Cold War: USA vs USSR Ideologies

• The Cold War was a state of political and military tension between the USA and USSR
• It was characterized by proxy wars, arms races, and ideological competition without direct military engagement
• Proxy wars are conflicts where superpowers support opposing sides without directly fighting each other
• A superpower is a nation with dominant global influence, military strength, and economic power
• The USA and USSR were superpowers during the Cold War
• The Grand Alliance was a wartime coalition of the USA, USSR, and Britain during WWII
• It collapsed after the war due to ideological differences
• Zones of occupation were divided areas controlled by the Allies after WWII, especially in Germany, which led to tensions
• Spheres of influence are areas where a superpower exerts political, economic, or military control
• Eastern Europe was under Soviet influence
• Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) was a Cold War nuclear policy where both the USA and USSR had enough weapons to destroy each other, preventing direct conflict
• A bloc is a group of countries aligned with a superpower
• The Eastern Bloc composed Soviet-controlled communist states in Eastern Europe
• Containment was a key US foreign policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism
• It was the driving force behind actions like the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
• A satellite state is a country politically and economically controlled by a more powerful nation, like Poland under Soviet influence
• The Iron Curtain was a term used by Winston Churchill describing the division between communist Eastern Europe and capitalist Western Europe
• It symbolized the physical and ideological separation of the two blocs during the Cold War
• Dollar diplomacy refers to the use of financial aid and economic influence to counter Soviet expansion, as seen in the Marshall Plan
• A blockade is a strategy to cut off supplies or trade
• The Soviet blockade of West Berlin in 1948 led to the Berlin Airlift
• Communism is a political and economic ideology advocating for collective ownership of resources, state control of production, and class equality
• Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership, free markets, and profit-driven enterprise
• Guerrillas are small, irregular military groups using hit-and-run tactics
• The Truman Doctrine, established in 1947, was a US policy pledging support for countries resisting communism
• The Marshall Plan was a US economic aid program to rebuild Western Europe after WWII
• It was intended at preventing the spread of communism
• A flashpoint is a location or event where tensions between the USA and USSR nearly led to direct conflict
• The Cuban Missile Crisis was an example of this
• The Brezhnev Doctrine was a Soviet policy stating that communist countries could not leave the Eastern Bloc
• This justified interventions like in Czechoslovakia in 1968
• A one-party state is a political system where only one party governs, as seen in the Soviet Union
• The arms race was the competition between the USA and USSR to develop superior nuclear weapons and military technology

Cold War Symbols

• For the USA, dollar signs represented capitalism/financial aid
• Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, and the American eagle were also US symbols
• For the USSR, the sickle and hammer represented the working class
• The Russian bear and the red star symbolized the Russian military and Red Army
• CCCP is the Russian abbreviation for USSR

The Cold War (1946–1991)

• It was a period of global tension between the United States and the Soviet Union
• It was "cold" because there was no direct large-scale conflict between the two superpowers
• Both sides engaged in proxy wars, political rivalry, and an arms race
• The conflict was fueled by ideological differences, economic competition, and mutual suspicion

Capitalism vs. Communism

• Capitalism (USA & West) features private ownership, free markets, democracy, individualism, and competition
• Communism (USSR & East) entails government control of the economy, a classless society planned by the state, a one-party state, suppression of dissent, collectivism, and state control

"Cold" War Justification

• There was no direct military conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
• Instead, there was global tension, ideological conflict, and indirect confrontations
• Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) prevented direct war

Key Dates & Background

• 1917-1941: Russian Revolution, the West opposed communism
• 1939-1941: USSR was allied with Nazi Germany
• 1941-1945: U.S. and USSR were allies against Hitler
• 1945: WWII ends, Germany collapses
• 1946-1991: Cold War period

The Big Three & The Division of Germany

• Leaders included Josef Stalin (USSR), Winston Churchill (UK), and Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA)
• Yalta Conference (Feb 1945): Planned to divide Germany into 4 zones
• Potsdam Conference (July 1945): Finalized plans for Germany’s division

Fear & Mistrust Before WWII

• Western powers supported the White Army during the Russian Revolution
• The USSR signed a Nonaggression Pact with Nazi Germany in 1939

Soviet Perspective

• Western intervention in the Russian Civil War was seen as hostility toward communism
• The USA and Britain delayed opening a second front in WWII
• Stalin distrusted Britain’s appeasement policy toward Nazi Germany in the 1930s

WWII & The Division of Germany

• The Grand Alliance was a temporary wartime alliance
• The Lend-Lease Program sawed the USA provide with weapons, food, and materials to Britain & USSR
• Tensions emerged between the Allies after Nazi Germany surrendered

Tensions Within the Grand Alliance

• Massive Soviet casualties resulted in the USSR felt the West had abandoned them
• The USA ended Lend-Lease support
• The USA did not inform the USSR about the development of nuclear weapons

Yalta Conference (February 1945) Agreements

• Germany and Berlin divided into 4 zones
• USSR agreed to join the United Nations
• Eastern Europe was considered within the Soviet 'sphere of influence' but Stalin promised free elections

Yalta Conference (February 1945) Disagreements

• How to administer the occupied zones
• German reparations
• Soviet demand to move Poland’s border westward

Potsdam Conference (July 1945) Agreements

• Each occupying power would administer its zone independently
• Poland’s border moved westward

Potsdam Conference (July 1945) Disagreements

• Stalin wanted to cripple Germany permanently
• Stalin refused to withdraw from Eastern Europe
• Truman opposed Soviet expansion and promoted containment

Spheres of Influence & The Eastern Bloc

• The USSR liberated much of Eastern Europe from Nazi control
• Stalin installed pro-Soviet governments in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia
• These became satellite states, economically and politically dependent on the USSR
• There were no free elections held despite Stalin’s promise at Yalta

Western Reaction

• Churchill’s "Iron Curtain" Speech warned of Soviet expansion
• The USA feared communist expansion, leading to the Truman Doctrine & Containment Policy
• Soviet Motives included security, economic benefits, and expanding communist ideology

Containment: The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

• The Truman Doctrine's goal: Prevent communism from spreading (containment)
• Greece Civil War (1946-1949) contributed to development of the Doctrine
• The Doctrine defined support for free nations resisting communism
• Increased U.S.-USSR hostility occurred and the Arms race began

The Marshall Plan (1947-1952)

• The goal was to rebuild Europe & prevent communism’s appeal
• $13 billion in aid was provided to 16 European nations
• This opened European markets to U.S. trade and strengthened capitalist economies
• The Soviet Response included Cominform (1947) & Comecon (1949)

Berlin Blockade & Berlin Wall: Berlin Blockade (1948-49) Causes

• West Germany prospered due to the Marshall Plan due to West Germany Prospering
• USA, Britain, and France introduced a new currency
• Stalin saw the currency reform as economic warfare and feared the West would unify Germany

Western Response: The Berlin Airlift

• USA & Britain airlifted supplies to West Berlin for 11 months
• 2.5 million tons of supplies were delivered
• In May 1949, West Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)
• In Oct 1949, East Germany became the German Democratic Republic (GDR)
• Cold War tensions intensified - sides ramped up military power (arms race)
• NATO was created in 1949 and The Warsaw Pact (1955) was created

NATO & The Warsaw Pact (Cold War Alliances)

• NATO (1949) was a defensive military alliance of Western countries
• The Warsaw Pact (1955) was a Soviet-led military alliance
• Cold War Global Divisions were seperated into the 1st World, the 2nd World and the 3rd World

The Berlin Wall (1961) Causes of the Berlin Crisis

• West Berlin was visibly wealthier than East Berlin
• By 1961, an average of 500 East Germans per day were escaping to the West
• Between 1945–1961, 2.7 million East Germans defected to the West
• The West Berlin situation became an embarrassment to the USSR & East German government

Berlin Wall Events

• August 13, 1961: East Germany sealed West Berlin with barbed wire
• A concrete wall was constructed, reinforced with machine-gun posts, guard towers, and searchlights
• It was officially called "Antifaschistischer Schutzwall" (Anti-Fascist Protection Wall)
• Physically divided Berlin until 1989
• Kennedy’s "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech (1963) reassured Western support for West Berlin

The Arms & Space Race

• The USA developed the first nuclear bomb in 1945
• The USSR tested its own atomic bomb in 1949
• Both sides built ICBMs

The Space Race

• The USSR launched Sputnik (1957), the first artificial satellite in space
• The USSR sent Yuri Gagarin (1961), the first human in space
• The USA responded by landing on the Moon (1969)
• Operation paperclip saw Von Braun captured by the USA and became the director of NASA

Who Was To Blame For The Cold War?

• The USSR broke promises at Yalta (no free elections in Eastern Europe)
• The USSR expanded into Eastern Europe & created satellite states
• The USSR conducted the Berlin Blockade (1948)
• The USSR supported communist revolutions worldwide

Arguments that Blame the USA

• The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan were seen as "economic warfare"
• The USA's nuclear secrecy led to tension
• NATO (1949) excluded the USSR
• The USA supported anti-communist revolutions worldwide

Balanced View

• The Cold War was a result of mutual suspicion, ideological conflict, and political ambitions from both sides