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The Cold War

The Cold War. I. The West after WWII. Western Europe becomes less internationally dominant Infrastructure (housing, transportation) destroyed Colonies lost due to high cost, nationalist pressures Ex: France out of Vietnam (1954), Algeria (1962)

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The Cold War

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  1. The Cold War

  2. I. The West after WWII • Western Europe becomes less internationally dominant • Infrastructure (housing, transportation) destroyed • Colonies lost due to high cost, nationalist pressures • Ex: France out of Vietnam (1954), Algeria (1962) • Stuck between two superpowers: U.S. and Soviet Union • Cold War • Ongoing tensions between U.S. and Soviets and their allies; characterized by nuclear arms buildup • Eastern bloc– Soviet allies: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary • Controlled East Berlin, heart of Europe • “An iron curtainhas descended” – Winston Churchill CHALLENGE QUESTION!

  3. I. Continued… • Cold War (continued…) • U.S. responds, emboldened by atomic bomb • Pours money into Iran, Turkey, Greece to avoid communist takeovers • Enacts Marshall Plan – loans designed to aid Western nations in rebuilding • Seeks to rebuild unified W. Germany as industrial power/political ally • Soviets upset, cut off Berlin • U.S. airlifts supplies in (Berlin Airlift), crisis ends in 1948, Germany split until 1990 • Divisions continue/strengthen • Creation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) • U.S., most of W. Europe, Canada, eventually W. Germany • Goal = stop spread of communism

  4. I. Continued… • Cold War (continued…) • Soviets respond with Warsaw Pact • Comprised of Russia & Eastern European satellite states • Goal = stop western aggression CHALLENGE QUESTION!

  5. II. Soviet Sphere of Influence • Soviets emerged as the second super-power after WWII • Expanded boundaries westward • Supported developing communist nations (China, Vietnam, N. Korea, Cuba) • Focused on industrialization • Between the wars, Eastern European nations had failed to established solid economies/political systems • Soviets used military might and political influence to control these nations after WWII • While being technically independent, political opposition was crushed and orders were given from Moscow • Tight controls kept people from fleeing the East • Barbed-wire fences, armed patrols, creation of Berlin Wall (1961-1989)

  6. II. Continued… • After death of Stalin, eastern nations experiment with more liberal communism • Increased diversity of ideas, culture • Increased trade with west • But, single-party dominance remained • Soviet Union remains a world superpower until early 1990s

  7. EXIT TICKET! Answer the following questions using complete sentences: • Why was western Europe less dominate after WWII? (describe two reasons) • What did the Marshall Plan do? • Why were the Soviets able to control/heavily influence eastern Europe after WWII?

  8. CHALLENGE QUESTION! Answer the question, based on the text, using complete sentences: “From what I have seen of our Russian friends and allies during the war, I am convinced that there is nothing they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for weakness, especially military weakness. For that reason the old doctrine of a balance of power is unsound. We cannot afford, if we can help it, to work on narrow margins, offering temptations to a trial of strength. Last time I saw it all coming and I cried aloud to my own fellow countrymen and to the world, but no one paid any attention.” -Winston Churchill, 1946 • What is Churchill saying? What does he mean by the “old doctrine of a balance of power?” What is he refering to when he says “last time I saw it coming…?” BACK

  9. CHALLENGE QUESTION! What does the cartoon say about east/west relations? BACK

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