World War II Aftermath
Germany divided into four zones, one controlled by the U.S., U.S.S.R., France, and Britain
Immediate tension between the U.S.S.R. and the Western powers as both sides fought over territory
Stalin wanted to continue expanding to the west but was intimidated by American nuclear power
The West badly outmatched by the Russians and intimidated by the Red Army
The result: The Cold War
The Cold War
Lasted from 1945-1991 (Roughly) Divided Europe and numerous other
countries Called the Cold War because the U.S.
and Russia never fought directly, but through proxies
Both sides intimidated by the strength of the other
U.S. Policy
U.S. policy advocated three specific points: Containment – The U.S. must contain
communism, that is not allow it to spread beyond its current borders
The Truman Doctrine – To achieve containment the U.S. would support any anti-communist forces fighting to keep a country from turning communist (Greece & Turkey)
The Marshall Plan – The U.S. would supply $12.5 billion to Europe to rebuild the economy, alleviate poverty, and prevent communism from taking root
NATO vs. The Warsaw Pact
The Western powers formed a military alliance against Communist aggression
Called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The U.S.S.R. countered with the Warsaw Pact
The Berlin Airlift
In June 1948 Stalin tests Western resolve Berlin located inside East Germany and
was itself divided into zones Stalin cuts off the supply road into West
Berlin The West organizes a massive airlift
operation to supply the city for 10 months
Korea
Korea occupied by Japan at the time of the surrender
Russia occupied North Korea, the U.S. occupied South Korea
Temporary arrangement that became permanent
Dividing line was the 38th parallel In June, 1950 North Korea invaded South
Korea attempting to reunite the country under communism
The Korean War
N. Korea aided by Russia
S. Korea aided by the U.N., mostly made up of U.S. troops
U.N. initially successful but pushed back by Chinese aide to N. Korea in late 1950
The Korean War
The U.N. eventually pushed back to the 38th parallel
Cease-fire negotiations continued for over a year, centering on POW’s
Cease-fire finally goes into effect after Stalin dies in 1953
Still military tension between N. and S. Korea
Ultimately the war DID contain communism
The Arms Race
By 1949 Russia had developed the atomic bomb, thanks to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
By 1953 both sides had developed hydrogen bombs
H-bombs were vastly more powerful than A-bombs
The U.S. tested these at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands
The Space Race
Part of the arms race, but also a battle for prestige
Russia led in the 1950’s Sputnik, the 1st satellite in
1957 Yuri Gagarin, 1st man in
space in 1961 Prompted Kennedy to
announce in 1960 that the US planned to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade
Nikita Khrushchev
Emerged as the leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin died in 1953
Of humble origins in Russia Firmly communist, but believed
communism could win without a military confrontation with the U.S.
Successfully bluffed the U.S. for many years
Brinkmanship vs. Flexible Response Eisenhower elected in
1952 and served 2 terms Favored a policy of
Brinkmanship Stripped the traditional
military Vastly increased nuclear
capacity Threatened nuclear
retaliation for any aggression
Brinkmanship vs. Flexible Response
Kennedy elected in 1960 and favored Flexible Response Continued with nuclear and
missile programs Also formalized the Special
Forces Emphasized the navy,
submarines, and long-range bombers
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