What is the Cold War?
• It’s the period from 1946 to 1989 where the Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States were competing to be the biggest power in the world
• It’s a “cold” war because the 2 countries never actually fought each other, but they did help other countries fight
What was the problem?
• The US is capitalist. That means that the government allows people to own their own businesses, and buy and sell almost anything they want (unless it’s illegal).
• The Soviet Union is communist. That means that the government owns all the factories and the people can’t own their own business, and there are a limited number of products to buy.
• These two ideas are so opposite that each is threatened by the other.
• Capitalists think that communism takes away individual freedoms
• Communists think capitalism is excessive (too much stuff, to much control by individuals)
• So after WWII, both sides wanted the newly free countries of Eastern Europe to be like them.
• Soviet goal: spread communism, become a world power
• US/England goal: stop communism, keep Soviet Union from getting too powerful
The Beginning
• 1946 – civil war in Greece – Soviets support the Communists, England supports the other side
• 1947 - TRUMAN DOCTRINE
• US policy that would give $$ to any country threatened by communism (like Greece)
• Goal: to stop the spread of communism
– MARSHALL PLAN
• $13 billion to fix the European economy
• The idea was that if the economy is good, the country won’t want to be communist
• 1946-49: Division of Germany
– After the war, it was split into 4 parts; England, USA, France, and Soviet Union each got a part
• The capital, Berlin, was also divided into 4 parts
– England, USA, and France combined theirs and re-named it the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
– The Soviet Union named theirs the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
the problem?
• ¾ of Berlin was capitalist and democratic, while the other ¼ was communist, and it was right in the middle of communist East Germany
• The soviets decided to try and stop any goods from getting to West Berlin, so for a year, the US and English had to fly supplies in, until the Soviets gave up
• Another problem was that many people in East Germany didn’t want to be communist. So they tried to escape to West Berlin.
• 1949
– Arms Race: the US had the atomic bomb, and the soviets wanted one too. SO the 2 countries started an arms race, each trying to get more and better weapons than the other.
• The problem was that if either side actually fired the weapons, both countries could be destroyed
– Creation of new alliances
• NATO (Europe, US, and Canada)
• Warsaw Pact (Soviet Union & Eastern Europe)
• CEATO & SENTO (central asia, middle east, & S.E. Asia)
• 1955 – after Stalin dies, Khrushchev takes over
• 1956 – countries in Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland) try to break away from the Soviet union, but the Soviet army invades and takes over
• 1959 – Fidel Castro takes over in Cuba
– He is a totalitarian dictator, and is supported by the Soviet Union
• 1950’s
• Korean War: North Korea (Communist) vs South Korea
– US sends troops in to fight with the South Koreans; China and USSR help the north
• Space Race begins – US and Soviets try to be the first into space. The 1st satellite into space was the Soviet’s, the first man on the moon was the US’s
The Berlin Wall
• After years of East Germans escaping to West Berlin, Khrushchev decides to set up a barrier to keep them out of West Berlin.
• The wall completely surrounds W. Berlin – the people inside are allowed to come out, but the people outside can’t come in.
• It’s guarded by guards, barbed wire, machine guns, attack dogs, and mines.
• 1960 - The US government tries to help overthrow Castro, but the attempt doesn’t work.
• Khrushchev decides to use Cuba as a missile base. The missiles are pointed at the US, and this makes President Kennedy worried.
• 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis –the US and Soviet Union almost start a war when they can’t agree on what should happen with Cuba. Eventually both sides back down
Vietnam War
• 1965 – President Johnson sends US soldiers into Vietnam.
• He wanted to make sure that the communist North Vietnam wouldn’t take over south Vietnam. The US was worried that if Vietnam became communist, all of Asia would soon be as well
• This is called the Domino Theory.
• In 1973, the US realized they couldn’t win and took their troops out
