Essential Question : What led to the Cold War between the United States & the Soviet Union?

1. Essential Question: • What led to the Cold War between the United States & the Soviet Union?

2. The Costs of WWII

3. End of the War in Europe • USA, England, Russia met twice before WWII ended to discuss the reconstruction of Europe after the war: • Yalta Conference (Feb 1945) • Potsdam Conference (July 1945)

4. Yalta Conference • In February 1945 (while the war was still being fought), the “Big Three” Churchill (England), Roosevelt (USA), Stalin (USSR) met in Yalta, USSR to discuss Europe after WWII • This is FDR’s last meeting (died in April 1945)

5. Yalta Conference • At Yalta, the Allies discussed: • The Axis Powers must unconditionally surrender • The League of Nations should be replaced by a United Nations to keep the peace after the war • Germany would be divided into occupied zones to help rebuild • Eastern European nations have the right to choose to be democratic or communist Self Determination

6. Potsdam Conference (Stalin, Truman, Churchill) US President FDR died in April & VP Harry Truman became the new President

7. Potsdam Conference Stalin broke his promise at Yalta & began pressuring Eastern European countries to become Communist • After Germany surrendered, the USA, England, & USSR met at Potsdam, Germany to discuss the end of the war • Two important things happened

8. Potsdam Conference Potsdam ended any sense of friendship between the USA & USSR & began an era of bitterness & distrust called the Cold War At Yalta, Stalin agreed to allow self-determination in Eastern Europe Germany was divided into 4 occupied zones: 3 were democratic & 1 was communist By Potsdam, Stalin had extended his control over Eastern Europe to create a buffer zone between the USSR & its future enemies Potsdam presents a major Cold War theme: Because they could not agree on how do govern Europe, Truman & Stalin divided it

9. The Effects of World War II

10. The U.S., U.S.S.R, England, France, & Nationalist China made up the Executive Council Each member of the Executive Council has veto power over other members The creation of the United Nations An army! All 50 member nations were represented on the General Assembly

11. Cold War • When the World War II finally ended, 2 superpowers remained: US & USSR • USA—capitalist & democratic; USSR— communist • Different beliefs led to a Cold War & a fight for supremacy throughout the world VS

12. At the end of the war, Germany was divided into a zone occupied by the USSR (which became East Germany) & a zone occupied by the USA, Britain, & France (West Germany)

14. The Iron Curtain Capitalism & Democracy Communism & Totalitarianism The USA began to view Stalin in the 1940s as a new Hitler—a dangerous dictator who wanted to take over the world

15. In 1947, the U.S. began a policy of Containment to stop the spread of Communism by the USSR When the USSR began pressuring Greece & Turkey to turn communist, the USA created the Truman Doctrine: U.S. economic & military aid to any country threatened by communism “A long-term, patient but firm, and vigilant containment of Russian expansionist policies… will eventually force the USSR to live in peace with the West” —Secretary of State, George Marshall The Truman Doctrine worked & neither Greece nor Turkey fell to communism

16. In 1947, the U.S. began a policy of Containment to stop the spread of Communism by the USSR European nations had difficulty recovering after WWII which led to fears of communism in Europe The U.S. created the Marshall Plan: offered $13 billion to help rebuild post-war Europe By 1952, Western Europe recovered & Communism never took root

17. Marshall Plan to Aid Europe 1948-1952

18. In 1947, the U.S. began a policy of Containment to stop the spread of Communism by the USSR In 1948, the USSR used military force to turn Czechoslovakia to communism; This led to fears that Stalin would use similar tactics in Western Europe In 1949, the USA formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): a military alliance among democratic countries

19. NATO was one of many alliances the USA would form with democratic nations over the course of the Cold War NATO Communist Bloc

20. The Berlin Blockade • In 1948, the USSR responded to Containment by cutting off all traffic to Berlin in East Germany • The USA began the Berlin Airlift to bring food, fuel, & supplies to keep West Berlin from turning to Communism • The standoff lasted 2 weeks until Stalin lifted the blockade

22. Reorganizing the Government The new air force was the preferred military agency of the Cold War because airplanes could drop nuclear bombs if needed • By 1947, the U.S. gov’t created 3 new agencies during the Cold War • Dept of Defense to direct the Army & Navy; The military created the Air Force • Central Intelligence Agency to collect & manage information among all gov’t agencies • Nat’l Security Council to advise the president on nat’l security

23. The Cold War Expands

24. The Nuclear Arms Race The Soviet atomic bomb motivated the USA to regain its nuclear advantage; In 1952, the U.S. tested the 1st hydrogen bomb (1,000 times more powerful than the a-bomb) The U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons technology ended in 1949 when the USSR successfully tested their own atomic bomb The Soviets responded with their own hydrogen bomb in 1953

25. The Cold War in Asia • Containment stopped communism in Europe, but by the late 1940s the Cold War spread to Asia: • Since the 1930s, Communist Mao Zedong fought democratic leaders for control of China • In 1949, Mao gained control & turned China to communism • Americans blamed President Truman for “losing China”

26. Based upon this chart, why were Mao & the Communists so popular among the Chinese people?

27. The Cold War in Asia • America’s response to the fall of China was to more aggressively confront Communism in the world • The U.S. expanded the military & stockpiled nuclear weapons • The USA feared that China would influence its neighbors to turncommunist(“dominotheory”) • In 1950, the U.S. fought the Korean War to stop communism

28. In 1950, North Korea crossed the 38° & attacked South Korea The USA led a United Nations intervention to stop North Korea But, when the USA pushed too close to China, the Chinese Army entered the war & helped North Korea By 1953, a ceasefire stopped the fighting & the 38° was restored as the boundary between North & South Koreas After WWII, Korea was divided along the 38° with Communists in the North & democracy in the South

29. The USA stopped the spread of Communism into South Korea, but in 1954, Communist Ho Chi Minh began a war to gain independence for Vietnam

30. Conclusions • After World War II, U.S. foreign policy changed: • The U.S. became a superpower that actively intervened in world affairs • The Cold War increased military spending, nuclear weapons, & fears of a war with the USSR • President Truman successfully “contained” Communism in Europe but seemed to fail in Asia