Unit 5 The Cold War

🔥 Cold War Crash Course (Simple & Solid)

🧊 What Was the Cold War?

• A non-shooting (or “cold”) conflict mainly between the United States (democracy/capitalism) and the Soviet Union (communism).

• It lasted from 1945 (end of WWII) to 1991 (collapse of the USSR).

• They never fought directly but battled through threats, spying, arms races, and proxy wars.

💥 Causes of the Cold War

• Different Ideologies: US wanted democracy and capitalism to spread; USSR wanted communism to spread.

• Distrust: USSR didn’t trust the West because they delayed helping in WWII; the US feared Stalin's expansion in Eastern Europe.

• Nuclear Weapons: US dropped atomic bombs in 1945—Stalin felt threatened and started his own nuclear program.

📍 Key Terms & Events (Quick Definitions)

• Iron Curtain: Metaphor for the division between communist East Europe and democratic West.

• Containment: U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

• Truman Doctrine (1947): Gave money to countries resisting communism.

• Marshall Plan (1948): Billions of $ to rebuild Europe and stop communism.

• NATO (1949): Military alliance of Western countries.

• Warsaw Pact (1955): Soviet version of NATO.

• Berlin Airlift (1948-49): U.S. and allies dropped supplies into West Berlin after Soviets blockaded it.

• Korean War (1950-53): North (communist) vs South (anti-communist) Korea—U.S. backed the South.

• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): Closest point to nuclear war. USSR put nukes in Cuba; U.S. demanded removal.

• Vietnam War: Another U.S. attempt to stop communism from spreading.

• Space Race: Competition between USSR and U.S. to explore space.

• Arms Race: Who could build the most/biggest nukes?

• Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989): Symbolized the collapse of Soviet control in Eastern Europe.

• USSR Collapse (1991): Soviet economy failed; countries became independent.

🛠 Strategies the U.S. Used to Contain Communism

• Military alliances like NATO

• Economic aid through Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

• Propaganda and support for democratic movements

• Fighting proxy wars (e.g., Korea, Vietnam)

💣 Why Did the USSR Collapse?

• Weak economy – could not keep up with the U.S. in spending.

• Afghanistan War – "Soviet Vietnam" drained resources.

• Gorbachev's reforms (glasnost = openness, perestroika = restructuring) backfired.

• People wanted freedom – protests broke out in many Soviet-controlled countries.

📅 Based on Your Calendar

You’ll probably go over:

• Maps of Cold War alliances (NATO vs Warsaw Pact)

• Why communism spread or didn’t spread

• The beginning, middle, and end of the Cold War

• How the Holocaust connects to global power shifts after WWII