USA and USSR GLOBAL SUPERPOWERS - 1945

What’s the Difference? Define in your own words. Communism Capitalism

Things to consider... USA and Soviet Union were on the same side in WW2 After WWII, Europe was in ruins and former colonial empires were crumbling. This set the scene for increased competition between the two superpowers, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The Soviet Red Army remained in Eastern Europe after the war, which led to the Soviet Bloc. At the same time, the United States developed policies of containment – in particular, the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

Points to Know Soviet Bloc - The communist nations closely allied with the Soviet Union, including Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania, whose foreign policies depended on those of the former Soviet Union. The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy created to counter Soviet geopolitical hegemony (leadership/dominance) during the Cold War. It was first announced to Congress by President Harry S.Truman on March 12, 1947 and further developed on July 12, 1948 when he pledged to contain Soviet threats to Greece and Turkey. The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative to aid Western Europe in which the United States gave $13 billion (approximately $130 billion in current dollar value as of March 2016) in economic support to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II.

Timeline 1945: February 4-11 - Yalta Conference 1945: August 6 - United States first used atomic bomb in war 1945: August 8 - Russia enters war against Japan 1945: August 14 - Japanese surrender End of World War II 1946: March - Winston Churchill delivers "Iron Curtain" Speech 1947: March - Truman announces Truman Doctrine

Timeline Continued... 1947: June - Marshall Plan is announced 1948: February - Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia 1948: June 24 - Berlin Blockade begins 1949: July - NATO treaty ratified 1949: May 12 - Berlin Blockade ends 1949: September - Mao Zedong, a Communist, takes control of China 1949: September - Soviets explode first atomic bomb 1955: May – Warsaw Pact

Two Groups… Read documents… Then.. During conferences at Yalta (February 1945) and Potsdam (July-August 1945) the Allies concluded agreements for the postwar world; the most important concerned the fate of Germany and Eastern Europe. List the main agreements reached at both Yalta and Potsdam. The ultimate goal should be a comprehensive list of agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam. Followed by a class discussion comparing and contrasting the agreements made at Yalta with those reached at Potsdam. Speculate on what problems are likely to arise from these agreements, and why?