Cold War Overview

Definition

• 1945-1991

• Tension and rivalry between superpowers US and USSR

• War of words

• Never fought each other directly

• Proxy-wars

Tension? What tension? The Big 3 meet at Yalta in February 1945 to discuss post-war Europe and

how to end the war.

Yalta Conference

• USSR wants– Compensation ($)– Buffer from German

aggression

• U.S. & Britain– Self –determination

(democracy) in Europe– Don’t make the same

mistakes of T.of Versailles

• Compromise– Promises his tanks in

Eastern Europe will protect free elections, as long as communists can run…

• Compromise– Allied Powers will

occupy Germany to dismantle the Nazi state

– Stalin can get some $

The Big 3’s Mission Statement, as of Yalta

• “The establishment of order in Europe and the rebuilding of national economic life must be achieved by processes which will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last vestiges of Nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own choice. This is a principle of the Atlantic Charter - the right of all people to choose the form of government under which they will live - the restoration of sovereign rights and self-government to those peoples who have been forcibly deprived to them by the aggressor nations.”

Iron Curtain

• A symbolic barrier between East and West

• Division between communist and noncommunist nations

• Little communication, trade and trust between two sides

Eastern Bloc

• Communist nations “liberated” (dominated?) by USSR

• Starts with Eastern Europe– Poland– Hungary– Czechoslovakia

• East of Iron Curtain

Western Democracies

• Noncommunist nations

• Allied with US

• Mostly Western Europe– Britain– France

• West of Iron Curtain

The Cold War [1945-1991]: An Ideological Struggle

Soviet & Eastern Bloc

Nations[“Iron

Curtain”]

US & the Western

Democracies

GOAL spread world-wide Communism

GOAL “Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist world.[George Kennan]

METHODOLOGIES:

1. Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]

2. Arms Race [nuclear escalation]

3. Competition to control “third world” nations

4. Europe divided into two camps [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]

Assessment

• Draw a picture or series of pictures to represent the Cold War or explain what the Cold War was– Must label and include Eastern Bloc and

Western Democracies, the political views, Iron Curtain and Containment

– Must use multiple colors

Assessment

• 20pts—Visual is detailed and shows multiple aspects of the Cold War. It is immediately obvious to the viewer how the image represents the Cold War.  There are labels to show Eastern Bloc, Western Democracies, Iron Curtain, the political/economic differences and containment have been represented.  Color used.

• 15pts--The visual needs more details in order to meet all requirements. It is somewhat unclear how the image represents the required vocabulary. Labels are missing for one of the required terms. Color used.

• 10pts—It is unclear how the details drawn align with the definition of the Cold War or labels for 2 of the required terms are missing.