Early Years of the Cold War

1945 Yalta Conference –Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt –Germany divided –Poland “free elections” United Nations Formed –April 1945 – San Francisco (50 nations) –2 parts General Assembly – all countries Security Council – 11 countries –U.S., U.S.S.R., Great Britain, France, and China permanent members with veto power Potsdam Conference –Truman and Stalin meet to discuss end of the war –Beginning of the Nuclear Arms Race

Expansion of the Iron Curtain Stalin pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe to both protect the U.S.S.R. and to expand the empire Satellite Nations by 1955 –Poland, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, East Germany Yugoslavia –Led by Josip Broz (Tito) –Communist dictatorship, remained outside Stalin’s control

Containing Communism Containment – Secretary of State George Kennan’s idea to prevent war by stopping the spread of communism Truman Doctrine –Promised to provide economic and military aid to nations threatened by Communism –$400 million to Greece and Turkey in 1947 Marshall Plan –U.S. provides economic aid to Western European nations to help recover from World War II –Stalin refuses to let Eastern European countries to join (COMECON)

Germany Divided 1945 – divided into 4 zones occupied by Great Britain, France, the U.S. and the Soviet Union –Berlin divided as well (but completely in Soviet controlled area) West Germany and West Berlin - democratic nations East Germany and East Berlin under Communist control Berlin Airlift – Stalin attempts to end aid to West Berlin, U.S. drops supplies; blockade ends Berlin Wall – 1961, put up to stop East German from escaping to West Berlin (symbol of the Cold War)

New Alliances North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) –Western European, Canada, and & U.S. – Military alliance Warsaw Pact – Soviet Union and Eastern European nations sign military agreement

Nuclear Arms Race 1945 – U.S. drops atomic bombs on cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1949 – Soviet Union tests its first Atomic Bomb 1952 – U.S. tests first Hydrogen Bomb 1953 – Soviet Union tests Hydrogen Bomb Mid 1950’s – both create intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) 1957 – Soviets launch Sputnik

Cold War Spreads China –1949 – Mao Zedong wins Chinese Civil War and creates Communist nation Korean War – –Communist North Korea leads troops into South Korea –U.N. forces (led by the U.S.) help South Korea –Douglas MacArthur pushes NK almost to China; recommends a nuclear weapon; fired by Truman –Ends in stalemate – 38 th parallel

Cuba 1959 – Fidel Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista to control Cuba Bay of Pigs Invasion – U.S. tries to overthrow Castro (JFK), failed, embarrassed US Cuba becomes Communist Soviet leader Khrushchev sends missiles to Cuba in 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis – almost resulted in nuclear war

Vietnam Domino Theory – if one nations falls to Communism, the next will 1965 – U.S. begins war against Communist North Vietnam (NVA) and the Vietcong (Communists in South Vietnam) Tet Offensive & My Lai Massacre; long, bitter war U.S. forced to withdrawal in 1973