Cold War

• Throughout Eastern Europe, Soviet puppet governments were established as a buffer zone between the USSR and the West, with Churchill proclaiming an Iron Curtain had descended across the continent
• The British intervened in the Greek Civil War to prevent a communist takeover. In Turkey, the Russians began demanding more control of Turkey's sea access routes, which prompted the US to send their largest battleship to Turkey for a friendly visit
• Pressure from the UN forced the Soviets to leave, and with the establishment of NATO, the Soviets had no doubt that the West was out to encircle and destroy them
• America announced the Truman Doctrine, in which they basically said, "The US has a duty to defend the world from Tyranny, we will do everything we can to prevent the spread of Communism around the world- Containment,"
• Many view this moment as the official declaration of the Cold War
• Under the Marshall Plan, America sent 12 billion dollars to Western Europe for its economic recovery. The countries of Stalin's Eastern Bloc looked on with envy
• This was a full-on economic battle raging between capitalism and communism in Europe. If the Western nations developed faster and better than the East, that would be a defeat for Stalin
• Stalin set up his own rival economic recovery plan, which he called 'COMECON'. And he also set up 'COMINFORM', which gave him more political control over the Eastern Block
• The city of Berlin had been divided up between the Allies - (Yalta meeting) the western segments were still under Western control. East Berliners could travel freely to West Berlin, see the economic prosperity - Window to the west - and left East Berlin as life was better in the West
• Stalin wanted the West out. So he said, "Hey, guess what? I'm blockading all of your supply routes to West Berlin. What are you gonna do about it?"
• The Berlin Airlift was an incredible undertaking and a major success for the Western Allies. And Stalin ended his blockade of West Berlin
• The Soviet Union had developed their very own atomic bomb. The USA no longer had a nuclear monopoly. The world now knew that if a major war broke out between the two superpowers, It would lead to MAD Theory
• After the Second World War, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel. In the north, the Soviets set up a communist regime. In the south, America set up an anti-communist regime
• The North launched a surprise invasion of the South on June 25th, 1950. With Soviet aid, the North Koreans steamrolled through, taking Seoul in just three days
• The UN were freaked out, and quickly created an emergency force made up of troops from 16 countries to defend the south
• The West still held Busan, and made landings at Incheon near Seoul. They pushed the North Koreans out of Seoul, replacing the ruthless dictator that had replaced the first ruthless dictator with the same ruthless dictator that had previously been replaced by the new ruthless dictator
• At this point China was getting worried that the UN may just keep going. The US had sent General Douglas MacArthur to lead the operation
• The UN created an emergency force made up of troops from 16 countries to defend the South
• The West made landings at Incheon near Seoul and pushed the North Koreans out
• The US considered using nuclear weapons but did not want to risk global destruction
• Stalin died of a cerebral hemorrhage


  1953
• Nikita Khrushchev called a meeting and announced he wanted to de-Stalinize the Soviet Union
• Uprisings in East Germany, Hungary, and Poland were brutally suppressed by Khrushchev
• Khrushchev permitted more cultural expression but then began banning things based on his personal taste
• The KGB had spies and informants in nearly every aspect of Western life and government
• Some American officials believed they were on the wrong side and sold secrets to the Soviets
• The US had an edge over the Soviets in espionage technology, such as U-2 spy planes
• The Soviets appeared to be ahead in the space race, launching the first satellite and sending the first man into space
• Khrushchev allowed the US to set up a technology exhibit in Moscow, attended by Vice President Richard Nixon
• West Germany was allowed to join NATO in 1955, and Khrushchev set up the Warsaw Pact in response
• East Berliners were able to freely travel to the West, causing a heavy toll on the East German economy
• Khrushchev tried to force the US to leave West Berlin, but Kennedy told him the US wouldn't interfere in what the Soviets did with their section
• On August 13th, 1961, the Berlin Wall was constructed, dividing the city and tearing apart families
• Tehran - Big 3 met to decide how to bring war to an end, agreed to open second front

  1943
• Yalta - Big 3 met to decide how to punish Germany as almost defeated, agreed to hold free elections in Poland, agreed to split Germany and Berlin


  1945
• Potsdam - Met after defeat of Germany to check still agreed, agreed to split Germany and Berlin, but disagreed over no election in Poland, US had tested Atomic Bomb without telling Stalin, Truman had replaced Roosevelt


  1945
• End of Grand Alliance - Telegrams sent and buffer zone set up, no longer have a common enemy, Grand Alliance officially at an end


  1946
• Truman Doctrine - Speech by Truman, ended US isolationist policy, spoke of containment, never mentioned USSR or Communism by name, US should intervene to help anyone under threat of 'tyranny'


  1947
• Marshall Plan - Money from US to help rebuild European economies after WW2, make communism less attractive, UK biggest recipient, $13 billion to 16 countries, buffer zone made to withdraw applications for money


  1947
• Cominform created - USSR set up Cominform to keep strict control over buffer zone governments, ensure loyalty to USSR


  1947