The Cold War: Decade by Decade

1940s & 1950s

U.S. versus U.S.S.R.

What was the Cold War?

• Definition:• A struggle over political differences

between the U.S. and the Soviet Union carried on by means short of direct military action or war

• How was it “fought”?• Spying, propaganda, diplomacy,

alliances, secret operations and foreign aid

Two Superpowers:Differing goals

• United States• World’s richest

country• Cities and factories

remained intact• Encourage democracy

and prevent communism

• Rebuild European governments to promote trade

• Reunite Germany to stabilize it and Europe

• Soviet Union• 50 times more

deaths• Many Soviet cities

were destroyed• Encouraged

worldwide communism

• Protect its borders by controlling Eastern Europe

• Keep Germany divided to prevent its waging war again

The Cold War: 1940s

• Policy of Containment• Began in 1945• American policy that

attempted to restrict communism to its current border

• Continued throughout the Cold War

• The Truman Doctrine (1945)

• Truman went before a joint session of Congress to appeal for $400 million in aid to Greece & Turkey

• Why?• To prevent the further spread of

communism

The Cold War: 1940s

• The Marshall Plan (1948-1951)

• Named after Secretary of State George Marshall

• A “rebuilding” program• $13 billion in

aid was sent to Western European nations

• Why?

The Cold War: 1940s

The Cold War: 1940s

• NATO (1947)• North Atlantic Treaty Organization• Military alliance with the purpose of defending

all members from outside attack• Who was in NATO? (10 Western European Nations

+ U.S. & Canada)

• Warsaw Pact (1955)• Formed in retaliation against NATO• Who was in the Warsaw Pact? (Soviet Union, E.

Germany, Czech, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, & Albania)

The Cold War: 1940s

• Berlin Airlift (June, 1948)• GB, France & the U.S. consolidated

West Berlin• In retaliation, Soviet troops blockaded

highways, railways & shut off West Berlin’s electricity

• To aid the people, British & American planes spent 11 months dropping supplies…

• The blockade was lifted in 1949

The Cold War: 1950s

• Stalin died in 1953; replaced by Nikita Khrushchev

• “De-Stalinization”• Reversed some of Stalin’s policies– Promised better wages – More consumer goods– More freedom to artists & intellectuals– Reduction of terror by the secret “police”

The Cold War: 1950s

• Peaceful Coexistence• Khrushchev’s policy to

compete with the west but avoid war– Encouraged nations to follow

communism– Improved housing conditions– Increased production of consumer goods– Put emphasis on technological research

• The Hydrogen Bomb• Thousands of times

more powerful than Atomic bomb

• U.S. tested first H-bomb in 1952

• Soviets tested H-bomb in 1953

The Cold War: 1950s

The Cold War: 1950s

• The Space Race• Began in 1957

when the Soviets launched Sputnik

• The U.S. “retaliated” soon after– Created NASA (National Aeronautics &

Space Administration)– Began to put a greater emphasis on math

and science in the classroom

The Cold War: 1950s

The Cold War: 1950s

• Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1952

• His Secretary of State was John Dulles

• Implemented the policies of massive retaliation and brinkmanship (willingness to go to the brink, or edge of war)

The Cold War: 1950s

• Cuba & Communism:• Batista was

overthrown by Fidel Castro

• Eisenhower cuts off trade to Cuba

• Castro turns to Soviets for support• CIA begins training non-communist

Cuban exiles to overthrow the government in Cuba…(to be continued)