The Cold War Origins (1945-1955)

History Notes 13-1

The Cold War

• Yalta Conference (March 1945)

–U.S. and Soviets plan to rebuild post-war Europe

–Germany will pay reparations for WWII

The Cold War

• Potsdam Conference (July 1945)

–U.S. and Soviets divide up Germany into East & West regions

– Increased tensions between two superpowers

What is the Cold War?

• The Cold War (1945-1990):

– Two superpowers (USA and Soviet Union) compete for military power and influence throughout the world

The Cold War

– Soviet Union supports pro-Communist governments in…

oPoland

oBulgaria

oRomania

o Czechoslovakia o Hungary o Yugoslavia

The Cold War

• Iron Curtain: The Soviet Union and other communist nations of Eastern Europe

The Iron Curtain

Winston Churchill gave

the “Iron Curtain” speech

in 1946 Map of the Iron

Curtain

The Cold War

• Policy of Containment (1947-1990):

–Prevent the spread of communism

• Truman Doctrine (1947):

–U.S. will support any Anti-Communist Gov’t

– EX: Korean War

–Vietnam War

The Truman Doctrine, 1947

President Truman outlined the Truman Doctrine to a

joint session of Congress in March of 1947

The Cold War

The Cold War

• The Marshall Plan (1947):

–U.S. sponsors a European post-war recovery program (Give food and money to Europe)

The Marshall Plan, 1947

A map showing how the

plan’s $20B was

distributed by country

Photo shows a delivery of

wheat from the U.S. being

unloaded in Rotterdam,

Netherlands

The Cold War

• Berlin Airlift (1948-1949):

–U.S. Air Force flies supplies to West Berlin to keep it out of Soviet control

The Cold War

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization):

–Military alliance of Western European, democratic countries

The Cold War

• Warsaw Pact (1955):

–Military alliance of Eastern European, communist countries

– Soviets fear a NATO attack

NATO Treaty, 1949. Warsaw Pact, 1955.

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