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Yalta Conference
At the end of WWII, leaders of US, Britain, and Soviet Union agreed to divide Germany. Stalin agreed to have free elections and to join war against Japan. -
Formation of United Nations
UN, international organization to protect the 50 countries that were members against aggression. -
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Cold War Spending in the US
The chart shows the Cold War Average spending in the US which is $344.1 billion between 1946 and 1991. -
Soviet National Income Growth(Chart)
The chart shows Soviet income growth based on Official Soviet Statistics(Blue), CIA(red), and revised estimates by Khanin(green) between the years 1928 and 1987. -
Propaganda in Soviet Union
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US Propaganda
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Cold War Propaganda: US
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Truman Doctrine
Truman asked Congress for foreign aid for Turkey and Greece to protect them from the communist spread. -
Aims of Superpowers in Europe
US encouraged democracy to prevent spread of communism, and wanted to rebuild European government as well as reunite Germany.
The Soviet Union wanted to spread communism, gain control of eastern Europe, and keep Germany divided.
"Iron Curtain"- Churchill's term to describe Europe's division -
Marshall Plan
Western Europe was in ruins after war, US secretary of State, George Marshall, created assistance program to provide food. machinery,and other materials to rebuild Western Europe. -
Containment Policy
President Truman put a foreign policy called containment to prevent the Soviet influence and the spread of communism by forming alliances and helping weak countries resist the Soviets. -
US and Soviet Union Nuclear Warhead Inventories
Chart shows nuclear warheads within 1948-2012. -
Map of Cold War Military Alliances
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NATO and Warsaw Pact
NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was a defensive military alliance including ten western European nations, US, and Canada due to Berlin blockade.
Warsaw Pact- Soviet Union, and Eastern European countries made an alliance in response -
Cold War Tech
The Soviet Union developed it's own atomic bomb. This invention changed the game forever. It was clear at this point that they were capable of matching the military power of the US so if any deadlier weapons were developed the tension would rise. If either side threatened each other and continued to develop weapons then more lives were put at risk and soon no one knew which side was willing to take that chance. -
Nuclear War Threat and Brinkmanship
Soviet Union exploded its own atomic weapon. Truman pushes to develop deadlier weapons. Led to brinkmanship, on the edge of war because of nuclear weapons. -
Illustration: Nuclear Weapons
The illustration shows the Soviet Union and the US with equal numbers and same types of nuclear weapons. It shows how none of those large, deadly weapons were used but small threats,or arrows were thrown, because in reality if those weapons were used the result would be nuclear war and millions of deaths on both sides with no end in sight. -
Two Chinas
Jiang Jieshi, leader of Nationalist forces, fled to Taiwan and formed Republic of China with aid from US, Soviets helped build a Communist China with Mao Zedong. -
War in Korea
North Korea went across the 38th parallel, a line that crosses Korea and separates South and North, with supplies from the Soviet Union and entered deep into South Korea. Truman immediately put his containment policy into place. -
Illustration: The Atomic Age
The illustration is from a magazine cover describing how this is your life in this era in which you have to constantly worry about the possibility of a nuclear war occurring. You also have to think about your family and how you never know when you may lose someone close to you or how destructive a nuclear war can be. This is your life, on the brink of war, and people knew that easily thousands maybe even millions could be killed within in minutes. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower was born on Oct. 14, 1890, in Texas. In 1911, Dwight attended the U.S. Military Academy. On D-Day, Eisenhower commanded the Allied forces in the Normandy invasion.In 1948, he became president of Columbia University but was chosen to be the Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He ran for president and won the election on November 4, 1952, reelected to a second term, he helped reduce tensions between the US and Soviet Union. Dwight died on March 28, 1969. -
Nikita Khrushchev(Soviet Leader)
Nikita was born on April 15, 1894 in Kalinovka, Russia. In 1918, he joined the Communist party and fought in the Red Army. He soon became a member of the Central Committee and won the election in Politburo. In WWII, Khrushchev increased Soviet control over Poland and Ukraine. After Stalin's death, he adopted a de-Stalinization policy which moved against Soviet control in Poland and Hungary. In 1962, Nikita Khrushchev created a plan to place nuclear missiles in Cuba (Cuban Missile Crisis). -
Illustration: Domino Theory
The theory that if one country in a region fell under the influence of communism, the surrounding countries would follow like falling dominoes. -
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Launch of Sputnik and U-2 Incident Cause Tension
Soviets used ballistic missile to push an unmanned satellite into space, Sputnik. Three years later, the Soviets shot down a spy plane, U-2. -
The Great Leap Forward
Mao created a plan for larger collective farms, communes, for thousands of people to work on to improve his Five Year Plan(1953-1957) which set high production goals for industry. -
Fidel Castro: Cuba
In 1950s, Cuba war ruled by unpopular dictator, Batista. Cuban revolution was led by Fidel Castro. In power, he suspended elections, jailed/executed his opponents, and monitored the press. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Khrushcheb began to build missile sites in Cuba close to US mainland. John F. Kennedy demanded they be removed and announced there would be a naval blockade to prevent Soviets from building more. Everyone believed this would cause a nuclear war but fortunately Soviets agreed to remove the missiles. -
US troops in Vietnam
US President Lyndon Johnson told Congress that North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked two US military boats so in response Congress allowed him to send troops to fight in Vietnam.They face challenges: unfamiliar jungle terrain, and the South Vietnamese gov. they were fighting for was unpopular. -
Cultural Revolution
Red Guards, militia units of millions of young people, led an uprising to establish a society of peasants/workers to work with their hands not their minds. -
Map of South Vietnam(1966-1967)
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President Nixon
He was born in California and was the second of five children living with. He got a scholarship from Harvard but could not afford to attend so became a small-town lawyer and met his wife Pat. Nixon ran for president in 1960 but lost to John F. Kennedy but eight years later won. In 1974, he resigned rather than being impeached for covering a Watergate affair- Nixon tried to cover up burglaries at the office of the Democratic National Committee during his reelection. -
Detente
Richard Nixon used Detente, policy to lessen Cold War tensions, instead of brinkmanship. It meant dealing with other nations in a reasonable and flexible manner. -
SALT I Treaty
A series of meetings called Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, in which Nixon and Brezhnev signed a five-year agreement to limit the number of intercontinental ballistic and submarine-launched missiles each country could have. -
Khmer Rouge: Cambodia
Communist rebels set up a government under Pol Pot, during his reign 2 million people were killed. Khmer Rouge was overthrown by Vietnamese. -
Nicaraguan Civil War
US had funded dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza since 1933. But in 1979. Communist Sandinista rebels rose above Somoza's son. The Sandinistas were initially given aid from US and Soviet Union but they began to assist rebels in El Salvador. The US supported Nicaraguan anti-Communist forces to help Salvadoran government. -
Music Video: 99 Red Balloons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La4Dcd1aUcE
German singer Nena describes how two children release 99 red balloons into the sky and an enemy radar interprets them as suspicious devices and sends out an enemy alert. Soon troops are sent over and the result is war and devastation.The song refers to the conflict in Berlin between West and East Germany.
