Modern World History Cold War Assessment Study Guide

Start of the Cold War

Crimea conference, Ukraine

Meeting between Winston Churchill (Britain) USA and Soviets

Britain and USA want peace and democracy

Yalta and Potsdam

Agreement at Yalta

Divide Germany into 4 zones to be occupied after the war by

Britain, France, USA, and USSR

Soviet perspective of Germany

Intially viewed it as a potential ally for revolution and later as a major threat.

Truman Doctrine

Containment - stopping the spread of communism, but not eliminating it from countries that already are communist

Marshall Plan

Western European nations threatened by communism because of instability, the US should provide aid to all European nations that need it.

Impacts on Cold War - Berlin Airlift

Germany was divided into 2 nations

West Germany - democratic

East Germany - communist

Berlin continued to be divided (creation of the berlin wall)

Impacts on Cold War - creation of the Berlin Wall

separating the East and the West between communism and anti-communism

Impacts on Cold War - Arms Race

(nuclear escalation) - ideological competition for the minds and hearts of third world people “proxy ways”

Formation of NATO

United States, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland - all were countries that did not want to have communism

Formation of Warsaw Pact

U.S.S.R, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine - all had communism within their countries

Communist Revolution in China- who was involved?

European nations and the US carved out “spheres of influence” throughout 1800s

Early sources of distrust from China to the West

Creates trust between individuals (nationalist and communists) and those who are willing to work with Westerners to become a world superpower in Asia

Involvement of the US and Soviet Union

The US supported the nationalists

The Soviet Union helped the communists

Reasons why the Communists won, and the Nationalists lost

Communists won - support of the peasants - they suffered from brutal landlords and heavy taxes

• A way to get out of poverty

Women wanted equal rights - women were treated as second class citizens

Guerilla tactics - aid from Soviets and fighting in a way that throws everyone off track

Why Nationalists lost?

Nationalists lost popularity

• More people support communism because it appeals to the majority of the population

• Policies led to widespread economic hardship

• Corruption in government

• Individuals trying to siphon power for themselves

• Foreign influence (US), Imperialist powers

• Hated westerners because of the open door policy (specifically US)

Mao’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution

It failed insanely - it was an attempt to make a superhuman effort to increase farm and industrial output

Didn’t put enough into industry - too much in agriculture

Didn’t diverse in economy - natural disasters could take them out easily

Disaster - produced low-quality, used goods and decreased farm production

Along with natural disasters led to mass starvation - tens of millions starve to death

Cultural Revolution

It’s goal was to purge China of bourgeois tendencies - those who are against communist values

The red guard - millions of young Chinese joined militia groups attacking those they considered “bourgeois”

Cultural Revolution comes to an end

Skilled workers and managers were forced to leave their jobs and do manual labor on rural farms and labor camps

Schools and factories closed

The economy slowed and civil war threatened

Finally Mao had the army restore order

Why Afghanistan was desirable to GB and Russia?

“The great game” - mostly wanted it for economic gain

Pro Soviet government in Afghanistan

Pro Soviet communist government comes under pressure and begins to weaken

Opposition to Soviet influence

Fearing iranian-style islamist revolution, decides to invade

Invades by land and air and seizes the capital, Kabul

• World is shocked

Impact of the Mujahideen

Afghan fighters fighting against the pro-soviet government

They were US supported

morphed into the elkida

Why the Soviets lost?

Soviet troops become demoralized - leads to poor discipline and drug use

Because of the failed invasion of Afghanistan it directly contributed to the failing of the Soviet Union and the satellite states

Legacy and impact

Leading causes of the downfall of the Soviet Union spending so much money

Domestic changes

Creation of Taliban, and Elikitaba

Why the Soviet Union was in an economic recession.

food shortages, people in the Soviet Union become very addicted to alcohol, there is no change in the industry, because of the government’s communism, it is all government funded and government dictated. The fact massive amounts of military spending leads to the economic recession.

Glasnot

The Soviet Union is years behind other economic nations in terms of political, economical growth. Glasnot allowed more freedom and the government is going to be more open.

Perestroika

Gorbachev is responsible for restructuring and openness, he came up with Glasnot and Perestroika, take steps towards economic gains.

Ronald Reagan

he wants to bring the fall of communism to the Soviet community. Actively works to try and mend the relationship with the Soviets.

George H.W. Bush

he also works closely with Borris Nelson to form a democracy in Russia. He wants to continue improving relations with the Soviets as they transitioned into a better community.

Boris Yelton

His election marked the beginning of a new era in Russian history, and to bring democracy into Russian countries.

Impacts on the Cold War

Glasnot and Peresroika and the willingness to work with others we see the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of the Russian Federation.