Cold War Conflict

Democracy vs. Communism

U.S and Soviet Aims Around the World

United States•Encourage democracy in other

countries to help prevent the rise of new totalitarian governments.

•Gain access to raw materials and markets for its booming industries.

•Rebuild European governments to ensure stability and to create new markets for American goods.

•Reunite Germany, believing that Europe would be more secure if Germany were productive and less bitter about defeat.

Soviet Union•Encourage Communism in other

countries as part of the worldwide struggle between workers and the wealthy.

•Transfer the industrial equipment of Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union to help rebuild its war-ravaged economy.

•Control Eastern Europe to balance the US influence in Western Europe.

•Keep Germany divided and weak, since the Germans had waged war against Russia twice in 30 years and had caused most of the 20 million Soviet deaths in WWII.

A Deadly Equation

Communism vs. Democracy (Capitalism)

+ Nuclear Weapons = COLD WAR

Cold War Terms to Know

Terms Associated with the United StatesContainment – The U.S. policy of blocking or stopping the

spread of Communism. (Or democracy…Soviet Union)

Truman Doctrine – U.S. plan to support any nation or

government opposed to Communist rule.

Marshall Plan – U.S. plan to economically and industrially

rebuild Europe with U.S. funds.

NATO – Military alliance between the U.S. and other

non-Communist nations.

Cold War Terms to Know

Terms Associated with the Soviet Union

Satellite Nations – Countries dependent upon the Soviet

Union for all forms of existence.

Iron Curtain – Communist stronghold in Europe…a term

coined by Winston Churchill. (Separates democratic and

Communist Countries)

Warsaw Pact – Military alliance between the Soviet Union

and other Eastern European nations.

Cold War ConflictDemocracy vs. Communism

Democracy:• Private Citizens control almost all economic

activity• Voting by the people to elect President and

Congress from competing political parties

Communism:• The state controlled all property and economic

activity• Communist Party established a totalitarian

government with no opposing parties.

Conflict: Elections in Poland• A major conflict between the U.S. and U.S.S.R.

began at the Potsdam Conference in July 1945 (just before the war ended)

• Stalin promised Roosevelt that he would allow free elections in Poland – he didn’t and he banned political parties

• This theme continues throughout all of the Soviet occupied territories (Satellite Nations: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland)

U.S. Policy of Containment

• Developed by George F Kennan in 1946• A policy of taking measures to prevent any extension of

Communist rule in other countries• Containment divides Europe into two political regions:• Democratic Western Europe/Communist Eastern

Europe• Containment of Communism becomes the policy of:

Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford,

Carter, and Reagan (1945-1989)