The Cold War

1. The Cold War

2. Yalta Conference: • February 1945 • FDR, Churchill and Stalin • Goal was to reach an agreement on what to do with the soon-to-be conquered Germany • Decided to divide the country into four sectors • The Americans, Soviets, British and France would each occupy (take control) of a sector • Soviet Union was given the largest part in exchange for promises that they would allow Poland to hold open elections X

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4. Potsdam Conference • Growing concern that communism and Soviet influence might spread in the postwar world • Truman hoped to meet with Stalin to make sure he lived up to promise he made at Yalta. • Potsdam was not a success because Stalin didn’t allow elections in Poland and Eastern countries.

5. The Roots of the Cold War • Cold War: a period of high tension and bitter rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union. • Roots reach back to the 1920s and 1930s, the US has always viewed the Soviets as a potential enemy.

6. Causes of the Cold War • Philosophical Differences • Soviet Union: communism, totalitarian dictatorship • US: free-enterprise, capitalism, • World War II Conflicts • Soviets wanted British and Americans to open a 2nd European front earlier in the war • US secretly developed atomic Bomb • Postwar Conflicts • Soviet Union refused to live up to wartime promises of elections in Eastern Europe • US made efforts to resist Soviet expansion

7. Philosophical Differences • American Aims: We fought to protect its vision of the American Dream. • We wanted to share with the world the essential elements of a democratic life– liberty equality, and representative government • Create a world in which its own economic interests would be served by worldwide markets for its products.

8. Soviet Stance • Very different than ours • Communism predicted that through a process of class struggle, the workers would triumph. • Until then a Strong Central government would control society’s resources • He created a totalitarian dictatorship in which the central government ruled by terror and held complete control of its citizens’ lives.

9. Causes of the Cold War Assignment • Get with a partner • Select one cause from the chart • Create a political cartoon with captions explaining the causes of the Cold War. • Share with the Class • Worth 25 points

10. World War II Alliances • Worked together during World War II to fight enemy • NOT FRIENDS • Argued over military strategy • Soviet Union blamed the US for delaying the opening of a western front • The Soviets sustained heavy losses fighting the Germans alone • Hard feeling Grew

11. The Atomic Bomb • Soviet Spies found out about our secret Manhattan Project • They managed to steal plans and follow the development. • Soviets saw weapon as a threat and developed one of their own. • Soviet’s has resentment over being left out of the atom bomb project

12. What was the Iron Curtain? • Stalin not willing to give up control over Eastern Europe. • He wanted a protective barrier between the Soviet Union and the West • He used whatever means possible to spread Communism • US became very alarmed

13. What was the Iron Curtain? • American and British leaders were saddened to see the Eastern Europeans being treated so bad. • We needed to get TOUGH with the soviets. • Winston Churchill delivered a speech and he sharply attacked the Soviet Union for creating what he called an Iron Curtain.

15. Iron Curtain: • It is a sharp political division between Communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe • Winston Churchill coin the term • Wanted to warn people that the Soviets were the enemy • Churchill stressed that English-speaking peoples had to work together to stop the Soviet Union from closing the iron curtain around any more nations.

16. United Nations • June 1945 representatives from 50 countries, met in San Francisco, CA • Was a peace keeping organization • Had an 11 member Security Council that held the real power. • 5 countries were given permanent seats (US, GB, China, SU, and France) • Goal was to encourage cooperation among nations and to prevent future wars.

17. The United States Responds • Americans now one of the world’s two most powerful nations. The other was an increasingly hostile Soviet Union. • Need a new policy to deal with the situation. • We would become the leader of all nations committed to democratic ideals and freedoms.

18. Containment: • The policy the US adopted in late 1940s to stop the spread of Communism • Creator was George F. Kennan • Use military force along with economic aid, to strengthen other countries against the Soviets.

19. Containment Slogan • Create a catchy containment slogan letting the public know about our new policy.-25 points

20. Truman Doctrine: • 1st test of the containment policy • Greece and Turkey needed HELP to resist Soviet pressure. • Truman ask Congress to provide emergency economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey. • US provided 400 million in aid and kept the Soviet Out.

21. Harry S Truman, speech to Congress “I believe it must be the policy of the US to support free people who are resisting subjugation (forced control) by armed minorities or outside pressures….. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes….”

22. Should America help rebuild Europe? • Read the handout. • Answer the 4 comprehension question. • Decide which options you would choose. • On a separate sheet of paper explain the decision you made and why you decided it. Be sure to write out your reasoning completely. (25 points)

23. Marshall Plan • George C. Marshall-Secretary of State • Purpose: A US financial aid program to rebuild the economies of European countries in order to create stable conditions for democratic governments. • Why: World War II devastated cities and farms in Europe • Gave 13.4 billion dollars to 17 countries

24. George C. Marshall at Harvard “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist”

25. What it did? • Bought food and farm equipment • Rebuilt factories and homes • Providing jobs for workers • Western Europe could now buy products from American factories • Helped the US build strong political support in Western Europe

26. Who it helped? • Received the most help • Great Britain • France • Italy • Stalin refused the aid

27. Marshall Plan Thank you Letter Imagine you live in one of the countries that is receiving aid from the Marshall plan. Tell how much you appreciate the help from the US. Tell how your country was before the money, and tell what your country has done with the money.

29. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the three Western powers' railroad and street access to the western sectors of Berlin that they had been controlling. • Their aim was to force the western powers to allow the Soviet controlled regions to start supplying Berlin with food and fuel, thereby giving them nominal control over the entire city.

30. Berlin Airlift • In response, the Western Allies formed the Berlin Airlift to supply the city over pre-arranged air corridors. • The effort was initially viewed with skepticism even in the countries mounting the attempt, as this sort of logistical effort had never been mounted before. • The airlift to supply the German 6th Army at Stalingrad required 300 tons per day and rarely came even close to delivering this; the Berlin effort would require at least 7,000 tons a day, well over ten times as much. • In spite of this, by the spring of 1949 the effort was clearly succeeding, and by April the airlift was delivering more cargo than had previously flowed into the city via rail.

31. Berlin Blockade or Crisis • June 24, 1948 to May 11, 1949) • One of the first major crises of the new Cold War • The Soviet Union blocked railroad and street access to West Berlin.

32. Berlin Airlift • Airplanes began making deliveries to the people of West Berlin • 7,000 tons of supplies into West Berlin a day • Flights landed, unloaded and took off again. • 70 American & British citizens died in airplane crashes. • Total of 280,000 flights (Americans flew 2/3rds of them)

33. Outcome • The success of the Airlift was humiliating to the Soviets, who had repeatedly claimed it could never possibly work. • When it became clear that it was, the blockade was lifted in May. • One lasting legacy of the Airlift are the three airports in the former western zones of the city, which served as the primary gateways to Berlin for another fifty years.

34. If the United States showed off its military strength and tried to force the Soviet Union to open up the land and water routes into West Berlin, it could lead to another war. • The airport in Berlin could not handle all the increased air traffic. • Using the planes necessary to make the airlift successful would make the United States military less able to defend our country if it were attacked. • General Clay, President Truman's military advisor, thought the Soviets would probably attack armed convoys bringing in supplies by land. • General Clay thought the Soviets would not attack our airplanes unless they had decided to go to war with us.