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The Cold War. What is the Cold War? Period of no war between major powers 1945-1989 Intense hostility between the two super powers: US and USSR.

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Presentation on theme: "The Cold War. What is the Cold War? Period of no war between major powers 1945-1989 Intense hostility between the two super powers: US and USSR."— Presentation transcript:

1 The Cold War

2 What is the Cold War? Period of no war between major powers 1945-1989 Intense hostility between the two super powers: US and USSR

3 Post-WWII Order  Spheres of influence  Solve the “German Problem” –Occupation zones –Nuremberg trials –Assistance –European integration  The United Nations –UN Security Council

4 The Beginning: Cold War Escalation  Stalin consolidates power over Poland and Czechoslovakia  US gains influence over Turkey and Greece  Marshall Plan (1947)  Unification of Western Germany begins  Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)  NATO (1949)  Nuclear arms race

5 Berlin  vv

6 War of Ideologies  Communism and Soviet Policy –“X” “The Sources of Soviet Conduct”  Containment: “…Soviet pressure against the free institutions of the Western world is something that can be contained by the adroit and vigilant application of counter-force at a series of constantly shifting geographical and political points.” (Kennan 1947).  Truman Doctrine (1947) –Protect freedom against Soviet communism  Policies to implement containment –Economic assistance –Support of anti-communist groups –Limited war

7 Iron Curtain

8 Soviet Sphere of Influence  Military assistance and economic subsidies –The Warsaw Pact –Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA)  Ideology  Support communist governments  Power and control –Hungary 1956 –Czechoslovakia 1968

9 US Sphere of Influence  Assistance –Marshall Plan –Western Hemisphere –Middle East and Africa  Ideology – containment, liberty  Use of force –Bay of Pigs, Cuba (1961) –Korean War, Vietnam war –Chile, Guatemala, etc.

10 War Averted: The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)  Shots of Soviet missile sites in Cuba taken by US reconnaissance plains  Khrushchev and Kennedy face-off in the UN  US’s options –“Surgical strikes” –Blockade of Cuba –Appeasement  Kennedy Administration chooses blockade  Soviets back off  Hotline White House-Kremlin

11 Nuclear Weapons  1945: Hiroshima and Nagasaki  1949: Soviet AB explosion  Today: 1 missile=100 Hiroshima bombs  Nuclear deterrence

12 Nuclear Cooperation  Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (1969-1972); SALT II (1972-1979)  Antiballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), 1972 –Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) –US walked out in 2002: Strategic Defense Initiative

13 Why No WWIII?  Nuclear deterrence –Anticipate catastrophic consequences –Stigma against using nuclear weapons –No second strike capability (ABM treaty 1972)  Prevent escalation of conflict at every point  Strong anti-war sentiment in both USSR and US  Bipolar structure plus reconnaissance revolution – relatively simple to manage

14 The Fall of the Berlin Wall

15 The End of the Cold War  Failure of structural theories?  Perestroika and the Velvet Revolutions –Gorbachev in power –Domestic reforms – perestroika and glasnost –Semi free elections in Poland –Velvet revolutions across Easter Europe –Berlin wall opened: 1989


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