1. Introduction to the Cold War
What was the Cold War?
When was the Cold War?
Who was involved in the Cold War?
Where did the Cold War occur?
Why did the Cold War occur?

2. What and when was the Cold War?
A period of tension between the United States of America and the Soviet Union (Russia).
It was not a real or “hot” war, but a period of time when the US and the Soviet Union were rivals.
This period of tension began in 1945 and lasted until 1991.

3. Who was involved? The US Presidents
Dwight Eisenhower
John F Kennedy
Harry Truman
Lyndon Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
George Bush
Ronald Regan

4. Who was involved? Soviet Union Leaders (General Secretaries)
Joseph Stalin
Georgy Malenkow
Nikita Khrushchev
Konstantin Chernenko
Yuri Andropov
Leonid Brezhnev
Mikhail Gorbechev

5. Where did it occur? What other countries were involved?

6. Why did the Cold War occur?
A Power Vacuum
World War II ended in 1945
The allied forces had defeated Germany, Italy and Japan
Britain and France were left with economic, social and political problems
The two super powers were the US and Russia

7. Iron Curtain Speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAyXXepUgrE
The Iron Curtain
In 1946 the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a speech to the US, warning against Russia’s power.
“An iron curtain has descended across the continent.”
This speech has been seen as the catalyst for tension between the US and Russia
Iron Curtain Speech:

8. The Truman Doctrine
On 12th March 1947, the US President Truman gave a speech that stated they would support Greece and Turkey with military and financial aid so that they would not fall to communism
This was the beginning of the policy of containment