POZNÁMKY STUDENÁ VÁLKA

Cold War Overview

• Period: 1947–1991

• Key Events:

  • First use of the term "Iron Curtain": Winston Churchill, Fulton, March 5, 1946

  • Truman Doctrine: 1947

  • Dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and USSR: 1991

Key Terms and Figures

• Cold War Definition: Coined by George Orwell in the essay "You and the Atom Bomb" (October 19, 1945)

  • Bernard Baruch used the term "Cold War" on April 16, 1947

  • Book "Cold War": Walter Lippmann, 1947

Phases of the Cold War

• Beginning:

  • Churchill's Fulton speech (March 5, 1946)

  • Truman Doctrine (1947)

  • Two Camp Concept: Andrei Zhdanov, September 1947

• End:

  • USSR reforms (1987–88)

  • Paris Charter (1990)

  • Dissolution of the USSR and Warsaw Pact (1991)

Significant Events and Concepts

• Importance of the Cold War:

  • Expansion of nuclear weapons (1945–1998, approx. 2000 tests)

  • UN blockade and improvement of European integration

• U.S. After 1945:

  • Houston memorandum (October 1945): Cloyce C. Houston, description of Europe's division and the Iron Curtain

  • Truman Doctrine: 1947

  • Marshall Plan:

    • Launched in 1947, provided 13 billion USD (1948–1952)

    • Key aid for Western Europe

NATO Formation

• Establishment: April 4, 1949

Crises and Conflicts

• Berlin Blockade:

  • Duration: June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949

  • Daily consumption in West Berlin: 4,000 tons

  • Airlift: 2.5 million tons of supplies

• Korean War:

  • Duration: June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953

  • Casualties: 3.5 million

Nuclear Programs

• USA:

  • First Test: Bikini Atoll, 1946

  • Largest Test: Castle Bravo (15 MT), 1954

• USSR:

  • First Test: RDS-1, August 29, 1949

  • Hydrogen Bomb: RDS-6s, 1953

• UK:

  • First Test: Operation Hurricane, October 3, 1952

  • First Hydrogen Bomb: Operation Grapple-X, November 8, 1957

Key Documents and Events

• Paris Agreements: October 23, 1954

  • End of occupation of West Germany, rearmament, and entry into NATO

• Warsaw Pact:

  • Established: May 14, 1955

• Hungarian Revolution: 1956

  • Suppressed by the Soviet Union, significant event of resistance against communism

Important Personalities

• George Kennan:

  • Author of the "Long Telegram" (February 22, 1946)

• Winston Churchill:

  • Fulton speech, 1946

• Nikita Khrushchev:

  • Denunciation of Stalin, leader of the USSR from 1955

Later Cold War Developments

• Cuban Missile Crisis: October 1962

  • High risk of a nuclear conflict

• Helsinki Conference: 1975

  • Focus on human rights and security cooperation

• Soviet-Afghan War: 1979–1989

  • Soviet invasion and U.S.-supported resistance

• Dissolution of the USSR: December 26, 1991

  • End of the Cold War

U.S. Foreign Policy and USSR in 1940s-1950s

• Post-World War II Situation:

  • USSR faced huge demographic and material losses, with approx. 27 million citizens dead, impacting economic recovery and workforce.

• Stalin's Strengthened Authority:

  • Seen as a victor of the Great Patriotic War, institute of his cult of personality.

• Political Purges:

  • Affected military and intelligence, created an atmosphere of fear and distrust.

Structure of the Soviet Union Post-WWII

• Territorial Expansion:

  • Post-war expansion into Eastern Europe filling power vacuums left by weakened states (e.g., Poland, Hungary).

Military and Security Reorganization

• Post-War Adjustments:

  • Adjustment of military command structures and reductions in troop numbers, including significant drops in military divisions with prolonged conflicts.

The Rise of NATO and the Warsaw Pact

• NATO Formation: April 4, 1949

  • Military cooperation in response to USSR threats.

• Warsaw Pact Establishment: 1955

  • Military alliance of Eastern Bloc countries.

Nuclear Arms Race

• Arms Testing and Development:

  • Mass nuclear weapons testing and development between superpowers with serious geopolitical implications.

Summary of Key Cold War Events

• Korean War:

  • 1950-1953, increased military division and tactics on a global scale.

• Cuban Missile Crisis:

  • Major point of Cold War escalation leading to policies improving nuclear weapon influence.

• Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of the Cold War.