Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization

Topic 1: Context and Causes of the Cold War

Context

Cold War: A conflict in which neither party engages in direct military conflict with each other. Rather, plays out through arms race (nuclear weapons/hydrogen bombs, proxy wars, propaganda campaigns, space race).

Tehran Conference

• Agreement to open a second front against Nazi Germany in Western Europe

• US, Britain, and Russia would fight against Germany until unconditional surrender

  → Many disagreements arose, causing distrust to grow out of the meeting

Yalta Conference

• Major goal was to determine post-war organization of Axis territory

• Stalin entered Pacific fight against Japan

• Stalin agreed for free elections in Poland

Potsdam Conference

• Soviet troops occupied much of Western Europe. Truman wanted free elections in those occupied areas, but Stalin refused

  → US and Soviet Union no longer trusted each other and marked the start of the cold war

Creation of the UN

UN (United Nations): Peacekeeping entity that would replace the failed League of Nations. Purpose was to create a forum which countries could peacefully resolve disputes

• Permanent members of the UN had the power to veto discussion of any issue brought before the council

• The Soviet Union did not allow any complaints against Soviet Union and used only to achieve their own goals

  → US and Soviet Union engaged in non-military stand off due to the UN

The United States was the most powerful country in the world after WWII. US was far ahead due to limited destruction and financial stability. Only the Soviet Union would be able to compete, which fueled rivalry during the cold war.

Causes

Conflicting Ideologies: Communism vs. Capitalism

US:

• Free election of leaders, with multiple political parties

• Capitalist: private individuals owned means of productions. Workers worked for their own self-interest

Soviet Union:

• Authoritarian communist government with only one single party

• Communist: government controlled and owned means of production that was then distributed equally

→ Soviets tried to influence other countries towards communism. There was already a history of Bolshevik support of communist revolutions in other countries, with the idea that capitalism would be overthrown everywhere (“World Revolution”). This made the US wary of Soviet attempts to promote communism as they hoped capitalist democracy flourished in Europe.

Post War Germany & a “Divided” Europe

After WWII, Germany was split into four occupational zones, controlled by victorious allied powers. Berlin was also divided, although it was located in Soviet zone. Western Allies sought to rebuild Germany as a democratic and capitalist state while Soviets wanted as a communist buffer zone. → Led to the formal split of Germany into the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.

Soviet Union occupied and claimed countries in Eastern Europe, which became satellite nations. Europe was then split into communist Eastern Europe and capitalist Western Europe (the “iron curtain”). The spread of communist Soviet Union prompted action by the US.

Truman Doctrine / Policy of Containment (1947)

Truman Doctrine: interventionist foreign policy of the US to support “free” people who were resisting attempted subjugation of outside pressure (usually communism).

Dedicated to the “containment” of communism, which meant preventing any further expansion of Soviet influence. This increased conflicts and rivalry between the two nations.

Marshall Plan

Marshall Plan: European Recovery Program, or commonly called the Marshall Plan, proposed to rebuild European cooperation and capitalism. It provided more than $13 billion to reconstruct Europe. The Marshall Plan forestalled communist or soviet influence in devastated nations in Europe.

The Soviet Union resisted what it saw as capitalist imperialism. It established the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance as an alternative to the Marshall plan.

Official Division of Germany in 1949

The United States, Soviet Union, Britain, and France occupied Germany and its capital Berlin, which were divided into zones for administrative purposes. Soviets retaliated to Western powers merging their occupation zones by blockading all road, rail, and water links between Berlin and Western Germany.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

Americans and British responded to the Soviet blockade in Berlin and West Germany with airlift to keep west Berlin’s inhabitants alive. After the blockade, US, British, and French zones formed the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and Soviet zone formed German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

Formation of Military Alliances: NATO (1949) & the Warsaw Pact (1955)

US-sponsored NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and Soviet-controlled Warsaw Pact signaled militarization of the cold war. Intent was to maintain peace through collective security, meaning an attack against a member meant an attack against all.

Topic 2: Effects of the Cold War on Asia, Africa, & Latin America

Korean War

Vietnam War

Angolan Civil War

Contra War (Nicaragua Civil War)

Afghan-Soviet War

Bay of Pigs & Cuban Missile Crisis

Topic 3: Global Spread of Communism