Monday: Started decades project (1980's)
Tuesday: Started Cold War Notes
Wednesday: Cold War Notes
Thursday: Decades project work day
Friday: Decades project work day
The Cold War 1945-1990 (US vs. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
- Definition
- A political, strategic and ideological struggle between the US and the Soviet Union from 1945-1990
- Spread throughout the world-Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America
- 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
- Both thought their system was better and distrusted the others intentions
- Stalin despised capitalism
- Distrust during WWII
- Stalin breaking his promise to allow free election at the Yalta Conference
- American fear of communist attack (Red Scare) and USSR's fear of a US attack
- USSR's action of the atomic bomb
- USSR's actions in their German zone
- USSR's goal to spread communism around the world
- Different political systems
- Yalta Conference--February 1945
- Before the end of the World War II, 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 four zones
- free elections allowed in the states of eastern Europe.
- Russia promised to join the war against Japan.
- Before the end of the World War II, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met at yalta to plan what should happen when the war ended. They agreed on many points
- The "West"
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- Great Britain
- France
- Italy
- The "East"
- Eastern Europe
- Soviet Union
- Post WWII/Cold War goals for US
- Wanted to promote open markets for US goods to prevent another depression
- Promote democracy throughout the world, especially in Asia and Africa
- Stop the spread of communism
- Policy of Containment
- Post WWII/Cold War for USSR
- Wanted to create greater security for itself
- lost tens of millions of people in WWII and Stalin's purges
- feared a strong Germany
- Established defensible borders
- Encourage friendly governments on its borders
- Spread communism around the world
- Wanted to create greater security for itself
- Truman Doctrine
- In 1947, the British were helping the Greek government fight against communist guerrillas.
- They appealed to America for aid and we responded with the Truman Doctrine
- Greece received large amounts of arms and supplies, and by 1949 had defeated the communists
- Marshall Plan
- In 1947, the US Secretary of State Marshall announced the Marshall Plan.
- This was a massive economic aid plan for Europe to help it recover from the damage caused by the war.
- There were two motives for this:
- Helping Europe to recover economically would provide markets for American goods, benefiting American industry.
- A prosperous Europe would be better able to resist the spread of communism.
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