Early Years of the Cold War

1. Early Years of the Cold War 1945 - 1970

2. 1945 • Yalta Conference • Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt • Germany divided • Poland “free elections” • United Nations Formed • April 1945 – San Francisco (50 nations) • 2 parts • General Assembly – all countries • Security Council – 11 countries • U.S., U.S.S.R., Great Britain, France, and China permanent members with veto power • Potsdam Conference • Truman and Stalin meet to discuss end of the war • Beginning of the Nuclear Arms Race

3. Expansion of the Iron Curtain • Stalin pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe to both protect the U.S.S.R. and to expand the empire • Satellite Nations by 1955 • Poland, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, East Germany • Yugoslavia • Led by Josip Broz (Tito) • Communist dictatorship, remained outside Stalin’s control

4. Containing Communism • Containment – Secretary of State George Kennan’s idea to prevent war by stopping the spread of communism • Truman Doctrine • Promised to provide economic and military aid to nations threatened by Communism • $400 million to Greece and Turkey in 1947 • Marshall Plan • U.S. provides economic aid to Western European nations to help recover from World War II • Stalin refuses to let Eastern European countries to join (COMECON)

5. Germany Divided • 1945 – divided into 4 zones occupied by Great Britain, France, the U.S. and the Soviet Union • Berlin divided as well (but completely in Soviet controlled area) • West Germany and West Berlin -democratic nations • East Germany and East Berlin under Communist control • Berlin Airlift – Stalin attempts to end aid to West Berlin, U.S. drops supplies; blockade ends • Berlin Wall – 1961, put up to stop East German from escaping to West Berlin (symbol of the Cold War)

6. New Alliances • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) • Western European, Canada, and & U.S. • 1949 - Military alliance • Warsaw Pact • 1955 - Soviet Union and Eastern European nations sign military agreement

7. Nuclear Arms Race • 1945 – U.S. drops atomic bombs on cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki • 1949 – Soviet Union tests its first Atomic Bomb • 1952 – U.S. tests first Hydrogen Bomb • 1953 – Soviet Union tests Hydrogen Bomb • Mid 1950’s – both create intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) • 1957 – Soviets launch Sputnik

8. Cold War Spreads • China • 1949 – Mao Zedong wins Chinese Civil War and creates Communist nation • Korean War – 1950-1953 • Communist North Korea leads troops into South Korea • U.N. forces (led by the U.S.) help South Korea • Douglas MacArthur pushes NK almost to China; recommends a nuclear weapon; fired by Truman • Ends in stalemate – 38th parallel

9. Cuba • 1959 – Fidel Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista to control Cuba • Bay of Pigs Invasion – U.S. tries to overthrow Castro (JFK), failed, embarrassed US • Cuba becomes Communist • Soviet leader Khrushchev sends missiles to Cuba in 1962 • Cuban Missile Crisis – almost resulted in nuclear war

10. Vietnam • Domino Theory – if one nations falls to Communism, the next will • 1965 – U.S. begins war against Communist North Vietnam (NVA) and the Vietcong (Communists in South Vietnam) • 1968 - Tet Offensive & My Lai Massacre; long, bitter war • U.S. forced to withdrawal in 1973