Cold War 1945-1991

Containment Chart: Create in notebooks Event Year Description How was this a part of containment policy? Truman Doctrine Marshall Plan Berlin Airlift NATO Brinkmanship

Cold War Beginnings Following WWII the US and USSR were the only two superpowers left Soon after WWII these two powers were in a Cold War (Icy Tensions) Why?- different economic systems, strategic interests, Stalin’s Speech, Iron Curtain Speech, Atomic Weapons

Pre Cold War distrust US USSR Communism antithesis of Democracy/Freedom/Capitalism Stalin’s Purges Non-Aggression Pact USSR emphasis on Worldwide communism USSR US attempted to undo Revolution Delayed attack on Western Front during WWII Believes peace will come from worldwide communism

Yalta Conference 1945 Big 3 – Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin Germany Split into 4 Occupied Zones Soviet vs. Western Allies (Tension for Four Decades) Agreement to create United Nations

Potsdam- 1945 Big 3 – Truman, Churchill, Stalin Meeting more tense (Truman’s style, plus knowledge of the bomb) Presses Stalin for free elections in Eastern Europe Stalin later gives speech saying Capitalism and Communism cannot exist in same world

United States 1946 Churchill Warns of an “Iron Curtain” in Europe Stalin calls speech an act of war, beginning of the Cold War

Truman Doctrine- 1946 Turkey and Greece faced Communist revolutions Truman asks for and receives 400 million to aid fight against communism Beginning of Containment Policy (not allow communism to spread) Becomes guiding US policy into 1970’s

Western Europe 1947 The Marshall Plan gives aid to European Nations Rebuilt Western Europe, threatened Communism

Western Europe/ North America 1949 NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization USSR creates Warsaw Pact in 1955

USSR/China- 1949 USSR develops A-Bomb Arms race develops between US and USSR China falls to the Communists

Korea 1950-1953 Communist North Korea Invades South Korea UN and West aid South Korea while Soviet Union and China aid North Korea

THURSDAY! We will complete the rest on Thursday.

Cuba 1959 Fidel Castro and Communists take Cuba

Cuba 1960 Bay of Pigs invasion, attempted overthrow of Fidel Castro’s Communism

Cuba 1962 Soviet Missiles Discovered in Cuba Beginning of 13 Day Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis Closest ever coming to Nuclear War Kennedy vs. Kruschev President Kennedy Blocks Cuba with Ships (“eye to eye and the other guy blinked”)

Soviet Union 1953-1956 Stalin Dies in 1953, Nikita Kruschev becomes new Soviet Leader 1956 begins policy of De-Stalinization

Hungary 1956 Hungarian Leader Imre Nage takes Hungary out of Warsaw Pact Kruschev sends in Soviet Troops to regain order

USSR-1957 Soviets Launch Sputnik Beginning of Space Race between US and USSR

Berlin, Germany 1961 East Germany builds wall, cuts off access for East Germany to West Berlin Berlin Wall became a symbol of the Cold War

Richard Nixon and Detente Détente- Lessening Cold War Tensions Real Politik- dealing with nations in a practical and flexible manner (anti-containment) Nixon visits China (Sino-Soviet Split) SALT Treaties Policy continued with Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter

Ronald Reagan Fiercely Anti-Communist Moved Away from Détente Increased Military Spending SDI, Strategic Defense Initiative or Star Wars

Glasnost Openness- Churches opened, Press allowed to criticize government, Banned authors allowed to publish books

Perestroika “Economic Restructuring”, Managers make more decisions, small private businesses

Democratization Gradual opening of the political system Election of a new group of lawmakers Communist Party no longer chose all candidates

Berlin, Germany 1989 Berlin Wall falls after Hungary opens its borders (Symbol of End of Cold War) Start of the collapse of the Eastern Block Process of Reunification