An Overview of the Cold War Post WWII

An Overview of the Cold War

Post WWII • Allies emerged victorious but at a horrible price. • Fifty million lives lost. • European landscape devastated. • Bombs laid waste to large portion of continent. • Only shells of buildings left in major cities

Superpower Nations Emerge • USSR and USA “fight” for supremacy • USSR has puppet governments throughout Eastern Europe • USA briefly occupies conquered nations but leaves them to self-rule. • Both nations have enough weapons to destroy the planet. (Mutually Assured Destruction) MAD

After World War II the Cold War began and caused tension throughout the world. • The USA was a market economy with a democracy. • The USSR was a command economy with communism government. • Both wanted to be the most powerful nation in the world.

Germany Divided • Germany, which had been ruled by the Hitler and the Nazis until their defeat in 1945. was split. • The western side became West Germany. (democratic) • East Germany became another communist country under USSR influence.

Post-War Germany

After World War II, the world changed! • Many countries became communist after World War II including: - Czechoslovakia (1948) - Poland (1947) - Hungary (1947) - China (1949) - Cuba (1959) - North Korea (1945)

Nuclear tensions • The USA had shown its atomic power when it exploded the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War 2. • The USSR was also developing atomic weapons/bombs. • The USA and the USSR were in competition with each other to have the best, most powerful weapons in the world – this was called the Arms Race.

The Arms Race: A “Missile Gap? ” } The Soviet Union exploded its first A-bomb in 1949. } Now there were two nuclear superpowers!

Cold War? • The tension and rivalry between the USA and the USSR was described as the Cold War (1945 -1990). • There was never a real war between the two sides between 1945 and 1990, but they were often very close to war. • Both sides got involved in other conflicts in the world to either stop the spread of communism (USA) or help the spread communism (USSR).

The domino effect • The USA was very worried that the USSR’s influence over some European countries was making the USSR and communism more powerful. • The USA did not want communism to spread any further – they were worried about the domino effect.

The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

Premier Nikita Khrushchev About the capitalist states, it doesn't depend on you whether we (Soviet Union) exist. If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations, and don't De-Stalinization invite us to come Program to see you. Whether you like it our not, history is on our side. We will bury you. -- 1956

The Berlin Wall 1961