Start of cold war

Post-WWII, tension between the USA and the Soviet Union led to a worldwide Cold War. Reasons for this included: ideological differences, problems in Germany, the arms race and the Korean War.

Wartime alliance tensions

The alliance between the USA and USSR during World War II was strained by issues such as delayed military actions and exclusion from negotiations.

Atomic bombings

The USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to force Japan's surrender and pressure the USSR, which intensified Stalin's distrust.

Arms race

The USSR tested its first atomic bomb in 1949, leading to a competition between the USA and USSR to develop more powerful nuclear weapons.

Mutually assured destruction (MAD)

A theory that prevented nuclear war by ensuring that both superpowers would retaliate if one launched a nuclear attack.

Ideological differences

The contrasting political and economic systems of capitalism (USA) and communism (USSR) created fundamental conflicts.

Bolshevik Revolution

The 1917 revolution established a communist state in Russia, alienating the USA and Britain.

Truman Doctrine

A policy announced in 1947 aimed at containing communism and preventing its spread, reflecting the ideological divide.

Marshall Aid

Economic assistance provided by the USA to European countries to prevent them from falling to communism.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, established in 1949 to counter communist expansion in Western Europe.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 in response to NATO, aimed at countering perceived Western aggression.

Potsdam Conference

A 1945 meeting where the Allies agreed to divide Germany into zones, leading to tensions over its future.

Bizonia

The economic unification of the British and American zones in Germany in 1947, which angered Stalin.

Berlin Blockade

Stalin's 1948 closure of land routes into West Berlin, leading to the Allied airlift to supply the city.

Korean War

A conflict that began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, highlighting the global struggle between communism and capitalism.

Domino theory

The belief that the spread of communism in one country would lead to its spread in neighboring countries, influencing US foreign policy.