questions on the doc

• The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc from 1945 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991
• The Cold War was characterized by ideological, political, and military competition rather than direct armed conflict between the two superpowers
• Animosity between the West and the Communist state emerged during World War II due to ideological differences and conflicting interests in post-war Europe
• The Allied War Conferences, including Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam, shaped the post-war division of Europe
• The conferences highlighted differences in aims and ideologies between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, leading to tensions and the eventual division of Europe into Western and Eastern spheres of influence
• Cold War development

  1. Tehran Conference (1943)

  2. Yalta Conference (1945)

  3. Potsdam Conference (1945)
• USA implemented the policy of containment through the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan to prevent the spread of communism and rebuild Western Europe economically
• USSR responded by consolidating control over Eastern Europe through the creation of satellite states, the establishment of COMECON, and other measures to spread communism
• Berlin, located deep within the Soviet-controlled zone of Germany, became a symbolic battleground during the Cold War
• The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949) and the subsequent Berlin Airlift heightened tensions
• The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 further solidified the division between East and West
• NATO was formed in 1949 by Western powers as a collective defense against the Soviet threat
• The Warsaw Pact, established in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies, was a response to NATO and served as a military alliance among communist states
• These points provide a broad overview of the Cold War period and its impact on international relations, as well as the specific events and developments that shaped this era
• Period of tension (1945-1991) between USA (and allies) and USSR (and allies)
• No direct war, but ideological, political, and military rivalry
• Cold War

  Period of tension (1945-1991) between USA (and allies) and USSR (and allies)
• Origins of the Cold War

  • Emerged from differences between capitalist West and communist USSR during WWII
• Situation at WWII's End

  • Allied Conferences (Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam) shaped post-war Europe
  • Divided Europe into Western and Eastern spheres due to disagreements
• Development of the Cold War

  1. Tehran (1943), Yalta (1945), and Potsdam (1945) Conferences highlighted Allied mistrust

  2. Tensions rose over the division of Europe and conflicting ideologies
• Creation of Spheres of Influence

  • USA: Implemented containment via Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, rebuilding Western Europe
  • USSR: Established satellite states in Eastern Europe, forming COMECON
• Berlin


  Hotspot due to its location within Soviet-controlled Germany
• Berlin's Significance

  Berlin Blockade (1948-49) and Berlin Wall (1961) heightened tensions between East and West
• NATO

  Western collective defense against Soviet threat
• Warsaw Pact

  Eastern response to NATO, a military alliance among communist states