The document summarizes the key events and developments of the early Cold War between 1945-1960. It describes the ideological struggle between the Soviet/Eastern Bloc who wanted to spread communism worldwide, and the US/Western democracies who sought to contain communism. This led to espionage, an arms race, proxy wars, and the bipolarization of Europe between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The Cold War was characterized by conflicts over Germany, an escalating nuclear arms race, containment efforts in Asia including the wars in China and Korea, and tensions with the USSR under Eisenhower including the U-2 incident. Cuba also became involved after Fidel Castro took power and formed an alliance with the Soviet Union.

1. The Early
Cold War:
1945-1960

2. The Ideological Struggle
Soviet &
Eastern Bloc
Nations
US & the
Western
Democracies
GOAL  spread world-
wide Communism
GOAL  “Containment”
of Communism & the
eventual collapse of the
Communist world.
METHODOLOGIES:
 Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]
 Arms Race [nuclear escalation]
 Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts of
Third World peoples  “proxy wars”
 Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]

3. A.
Roots of the Cold
War

4. Shaping of the Post-War World
• The 2 sides disagreed what model
the world should follow
• Yalta violated by both sides

5. The Bipolarization of Europe
• West takes after the U.S.
• East takes after the Soviet Union

6. The “Iron Curtain”
From Stettin in the Balkans, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an
iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind
that line lies the ancient capitals of Central and Eastern
Europe. -- Sir Winston Churchill, 1946
• Divide between Eastern & Western
Europe

7. Partition of Germany
•4 zones of
influence after
WWII
•Soviet Union
wanted to punish
Germany for
WWII
•US (& Allies)
wanted to rebuild

8. B.
Containment

9. George Kennan & The
Long Telegram & Article X
• U.S. ambassador to the Soviet
Union
• 1946 – writes the “Long Telegram”
and later Article X
• To Truman: the Soviets are
expanding & they must be
contained
“The Soviets ideology is the outside world was hostile and that
it was their duty eventually to overthrow the political forces
beyond their borders”

10. Truman Doctrine [1947]
• Containment – stopping the spread of
Communism, but not eliminating it from
countries that already are communist
• 1947: Greece and Turkey under threat of
communist parties
• The U. S. should support free peoples
throughout the world who were resisting
takeovers by armed minorities or outside
pressure.
• The U.S. gave Greece & Turkey $400 million
in aid.
• Aid will be provided
to other nations
under threat from
communism

11. Marshall Plan [1948]
• Western European nations
threatened by Communism
because of instability
• The U. S. should provide
aid to all European nations
that need it.
• “This move is not against any
country or doctrine, but
against hunger, poverty,
desperation, and chaos.”
• $12.5 billion of US aid to
Western Europe extended to
Eastern Europe & USSR, [but
this was rejected]
Sec of State George
Marshall

13. C.
Conflict
over
Germany
1948-49

14. Independence?
• 1948 – the U.S.,
France, &
Britain wanted
Germany to
become
independent
• Soviet Union
does not & takes
Berlin Hostage
• Became a
symbolic issue

15. Berlin Blockade & Airlift
(1948-49)
•Soviet Union cuts off all ground
transportation in and out of Berlin
•June 1948 – May 1949 U.S. had
to fly all supplies into Berlin
•277,000
flights and 2
million tons
of supplies
•U.S. would win &
blockade ended

17. The End Effect
• Germany would be
divided into 2
nations
• West Germany:
Democratic
• East Germany:
Communist
• Berlin continued
to be divided

18. D.
The Arms
Race &
Military
Alliances

19. North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (1949)
 United States
 Belgium
 Britain
 Canada
 Denmark
 France
 Iceland
 Italy
 Luxemburg
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Portugal
 1952: Greece &
Turkey
 1955: West Germany
 1983: Spain

20. Warsaw Pact (1955)
} U. S. S. R.
} Albania
} Bulgaria
} Czechoslovakia
} East Germany
} Hungary
} Poland
} Rumania

21. Two Nuclear Powers
} The Soviet Union
exploded its first
A-bomb in 1949.

23. Hydrogen Bomb
• Both now wanted
stronger nuclear weapons
• U.S. 1st to test a
Hydrogen Bomb in Nov.
1952
• Soviet Union tested
theirs in August 1953

24. The Arms Race
• Both nations will now compete to
develop and create more nuclear
weapons

25. National Defense Budget

26. E.
Containment
in Asia

27. China: 1949
• Civil War ends
• Becomes communist under Mao Zedong
– Called the People’s Republic of China
• Seen as a major failure of containment
• Nationalists set up their own government
in Taiwan called the Republic of China

28. United Nations deals with
China
• Which China gets the seat in the
UN?
• ROC given the seat
• Soviet Union will boycott in protest

29. War in Korea
1950-1953
• Korea divided at the end of WWII
at 38th parallel
• 1950: N. Korea
invaded S. Korea
• U.S. didn’t want
containment to fail
• Pressures UN to invade

30. • Troops led by MacArthur
• Takes war into N. Korea
• China enters the war
War in Korea
1950-1953

31. • Mac wants to
use the A-
bomb
• Truman fires
him
• Negotiations
begin for a
cease-fire
• Achieved in
1953
War in Korea
1950-1953

32. F
.
Cold War
Under
Eisenhower

33. Massive Retaliation
• Created by Sec. of State
Dulles
• Rejection of Containment
• 2 Principals:
1. Encourage Liberation
2. Retaliation
• Brinkmanship – being on the
verge of war
• “New Look Military”
Eisenhower scales back
army & navy in favor of
nuclear capabilities

34. Death of Stalin (1953)
• Nikita Khrushchev
becomes premier
• Believed in “peaceful
coexistence”
• Agreement at Geneva
Summit (1955) for
nuclear disarmament
• Relations sour after
Hungarian Uprising in
1956
“We will bury you”

35. Sputnik (1957)
• Soviet satellite launched into space
• Showed the U.S. falling behind
technologically
• National Defense Education Act
(NDEA): rigorous education
program
– Science
– Math
– Foreign Lang.
• 1958: U.S. launches satellite
Explorer I
• NASA formed in 1958

36. Berlin (Again)
• 1958: Khrushchev
issues ultimatum
– Get out of W. Berlin
• Eisenhower refuses to
give in
• Send Nixon to U.S.S.R
in 1959
– Kitchen Debates
• Khrushchev visits for
2 weeks
• 2 countries agree to
summit in 1960 to
discuss issues

37. U-2 Incident
• U-2 Spy plane shot
down May 1960
• U.S. denied it was
spying
• U.S.S.R proved they
were
• Happened 10 days
before planned summit
• Worst U.S – Soviet
relations since Stalin

38. G.
Cuba

39. Fidel Castro
• January 1, 1959,
wrestles control
from Fulgencio
Batista
• Reason?
– Too much American
control in Cuba
• Tries to visit U.S.
– Ike refuses to meet
with him
• Nationalizes all U.S.
property

40. Alliance with the U.S.S.R
• Sept 1959,
Khrushchev offers
aid
• Castro accepts –
turns Cuba
communist
• 1960: U.S. begins
plotting against
Castro & breaks off
diplomatic ties
• Castro encourages
Latin America to
have Communist
Revolutions