Cold War Conflicts Origins of the Cold War

Cold War Conflicts Origins of the Cold War Unit Essential Question: Read through the letter from Einstein to FDR. What is Einstein describing and why is he sharing this information with FDR? What do you think might have happened had we never gained access to this info?

Major Players of the Cold War in the Beginning • United States – FDR, Truman • Soviet Union – Stalin (de facto leader) • Great Britain – Winston Churchill (Prime Minister)

Clash of the Titans • After WWII, two superpowers emerged: – United States of America – Soviet Union • These two had an uneasy past and relationship – friends or frienemies? – Stalin resented America’s delayed help in WWII, – and the fact that we kept the development of the Atomic bomb a secret

Former Allies Clash • The US and the Soviet Union had very different ambitions for the future – created an icy tension • Soviet Union - Communism – Econ – command economy, controlled by gov’t – Gov’t – totalitarian, total control by dictator • United States - Democracy – Econ – free-trade capitalism – people drive econ – Gov’t – Presidency and democracy • Stalin had formerly been allies with Hitler – should he be trusted?

United Nations • On April 25, 1945, the representatives of 50 nations met in San Francisco to establish a new peace keeping unit called the United Nations • June 26 – signed charter establishing the UN • Supposed to promote peace, but became a medium for two super powers to compete

Yalta Conference February 1945 • During the Yalta Conference Stalin promised FDR that he would allow free elections in Poland other parts of Eastern Europe that the Soviet Union controlled • By July 1945, it was evident that he would not keep his promise – In Yalta, the Soviets wanted to take German reparations to help repay the WWII losses – Truman objects

Yalta and Potsdam

The Potsdam Conference • The Big Three – The US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union (FDR, Churchill, Stalin) • July 1945 – Big Three met at a final wartime conference at Potsdam near Berlin • Decision: – Soviets, France, British, US would take reparations mainly from their occupation zones – Also – US wanted raw materials in Eastern Europe and wanted to sell to markets in Europe (Wanted to spread democracy ; )

Soviet Tightens Grip on Eastern Europe • Soviet Union was a super power, but unlike US, they suffered damage – 20 million deaths (1/2 civilians) • So they felt justified in their new dominance • Stalin installed communist gov’t in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland • These countries became known as satellite nations – countries dominated by SU • Stalin makes speech in early 1946 stating that communism and capitalism were incompatible and that another was inevitable

US Establishes Policy of Containment • Feb. 1946, George F. Kennan (US diplomat in Soviet Union) proposes containment policy – Taking measures to prevent any extension of communist rule in other countries • Primary concern: Europe is divided – West – democratic – East – communist controlling countries

Winston Churchill Speech • Winston travels to US to deliver speech on situation in a divided Europe: • A Shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately by the Allied victory. . . From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. . . All these famous cities and the populations around them lie in. . . The Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and. . . Increasing measure of control from Moscow.

The Iron Curtain • Refers to the division of Europe during this period • Stalin said that Churchill’s words were a “call to war” (Them’s fightin words)

Cold War in Europe • The conflicting US and Soviet goals in Eastern Europe led to the Cold War – Def: Conflict between the US and Soviet Union in which neither nation directly confronted the other on a battlefield • Worldwide Effects: The Cold War dominated global affairs, and US foreign policy, from 1945 until the breakup of the US in 1991

Truman Becomes President • April 12, 1945 – Harry S. Truman becomes president suddenly when FDR dies • He was not exposed to certain info as VP – like the “secret city” of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project • Some Americans were suspicious of his ability to be a good president

Article about Oak Ridge • Oak Ridge KWL Chart • On a separate sheet of paper make three charts and label them: – Know – What you have questions about – Learned • We will fill out the first and second column together. . .

Global Containment Domino Effect: • Europe • Latin America • Middle East • Southeast Asia • Africa

Containment in Europe Begins • US first tried to save Turkey and Greece – Britain had been supporting them financially to resist Soviet occupation, but they were left financially unstable and could not help anymore – so they asked US – It is necessary only to glance at a map to realize that the survival. . . Of the Greek nation is of grave importance in a much wider situation. If Greece should fall under the control of an armed minority, the effect upon its neighbor, Turkey, would be immediate and serious. - President Harry Truman

The Truman Doctrine – Pres. Truman accepts challenge on March 12, 1947 • Asks congress for $400 million • Truman Doctrine – “it must be the policy of the US to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. ” – Congress agrees – so the proposal is passed and it does what it was intended to do

The Marshall Plan • Western Europe in Chaos, people homeless and starving while their governments decide what to do with them • June 1947 – Marshall Plan – Provide aid to all countries that need it – Revised European hopes – In 4 yrs, 16 countries received 13 billion in aid – By 1952, Western Europe was flourishing and Communist party lost appeal to people

Superpowers Struggle over Germany US and allies clash with Soviet Union over how to reunify Germany Remember that Germany had been divided into 4 zones US, France and GB decided to combine their 3 zones into one nation Contained western side of Berlin The agreement was not formal/written so Stalin jumped on this opportunity and tried to fully establish an area containing a part of Berlin

Germany and Berlin Split

• June 1948 Berlin Blockade – Stalin closed all highway and rail routes into west Berlin (no food or fuel could reach that part of the city) – The 2. 1 million people only had enough food to last 5 weeks • Stalin wanted to force west Berlin into dependency resulting in control • But the US and GB found a way around this

Berlin Airlift • US Air Force and the Royal Air Force began flying supplies and dropping them into the west Berlin areas – 327 days – 277, 000 flights – 2. 3 million tons of supplies – Food, clothes, medicine, fuel, Christmas presents • Was extremely successful, and in May 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the blockade – Also boosted American prestige around the world

Gail Halvorsen came up with the idea to drop candy bars on small parachutes to the kids http: //books. google. com/books? id= RTl. Sw_t 3 CMMC&printsec=frontco ver#v=onepage&q&f=false

Germany Stays Split The West part of Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany, aka West Germany Included Western Berlin The Soviet Union controlled part was named the German Democratic Republic, aka East Germany Included East Berlin

The NATO Alliance • The Blockade increased Western European fear • As a result 10 nations signed with US and Canada on April 4, 1949 called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Belgium, Denmark, France, GB, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal Pledged military support to one another if attacked Greece and Turkey joined in 1952, West Germany in 1955

Cold War Conflicts Origins of the Cold War Answer the Essential Question: What do you think might have happened had we never gained access to info about the production of nuclear power? How did the discovery of this effect the US and the rest of the world?