Ch 25-1 The Iron Curtain Falls on Europe The Main Idea WWIII??? At the end of World War II, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States deepened, leading to an era known as the Cold War. Cold War: era of high tension and bitter rivalry known between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. following the end of WWII. Content Statement 19/Learning Goal Analyze the policy of containment the United States followed during the Cold War in response to the spread of communism.
Ch 25-1 vocabulary Cold War: an era of high tension and bitter rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union following the end of WWII. Iron Curtain: term coined by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe an imaginary line dividing Communist countries in the Soviet bloc from countries in Western Europe during the Cold War. Containment: U.S. policy adopted in the late 1940 s to stop the spread of communism by providing economic and military aid to countries opposing he Soviets. George F. Kennan: American diplomat and expert on the Soviet Union; he developed the U.S. policy of containment to counter Soviet expansion after WWII. Truman Doctrine: (1947) President Truman s pledge to provide economic and military aid to countries threatened by Communism. Marshall Plan: (1947) plan for the reconstruction of Europe after WWII; announced by the U.S. Sec. of State George C. Marshall. Berlin Airlift: a program in which the U.S. and Britain shipped supplies by air to West Berlin during a Soviet blockade of all routes to the city. Lasted from 1948-1949. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization; international defense alliance formed in 1949. An attack on one is an attack on all.
1. The Roots of the Cold War Philosophical differences between the Soviet Union and the United States reached back to the 1920s. Soviet Union: communism, totalitarian dictatorship United States: free-enterprise capitalism, republic Allies during the war, but not truly friends 2. World War II Alliances/ The atomic bomb Soviets wanted British and Americans to open a second European front earlier in the war. U.S. atomic bomb plans worried Soviet Union. Soviet spies stole plans for A-bomb. Developed their own The Soviet Union refused to let Eastern Europe hold elections as promised at Yalta. The United States resisted Soviet expansion.
3. The Iron Curtain Descends After WWII, U.S. and Britain were worried about what Soviets would do. Both feared Stalin would attempt to take over Eastern Europe. At the Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference, U.S. and Britain press Stalin to hold free election in Eastern Europe in Soviet-occupied lands, such as, Poland. Stalin wanted to retain political and economic control over Eastern Europe. He had no intention of giving up control In WWII, as many as 30 million Russians died and Stalin saw this area of Soviet Friendly nations as an increase in security for his nation against Europe. Stalin felt there was a long history of Europe invading Russia.
4.Communism Spreads The Soviets managed to install Communist governments throughout Eastern Europe. Stalin outlawed political parties or newspapers that opposed the Communists. The Soviets jailed or killed some political opponents. The Soviets rigged elections to ensure the success of Communists. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT FOUNDING FATHERS FOUGHT AGAINST CAUSED WWII RISE OF DICTATORS!!!! Yugoslavia was the one Eastern European nation that was not under the direct control of Stalin and the Soviet Union. Josip Broz Tito, a Communist, refused to take orders from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union relocated Germans living in Poland and other countries of Eastern Europe. What kind of government did Italy, Germany, Japan have prior to WWII?
5.The Iron Curtain Western Views of the Iron Curtain Winston Churchill attacked the Soviet Union for creating an Iron Curtain. The term reflected Churchill s belief that communism had created a sharp division in Europe. Harry S Truman urged his secretary of state to get tough with the Soviets. Soviet Views of the Iron Curtain Stalin believed that the Iron Curtain was necessary to protect the Soviet Union from western attacks. Stalin used Churchill s words to help persuade his people that the United States and Great Britain were their enemies. He also used this as an excuse to rebuild the military.
6. The United States Responds/Containment and the Truman Doctrine 6.Containment George F. Kennan created a policy known as containment. This policy stated that the United States should resist Soviet attempts to expand its power. Containment included economic aid, sanctions, and military force. 6.Truman Doctrine Said that the United States would help people fight against oppressors Truman wanted to send aid to Greece and Turkey to help them fight Soviet pressure. Congress agreed to send millions of dollars to Greece and Turkey. 7.Marshall Plan An aid program to rebuild the economies of European countries to create stable conditions for democracies 17 countries received $13.4 billion dollars in aid. Helped build strong political support in Western Europe with U.S. Western Europe could now afford to buy goods from U.S.
8. Crisis in Berlin /Berlin Blockade With the start of the Cold War, it became clear that the Soviets planned to keep their German zone under Communist control. Division of Germany never meant to be permanent. After Berlin Crisis division becomes permanent. The British, Americans, and French began to take steps to set up a free, democratic government within their German zones. The western zone eventually became known as the Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany. Russia controlled zone East Germany. The British, Americans, and French also tried to set up a democratic government in West Berlin. The Soviets were not happy with the idea of a Western-style government and economy in the middle of the Soviet zone of occupation.
Yalta Conference Map
8.Soviets Bloc Traffic In June 1948 the Soviets announced that they would block any road, rail, or river traffic into West Berlin. West Berlin s residents were cut off from food, coal, and other products. West Berlin was not completely cutoff because it had airstrips. Situation known as Berlin Blockade. 9. The Berlin Airlift British and American planes began making deliveries to West Berlin. The Berlin Airlift continued for months and months. Daily 7,000 tons of supplies were flown in West Berlin. In April 1949 there were nearly 1,400 separate flights and 400,000 tons of supplies delivered Finally, the Soviet Union lifted its blockade on May 12, 1949. 10.NATO Forms In 1949 the U.S. and 6 other nations joined Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the U.K. to form NATO. An armed attack against one would be considered an attack against all. Today, 26 countries belong to NATO. CAUSES OF WWI +WWII MILITARISM/ ALLIANCES (Warsaw Pact)
Causes of WWI and WWII 1) Militarism: building up of military weapons 2) Alliances: WWI: Triple Alliance (Central Powers) Triple Entente (The Allies) WWII: Axis Powers (Japan, Germany, Italy) Allied Powers. Cold War: NATO (U.S.), Warsaw Pact (U.S.S.R) 3) Imperialism: expanding territorial claims 4) Nationalism: putting your nation s interests above interests of all others.