Chapter 27

 The fate of Germany became a source of heated contention between the Soviets and the West  After WWII, the Allied powers had divided Germany into four zones, each occupied by one of the allies, U.S., Britain, France, and Soviet Union.  Berlin, located deep in the Soviet zone was divided into four zones also.  After attempts to reach a final peace treaty with Germany, Britain, France and the U.S. decided to unify the three western sections of Germany and create a West German government.

 The Soviets opposed the creation of a separate West German state.  Soviets attempted to prevent it by making a blockade of West Berlin, June Soviet forces did not allow trucks, trains, nor barges into the three western zones. Food and supplies were cut off to 2.5 million people  The western powers did not want another war but how would the people inside the blockade survive

 The solution to the blockade was the Berlin Airlift  Supplies would be would be flown in by U.S. and British planes.  -For 10 months, more than 200,000 flights carried 2.3 million tons of supplies  The Soviets who wanted to avoid a war too, gave in and lifted the blockade in May 1949

 In September 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was formally created  Then the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was set up by the Soviets.

 In 1949, communist Mao Zedong takes control of China  Mao forms the People’s Republic of China  Mao’s victory strengthened U.S. fears about the spread of communism  The Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb in 1949

 The U.S. and Soviet Union were both building up their armies and weapons.  Nuclear weapons became increasingly destructive. Each superpower raced to build deadlier bombs.  Both sides believed that an arsenal of nuclear weapons would actually prevent war.  Neither side could risk using their massive supplies of weapons for fear that he other side would retaliate and devastate the attacker.

 NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization  Formed in April 1949  Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Iceland signed with U.S. and Canada  All the powers agreed to provide mutual help if any were attacked  Warsaw Pact- Military alliance between Eastern European states  Formed in 1955  Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania  Europe was once again divided into hostile alliance systems, just like before WWI

 The Korean war began in 1950  Started as an attempt by the Communist government of North Korea(aligned with Soviet Union) to take over South Korea  U.S. jumps in on side of South Korea  The Korean War confirmed American fears of Communist expansion  U.S. expands its military alliances all over the world.

 SEATO – Southeast Asia Treaty Organization  To stem soviet aggression in the East  U.S., Britain, France, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand  CENTO- The Central Treaty Organization  To prevent Soviet Union from expanding to the south  Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Great Britain, and the U.S.  By the mid 1950s, the U.S. was in a military alliance with 52 different nations

 U.S. and Soviet Union now were working to stockpile nuclear weapons.  Deterrence- policy of huge arsenals of nuclear weapons on both sides prevented war.  In 1957, Soviet Union sent Sputnik I, the first human made space satellite into orbit  The space race had started  New goal- 1 st one to the moon 

 Bomb Drills   Sputnik I 