The Cold War

Brian Johnson

Ed 448

The Revolution:

• The seeds for the Cold War are planted during World War I and the ensuing revolution in Russia.

• Following Lenin's death in 1924, Joseph Stalin rapidly rises to power. By the 1930s, Stalin's "Great Purge" is under way. Millions are arrested, and many are executed or sent to prison camps, as Stalin tightens his grip on the nation.

The Beginning:End WWII

• Yalta Conference and the Big Three.

• Political power shift.

• Collapse of Germany in May 1945.

• Differences in opinion of the future.

Separation of Berlin

• Began in 1945 after the collapse of Germany.

• Divided into 4 different zones.

• In 1946 agreements broke down between Soviet and the Western powers sides merge and the Berlin wall is erected by the east on August 12.

Soviet Test Atomic Bomb

• Soviet test atomic bombs August 29, 1949

• Test shock the U.S. citizens question safety.

• Truman vows to build up its conventional and nuclear weapons to halt the spread of the Soviet influence around the globe.

The Reds

• In the 1940s and '50s, the Cold War was fought through fear and persecution on both sides of the globe. In the United States, anti-communism became strident.

• In the Soviet Union, fences were raised against the outside world. The Gulag, the secret government system of labor camps, housed millions of prisoners.

Korean War

• War 1950-53

• First time the Cold War heated up.

• U.S. dominated UN come to the aid of South Korea.

• North Korea aided by USSR and Communist China.

• War ended in a military stalemate.

U2 Incident

• On May 1, 1960 a U2 plane piloted by Gary Powers is shot down.

• Eisenhower denies any U.S. espionage.

• This event disrupts the peace process between Eisenhower and Krushchev.

The Bay of Pigs

• In April 1961 the United States attempted an invasion of Cuba.

• Authorized by Kennedy.• Attempted to over through Castro as the leader.• CIA aided exiles lead the invasion.

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Khrushchev conceived a plan to place intermediate range missiles in Cuba.

• Castro joins forces with the Soviet Union.• Kennedy responds by imposing a naval blockade to stop

construction of missile silos.

Space Race

• Paralleled the arms race.• Sputnik shocks the U.S.

public in 1957.• Yuri Gagarin becomes

the first person in space for the USSR on April 12, 1961.

• Kennedy creates the Apollo program to counter the USSR’s advances.

Yuri Gagarin

The Vietnam Conflict

• Mid 1950’s until 1975.

• The U.S. and the South Vietnamese (RVN) opposed the revolutionary movement known as Viet Cong and its sponsor the Communist party the North Vietnamese.

• The result of the war would have profound ramifications for the U.S. and the world.

Ho Chi Minh

The Allies

• The Cold War takes on a new dimension as the Soviet Union, the United States and their allies become involved in wars between rivals in Africa and the Middle East.

• In the mid-1950s, after a split with the West, the Egyptian government of Gamal Abdel Nasser turned to the Soviet Union for aid and arms.

• In 1975, as Portugal was withdrawing from its former colonial possession in Angola, three factions emerged -- all trying to wrest control of the country. The MPLA, the largest group, was left-wing -- its leadership had received training from Cuba and arms from Moscow. The FNLA was anti-communist and was supplied with outdated U.S. arms from Zaire. UNITA, led by Jonas Savimbi, also received U.S. supplies.

Fall of the Berlin Walland the Reunification of

Germany• In the year 1989, there were

dramatic events such as a massive flight of inhabitants of the GDR via Hungary and big demonstrations in Leipzig on Mondays.

• November 9, 1989 at about 7 p.m. in somewhat unclear words East Berlin's communist party (SED), Günter Schabowski, that the border would be opened for "private trips abroad". Little later, an onrush of East Berliners towards West Berlin began, and there were celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate and at the Kurfürstendamm in West Berlin.

Fall of the Soviet Union

• August 1991 after a coup attempt called the “August Days” the union realized they could no longer hold the people

• This caused Gorbachev to resign. • And by popular demand the union was put to and end.• Enter the "Commonwealth of Independent Republics,“ built with

the old countries that formed the old Russia.

Conclusion• The United States rejoiced as its formidable enemy was

brought to its knees, thereby ending the Cold War which had hovered over these two superpowers since the end of World War II. Indeed, the breakup of the Soviet Union transformed the entire world political situation, leading to a complete reformulation of political, economic and military alliances all over the globe.