Berlin during airlift

22. ◄ C-47s unloading at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin
◄ C-47s unloading at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. Up to 102 of these planes were flying during the first three months of the Berlin Airlift
West Berlin citizens watch ►
a plane take off from Tempelhof Airport, which was the central point of a massive U.S.-led airlift in 1948 of the city. 

23. North Atlantic Treaty Organization
N.A.T.O. was the defense alliance created in 1948 by the democratic nations of Western Europe and North America to prevent against Soviet or communist threats
As United Nations couldn’t solve Cold War problems (as the Soviet Union would veto any U.S.-backed proposals) this alliance was necessary

24. Warsaw Pact
A Treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland in 1955 that set up an organization of communist states in Central and Eastern Europe.
The treaty was an initiative of the Soviet Union and was in direct response to West Germany joining NATO in 1955.
As such, it was the Soviet-sponsored communist counterpart to NATO
The nations in red above
were members of the
Warsaw Pact communist
alliance

25. G.I. Bill of Rights Returning veterans flooded the job market
To assist them, the GI Bill of Rights was passed by Congress which provided veterans:
One year of unemployment pay
Four years of college tuition
Low-interest loans for homes, farms, or businesses