Cold War Timeline

Discuss  Review presentations notes & Options in Brief  Discuss with your group…  What do you think the US should do?  What are your reasons?

What did the US really do?  Option 2 – Containment  President Truman led the United States in trying to prevent Communism from spreading.  The Soviet Union tried to influence nations in Eastern Europe and Asia.  Meanwhile, the United States also tried to assert its influence.  We were afraid to actually go to war against the USSR, but we did go to war in other countries to prevent them from becoming communist

D-Day  Western Allies that moved eastward and the Soviets that moved west met at the Elbe River in Germany  Joyous occasion when they met up  Both sides celebrated the defeat of a common enemy

Russian & American Soldiers meet at the Elbe River

U.S. & USSR: Allies?  Yalta Conference (1945)  Big 3 Meeting to discuss post-war world  USSR promises to allow eastern European countries to have free elections  Agreed to jointly administer Germany & Berlin w/ US, USSR, UK, France  Stalin promised to participate in United Nations  After War (1946)  USSR denies free elections, refuses to release eastern Germany (or eastern Berlin) Churchill, FDR & Stalin at the Yalta Conference

The Big Three at the Yalta Conference, February 1945

What about Germany?  Yalta Agreement  Divide Germany into 4 zones of occupation. The Allies divide Germany and the capital of Berlin  USSR demanded $ 20 billion dollars in reparations and took them in various forms from E. Germany.  USSR’s desire to punish and USA’s desire to rebuild led to conflict (the Cold War)

Occupation Zones in Germany

“A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victory…From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” ~ Winston Churchill

Marshall Plan  US helps to rebuild Europe  Wants countries to have stable economies so they won’t be taken over by communism & USSR  Truman announced $17 billion in aid for economic recovery  USSR refuses to allow eastern European countries to participate  Sees Marshall Plan as an effort by US to achieve influence in Europe

The Marshall Plan President Truman with Secretary of State Marshall, Marshall Plan administrator Paul G. Hoffman and Averell Harriman in the oval office of the White House.

Post War Alliances  NATO  North Atlantic Treaty Organization  US leads formation of military alliance of western European countries  Collective Security – an attack on any member would result in a response by all  Warsaw Pact  USSR response to NATO  Creates military alliance with countries under its control in eastern Europe

United Nations  Founded in San Francisco in 1945  General Assembly  Gathering of all member nations to discuss world problems  Security Council  Can authorize use of force  15 members:  5 permanent members:  US, USSR, UK, France, China  10 rotating members

San Francisco Charter of the United Nations

Explain to a Partner… 1.What happened at the Yalta Conference? 2.The Marshall Plan 3.NATO vs. Warsaw Pact 4.The creation of the United Nations (4 minutes)

The Race for Nukes  1945  US fields first Atomic Weapons  1949  USSR tests first Atomic Bomb  1950  US: 298 USSR: 5  1952  US tests 1 st Hydrogen Bomb (H-Bomb)  700 times more powerful than Hiroshima  1955  USSR tests H-Bomb  1957  USSR launches Sputnik  Takes lead in missile race

Berlin Crisis ( )  Capital of Germany (located in East Germany)  Berlin still divided into Western (US, Fr, UK) and Eastern (USSR) zones  USSR angry at re-unification of Western Germany  Soviets blockade highway – 2 million western Berliners become hostages – no food or electricity

Berlin Airlift A major military/humanitarian operation run by the United States Over 277,000 flights bring food and supplies to Berliners Huge success!

Discuss… 1.What effect do you think nuclear weapons had on U.S. foreign relations? 2.What effect do you think the USSR’s possession of nuclear weapons had on the American people? 3.Why was the Berlin Airlift considered a success? (3 minutes)

Truman Doctrine  US policy was to support “free people” who resist communism  Leads to policy of containment  Opposing the spread of communist and the influence of the Soviet Union throughout the world  First applied to Greece & Turkey  $400 million in aid

Turkey and Greece Why was this such an important region for the Soviet Union?

Communism on the Move  Greece & Turkey ( )  Communist rebellions supported by USSR  US successfully supports democratic governments  Korea ( )  Communist North Korea invades pro-western, democratic South Korea

And later on… The Vietnam War ( )

That’s Pretty Much It…

 After this lecture, would you buy these?  For how much?