Cold War

TIMELINEReview

1944: D-Day :American & Canadian troops attack German stronghold on French shores (Normandy)

1945:January-Auschwitz (a concentration camp-

Holocaust) liberated February- Yalta Conference (big leaders

meet)April- Truman becomes president of the US

(Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first and only president elected for 4 terms in office)

May 7- Hitler (leader of Germany) dies & Germany surrenders

US drops bomb on Japan to help end WWII

Define: Cold War

Define: Cold War /koʊld wɔr/-noun“a state of political hostility and military

tension between two countries or power blocs, involving propaganda, rebellion, threats, economic restrictions, and other measures short of open warfare”

A period of intense rivalry between communist countries and the western world.

Basically, a cold war is where there are a lot of threats and competition to be better than each other but there are no weapons fired.

Hot War vs. Cold War

‘Hot War’ [physically violent; use of weapons]

Cold War [attitude and build-up of arms (weapons) without actually using them]

Many people die All Talk

Many people injured Large armies built up

Many widows “civilized” warfare

Barbaric Fierce competition

Costly Costly

Usually one side wins Usually neither side wins

Who?

Countries Involved Soviet Union/ RUSSIA (and others)

UNITED STATES

Government Type Communist Democratic/Capitalist

Key Leaders Stalin (to 1953) , Gorbachev (1988)

Truman (late 1940’s), Nixon (1970’s), Reagan (1980’s)

AmericaSoviet Union/ Russia

What were they competing for?

So this meant that mainly the Communist countries (like Russia) and the Western world (like the U.S.) were mad at each other and trying to be the biggest and best- they just didn’t shoot each other.

Weapons- who could build the most powerful weapons? The

biggest and best?

Technology- who could get to the moon the fastest?

Athletics- who was the fastest? Who was the best?

Academics- who was the

smartest? Who could invent

the most?

Espionage- sending spies

to collect secret

information

Military- who could have the

largest and best military?

What Happened?

Basically, each country postured*

The United States disliked Russia, and wanted to prove that they were better than Russia in EVERYTHING that they did. The government even spread propaganda* so that Americans would dislike the Russians too.

Russia disliked the United States , and wanted to prove that they were better than the United States in EVERYTHING that they did. The government even spread propaganda** so that Russians would dislike the Americans too.

*to Behave in a way that is intended to impress or mislead others** Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature [exaggerated

lies] , used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

When did the Cold War happen?

1945 (at the end of WWII) through 1991 after the collapse of the Berlin

Wall in Germany (1989)

Why did it happen?

This was a period of time following WWII. Countries did not have a lot of money since WWII (a ‘hot’ war) had drained them of money. Though Russia and the US fought together in WWII, the relationship was not great. Each country wanted to maintain that they were the best after the close of the war so they could lead off into post-war time as a global superpower.

Democracy/Capitalism (America) versus Communism (Soviet Union/Russia) are total opposites. America thought their views were correct and Russia thought theirs were. Thus, you have a disagreement on who is right!

How did it end?

When the Berlin Wall was torn down (a wall that separated East Berlin (Democratic) and West Berlin (Communist) in Germany), it was seen as a symbol of communism losing its power in the world. There was no need to argue any longer.

•The Cold War finally ended when the Soviet Union (now Russia) fell apart. Communism was no longer seen as a “threat” to other countries since the Soviet Union had no power.