Monday: Started decades project
Tuesday: Started cold war power-point and notes
Wednesday: Cold War ppt and notes
Thursday: Work day on decades project
Friday: Work day on decades project
Decades Project: 1990's
Cold War (1945-1990)
U.S. vs. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Definition: A political, strategic, and ideological struggle between the US and Soviet Union from 1945-1990, spread throughout the world (Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America).
Goal: To stop the spread of communism
Communism vs. Democracy
*Theory of communism
- Calls for class warfare, poor people would rise up and overthrow the rich where everyone was equal and were paid for their abilities
*Communist countries in the world:
- China
- Cuba
- Vietnam
- Laos
- North Korea
*Practice of communism
- Promoting equality (in poverty), not many rights, dictatorship
Socialism vs. Capitalism
*Capitalism
- The more you work, the more you make
- You work for what you earn
- People owned businesses
- Problem - leads to major income inequality, a wide gap between the rich and the poor
*Socialism
- No matter how hard you work, you get paid the same
- Government owned businesses
- Strength - Provides everybody a fixed income
- Problem - No motivation to work hard, everything is provided for you
History of the Soviet Union
*Bolshevik Revolution
- Dropped out of WWI
- They start fighting the Civil War
- Change from Russia - many republics
*Lenin
- First leader
- Marxist
- Believed in the theory of communism
- Lenin at some point would have dissolved the government and turned it over to the people
- Dies
*Stalin
- Comes into power
- Concerned about people coming for him, killed anyone he didn't trust
- Killed millions in purges
- Five Year Plans
- Every 5 years our industrial power will go up
- Put out products and make more money than everyone
- Nationalization & Collectivization
- Took businesses and farms away from the people
- Were like factory workers now for the government
*Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact
- Took over countries
*War with Germany
- Germany attacked Soviet Union
- Caused a lot of damage
- Battle of Berlin, Soviet Union comes back
Causes of the Cold War
*Different political systems
- US is based on democracy, capitalism, and freedom
- USSR is based on dictatorship, communism, and control
*The Red Scare - 1919
- Did many things to stop the spread of communism
- Stopped immigration, Palmer raids
- Fear of communism started before WWI
*Both thought their system was better and distrusted the others intentions
- Lack of communication
*Stalin despised capitalism
- Drove him to defeat it
- Thought war was inevitable
- Thought the top 1% rich caused all the problems in the world
*Distrust during WWII
- We worked together reluctantly
- Stalin was very frustrated with us because he was losing millions of people
- Stalin was allies with Germany at one point - concerned us how he could make a deal with the devil
*Stalin breaking his promise to allow free elections at the Yalta Conference
- Stalin did not allow this and forced Eastern Europe to become communist
*Fear of attacks
- Stalin always said war was inevitable, assumed it would happen at some point
- USSR and US were both scared of attacks from other side
- USSR's fear of the atomic bomb - we could always hang it over his head
*USSR's actions in their German zone
*Soviet Union wanted to spread communism around the world
- Our goal was to stop the spread of communism
Yalta Conference - Feb. 1945
*Before the end of WW2, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt met at Yalta to plan what should happen when the war ended, they agreed on many points
- The establishment of the United Nations
- Germany to be divided into 4 zones
- Free elections allowed in the state of Eastern Europe
- Russia promised to join the war against Japan
The "West", The "East"
*The West was the democratic world
- Great Britain, western Europe, Western Germany, France, Italy
- Superpower was United States
- NATO
- North Atlantic treaty organization
- United States, Canada, Western Europe
*The East was the communist power
- East Berlin, East Europe
- Russia was the super power
- Warsaw Pact
- Military alliance of Eastern Europe led by Soviet Union
- Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania
Post WWII/Cold War Goals for US & USSR
UNITED STATES
*Wanted to promote open markets for US goods to prevent another depression
*Promote democracy throughout the world, especially in Asia and Africa
- Did not invade other countries
- We have troops in many countries - only country that does that
*Stop the spread of communism
- Policy of containment
SOVIET UNION
*Wanted to create greater security for itself
- Lost tens of millions of people in WWII and Stalin's purges
- Feared a strong Germany
*Establish defensive borders
*Encourage friendly governments on its borders
- Buffers surrounding them so an invasion isn't as easy
*Spread communism around the world
Key Terms
- Winston Churchill Speech
- Missouri, US
- Talked about how Europe is split after WWII into communists and non communists
- Domino Effect - Eisenhower 1954
- One country becomes communist, many follow
- Policy of Containment - 1946
- We knew we had to stop the spread of communism
Comments