COLD WAR CONFLICTS

U.S vs.

U.S.S.R.

ORIGINS OF THE COLD WARAfter being Allies during WWII, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. soon viewed each other with increasing suspicionTheir political differences created a climate of icy tension that plunged the two countries into an era of bitter rivalry known as the Cold War

The Cold War would dominate global affairs from 1945 until the breakup of the USSR in

1991

POLITICAL DIFFERENCESAt the heart of the tension was a fundamental difference in political systems America is a democracy that has a capitalist economic system, free elections and competing political partiesIn the U.S.S.R., the sole political party – the Communists – established a totalitarian regime with little or no rights for the citizens Soviets viewed Marx, Engels

and Lenin as founders of Communism

Background - Why a Cold War?Differing aims in Europe

WWII had affected the U.S. and USSR differently•The U.S. emerged as the world’s richest and most powerful country: only 400,000 Americans died during the war, and industry and cities remained intact

Background - Why a Cold War?•The USSR was devastated after the

war: 20 million deaths (1 in 4 Soviets dead or injured), many cities and factories demolished, farmlands destroyed

These differences meant that the U.S. and the USSR envisioned postwar Europe very differently

Superpower Aims in Europe

Encourage democracy to prevent communism from spreading

Encourage communism and worldwide workers’ revolution

Gain access to raw materials and markets to fuel industry

Rebuild economy using E. Europe’s industrial equipment and raw materials

Rebuild European governments to promote stability and create new markets for U.S. goods

Control E. Europe to protect Soviet borders and balance U.S. influence in the west

Reunite Germany to stabilize it and increase the security of Europe

Keep Germany divided so that it couldn’t wage war again

United States Soviet Union

Background - Why a Cold War?These differing aims brought the two Superpowers into conflict

the U.S. was afraid of a global communist conspiracy led by the USSR, and the USSR

feared that the U.S.

was calling for a worldwide capitalist expansion

Background - Why a Cold War?During the war, Soviet troops had remained behind in each of the Eastern European countries “liberated” from the Nazis

Background - Why a Cold War?After the war, Stalin used these troops to help install communist governments, creating buffer states.

Stalin believed that capitalism and communism could not coexist and that war was certain. By creating buffer states, he was hoping to protect the USSR from invasion by the west.

Winston Churchill called the result an “Iron Curtain” that had descended on Europe and was separating East from West.

The Iron Curtain was a metaphor: on one side were the free nations of Western Europe, on the other side were the communist nations controlled by the USSR.

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CHURCHILL: “IRON CURTAIN” ACROSS EUROPE

Europe was now divided into two political regions; a mostly democratic Western Europe and a communist Eastern Europe

Churchill, right, in Fulton, Missouri delivering his “iron curtain” speech,

1946

Iron Curtain cartoon,

1946

The U.S. ResponseThree policies show how the U.S. was determined to challenge Soviet domination and protect its interests in Europe

The U.S. ResponseContainment: the U.S. said it wouldn’t interfere

where communism already existed, but it would prevent any expansion by creating alliances and helping countries resist Soviet advances

The U.S. ResponseThe Truman Doctrine: the U.S. would help countries resisting communism by giving them monetary aid

The U.S. ResponseThree policies (con’t)

The Marshall Plan: the U.S. authorized a total of $13 billion in aid to any European country that requested it

According to the cartoon, what is the relationship between the U.S. and Europe?

SOVIETS DOMINATE EASTERN EUROPEThe Soviet Union suffered an estimated 20 million WWII deaths, half of whom were civilianAs a result they felt justified in their claim to Eastern EuropeFurthermore, they felt they needed Eastern Europe as a buffer against future German aggression

STALIN INSTALLS PUPPET GOVERNMENTS Stalin installed

“satellite” communist governments in the Eastern European countries of Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia and East GermanyThis after promising “free elections” for Eastern Europe at the Yalta Conference

In a 1946 speech, Stalin said communism and capitalism were incompatible – and another

war was inevitable

The “Iron Curtain”The “Iron Curtain”

From Stettin in the Balkans, to Trieste in From Stettin in the Balkans, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an the Adriatic, an iron curtainiron curtain has descended has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lies across the Continent. Behind that line lies the ancient capitals of Central and Eastern the ancient capitals of Central and Eastern Europe.Europe. -- Sir Winston Churchill, 1946-- Sir Winston Churchill, 1946

THE TRUMAN DOCTRINEThe “Truman Doctrine”was first used in Greece and Turkey in the late 1940s, vowed to provide aid (money & military supplies) to support “free peoples who are resisting outside pressures”By 1950, the U.S. had given $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey

THE MARSHALL PLANPost-war Europe was devastated economicallyIn June 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall proposed a U.S. aid package to European nationsWestern Europe accepted the help, while Eastern Europe rejected the aid Over the next four years 16 European countries received $13 billion in U.S. aid By 1952 Western Europe’s economy was flourishing

The Marshall Plan helped Western Europe recover

economically

Marshall Plan aid sent to

European countries

Marshall Aid

cartoon, 1947