Cold War Basics

Germany is now divided into 4 occupations controlled by Britain, France, Soviet Union & USDisagreement over occupation marks

beginning of the Cold War

Britain, France & US agreed in governing W. Germany & unified their zones without the Soviet zoneFederal Republic of Germany (W

Germany)German Democratic Republic (E

Germany)

Iron Curtain

Speech made by Winston Churchill in the Spring of 1946

He foresaw the fact that Europe was being divided between democracy and communism.

The phrase stuck, and it came to symbolize the divide

Western part of Berlin, capital of Germany, was located in Soviet zone & Stalin cut off all access to itRoads blockadedHopes this would force western powers out of

BerlinBerlin Blockade became symbol of Cold

War Western powers began airlifting

supplies West Berlin neededA year later (1949), Soviet ended blockade

Marshall Plan and Truman DoctrineThe Truman Doctrine

established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces

The Marshall Plan was an initiative to aid Europe, in which the United States gave billions in economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II (including Germany).

Berlin after the war

Berlin after the war

Containment was the U.S. policy of stopping the spread of communism by influencing other countries to be friendly to the democratic U.S. and not the communist Soviet Union.

Containment

In April 1949, the US and 11 other western nations signed a collective security agreement call the North Atlantic Treaty Binding nations together, a common defense Defense arrangements were coordinated through

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Soviet Union responded by created the Warsaw Pact Opposing alliance with several Eastern European

nations

Tense Periods of Cold War

Berlin Airlift (1948-1949)

Korean War (1951-1953)

Vietnam War (1954-1975)

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan (1979-1989)

End of Cold War

In 1985, a détente, or lessening of tensions (between the U.S. and the USSR) was announced by the Soviet Union as their empire began to collapse economically and politically. By 1991, the USSR was no more and became divided into many different nations.