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Conflict After World War II
After World War II, the Allied Powers scrambled to rebuild Europe and govern the shattered nation of Germany. The Allied Powers agreed to split Germany into four temporary zones for each of the powers. The Soviet Union received one-third and the rest was split among the U.S., France, and Britain. Conflict began when the Soviets wanted to enact communist governments in Europe to protect their own country from future attack. The U.S. worried that the Soviets would try to expand power past Europe -
The Iron Curtain
The Soviet Union controlled many Communist governments in Eastern Europe after the war. Soviet Actions caused a division over Europe. Winston Churchill, a British prime minister, described this division as the Iron Curtain. He felt that Soviet actions were disrupting peace and instituting oppression and chaos. -
The Cold War Begins
Conflict between the Soviet Union and the U.S. worsened when the Soviet Union failed to remove troops from Northern Iran. To both countries, war seemed inevitable. Both countries entered into an era of tension and hostility known as the Cold War. The Cold War wasn't an actual war, but more of a standoff between two countries, two economic systems, two forms of government, and two lifestyles. In the Cold War, the countries created policies, treaties, and advanced in their military weaponry. -
The Red Scare
Americans feared of a nuclear war and began building bomb shelters, schools had air-raid drills, and books and movies came out talking about the dangers of a nuclear war. In the late 1940s, a threat known as the Red Scare, was posed by communists in the U.S. Americans feared communist influence on the U.S. government. -
The Policy of Containment
U.S. President Harry Truman launched a series of policies to try and prevent the expansion of communism. The first was the Marshall Plan- it gave $13 billion to help Europe rebuild from WWII; the second was the Truman Doctrine- a pledge to provide economic and military aid to fight communism in Europe;the last policy was NATO- a military alliance between U.S., Canada, and other Western Europe nations. With all these policies, the U.S. believed they could stop the worldwide spread of communism. -
Trouble in Korea
During the Cold War conflict, the U.S. had to send forces to South Korea to help them fight off a North Korean invasion. North Korea was another communist country that tried to invade and conquer non-communist South Korea. The Americans interfered and pushed North Koreans back. Both sides agreed to an armistice in 1953. North Korea stayed as a communist country and South Korea continued as a loyal ally of the U.S. -
Changes in Eastern Europe and The Soviet Union
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union were faced with tough challenges. Millions of Soviet citizens died during WWII and cities and farms were devastated. Dictator Joseph Stalin was able to rebuild quickly and begin producing goods at prewar levels.
Nikita Khrushchev took over after Stalin's death and led to hopes that hostility would end. Instead, revolts sprung up in Germany, Poland, and other parts of Europe. Hope for change had died quickly. -
The Arms Race
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. and the Soviet Union competed to develop superior weapons. The Soviets successfully tested the atomic bomb in 1949, but the U.S. tested the much deadlier hydrogen bomb a year later. Soon after, The Soviets tested their own Hydrogen bomb. Both countries used the strategy of deterrence- the development of military power to prevent future attacks. Both countries tried to gain an advantage but instead they stayed in a close tie. -
A Race in Space
The race continued but found its way into space. The U.S. and the Soviet Union competed to be the first country to launch a man into space. Both countries spent billions of dollars on rockets and satellites. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite, into space. In response, the U.S. launched its own satellite and landed the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Micheal Collins. The U.S. later established NASA to focus on space research. -
Crisis in Cuba
Closer to the U.S., Fidel Castro became the ruler of Cuba. He established a close relationship with the Soviet Union which upset the U.S. In response, the U.S. attempted the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba but the invasion failed. Cuba responded with the Cuban Missle Crisis, where U.S. leaders learned that the Soviet Union had given missiles to Cuba. The U.S. spent weeks of negotiating with the Soviet Union and it resulted in removing the missiles from Cuba. -
The Global Cold War
As the cold war continued, conflict brewed far from the U.S. and the Soviet Union. In Vietnam, the French fought against communist rebels. The U.S. ended up giving military aid to the non-communist regime, leading to a long-term involvement in Vietnam. In Berlin, German citizens tried leaving Communist East Berlin to go to democratic West Berlin. To stop citizens from leaving, East Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961. Crossing was forbidden and the wall became a symbol of communist brutality. -
A Changing America
During the Cold War, inflation and unemployment slowed the economy. The national debt grew and many Americans lost their jobs as factories closed.
Civil rights campaigns, led by Martin Luther King Jr., exposed racial inequality and eventually won reforms including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These victories inspired further movements for Women's rights.
The U.S also faced the counterculture rebellion where young people fought against mainstream society. -
A Changing Western Europe
Partly due to the Marshall Plan, Western Europe made a strong recovery after WWII. The Marshall Plan helped farms and factories produce more. The European Economic Community and the European Free Trade Association helped economic cooperation.
However, with the booming new economy, it attracted some problems. An influx of immigrants came from former European colonies. The immigration flow strained some societies, but some Western European nations ended their rivalries and worked together. -
Arms Control
Cooperation between the East and West centered on reducing the threat of a nuclear war. U.S. President Eisenhower proposed the Open Skies Treaty, but it was rejected by the Soviets. President Kennedy tried to limit nuclear testing which led to the 1963 Test Ban Treaty. President Nixon created the détente which reduced tension between the superpowers. President Reagan took an aggressive stance towards Russia which resulted in a treaty for reduction of weapons on both sides. -
Europe Under Mikhail Gorbachev
By the 1980s, the Soviet Union desperately needed change. Industry had grown too large and productivity decreased. Gorbachev came to power in 1985 and proposed the concepts of glasnost- willingness to discuss problems, and perestroika- restructuring the Soviet economic and political system. Gorbachev pursued arms control and pulled troops out of Eastern Europe. -
Change in Eastern Europe
In 1989, Revolution spread across Eastern Europe and overthrew many soviet-backed governments. Some transitions, such as the Velvet Revolution, were peaceful.
In Germany in 1989, the government opened up the Berlin wall and Berliners began tearing down the symbol of the Soviet regime. -
The Cold War Ends
In the late 1980s, independence movements, led by Boris Yeltsin, in Eastern Europe grew stronger. In 1991, a failed attempt by communist hardliners opened the door to change and Gorbachev lost his power. When Gorbachev stepped down, some of the 15 soviet republics declared their independence. The Cold War ended on December 31,1991 when the Soviet government stopped operating. -
The European Union
Market reforms were made which allowed people to start new businesses. However, unemployment was still high in some areas. In 1993, the European Union was created to build and economic and political union among European nations. Throughout the years many Eastern European nations joined along with former Soviet republics. More nations joined around 2007. Currently there are twenty-eight nations involved. -
Europe after the Cold War
Strict communism had suppressed ethnic tensions, but when communism collapsed these tensions surfaced. Conflict broke out between Serbia and Yugoslavia. The worst took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina after they launched the policy of Ethnic Cleansing. They attacked Bosnia Muslims and killed them or forced them to emigrate. NATO planes bombed Serbia in 1999 and NATO peacekeepers moved in. -
Modern America
In the 1990s, strong economic growth and low unemployment came about. Budget deficits disappear, and a growing technology industry helped businesses become more efficient.
Unfortunately, the boom ended by the early 2000s when costs, government spending, and the national debt increased. The U.S. became involved in Middle Eastern wars which led to destabilization throughout Iraq. Now, Iraq has become a home for many terrorist organizations that threaten the U.S. and the modern world.
