COLD WAR OVERVIEW

• 1. What was the basic difference at the heart of the Cold War conflict?

  • ideological differences focused on communist vs capitalism 
• 1. Identify the three main features of the Cold War?

  • threat of nuclear war
  • competition over the allegiance (loyalty) of newly independent states
  • military and economic support of each other’s enemies around the world
• 1. Why did Stalin want to expand Soviet influence in Eastern Europe?

  • long history of enemy invasion
  • wanted control in those countries he helped liberate
• What was the policy of containment?

  a strategy employed by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism
• Capitalism

  Economic and political system championed by the United States
• Communism

  Economic and political system promoted by the Soviet Union
• Explain the causes of the ideological struggle of the Cold War?

  • divergent ideologies
  • power struggles
  • WWII legacy
  • fear and mistrust
  • proxy wars
• Explain the effects of the ideological struggle of the Cold War?

  • division of the world
  • arms race
  • proxy conflicts
  • space race
  • economic competition
  • global impact
• Divergent Ideologies


   Capitalism, championed by the United States, and communism, promoted by the Soviet Union, represented starkly different economic and political systems
• Power Struggle


  Both superpowers sought to expand their influence globally, leading to competition for control over regions and resources
• World War II Legacy

  The wartime alliance between the US and USSR dissolved after World War II, as ideological differences and conflicting geopolitical ambitions emerged
• Fear and Mistrust


  Mutual distrust between the US and USSR fueled the arms race and led to a cycle of suspicion and hostility
• Proxy Wars


  Conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and elsewhere served as battlegrounds for the ideological struggle, with each side supporting opposing factions
• Division of the World

  The Cold War divided the world into two blocs led by the US and USSR, creating a bi-polar global power structure
• Arms Race


  Both superpowers engaged in an arms race, developing vast arsenals of nuclear weapons and conventional military forces
• Proxy Conflicts


   Numerous proxy wars and conflicts occurred around the world, causing immense human suffering and destabilizing regions
• Space Race


  Competition extended to space exploration, with the US and USSR racing to achieve milestones such as the first satellite, manned spaceflight, and moon landing
• Economic Competition


  The US and USSR competed economically, with each side offering aid and support to countries aligning with their respective ideologies
• Global Impact


  The Cold War had far-reaching effects on global politics, economics, and culture, shaping the post-World War II world order and influencing the course of history for decades
• The Cold War was a conflict that divided nations across the world. Which of the AP themes best describes why the Cold War happened?


  • The Cold War primarily stemmed from ideological differences and power struggles between the United States and the Soviet Union, which are inherently related to governance
• 1. The clash between capitalism and communism, two contrasting governance systems, fueled the Cold War. The United States championed capitalism, emphasizing individual freedoms and private ownership, while the Soviet Union promoted communism, advocating for state control of the economy and collective ownership
• • Governance played a central role in the competition for global influence between the US and USSR. Each sought to expand its governance system and ideology to other nations, leading to conflicts, interventions, and proxy wars
• • Communist societies believed in redistributing wealth (taking from the rich and giving to the poor) and promoted workers and state-run economies
• • communism resulted in low unemployment rates but sometimes led to the unequal distribution of consumer goods
• • communism also viewed organized religion as dangerous 
• • The US capitalist system let free markets determine the production and distribution of goods, and promoted freedom of religion
  • This led to more productivity but often created massive economic inequalities
• • Both sides used propaganda to paint a negative picture of their enemies
• • From 1945 until the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, these two nations competed for global influence in the areas of military, economics, politics, and even culture
• • Having entered WWII late in the conflict, US lost far fewer soldiers and civilians while the the USSR lost 8-10 million soldiers (25 million including civilians)
• • the United States lost 300,000 in WWII
• • While the Soviet Union faced a devastating invasion, most of the United States emerged unscathed from WWII
• • US economy expanded during WWII as it made profits selling weapons and supplies to the Allied forces
• • eastern/central and west europe were divided along the imaginary line called the iron wall
• • Travel and cultural exchange across the Iron Curtain became increasingly difficult. It separated previously connected communities and created new ones living either under a communist or capitalist system
• • Germany became a Cold War battleground
• • East and West Germany had separate governments and capital cities
• • Families were separated based solely on where the lines were drawn (Berlin)
• • The city of Berlin became a microcosm (small-scale representation) of the Cold War, with British, French, and Americans controlling West Berlin while the Soviets controlled East Berlin
• • To prevent defections (people leaving one state for another), the communists built the Berlin Wall in 1961
• • berlin wall divided the city. they set up checkpoints to control border crossings