The Legacies of WWII

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1 The Cold War

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3 The Legacies of WWII WWI might have been the war to end all wars but it was WWII that shifted the psyche of humanity. The costs of total war were simply too high 55 million dead worldwide nearly 20 million of them noncombatants Another 50+ million were homeless either b/c their home had been destroyed in fighting- or b/c they had been relocated by the Nazis

4 Potsdam July 1945 (after VE) Communists are already occupying Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. Churchill and Truman Protest- Stalin says he is GETTING a buffer zone- says this is how it will be, period. Tension between Truman/Churchill and Stalin WHY?

5 Partition of Germany US, Eng, Fr, USSR each got a part of Germany (and Berlin) to hold until Germany is No longer a threat USSR demand reparations from their sector (E. Germany - Democratic Republic of Germany) and strip industrial capacity Eng/Fr/US combo into one (W. Germany- Federal Republic of Germany) and worked on recovery to ensure stability

6 How else did the winners of WWII attempt to set up a peaceful world after WWII? UNITED NATIONS Purpose: to bring all nations of the world together to work for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. General Assembly: the policymaking and representative organ of the UN. Security Council: responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security World Court: Judicial branch

7 Tensions between the U.S.A and the Soviet Union over what the postwar world would like led to something called the COLD WAR!

8 What was the Cold War? The Cold War was a 40+ year long conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that started after WWII. The term "cold war" first appeared in a 1945 essay by the English writer George Orwell called "You and the Atomic Bomb." During the Cold War, both nations used propaganda, threats, and military actions designed to undermine the other nation. Both also invested billions in a massive weapons build-up in an effort to have bigger, better weaponry.

9 Rivalry between US/USSR (two superpowers) began before the war ended. FDR and Churchill were close, considered Stalin a necessary evil As war drew to a close their ideological differences became more intense. Had Different World Views Cold War Origins US: Wants to spread democracy with a strong international organization to promote world order and peace. Felt Stalin was imperializing eastern Europe. (which was all well and good when they had done it in other parts of the world.) USSR: Stalin said Democracies are by definition anti-communist, and therefore anti USSR. Thought Eng/US didn t open a western front fast enough, froze USSR out of atomic bomb project, stopped lend/lease in 1945 (Eng/Fr got until 1950) Want a Buffer zone against further aggression Recap: what is the difference between capitalism and communism? After WWII, the Soviets were determined to rebuild Europe with communistfriendly governments.

10 The Cold War was never actually officially declared. In a 1946 speech- Churchill said an iron curtain has fallen across Europe England had lost her role as world leader. US (Under Harry Truman) now seen as the only player left with the strength to deal with the new communist threat that is rising to replace the Fascist threat. Actually- communism had a fair amount of support in many European countries- even ones with democratic elections (Italy 19% France 28%) BUT Soviets were not taking a chance on free elections etc- they set up one party dictatorships.

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12 So, what happened during the Cold War?

13 Arms Race and Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) The nuclear arms race was central to the Cold War. The belief that the more nuclear weapons you had, the more powerful you were caused fear throughout the world. Both America and the USSR massively built up their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. MAD= referred to the concept of both knowing each others capabilities and knowing that any attack on each other would bring a devastating counter-strike

14 U.S. Policy =Containment To address the concerns that the Americans had about the Soviets, they adopted a policy called containment (removing any opportunity for the Soviet Union to establish communist governments in other countries. This was accomplished through both persuasion and force.)

15 Truman Doctrine (1947) a very simple warning clearly made to the Soviet Union though the country was not mentioned by name that the US would intervene to support any nation that was being threatened by a takeover by an armed minority Greece/Turkey both involved in struggles between communist and democratic governments, England had been helping, say they can t, US steps in This is a big move- US had been thinking isolationist thoughts again after the war. Pledged $$ to any country to defeat communism

16 The Marshall Plan (1948) Aid program to help the weakened European economies so that they would not suffer an economic collapse and turn communist Named after U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the program channeled more than $13 billion in aid to Europe between 1948 and Meant to spark economic recovery in European countries devastated by WWII. However, because the USSR prevented countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia from participating, the plan also contributed to the raising of the "Iron Curtain" between Eastern and Western Europe.

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19 Berlin Crisis

20 Berlin Blockade & Airlift Remember: Germany had been divided into four zones (Great Britain, France, the U.S. and the Soviet Union). Berlin was in Soviet zone of Germany, but had been divided separately, so West Berlin had Marshall plan support. East Germans began flooding there. Soviets blockade Berlin- which becomes an early example of extreme tension. US responded with Berlin Airlift- 277,000 flights (landed every 45 seconds) to keep city supplied. By the fall the airlift was bringing in an average of 5,000 tons of supplies a day. Blockade lasted from July, 1948 to May, 1949), and led (eventually) to Berlin Wall Division of Germany was meant to be temporary- lasts for 41 years.

21 Cold War tensions lead to creation of 2 military alliances NATO (1949) The Warsaw Pact (1955)

22 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations (France, Denmark, Belgium, Iceland, etc.) to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. The parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or in North America shall be considered as an attack against them all. They agree that if such an armed attack occurs, each of them will assist the party or parties so attacked. Each will immediately take whatever action it considers necessary to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. It will, if necessary, use armed force.

23 The Soviets saw NATO as a direct threat and responded with the Warsaw Pact a mutual defense organization between The Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites (Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania) that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states The treaty called on the member states to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under the Soviet Union.

24 Speech by Nikita Khrushchev 1956 The inspirers of the cold war began to establish military blocs the North Atlantic bloc, SEATO, and the Baghdad pact. (They claim) they have united for defense against the communist threat. But this is sheer hypocrisy! We know from history that when planning a redivision of the world, the imperialist powers have always lined up military blocs. Today the anti-communist slogan is being used as a smoke screen to cover up the claims of one power for world domination. The United States wants, by means of blocs and pacts, to secure a dominant position in the capitalist world. The inspirers of the position of strength policy assert that it makes another way impossible because it ensures a balance of power in the world. (They) offer the arms race as their main recipe for the preservation of peace! It is perfectly obvious that when nations compete to increase their military might, the danger of war becomes greater, not lesser. Capitalism will find its grave in another world war, should it unleash it.