2. Background: US/USSR relationship during WWII
August 1939: Stalin (USSR) makes a deal with Hitler (Germany)
June 1941: Hitler breaks deal and invades the Soviet Union
As a result of Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Stalin and the Soviets join
the Allied cause.
February 1945: With Germany on the brink of collapse and
the end of the War in Europe in sight, the Allied leaders,
FDR, Churchill, and Stalin (“the Big Three”), meet at Yalta to
discuss the future of Europe.
The conference resulted in four key agreements:
● Establishment of the United Nations
● Division of Germany into four zones
● Free elections planned for Eastern Europe
● Soviet promise to join the ongoing war against Japan Churchill
FDR
“The Big Three”
Stalin
3. Background: US/USSR relationship during WWII
At Potsdam, the Soviets were able to officially install a communist puppet government in Poland.
Stalin claimed that this was necessary to create a buffer against future hostile invasion attempts.
This was a part of Stalin’s strategy to annex all of the territory the Soviet Army had occupied during
the War, and was a key point of contention as the wartime alliance began to break down.
While at Potsdam, Truman learned that the US had just conducted the world’s first successful test
of the atomic bomb. This was another pivotal step toward the disintegration of the alliance.
July 1945: The Allies meet again at the Potsdam Conference
to continue negotiations surrounding the end of the War.
Since Yalta, both the UK and the US had undergone changes
in leadership.
● UK - Churchill was voted out of power and replaced as
Prime Minister by Clement Attlee.
● US - FDR passed away and was replaced by Harry
Truman.
This resulted in a new version of the “Big Three”.
Attlee, Truman, and Stalin - the new “Big Three”
4. What was the Cold War?
The Cold War was an ideological struggle that spread throughout the world. It pitted US capitalism
against Soviet Communism and included everything short of actual direct warfare.
United States
Goal: Contain the spread of Communism
leading to its eventual collapse
Soviet Union
Goal: Spread Communism worldwide
through the revolutionary overthrow
of Capitalism
The US & the Western Democracies The Soviet Union & the Eastern Bloc
5. 6 Major Strategies of The
Cold War
● Brinkmanship
● Espionage
● Foreign Aid
● Alliances
● Propaganda
● Proxy Wars
6. Soviet Union Post WWII Goals
● Create greater security for itself
○ USSR had lost tens of millions of
people in WWII
○ Feared a strong Germany
● Establish strong defensible borders
● Encourage friendly governments on its
borders
○ Poland and the rest of the Eastern Bloc
(“Iron Curtain”)
○ Accomplished through installation of
puppet regimes
● Spread communism around the world
7. Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech
● March 1946 at Westminster College in Missouri
● Introduced the term “Iron Curtain”
● Informed the people of the west that the Soviets were
becoming a major area of concern
○ Most people still viewed the USSR as an ally
“From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain
has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the
capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe . . . .
(A)ll these famous cities and the populations around them lie in
what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form
or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in
some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.”
The term “Iron Curtain” was initially not well received.
However, as the reality of the Cold War became more
apparent, it became widely used as a metaphor describing
the Soviet regime’s desire to keep its people in and keep
information out.
9. US Post WWII Goals
● Promote open markets for US goods
○ Prevent another depression
○ Spread Capitalism around the globe
● Rebuild European economy
○ Marshall Plan
● Promote democracy throughout the world
○ Especially in Asia and Africa
● Stop the spread of communism
○ “Domino Theory”
“Rebuild Europe”
10. Domino Theory
The Domino Theory is the idea that if
one country in a region came under
the influence of communism, then the
surrounding countries would follow as
in a row of dominos.
This idea became the primary
motivation behind US Cold
War policy.
11. George Kennan and “Containment”
● George Kennan
○ US State Dept. Official
○ Wrote the famous “Long Telegram” to
government officials and the “X Article” aimed
at the public
○ Introduced the idea of “Containment” to both the
Administration and the people
● Containment Policy
○ Outlined by Kennan in response to increasing
concerns about Soviet expansionist rhetoric
○ Became Truman’s clean break from the WWII era
alliance with the Soviets
○ The basis for the “Truman Doctrine” and the
“Marshall Plan”
Containment: The Cold War foreign policy of the United States
and its allies to prevent the spread of Soviet influence and
communism throughout the world
12. Truman Doctrine
● Truman’s speech on March 12, 1947
● Often considered the start of the Cold War
● Specifically a response to the situations in Greece and Turkey,
which were both threatened by communist rebellions
● Argued that these countries must receive US aid or
they would capitulate to Soviet influence
● Declared that the US would intervene to stop the further spread of
communism around the world
● Not an attempt to rollback Soviet authority where it
already existed
13. Truman Doctrine
● The Truman Doctrine was the first official policy to enact
Kennan’s “containment” strategy
○ Formally established America’s foreign policy ever since
and led to the creation of several Cold War programs
and alliances
● The Marshall Plan
● North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
15. The Marshall Plan
● Conceived by US Secretary of State Gen. George Marshall
● United States sent over $13 billion in economic aid to
Western Europe after World War II (about $114 billion in
2020)
● Lasted 4 years
● Aid also offered to the USSR and Eastern Bloc nations but
was refused by the Soviets
● The US had 3 primary goals for the Marshall Plan
○ Rebuild war-torn regions of Europe
○ Modernize European industry and promote capitalist markets
○ Prevent the spread of communism
● From 1948-1952 (the years the Marshall Plan was in effect) Europe saw the fastest
economic growth in its history
○ Industrial production increased by 35%
○ Poverty was dramatically reduced and average income levels rose by 20%
21. The Berlin Crisis: June 1948 - May 1949
● At the end of WWII, Germany and the capital
city of Berlin were divided into 4 occupation
zones
● The Soviet occupation zone became East
Germany and the western-controlled zones
became West Germany
● The western occupation zones in Berlin were
located deep within Soviet controlled East
German territory
22. Berlin Crisis June 1948 - May 1949
● Stalin fears Western prosperity
and influence in East German
territory
● Decides to remove the Western
presence and take control of
West Berlin
○ Berlin Blockade
● The Western allies respond
with the Berlin Airlift
○ Massive effort to fly
supplies into West Berlin
23. Berlin Crisis June 1948 - May 1949
● Stalin assumed there was no way the
airlift could work
● However, the continued success of
the airlift, along with worldwide press
coverage, became an increasing
embarrassment for the Soviets
● Stalin finally lifted the blockade and
reopened access to West Berlin
24. Berlin Crisis June 1948 - May 1949
● The airlift delivered a
total of 2,300,000 tons
of supplies to Berlin
○ US - 1,800,000 tons
○ UK - 500,000 tons
● 278,000 total flights
were made to Berlin
25. Berlin Crisis June 1948 - May 1949
One important effect of Stalin’s action
was that it started a wave of East
German residents escaping to West
Germany, using Berlin as a primary
escape route.
This would lead to the construction of
the Berlin Wall 12 years later.
27. Background to the Korean War
● The entire Korean peninsula had been under the imperial
rule of Japan from 1905 to the end of WWII in 1945
○ After WWII Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into
two zones
● The USSR occupied the North
● The US occupied the South
● Japan had also invaded China in 1937 to begin WWII in Asia
○ A civil war broke out in China immediately following
WWII
● The communist faction under Chairman Mao
Zedong seized control of the Chinese
government and forced the nationalist
faction into exile
● China’s fall to communism was considered a threat to the
stability of Asia during the Cold War
28. War Begins
● 1949
○ Both the US and the USSR withdraw
their troops from Korea leaving a
communist Korean leader in charge in
the North and a capitalist Korean
leader in charge in the South
● Both leaders want to reunify
Korea under one
government
● 1950
○ North Korean forces invade South
Korea with approval from the USSR
● South Korea asks the new United Nations
(UN) for assistance
● Truman does not want to repeat the
mistake of appeasement and vows to
come to the aid of the South
○ US troops will lead the UN forces
29. Areas in red show the territory occupied by communist forces.
In the 2nd stage of the war, when UN forces pushed to the Chinese border, Chinese Red
Army troops overwhelmed UN forces, leading to a desperate retreat, and ultimately, a
stalemate.
30. The Korean War was the first instance of the US sending combat troops to
fight in a proxy war.
Proxy War: War fought between groups of smaller countries that represent the
interests of larger powers, sometimes with the support of those powers.
US participation in Korea was a response to fears of the Domino Theory.
Proxy Wars were a part of the containment strategy.
32. In 1949, 12 Western nations created a collective
security organization called NATO to coordinate their
defense against the USSR and the Communist Bloc.
Additional nations were added later on.
In 1955 West Germany joined.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
33. The Warsaw Pact
Upon West Germany’s admission to NATO, they were allowed to rearm
their military for the first time since WWII. This was considered by the
Soviets to be a direct threat to their security.
In 1955, in response to West Germany’s admission to NATO, the Soviets
created the Warsaw Pact.
The creation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact formalized the alliances that
would remain in ideological conflict throughout the Cold War.
36. McCarthyism
● The practice of publicly accusing government employees and
public figures of subversive activities, usually involving
communism
○ Known for using questionable investigatory methods to
prosecute individuals for their alleged crimes
● Began with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
● Later, Joe McCarthy’s Senate Committee
● McCarthy claimed to have a list of over 200
communists working in the US State Department
● HUAC and McCarthy’s Committee held hearings
where the accused were subjected to
questioning under oath
● Being accused, regardless of the outcome of the
hearings, often led to public and professional
blacklisting
37. McCarthyism
● The questioning was designed to produce a confession, followed by a
coercive attempt to get the “guilty” party to name other communists
○ Similar to the European witch hunts of the 1600s
● Resistance to the questioning, or failure to admit guilt, often led to
charges of contempt
The McCarthy era
exacerbated cold
war anxieties and
came to be known as
the 2nd Red Scare
38.
39. McCarthyism
● In 1954, McCarthy began an attack on the US Army, accusing the institution of
allowing communism to exist within its ranks
● Noted television journalist Edward R. Murrow famously began a series of
programs exposing McCarthy’s questionable tactics
○ McCarthy’s reputation quickly declines
○ By the end of 1954, he was censured by the Senate and stripped of his
privileges
○ McCarthy dies three years later of alcoholism
Today, the term “McCarthyism” lives on to describe
anti-Communist fervor, reckless accusations, and
guilt by association.
Edward R. Murrow
40. Communist Spies
● Although McCarthyism led to the public disgrace of innocent Americans, there
were legitimate cases of communist espionage activity uncovered in the period
● Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted for providing top secret intelligence
about radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and nuclear weapon designs to the
Soviets
○ Julius was an Army engineer
○ They were the first US Citizens to be executed for espionage
● Alger Hiss, a government attorney, was convicted of perjury for lying about spying
for the Soviets
43. Arms Race
● 1949
○ Soviets detonate atomic bomb
● 1950
○ NSC 68 - Policy paper intensifying US
Cold War anti-communist strategy
● Increased foreign aid
● Expanded military budget
● Development of hydrogen
bomb
● 1952
○ US detonates first hydrogen bomb
● Massive nuclear build-up
● Escalation of arms race
○ Soviets develop hydrogen bomb ‘61
● Development of tactical nukes
● Brinkmanship
○ Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
○ Nuclear deterrent
44. Fallout Shelters
Due to fears of a nuclear attack, the federal
government began to promote the use of
fallout shelters.
Over a three year period in the early 60s,
there was a considerable growth in sales of
home fallout shelters.
50. The Space Race
● Had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms
race
● Included pioneering work in artificial satellites, robotic
space probes, and human spaceflight
● Ended up focusing on the race to land a man on the moon
● The Soviet Union dominated in the early years
The Soviets were the first to:
● Launch an artificial satellite
into orbit (Sputnik - 1957)
● Leave Earth’s orbit (1959)
● Launch a person into space
(Yuri Gagarin - 1961)
● Conduct a “space walk” (1965)
● Land an unmanned craft on
the moon (1966)
51. “Glory to the Soviet People - The
Pioneers of Space!
“Socialism is our
Launching Pad”
52. The Space Race
In response to the launching of Sputnik, the US Congress
and President Dwight Eisenhower created the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Unlike the Soviet space program, which was a secret
military project, NASA was created as a civilian
organization that collaborated with the military.
NASA recruited top scientists and engineers from America
and abroad, including several German rocket scientists
who had worked for the Third Reich during WWII.
53. The Space Race
NASA Space Race Milestones:
● First solar-powered satellite
(1958)
● First satellite spy photography
(1960)
● First Pilot-Controlled Space
Flight (Alan Shepard - 1961)
● First American to orbit the Earth
(John Glenn - 1961)
● First spacecraft docking (1966)
NASA initiated Project Mercury (1958-1963)
● Goal was to launch astronauts into orbit
and return them safely to Earth
● First 7 astronauts selected
Followed by Project Gemini (1961-1966)
● Goal was to develop space travel
techniques in support of a future moon
landing
54. The Apollo Program
Building on the success of Project Mercury, NASA initiated the Apollo Program (1961-1972)
to run alongside Project Gemini (1961-1966).
The goal of the Apollo Program was to land the first humans on the surface of the Moon and
return them safely to Earth.
Tensions from the Nuclear Arms Race and the Space Race had led presidential candidate
John F. Kennedy to promise superiority over the Soviet Union in space exploration and
missile defense.
55. The Apollo Program
In 1961, in response to fears that
the US was falling behind in the
Space Race, Kennedy
announced a goal to land a man
on the moon by the end of the
decade.
At the time this goal was
announced, only one American
had ever been in space.
In response to the President’s
announcement, NASA ramped
up its efforts, leading to the
development of the Saturn V
rocket.
Although Kennedy did not live to
see it, the Apollo 11 mission
successfully landed on the moon
on July 20, 1969.
56. The first stages of the
Saturn V rockets were
built at the Michoud
Assembly Facility in
New Orleans East.
The stages were then
sent to the Mississippi
Test Facility (now the
John C. Stennis Space
Center) on the
Mississippi/Louisiana
border for engine tests.
57. Soviet Lunar Program
At the time of the successful Apollo 11 mission, the Soviets were
still in the testing phase of the N1 rocket, which was their answer
to the Saturn V.
The N1 was launched four times. In each test launch, the rocket
crashed mere seconds after liftoff.
The second launch was the worst, with the rocket tilting just as it
lifted off and immediately crashing back down into the launch pad
creating a massive explosion that destroyed the entire launch
facility.
The explosion could be seen 22
miles away and was one of the
largest non-nuclear explosions
in history.
After the fourth failed attempt,
the USSR abandoned its lunar
program.
58. The U-2 Incident
● 1960: CIA Pilot Gary Powers’ U-2 spy plane was shot down
by a Soviet missile
● Powers was unable to activate the self-destruct mechanism
before parachuting to the ground
● Taken into custody by the KGB and questioned for months
● US issued a cover statement that a “weather plane” crashed,
however, US officials did not realize that:
○ The Soviets searched the wreckage of the plane
○ They had recovered the photography equipment
○ They had extracted information from Powers
The US was
embarrassed by this
incident and a
summit meeting
between President
Eisenhower and new
Soviet Premier Nikita
Khrushchev was
abruptly cancelled.
59. The Bay of Pigs Invasion
● A failed attempt by US-backed Cuban exiles to
overthrow the government of Cuban dictator
Fidel Castro
● Castro had led a communist revolution in
Cuba
○ By its end in 1959, he had taken total
control of the Cuban government and
expelled all US business interests
○ Eisenhower retaliated by severing
diplomatic ties and enacting the Cuban
embargo
● Under the Eisenhower administration, the CIA
planned an invasion organized around a force
of Cuban exiles
60. The Bay of Pigs Invasion
● The invasion took place after the transition to the
Kennedy presidency in 1961
○ JFK signed off on the CIA plan but refused
to provide air support, resulting in the
failure of the invasion
● The failure embarrassed the new Kennedy
administration
○ Kennedy took responsibility
● Effects:
○ Relations between the US and Cuba
deteriorated further
● Castro feared future US attempts
to intervene
○ Relations between Castro (Cuba) and
Khrushchev (USSR) strengthened
“There’s an old saying that victory
has a hundred fathers and defeat is
an orphan.”
62. The Berlin Wall
Over the course of the 1950s, 3.5 million East German citizens
defected to the freedom through West Berlin.
The Soviet-controlled East German government tightened border
controls until crossing was virtually illegal.
In August 1961, residents of Berlin woke to find that armed troops
had erected a barbed wire barrier on the border overnight.
65. East German forces tore up the railroad tracks at the
border between East and West Berlin.
Construction crews were ordered to
knock down buildings along the border.
66. An East German Soldier helps a
child escape to the west.
West German residents look through the barbed
wire to the eastern side.
67. Escape and defection of an East German border guard before the permanent wall was built
68. The Berlin Wall
A large percentage of defectors
were younger professionals:
● Engineers
● Technicians
● Physicians
● Teachers
● Lawyers
● Skilled workers
Only 61% of East Germany’s
population by 1960 was working
age.
In the days after setting the barbed
wire barrier in place, workers
began constructing a permanent
border wall made of concrete
blocks.
69. The Berlin Wall
The US Secretary of State called
the wall “a monument to
communist failure.”
West Berliners called it a “wall of
shame.”
Families and friends were
separated. East Berliners were
separated from jobs that were in
the west.
The communist government
placed round-the-clock security
at the wall with instructions to
shoot-on-site any East Berliner
approaching the wall.
70. The Berlin Wall
Although Khrushchev claimed the wall was built to protect the residents of East Berlin
from western imperialism, it was clearly built to prevent the flood of East German
citizens from emigrating to the freedom of the West.
75. The Cuban Missile Crisis
● Brinkmanship
● Arms Race
● Closest the world ever came to nuclear war
76. ● October 1962
● U2 reconnaissance photos revealed the
presence of Soviet nuclear missile
sites in Cuba
● After seven days of intense debate
within the White House, Kennedy
imposed a blockade around Cuba to
stop the arrival of more Soviet missiles
● On October 22, Kennedy announced
the discovery of the missiles and his
decision to blockade Cuba
○ “It shall be the policy of this Nation to
regard any nuclear missile launched
from Cuba against any nation in the
Western Hemisphere as an attack by
the Soviet Union on the United States
requiring a full retaliatory response
upon the Soviet Union”
Cuban Missile Crisis
77. ● The naval blockade was effective in
stopping Soviet ships from
approaching Cuba but tensions
remained high
● On October 27, a U2 spy plane was
shot down over Cuba
● Kennedy was under extreme
pressure by military leaders and
many of his advisors to launch an
attack on Cuba
● However, Kennedy was able to resist long
enough to conduct secret back-channel
negotiations with Soviet representatives to
come to an agreement
● In exchange for an assurance not to invade
Cuba, the Soviets agreed to remove all offensive
missiles from the Western Hemisphere
78. After the Missile Crisis
● A slight reduction in tensions followed
● The Moscow-Washington Hotline was installed
● Nuclear partial test ban treaty negotiated
● Kennedy made a speech in June 1963 recognizing
the Soviet contribution to World War II
● Neither leader would remain in power long enough
to capitalize on this Cold War thaw
79. ● In November 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated
during a motorcade through the city of Dallas
● Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the
nation’s 36th President upon JFK’s death
● In October 1964, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was
removed from power and replaced by Leonid Brezhnev
80. ● A new era of the Cold War followed these transitions in
leadership
● For the Soviets, Brezhnev strengthened his control over
Eastern Europe, oversaw a massive military buildup,
and sought to gain influence in the Middle East and
Africa
● For America, this era was marked by the war in Vietnam
and the opening of diplomatic relations with communist
China
81. Created by Scott Caro
2022
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