cold war context

• who fought the cold war

  usa and soviet union
• 2 main causes of the cold war

  ideological differences between the superpowers

  differing aims and views of their leaders: especially truman and stalin
• difference between a hot and cold war

  hot - conflict with actual fighting

  cold - war waged against the enemy by every means short of actually fighting
• when did the cold war start

  1945-6
• when did the cold war end

  1991
• what features of a hot war did the cold war have

  causes and consequences

  2 sides : east vs west

  2 rival armed camps : NATO vs warsaw pact

  2 sides competing for influence over the world: often assisting rival sides in civil wars e.g. conflicts in korea and vietnam
• 5 main features of the cold war

  spying

  propaganda

  arms race

  space race

  loans and aid
• spying


  both sides spied on each other to find out any military development

  used spy planes to flight at big heights and take photographs

  e.g. american u2 spy plane = high enough to avoid being shot down by secret fighters

  spying increased rivalry
• propaganda

  both sides used propaganda to create worst image of the other side

  ensure national public opinion supported the government

  soviet union used success in sport (olympics) to illustrate superiority of communist system
• arms race background

  competition in conventional weapons as well as nuclear weapons

  each side wanted more weapons and newer tech

  by 1960s = both sides had enough military weaponry to destroy each other again and again: MAD theory

  this was a deterrent against war but did not stop both sides wishing to develop more advanced nuclear weapons
• space race

  each side competed for success in space race

  1st satellite then 1st man in space then 1st man on the moon

  success in this = good propaganda
• loans and aid

  each side competed to provide loans and aid to less developed and often newly independent states to gain support in cold war
• when did superpower rivalry actually begin

  1917

  when bolsheviks, led by lenin, seized control of the government in russia and established a communist government over the next 4 years

  believed in world revolution
• communism

  POLITICS - communist party, no choice, people unable to change their government

  ECONOMY - no private industry/business, no private profit, all industry/business owned by state for the benefit of everyone

  BELIEFS - everyone is equal, world revolution, encouraging communism in other countries, censorship of media
• capitalism

  POLITICS - several parties, voters may choose and change their government

  ECONOMY - most industry and and businesses privately owned

  BELIEFS - some are wealthier than others, spread influence to other countries to encourage trade and investment, very little censorship of media
• did britain, france and usa fear the spread of communism

  yes

  attempted to intervene in russian civil war (1918-21) by giving arms and supplies to groups in russia who were fighting to overthrow lenin and communists

  despite victory in civil war: lenin and other leading bolsheviks = very suspicious of west
• MAD

  mutually assured destruction

  belief that nuclear weapons made each side more secure and less likely to attack

  enemy would not dare to attack first

  because if they did, the other side would strike back before bomb landed

  so it would also be destroyed