The Cold War

World History – Unit 11

Day 1: Page 1: Germany After WWII

Next 7 days of class… Agenda:Next 7 days…Germany after WWII

mapNATO vs. Warsaw PactNotes

Day 1: Page 1: Germany After WWII

Day 1: Page 1: Germany After WWII

Day 1: Page 1: Germany after WWII

• Two superpowers: United States and Eastern Europe

• U.S. led the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

• Eastern Europe (specifically the Soviet Union – aka Russia) led the Warsaw Pact

• “Line” of tension was drawn in Berlin, Germany called the Iron Curtain between the Democratic West and the Communist East

Day 1: Page 1: Germany after WWII• Those in Communist

Berlin were fleeing to democratic Germany

• 1961 – the Berlin Wall was built (concrete barrier/wall topped with barbed wire and patrolled by guards)

Berlin Wall

THEN…

NOW!

Day 1: Page 1: Germany after WWII• Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia also revolted

against Soviet domination• Demonstrators could not stand against Soviet tanks• U.S. was the only country with nuclear weapons but

by 1949, the Soviet Union also developed nuclear weapons

• By 1953 BOTH countries had developed the hydrogen bomb (even more destructive than the atomic bomb!)

Day 1: Page 1: Germany after WWII

• The United States and Soviet Union engaged in a race to match one another in new weapons…called The Cold War

• The result? A balance of terror because both sides know that the other side would launch their new weapons and destroy the other

• The world and the American and Soviet people lived in constant fear

Day 1: Page 1: Germany after WWII• The two sides met in disarmament talks although neither

side completely trusted the other, some agreements were made

• SALT – Strategic Arms Limitation Talks – limited the number of nuclear weapons (both sides agreed to this in 1972 and 1979)

• U.S. President Reagan launched the “Stars Wars” which built a missile defense against nuclear attack

• Led to the era of détente – relaxation of tensions during the 1970s (this era ended in 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan)

Day 1: Page 1: Germany after WWII

Cold War goes global • Soviet Union was assisting other communist

countries including China and Korea• The US reached out to countries including

Pakistan, France, Australia, etc.• US set up military bases around the world unlike

the Soviet Union • US feared that Communism would spread around

the world

Day 1: Page 1: Germany after WWII• Fidel Castro became dictator in Cuba in the

1950s• US tried to bring down the Communist regime in

Cuba as it was “too close to home” • 1961- Bay of Pigs Invasion – Soviet Union sent

nuclear weapons to Cuba• Pres. John F. Kennedy responded by imposing a

naval blockade to prevent more Soviet shipments• Kennedy demanded that the Soviet Union

remove its nuclear missiles (which were pointed at the US)

• For a few days, the world faced a risk of nuclear war

• Nikita Krushchev agreed to remove the Soviet missiles and war was avoided

Day 2: Page 2: Cold War

Agenda:NotesDr. SeussCold War Events in pairsHomework:Cold War Quiz tomorrow

The Cold War

• What was it? • Why was it different than previous

wars? • Who was involved? • Why did it last so long?

What was it? • 50 years of tension between the United States and

Soviet Union (Russia) • West vs. East (Iron Curtain) • A race to become the “biggest” and the “best” –

Military, Espionage, Power, and Society. • For the US a war against Communism, for Russia

(USSR) a war against Capitalism.• No fighting between Russia and the US – just

indirect conflicts with the ideals of each side

Why was it different than previous wars?

• Lasted for 50 years • A war of ideals • Fighting was not in the battle fields between

then two sides it was more of a philosophical battle field

• Was TOTAL WAR like no other time in history.

Who was involved? • West – US, Britain, France,

West Berlin• East – Russia (USSR), East

Berlin, Cuba• Africa, India, China, Japan

were not significant • South East Asia was the

“battle ground” and any country coming out of colonialism/imperialism

Why did it last so long?

• Constant build up and “Macho-ism” • World was becoming more militaristic and focused

on outdoing each other• Both countries refused to make amends

**** The game of chicken lasts until the chicken backs down****

RUSSIA BACKED DOWN

Butter Battle Book – Dr. Seuss

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qkqzdgL3wo

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLLgBlygqP4