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The Origins of the Cold war. The Origins of the Cold war: what do we need to know? Why did the USA and USSR become rivals in the years 1945-49? Yalta.

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Presentation on theme: "The Origins of the Cold war. The Origins of the Cold war: what do we need to know? Why did the USA and USSR become rivals in the years 1945-49? Yalta."— Presentation transcript:

1 The Origins of the Cold war

2 The Origins of the Cold war: what do we need to know? Why did the USA and USSR become rivals in the years 1945-49? Yalta and Potsdam Conferences. Dropping of the atomic bomb. Iron Curtain: Soviet expansion into the East. Truman Doctrine. Marshall Plan Berlin Blockade and Airlift How did the Cold War develop in the years 1949-1955? NATO Nuclear Arms Race The Korean War: 1950-53 The Death of Stalin and peaceful co-existence. Formation of the Warsaw Pact.

3  Yalta Conference  Potsdam Conference  United States first used atomic bomb in war  Winston Churchill delivers "Iron Curtain" Speech  Truman Doctrine  Marshall Plan is announced  Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia  Berlin Blockade begins  NATO ratified  The Arms Race  Korean War  Death of Soviet leader Josef Stalin  Warsaw Pact Which event was the most important in causing the Cold War? Do you know what happened in each event?

4  1945: February 4-11- Yalta Conference Cold War Begins – working together, Stalin, FDR and Churchill. But underlining tension.  1945: July Potsdam Conference – tension developing, Stalin still in eastern lands, FDR replaced by Truman, Allies tested the atomic bomb – disagreements over what to do with Germany, reparations and Soviet policy in the East.  1945: August 6 -- United States first used atomic bomb in war - Devastation; Stalin saw it as a message to him.  1946: March Winston Churchill delivers "Iron Curtain" Speech – Europe divided central and eastern: Communist parties ensuring totalitarian rule.  1947: March Truman Doctrine USA would protect any country threatened by a Communist take over.  1947: June Marshall Plan is announced $17 billion made available for four years to Europe to help it recover from war and ‘against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos.’ Plus to stop them turning to Communism!!  1948: February Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia  1948: June 24 Berlin Blockade begins – In retaliation to the introduction of a new currency to Trizonia (FR, GB and US West Germany) Stalin cut supply lines to West Berlin in an attempt to force the allies out of Berlin. Allies dropped supplies by air. Stalin was forced to reopen communications. May 1949 Germany is divided into 2 nations: West and East Germany.  1949: July NATO ratified - Agreement of the Western Powers to work together: NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

5  The Arms Race The two most important areas of tension were known as the Arms and Space Races. In 1945 the USA had detonated two nuclear bombs over Japan to help bring an end to the Second World War. Japan was very nearly at the point of defeat before the nuclear bombs were used, so some historians believe that the USA wanted to use their atomic weapons in order to warn the USSR that they had weapons of mass destruction and were prepared to use them. The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened just as the Cold War began. The USSR challenged the West’s lead in nuclear weapons. By 1949 the USSR also had nuclear weapons. The Cold War became very much more serious in the 1950s as each of the superpowers built more and more atomic weapons. November 1952, US detonates the H-bomb 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb, August 1953 USSR denotes it own H bomb. By March 1954 the US develops an H bomb small enough to be dropped from a bomber; in the September the USSR tests an H bomb dropped from a bomber. The growth in the huge stockpile of weapons was known as the Nuclear Arms Race.

6  Korean War begins 1950-1953: Japan had occupied Korea between 1910-1945. Soviet forces in the North and American forces in the south replaced Japanese soldiers. Korea became divided in two, in a similar manner to the division of Germany. Stalin promised free elections in Korea at the Yalta, but he broke his promise. Instead northern Korea became a communist satellite state under the control of Kim Il Sung; in the south a capitalist state was set up under Syngman Rhee. It proved impossible to reunite the country. In 1949 China became a communist state. The South Koreans were very nervous, surrounded by communist states – the USSR, China and North Korea. Stalin and Mao (the Chinese communist leader) encouraged Kim Il Sung to attack South Korea. They saw a perfect opportunity to spread communism in the Far East, perhaps even to Japan. The USA was very worried by the so-called domino effect; if one country fell to communism, others would fall also. When Kim Il Sung attacked South Korea he had the financial support of Stalin, but not the direct military support of the USSR. South Korea appealed to the United Nations for help. Sixteen nations, headed by the USA took part immediately, another sixteen followed later. Under General MacArthur UN forces quickly pushed back North Korean forces and approached China. The Chinese were very concerned especially as MacArthur made it clear he was prepared to invade China and use nuclear weapons. Truman dismissed MacArthur in 1951 and the North Koreans, with Chinese support, were able to push back UN forces to the 38-degree N parallel, the same division between North and South Korea that had existed in 1949. When Stalin died in 1953 both sides agreed to a cease-fire. The Korean War had been a stalemate between the superpowers. Although both had been involved, the USA and the USSR had not fought directly against each other. In 1954 SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organisation) was set up as a copy of NATO. Communism had been prevented in South Korea and the UN was seen as a success, it had stood up to major aggression, something the League of Nations had failed to achieve. However, the war also revealed that China was no longer weak and was prepared to stand up to the West. Was this the emergence of a third superpower.

7  When Stalin died in 1953, it appeared that the relationship between the USA and the USSR would improve. With the emergence of Khrushchev as Stalin’s successor in 1956, this belief seemed to take effect. However, Khrushchev was an old-school communist, with no wish to diminish the USSR’s status as a rival superpower to the USA.  Warsaw Pact was the Soviet Union’s response to West Germany joining NATO and came into being in May 1955. The Warsaw Pact, officially the ‘Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance’, was obviously very much dominated by the Soviet Union. Soviet made tanks, aircraft and guns were used throughout the Warsaw Pact and the military command was dominated by decisions made in Moscow. Like NATO, the Warsaw Pact had a political Consultative Committee with a civilian Secretary- General. It also, like NATO, had a commander-in-chief who was the most senior military figure in it. Each member of the Warsaw Pact had to pledge to defend other members if they were attacked. Link that will help: BBC bitesize – click on link.


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