Topic #4: Military Alliances and Brinkmanship

Essential Question: Why were NATO and the Warsaw Pact formed in Europe?

Iron Curtain

Who: Winston Churchill

Where: U.S.

When: 1946

What: Winston Churchill made a speech in 1946 about the spread of communism, which was renamed the Iron Curtain.

• Iron Curtain: An imaginary dividing line between capitalist and communist nations (Soviet Satellite States) in Europe.

Why imp: It publicly warned that Europe was being divided between capitalist and communist nations and it convinced many Americans to take action which led to the Truman Doctrine.

Soviet Satellite States

Who: East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Soviet Union.

Where: Eastern Europe and Germany

When: Cold War

What: Eastern Europe and Germany that is ruled by the communist Soviet Union. They provided the Soviet Union with raw materials and were protected from capitalist countries. Nothing gets in or out, it was very hard to escape to capitalist nations.

Why imp: They created a buffer zone that helped the Soviet Union protect itself from invasion after World War II. It also spread communism across Eastern Europe, increasing tensions with the U.S. and contributing to the start of the Cold War.

NATO

Who: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the U.K., and the U.S.

Where: Europe

When: 1949

What: Military defense pact between North Atlantic countries which were all capitalist. The members would protect each other if one of them got attacked by the Soviet Union.

Why imp: It made the Soviet Union less likely to attack Western Europe, it also emphasized the divide between capitalist and communist countries creating more tension, and it led to the Warsaw Pact being made.

Warsaw Pact

Who: Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, Poland, and Albania (leaves in 1968).

Where: East European

When: 1955

What: Military alliances between European communist countries to support each other if one nation gets attacked.

Why imp: It countered NATO and solidified the division between the two sides of the Cold War. It allowed the Soviet Union to keep tight control over its allies.

Arms Race

Who: The U.S. and Soviet Union

Where: America and Europe

When: 1949

What: The U.S. and Soviet Union competed to see who was stronger by having ore and powerful weapons. By 1949, both nations had atomic bombs. Neither side used their nuclear weapons in fear of Mutually Assured Destruction.

• Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D. Policy): Each side would be destroyed if the other one launched its nuclear weapons.

Why imp: It increased fear of each nation, created a balance of power, led to major advances in technology, and led to the Space Race.

Brinkmanship

Foreign policy strategy of pushing a dangerous situation or confrontation to the limit of safety especially to force a desired outcome.

• Ex: Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

Who: The U.S., Cuba, and Soviet Union

Where: Cuba

When: The crises ended on October 28, 1962

What: The U.S. learned that Cuba had been holding Soviet missile bases, so they make a blockade around Cuba, not letting the Soviets get in. Cuba agreed to remove the missile bases and in return the U.S. would remove secret bases in Turkey which was next to the Soviet Union.

Why imp: It was the closest the United States and the Soviet Union came to nuclear war and caused them to be more cautious and direct confrontation in future conflicts.

Nikita Krushchev

Who: Leader of USSR

Where: Soviet Union

When: 1953-1964

What: Leader of the Soviet Union, succeeding Stalin. He presided over the Cuban Missile Crisis and was in charge of the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union.

• In his “Secret Speech”, Krushchev stated the three aspects of de-Stalinization which were no more purging, no more worshipping Stalin, and removing the secret police/creating the KGB.

Why imp: He led the Soviet Union during the Cold War and slightly improved conditions for citizens by getting rid of fear and repression from Stalin.