The Cold War Beginnings of the Cold War
The Cold War: Beginnings of the Cold War
l Once partners in war, the Soviet Union and the other former Allies found it much more difficult to cooperate in peace. The result was an era of conflict and confrontation called the Cold War.
l Nuremberg Trials
l Cold War
l Iron curtain
l Truman Doctrine
l Marshall Plan
l Containment
l Berlin airlift
NATO l Warsaw Pact
Causes of the Cold War
Effects of the Cold War
The Cold War: Superpower Rivalries
l During the 1950 s and 1960 s – nuclear war seemed to draw closer l Successful Soviet test of an atomic bomb l l l U. S. military advantage gone Hydrogen bombs l Fusion powered l Could produce a much larger explosion Increased stockpiling of nuclear weapons
l Deterrence l The development of or maintenance of military power to deter (prevent) and attack l Two sides locked into an arms race l Struggle between nations to gain an advantage in weapons
l Soviets launch Sputnik l l History’s first artificial satellite U. S. fears Soviet military technology had leaped ahead of their own l U. S. established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
l Red Scare l Americans feared possible Communist influence in the government l Senator Joseph Mc. Carthy l Accused many of Communist activities
l Building of bomb shelters l Air-raid drills l Media talks on the dangers of nuclear war *
l l Vietnam divided into northern and southern halves l Communists in the north l Anti-Communists in the south U. S. concerned about the spread of communism in Vietnam l Sends military aid to the South l Triggers the Vietnam War
l Thousands of East Germans left their country for the West l East Germany starts building a tall barrier between the two halves of Berlin l The Berlin Wall
l 1959 – Fidel Castro overthrows Cuba’s dictator l l Establishes a Communist government U. S. worried – only 90 miles away from U. S.
l Bay of Pigs invasion l U. S. wanted to overthrow Castro l Secretly trained an invasion force of Cubans l l Hoped would start a massive Cuban uprising Quickly defeated
l Cuban missile crisis l Confrontation between the U. S. and the Soviet Union l Over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba l 2 week standoff l Soviet leaders removed missiles in Cuba l U. S. removes missiles in Turkey and promised not to invade Cuba
l U. S. and Soviet Union agree on a Test Ban Treaty l Outlaws nuclear testing in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water
l Détente l l Reduced tension between the superpowers Salt I & II-Agreements to: l Limit the number of nuclear weapons l Stop development of weapons designed to shoot down nuclear missiles l Elimination of certain types of missiles
The Cold War: Changing Societies
l U. S. economy most powerful in the world l l Driven by consumer spending Early 1970 s – l Rapid inflation & high unemployment l Events in the Middle East disrupted the distribution of the world’s oil supply l Spike in the cost of energy
l Problems lasted until 1980 s l l Unemployment dropped but national debt increased Structural changes to the economy l Previously heavy in industry l l Difficult to compete with companies in other countries Created new jobs in advanced technology and service industries
l Country undergoing rapid social changes l Raise in living standards l G. I. Bill of Rights l l Helped millions of veterans attend college Baby boom
l Desegregation of the U. S. military and public schools l l Brown v. Board of Education * Civil rights movement l Ended longstanding barriers to equality for African Americans l Renewed women’s rights movement l Wanted social, political, and economic equality
l Counterculture * l Rebellion of teenagers and young adults against mainstream American society l Many adopted unconventional values, clothing, and behavior l Questioned the governments actions in the Vietnam War
The Cold War: After the Cold War
l 1989 – the fall of the Berlin Wall * l 1991 – The breakup of the Soviet Union l The separate republics under the Soviet Union wanted independence l Cold War finally over
l As communism collapsed – tensions between Eastern Europeans rose l Ethnic and religious tensions l Ethnic cleansing l Elimination of an ethnic group from society through killing or forced emigration l Yugoslavia, Serbia, Bosnia
l End of communism brought mixed results for the economies of Eastern Europe l New opportunities l New businesses l Wage discrepancies l High unemployment
l 1992 – Formation of the European Union (EU) l Efforts to build an economic and political union among the nations of Europe
l l 1990 s – l Economic growth l Emergence of the Internet 2000 s – l Increased government spending l Rising national debt l Increased poverty rate l Auto and housing crisis
l Conflicts in the Middle East l Dictator Saddam Hussein l Attacked Kuwait l l Threatened oil supplies Persian Gulf war (Operation Desert Storm)
l 1990 s – Beginning of a series of terrorist attacks on U. S. targets l l World Trade Center & U. S. embassies Al Qaeda l Islamist terrorist organization l Osama bin Laden
l War on terror l Target al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Isis l War in Iraq l War in Afghanistan
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