Unit IX. The Cold War

1. Unit IX. The Cold War

2. Balance of Power

3. A. Balance of Power 1. A Divided Europe a. Western Europe *With the help of G.B. and the U.S., democracy and capitalismwere restored to the west b. Eastern Europe *Occupied by Soviet armies *Stalin wanted to spread communism throughout the areaand create a buffer-zone of friendly gov’ts to prevent attacks -Stalin had promised free-elections -Instead, supported pro-communist gov’ts c. Iron Curtain: imaginary line that divided Europe between East (Communist) and West (Democratic) *Term first used by Winston Churchill, 1946 *The iron curtain would both literally and figuratively cut Eastern Europe off from the rest of the world

5. A. Balance of Power (cont’d) 2. Germany and Japan Post-WWII a. Germany: divided into four zones between all the Allies *Armed forces were disbanded and the Nazi Party was outlawed *Nazi war criminals were put on trial (Nuremburg) and punished *Western Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) -Allies helped to set up new political parties -A federal constitution was written, set up a democracy (approved in 1949) -1949, Allies ended military occupation -Also set up a policy of asylum, or protection from arrest or from being returned to a dangerous political situation *Germany was deeply shaken by the events of the Holocaust -Wanted to ensure would never happen again -Today has very strong ties to Israel and has tried to compensate for the event financially and politically

6. A. Balance of Power (cont’d) 2. Germany and Japan Post-WWII (cont’d) b. Japan: occupied militarily by Allied forces after WWII, mostly U.S. *Armed forces were disbanded and war criminals were put on trial *General Douglas MacArthur was the Supreme Commander of the American military gov’t that ruled post-war Japan *The American gov’t wanted to end militarism and ensure democratic gov’t in Japan -MacArthur and his advisors drafted a constitution •Created a constitutional monarchy (like G.B.), limited the power of the emperor •Promised Japan would not engage in warfare •Set up a democratic gov’t: representatives elected to the Diet (Japanese Parliament) •Basic rights were guaranteed -The new constitution was accepted and they signed a treaty that took away its overseas empire -Occupation ended in 1952

7. A. Balance of Power (cont’d) 3. Two Superpowers a. Decline of Dominant Nations *After WWII, several powerful nations were in decline -Germany was defeated and divided -France and Britain were economically drained and needed to focus on rebuilding b. The U.S. and U.S.S.R. emerged as the new superpowers *Superpower: used to describe each of the rivals that came to dominate global politics after WWII *Many nations would be influenced or come under the control of both nations during the 20th century