Cold War History

Study Notes

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension and rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1947 to 1991.
It was a "cold" war because it did not involve direct military conflict between the two superpowers.

Post-WWII ideologies: US (capitalist, democratic) vs. USSR (communist, authoritarian)
Soviet Union's expansion into Eastern Europe and the US's response to contain it
Yalta Conference (1945): disagreements over post-war reorganization and spheres of influence
Truman Doctrine (1947): US policy of providing economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism
Marshall Plan (1948): US economic aid to rebuild war-torn Europe, seen as a challenge to Soviet influence

Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-1949): Soviet Union's attempt to cut off West Berlin, countered by US-led airlift
Korean War (1950-1953): conflict between North Korea (backed by China and USSR) and South Korea (backed by US and UN)
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): US-Soviet standoff over Soviet missile deployment in Cuba
Vietnam War (1955-1975): US involvement in conflict between North and South Vietnam, seen as a proxy war against communism

Both sides engaged in propaganda campaigns to promote their ideologies and discredit the opponent
The "Iron Curtain" speech by Winston Churchill (1946) and the "Evil Empire" speech by Ronald Reagan (1983) exemplified the ideological divide

The US and USSR supported different sides in various regional conflicts, such as:
- Greek Civil War (1946-1949)
- Angolan Civil War (1975-2002)
- Nicaraguan Revolution (1960-1990)
NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955) were formed as military alliances to counterbalance each other's influence

Détente (1960s-1970s): period of reduced tension, marked by agreements like SALT I (1972) and the Helsinki Accords (1975)
Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms (1980s): glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991

The Cold War lasted from 1947 to 1991, characterized by geopolitical tension and rivalry between the US and the USSR.
It was a "cold" war because it did not involve direct military conflict between the two superpowers.

The conflict stemmed from post-WWII ideologies, with the US representing capitalism and democracy, and the USSR representing communism and authoritarianism.
The Soviet Union's expansion into Eastern Europe and the US's response to contain it contributed to the Cold War.
The Yalta Conference (1945) highlighted disagreements over post-war reorganization and spheres of influence.
The Truman Doctrine (1947) and the Marshall Plan (1948) marked significant US policies to counter Soviet influence.

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-1949) saw the Soviet Union attempt to cut off West Berlin, countered by a US-led airlift.
The Korean War (1950-1953) was a conflict between North Korea (backed by China and the USSR) and South Korea (backed by the US and UN).
The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) was a US-Soviet standoff over Soviet missile deployment in Cuba.
The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was a US involvement in a conflict between North and South Vietnam, seen as a proxy war against communism.

Both sides engaged in propaganda campaigns to promote their ideologies and discredit the opponent.
The "Iron Curtain" speech by Winston Churchill (1946) and the "Evil Empire" speech by Ronald Reagan (1983) exemplified the ideological divide.

The US and USSR supported different sides in various regional conflicts, including:
- Greek Civil War (1946-1949)
- Angolan Civil War (1975-2002)
- Nicaraguan Revolution (1960-1990)
NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955) were formed as military alliances to counterbalance each other's influence.

The period of détente (1960s-1970s) saw reduced tension, marked by agreements like SALT I (1972) and the Helsinki Accords (1975).
Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms (1980s) led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, with glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) being key factors.