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Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the US's plan to assist Western Europe. They would provide machinery, food, and other materials. This plan was a complete success. This fits under the intellectual GASPIRE theme because it has to do with solving problems and working together for the greater good. This showed that the US was loyal and willing to help. This impacted the war because it angered the USSR further, causing even more tension between them and the US. -
Propaganda
Many of the great powers used propaganda to show the pride they had for their country. This was yet another sad attempt to one-up each other. This connects to the artistic GASPIRE theme because it shows that the art created during the Cold War was mainly propaganda. The artists during this time did not have much of a say as to what they could draw. Art made the arms race worse than it was before. -
Comecon
The Soviet Union tried to bribe countries out of taking money from the US because they knew that the US would jump on that opportunity and make the countries convert to a system of democracy. This is the opposite of what the USSR wanted because they wanted to convert people to Communism. This is an example of the social GASPIRE theme because it describes that not everyone was treated equally at this time and that many smaller countries were easily taken advantage of. It started the arms race. -
NATO
NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was a group of ten Western European nations, aligned. The two main countries were Canada and the United States. They created this so that they could be a defensive military alliance. This fits under the economic GASPIRE because it has to do with how a country obtains goods and services. This alliance allowed for every country involved to receive military services and goods. It impacted the War because is upset the USSR, creating the Warsaw. -
Soviet Nuclear Test
The Soviet Union conducted this first nuclear test, creating chaos in the United States. Stalin wanted this bomb to replicate the one that the United States dropped on Nagasaki. The bomb left many lingering effects on the Soviet Union and even some in the United States. This fits under the Psychological GASPIRE theme because the Soviet Union's reasoning for this was to get into the United State's heads. This influenced the war because it made the US think that nuclear weapons would be involved. -
Korean war
This war was between North and South Korea. The UN forces, including the US, came to the aid of South Korea. China and the USSR gave aid to North Korea. The war continued until the 38th parallel was restored. This connects to the political GASPIRE theme because it has to do with who has the power and what type of government provides order. This was the 1st hot conflict of the Cold War. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was an alliance between the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. This was similar to NATO, in the sense that they would help each other with military affairs. This alliance allowed the Soviet Union to better compete with the United States. This fits under the economic GASPIRE theme because it involves how societies obtain more services and goods. They would each gain military help from one another. -
Overthrow of Cuban government
Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban government and implemented a communist regime there. He was able to accomplish this with the help of the USSR. The US did not accept this whatsoever and implemented the Bay of Pigs Invasion, which failed, to attempt to end communism in Cuba. This fits under the Cultural GASPIRE theme because the Soviet union went in and changed the way of living in Cuba. They changed the religion. This furthered the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. -
The creation of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall split Berlin, separating the East from the West. The Eastern side was ruled by a system of Communism. Western Berlin was made up of a democratic system. This connects to the geographic GASPIRE theme because the people of Berlin had to change their lives and adjust to the new terrain and rules that came with that. It is important to the Cold War because it signified communism in Eastern Europe. -
Truman Doctrine
This policy gave economic and military aid to free nations threatened by internal or external opponents. It was created by President Harry Truman of the US. The downside to this was that the United Stated expected something in return for their kind service; conversion. This fits under the Cultural GASPIRE theme because it shows what kind of people made up the US and that their care deeply for their religious ideals. This was one of the starters of the tension between the Soviet Union and the US. -
Space Race
The US and the Soviet Union had been in a space race for quite some time. And then, finally, the USSR won. But, the US did not give up. They got a man into space almost eight years after the Soviets did, but it was still an accomplishment. This fits under the psychological GASPIRE because an arms race is literally about trying to psych the opposing country out. The US felt that they had to get a man into space if the USSR could. This further influenced the competition aspect of the war. -
Religion
There were many Christians and also many Catholics. After the second Vatican Council formed, the Catholics became more assertive and aggressive. This has to do with the religious GASPIRE theme because many of the people were communists. Beliefs at this time differed because there were also many people against communism. The different religious groups were butting heads and arguing constantly. This was one of the causes of the Arms Race. It showed the cause of the Cold War. -
Soviet Missiles to Cuba
The Soviet Union sent missiles to Cuba in an attempt to threaten the US indirectly. Florida, being close to Cuba, would be effected by a bomb as well. The missiles never went off, however. This fits under the intellectual GASPIRE theme because missiles are knowledge and new materials that changed up war and how people fought. In this time period, people were using one-upping each other to solve their problems. This showed the Cold War because there was talk of missiles, they didn't go off. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
A wall of barbed wire and concrete had been built to separate Eastern Berlin from Western Berlin. The purpose of the wall was to separate the opposing systems of government. Only when the Eastern communist party announced that people could cross the wall, was the wall torn down. The people took it down, using whatever tools they could find. This fits in the Political GASPIRE theme because it has to do with the type of government and who has the power. Signified the end of communism in the East -
North Korean missile testing
Recently, North Korea has been testing nuclear weapons and this threatens the United States, along with the rest of the world. Kim Jong Un typically gives out threats but people have begun to take him seriously because of the advanced weaponry he has been testing. North Korea is considering attacking South Korea and Japan, two of the US's allies. This connects to the political GASPIRE theme because its about who has the power. This has to do with the war because its more unnecessary competition.
