1. The Cold War
Chapter 38

2. WAR TIME ALIANCES BEGIN TO ERODE
United States
Soviet Union
Truman wanted to allow Eastern European nations to determine their own form of government
Truman believed that countries would choose democracy if given free choice
Stalin’s decisions were driven by security concerns
Stalin wanted a buffer zone of friendly communist states to protect the Soviet Union
Stalin claimed Eastern Europe as a Soviet sphere of influence

3. The U.S. and the USSR Count Up the Costs of War
United States
Soviet Union
About 290,000 U.S. Soldiers died. Civilian casualties were limited to those killed or wounded at Pearl Harbor
No fighting took place on US soil, no cities were bombed and no farms or factories were destroyed
The U.S. economy boomed during the war
As many as 20 million Soviet citizens died including 7 million soldiers
Soviets starved when the Nazis invaded, stripping the countryside and torching farms and villages
The Nazis leveled several Soviet cities, including Stalingrad and Kiev

4. Differing Ideologies Shape the U.S. and the USSR
United States
Soviet Union
The American System was based on a belief in democratic governments and capitalist economies
In capitalism, individuals and private businesses make most economic decisions
Most property, factories, and equipment are privately owned
The Soviets believed in communism, which viewed capitalism as an unjust system
Communism revolves around single-party rule of politics and government control of the economy
The state owns most businesses and decided what will be produced

5. 38.3 Key terms Superpowers Containment Atomic Energy
UN Atomic Energy Commission
A nation that is so powerful that it influences or controls less powerful states.
After WW2, the US foreign policy practice of attempting to restrict the expansion of Soviet influence around the world.
The power released by a nuclear reaction
A panel established by the United Nations in 1946 to propose ways to control atomic energy and restrict the development of nuclear weapons.

6. Section 38.3
Response
Challenge

7. How did the two superpowers view each other in 1946?
Challenge
Read the section introduction, Tensions Rise Between Two Superpowers,” and “New Nuclear Technologies Raise the Stakes for Both Sides,” and answer these questions:
How did the two superpowers view each other in 1946?
Why was the possibility of a superpower conflict a frightening one?

8. Response Read the rest of Section 38.3, and answer these questions:
What plan did the United States propose to control nuclear weapons?
How did the Soviet Union respond this plan?

9. Section 38.3 Response Challenge
In 1946, Stalin declared that peace was impossible as long as capitalism existed. The United States feared that the USSR planned to spread communism beyond Eastern Europe to other parts of the world. The possibility of conflict between these two superpowers was frightening because of the invention of the atomic bomb.
The United States proposed the Baruch Plan to the UN Atomic Energy commission. The plan suggested a ban on future bomb making, but it allowed the United States to retain its small nuclear stockpile. The USSR was strongly opposed to the plan. The Soviets wondered why the United States should be allowed to keep its atomic bombs while denying the USSR the right to develop its own weapons.