8.1: Setting the Stage for the Cold War and Decolonization

Essential Question: What was the historical context for the Cold War after WWII?

Great Britain, United States, and USSR were known as the Big Three

Meetings for the post-war world

• The Tehran Conference - Iran, Nov 1943. Allies agreed that the Soviet Union would focus on freeing Eastern Europe, and GB and USA would focus on Western Europe. Also shifted some Polish territory to Soviet Union

• Yalta Conference - Black Sea, Feb 1945. Franklin Roosevelt wanted free, democratic elections in Europe, wanted the Soviets to join the war against Japan. Stalin demanded influence over Eastern Europe.

• Potsdam Conference - Germany, July 1945. Final meeting among leaders of the Big three. Harry Truman insisted on free elections in Eastern Europe, Stalin refused (USSR had control). USA and USSR lacked trust in each other.

Shifting Balance of Power

• Europe became less influential and powerful in the rest of the world, USA and USSR became more powerful

• Countries like Great Britain and France still had strong traditions of democracy and rule of law, good education systems, and home to large corporations. These were advantages that let Western Europe become global leaders after the war

• US-Soviet Rivalry - US had developed atomic weapons, Soviets then had one by 1949.

• Advances during the war - included air pressure systems for airplane cabins, refrigeration for food, strong plywood and new plastics, penicillin (medicine)

The Start of the Cold War

• cold war - conflict which does not involve direct military confrontation

  • cold war between US-Soviets played out in propaganda campaigns, secret operations, and an arms race

• Cold War led both countries to arm opposing sides in conflicts around the world, transforming small conflicts into large events

• Early 1950s hydrogen bomb developed, more powerful than atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan in WWII

• Military industrial complex - informal alliance between the government and the large defense contractors

Breakdown of Empires

• self-determination - the idea that each country should choose its own form of government and leaders (spread after WWI)

• after WWII, foundation was set for the dismantling of colonial empires

  • WWII had weakened GB, France, and other colonial powers so that they had fewer resources to resist independence movements

  • the Cold War between the US and Soviets gave anti-colonial activists two superpowers to recruit as supporters

8.2: The Cold War

Essential Question: What were the causes and effects of the ideological struggle of the Cold War?

The United Nations

• Allies shared a commitment to building a new organization to replace the League of Nations, which failed because:

  • lacked support of all the world’s powerful countries, especially the USA

  • lacked a mechanism to act quickly to stop small conflicts from escalating into large ones

• USA, GB, Soviet Union and China discussed a United Nations in 1943

• The UN was established in 1945

Rivalry in Economics and Politics

• Iron Curtain - the split between eastern and western Europe

• Capitalism in the US - economic assets were owned privately, so private interests determined economic decisions. People had the freedom to act in their self-interest

• Communism in the Soviet Union - economic assets were owned by the government, emphasizing equality and fairness

• Democracy in the US - people chose their elected leaders through free elections. Relied on an independent press to provide accurate information about the gov and political parties

• Authoritarianism in the Soviet Union - elections were not significant, press operated by gov, single party politics

• Each side pointed to what it saw as flaws in the other

Conflicts in International Affairs

• Satellite countries - small states that are economically or politically dependent on a larger, more powerful state

• USSR exploited Eastern European nations to benefit the Soviets rather than help the satellite countries grow

• World revolution - belief that organized workers would overthrow capitalism in all countries

• Soviet Union viewed capitalism as a threat to its power, which was enhanced with world revolution

• US diplomat George Kennan advocated for a policy of containment (not letting communism spread more) because he saw the USSR was trying to expand their borders

• Kennan influenced President Harry Truman to outline the Truman Doctrine in 1947

  • strong statement that the US would do what they had to to stop the spread of communism

• The Marshall Plan - June 1947, designed to offer $12 billion in aid to all nations in Europe from the USA

• COMECON - Council for mutual economic assistance - made by Soviets

The Space Race and Arms Race

• USA and Soviets competed to become first to be in space, first manned mission, etc

• Mutual assured destruction (MAD) - both countries had realized how powerful they had become