1. COLD WAR IN EUROPE SWBAT: Identify the steps taken to ensure the survival of non-Communist areas of Europe post WWII. Homework: None. Do Now: Analyze the political cartoon to the right. What policy did Truman adopt to prevent Stalin from moving west?

2. BEGINNINGS OF CONTAINMENT The first step to containing the Soviet Union was in Greece and Turkey. Great Britain was already supporting both nations’ resistance to a growing communist influence.  Problem: GB’s economy had been hurt during WWII and could no longer afford to help resist communism.  Asked the US to take over the responsibility. Truman accepted the challenge.

3. TRUMAN DOCTRINE On March, 1947 Truman asked Congress for $400 million in economic aid for Greece and Turkey. In a statement that became known as the Truman Doctrine, he declared that “it must be the policy of the US to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”  What does “subjugation” mean?  What does “outside pressures” refer to?  What is Truman saying is the goal of the US? Congress agreed and gave Truman the aid he requested.

4. PROBLEMS OF POST-WAR EUROPE Most of post-war Europe was in dire straights.  People were living in refugee camps.  Factories were bombed, hindering economic rebuilding. Problems worsen.  Winter of 1946-47 was one of the worst in several centuries.  Caused severe crop damage and froze rivers leading to transportation problems and fuel shortages. Secretary of State George Marshall proposed a plan.

5. THE MARSHALL PLAN The goal:  To provide aid to all European nations that needed it. The claim:  That it was not directed against any nation or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos. One important condition:  Every country choosing to take advantage of the plan would need to have its economic situation assessed.

6. Questions: Looking at the chart, which European countries did not receive aid? What do all of those countries have in common? The claim was that the Marshall Plan was not directed against any nation or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, etc. Do you think this is the case?

7. EFFECT The USSR and countries part of the Soviet bloc rejected aid. Why?  Could not agree to let the US access the economic situation in Soviet controlled countries. The years 1948 to 1952 saw the fastest period of growth in European history.  Industrial production increased by 35%.  Agricultural production substantially surpassed pre-war levels.  Poverty and starvation of the immediate postwar years disappeared. Political effect in Western European countries:  Appeal of the communist party lost much of its appeal to voters

8. THE STRUGGLE OVER GERMANY Remember back to the Potsdam Conference.  Germany was divided into 4 sections with the US, France, Great Britain, and USSR all getting a piece.  Berlin, the capital, was also divided into 4 sections. In 1948, the US, France, and Great Britain decided to combine their zones into one nation. Their 3 sections of the capital were also combined, but was surrounded by the USSR’s zone. This is going to present a serious issue. Berlin

9. THE PROBLEM? While the US, Great Britain, and France unified their zones in Berlin, they had no agreement with Stalin guaranteeing access to Berlin. Stalin saw this as an opportunity to try and absorb the rest of Berlin into his own zone. In 1948, Stalin closed all railroads and highways into West Berlin. Result?  No food or fuel could reach that part of the city.  2.1 million people had only enough food for ~5 weeks.

10. THE ANSWER American and British officials started the Berlin airlift to fly food and supplies into West Berlin. For 327 days, planes took off and landed every few minutes around the clock. West Berlin survived because of the airlift and American prestige soared around the world. By May, 1949 Stalin realized that he had been beaten and lifted the blockade.

11. THE 2 GERMANYS In May, 1949 the western part of Germany officially became a new nation, the Federal Republic of Germany, aka West Germany.  Included West Berlin. A few months later, the USSR created the German Democratic Republic, aka East Germany.  Included East Berlin. August 1961, the Berlin Wall would begin construction that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection from East Germany/Berlin to West Germany.

12. THE CREATION OF NATO The Berlin Blockade increased fear of Soviet aggression. As a result, 10 European nations joined the US and Canada and created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The 12 members pledged military support to one another in case any member was attacked. For the 1 st time in US history, the US entered a military alliance during peacetime.

13. THE SOVIET’S RESPONSE After West Germany joined NATO, the Soviet Union responded by creating a formal alliance of its own. In May 1955 a meeting was held with representatives of the Eastern bloc. These nations adopted a 20-year mutual defense agreement called the Warsaw Pact.  The Warsaw Pact troops greatly outnumbered NATO troops in Europe. The overwhelming difference in ground troops between NATO and the Warsaw Pact reinforced the Western powers' reliance on using nuclear weapons as a deterrent.

14. RESULTS OF THE SPLIT Berlin from space: The distinction comes from the light bulbs, which are orange on the right and white on the left East German Shepherd West German Shepherd