The Cold War

• The Causes of the Cold War

  1. Communism vs Capitalism

  • Communism: The Soviet Union was a communist country where the state owned all property and businesses, and there were no political freedoms. It was a single-party state with no elections, free speech, or free media.
  • Capitalism: The US had a capitalist economy where individuals could acquire wealth, own private property, and profit from business with minimal government interference. The US was also a democracy with multiple political parties, free elections, free press, and free speech.
• Causes

  1. Conflict and Mistrust During World War II

  • Tensions existed between the Allies during WWII. Stalin believed Britain and the US delayed the D-Day landings to weaken the Soviet Red Army. The US also refused to share atomic bomb secrets with the Soviets.
• Causes

  1. The Iron Curtain

  • Stalin created a "buffer zone" by imposing communist governments on East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. This division became known as the Iron Curtain, feared by Western Allies as a potential expansion of Soviet influence.
• Causes: Containment

  • In 1947, US President Harry Truman announced the Truman Doctrine, pledging US support to resist communism. The Marshall Plan provided funds to help Europe rebuild, aiming to prevent the spread of communism by fostering economic prosperity. Stalin refused Marshall Plan aid for Eastern Bloc countries.
• Key Event 1: The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)

  Germany After WWII

  • Germany was divided into four zones occupied by the Americans, Soviets, British, and French. Berlin was also divided similarly. This division was meant to be temporary, but the Allies disagreed on Germany's future. The Soviets wanted to weaken Germany, while the Western Allies wanted a strong, democratic Germany.
• The Berlin Blockade

  In June 1948, the Soviets cut off all road, rail, and canal links to West Berlin, isolating it within the Soviet zone. The Western Allies supplied West Berlin by air in Operation Vittels, which lasted 323 days until May 1949.
• Consequences of the Berlin Blockade

  • The division of Germany became permanent, leading to the creation of West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) and East Germany (German Democratic Republic). Both superpowers began an arms race, and nuclear weapons were developed by both sides. The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961, symbolizing the Iron Curtain.
• Key Event 2: The Korean War (1950-1953)

  Conflict in Korea

  • Korea was divided along the 38th parallel after WWII, with a communist government in the North and a US-backed government in the South. North Korea invaded the South in 1950, leading to US and UN intervention.
• Consequences of the Korean War

  • The war ended in a stalemate with the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953. North Korea became a communist dictatorship, while South Korea became a capitalist democracy. The war marked the division of Asia into communist and capitalist regions.
• Key Event 3: The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

  The Cuban Revolution

  • In 1959, Fidel Castro led a communist revolution in Cuba, backed by the Soviet Union. The US responded with a trade embargo.
• The Bay of Pigs

  • In 1961, a US-backed invasion by Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs failed. In 1962, the US discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba, leading to a naval blockade.
• On the Brink of Nuclear War

  • The world faced a nuclear threat until an agreement was reached: the US would not invade Cuba and would remove missiles from Turkey, while the Soviets dismantled Cuban missile bases.
• Consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis

  • A telephone hotline was established between Moscow and Washington, and the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was agreed upon to prevent further atomic testing.
• End of Communist Rule

  • In 1989, protests led to the fall of communist governments in Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall was opened, and the Soviet Union dissolved by 1991, marking the end of the Cold War.