Post on 17-Jan-2016
THE COLD WAR
Two Superpowers Face Off
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
• Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt meet in February 1945
• Agree to divide up Germany
• Germany must pay compensation to Soviets
• Stalin promises free elections in Eastern Europe
The United Nations
The United Nations
• International organization intended to protect members against aggression.
• Based in New York City
• General Assembly: 50 nations in 1945 - 191 today
• Security Council: Five permanent members are U.S., Russia, Great Britain, China, and France
Soviets Control Eastern Europe
• Major goal to shield itself from invasion
• Saw Eastern Europe as a “buffer zone”
• Communist governments installed by the Soviets
• Iron Curtain
U.S. Counters Soviet Expansion
• Containment - prevent the expansion of communism
• Truman Doctrine - support given to countries that rejected communism
• Marshall Plan - aid given to any European country that needed it
Germany Divided
• East controlled by the Soviets: communist government
• West given its freedom by the Allies powers: democratic government
Germany Divided
• City of Berlin also was divided
• Soviets blockaded city in 1948, hoping allies would surrender control
• U.S. airlifted supplies into the city for 11 months
Cold War
• State of diplomatic hostility between superpowers
• Much of the world allied with one or the other
Rival Alliances
• Berlin blockade heightened fears of Soviet aggression in Europe.
• NATO is created. It is a defense alliance of 10 European nations, Canada and the U.S.
Rival Alliances
• In response to NATO, the Soviets created the Warsaw Pact.
• Members included Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania
Nuclear Threat
• 1949: Soviets explode an A-bomb
• November, 1952, U.S. explodes an H-bomb.
• Soviets explode one the next year
• Both sides produce large stockpiles of nukes
Cold War in the Skies• August 1957, Soviets
announce the first ICBM
• October 4, 1957, Sputnik launched.
• It is the first man-made satellite
• U.S. begins pours money into education
• Especially math, science and foreign languages