THE COLD WAR

Two Superpowers Face Off

Yalta Conference

Yalta Conference

• Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt meet in February 1945

• Agree to divide up Germany

• Germany must pay compensation to Soviets

• Stalin promises free elections in Eastern Europe

The United Nations

The United Nations

• International organization intended to protect members against aggression.

• Based in New York City

• General Assembly: 50 nations in 1945 - 191 today

• Security Council: Five permanent members are U.S., Russia, Great Britain, China, and France

Soviets Control Eastern Europe

• Major goal to shield itself from invasion

• Saw Eastern Europe as a “buffer zone”

• Communist governments installed by the Soviets

• Iron Curtain

U.S. Counters Soviet Expansion

• Containment - prevent the expansion of communism

• Truman Doctrine - support given to countries that rejected communism

• Marshall Plan - aid given to any European country that needed it

Germany Divided

• East controlled by the Soviets: communist government

• West given its freedom by the Allies powers: democratic government

Germany Divided

• City of Berlin also was divided

• Soviets blockaded city in 1948, hoping allies would surrender control

• U.S. airlifted supplies into the city for 11 months

Cold War

• State of diplomatic hostility between superpowers

• Much of the world allied with one or the other

Rival Alliances

• Berlin blockade heightened fears of Soviet aggression in Europe.

• NATO is created. It is a defense alliance of 10 European nations, Canada and the U.S.

Rival Alliances

• In response to NATO, the Soviets created the Warsaw Pact.

• Members included Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania

Nuclear Threat

• 1949: Soviets explode an A-bomb

• November, 1952, U.S. explodes an H-bomb.

• Soviets explode one the next year

• Both sides produce large stockpiles of nukes

Cold War in the Skies• August 1957, Soviets

announce the first ICBM

• October 4, 1957, Sputnik launched.

• It is the first man-made satellite

• U.S. begins pours money into education

• Especially math, science and foreign languages