WHAP UNIT 8.2 The Cold War

United Nations

International organization meant to promote peace using mechanism to prevent escalation of conflicts (sanctions + peacekeepers)

• League of Nations: failed to prevent WWII + No US support

Iron Curtain

Coined by Winston Churchill meaning division b/w West democracy & East authoritarianism

USA - USSR Rivalry

Differences: Led to propaganda + military operations to spread ideology

• US Democracy: Free elections + independent press + USSR criticized persecution of black ppl/women

• USSR Authoritarianism: One political party + Suppressed speed/rights + gov-owned press + US criticized as slow economy

• US Capitalism: Private ownership and free market principles

• USSR Communism: State ownership of means of production

Similarities: Gov. or corporate shareholders = big economy choices + fear = powerful military

Eastern Bloc

Group of USSR satellite countries that spread communist ideology by implementing 5-year-plans & one political party

• Satellite Country: Small states economically/politically dependent on bigger state

  • Import/export ONLY to USSR

  • BUL + East GRM + HNG + PLN + RMN

• World Revolution: Belief that organized workers would rise up globally to establish communism.

MAD

Mutual Assured Destruction: USSR & USA destroying e/o no matter who starts nuclear war ensured nuclear war would likely be prevented

Truman Doctrine

Est. containment: US policy that focused on stopping spread of communism beyond USSR

• Est. b/c USSR bases in Dardanelles Strait, Turkey = Greece is almost communist

• Proxy Wars

Marshall Plan

USA $12B to all Euro states = Incredibly successful reconstruction + employment + reduced tariffs + industrial innovations

• World Revolution: Threatened leaders that instability = communism

COMECON

Council for Mutual Economic Alliance: rebuild Eastern Euro trade thru credit agreements after refusing Marshall Plan → Modest success

Non-Aligned Movement

Bandung Conference, Indonesia hosted by Sukarno: Declared to be neutral on Cold War & condemned imperialism

• Indonesia: Took both US & USSR aid

• Jawalharlal Nehru: India

• Kwame Nkrumah: freed Ghana & est. Org. of African Unity

• Gamal Abdel Nasser: Socialist/Pan-Arab Egyptian president