What was it? Hostility between the Superpowers - the USA (America)

and the USSR (Russia) from 1945 to 1990.

Never became a “hot” or shooting war.

What were the differences between the two sides? USA was a Capitalist Democracy

USSR was a Communist Dictatorship

Both sides disagreed on what should happen in Europe after World War 2

Stalin – Soviet (Russian) Dictator, Communist. Believed Germany should be kept weak after WW2 and that Russia needed Communist allies in Europe

World leaders in 1945

Churchill – British Prime Minister, Democrat, Capitalist. Believed Russian attempts to control Europe should be resisted at all costs.

World leaders in 1945

Truman – American President, Democrat, Capitalist. Took over after Roosevelt died. Believed Russian attempts to control Europe should be resisted at all costs.

One advantage – Nuclear weapons

World leaders in 1945

Germany Divided after the War This was meant to be temporary, however Stalin wanted

Germany to be kept permanently divided and weak.

Berlin (German Capital) was also divided

Eastern Europe becomes Communist

Eastern Europe becomes Communist

To defeat Germany Russia had to pass through many countries in Eastern Europe.

After the war, Russia occupied these countries and forced them to have pro-Russian Communist Governments in order to create a “buffer” between itself and Germany

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The “Iron Curtain” Churchill called the heavily guarded boundary between

Communist Eastern Europe and Capitalist Western Europe the “Iron Curtain”

Churchill peeking through the Iron Curtain

Europe in Ruins – Communism becomes more popular

Communism grows – American Response

Lack of Jobs, food and housing meant that people in Europe began to support Communism more.

America’s response was:

The Truman Doctrine – America would give military help to countries facing a communist takeover

The Marshall Plan – America would give money to Capitalist, Democratic countries to help them rebuild after the war

This helped stop Communism spreading in Europe

Berlin – Containment in Action The Americans wanted to keep Communism from

spreading – this was known as Containment

Berlin was divided between the Britain, USA, France and Russia despite being inside the Russian controlled part of Germany

In 1947, Stalin attempted to force the US, Britain and France to abandon Berlin – this was known as the “Berlin Blockade”

Berlin, located inside the Russian controlled part of Germany

The Berlin Blockade Stalin closed all land routes into Berlin, hoping to force

the Western Allies (Britain, France and USA) to abandon the city

The Allies used Planes to bring in supplies to Berlin, this was known as the Berlin Airlift or Operation Vittles

Eventually Stalin gave up the blockade and reopened the roads from West Germany to Berlin

Milk being delivered to Berlin by air

Berlin supplied by air

Consequences of the Berlin Blockade

Deep hostility between the USA and USSR

“Arms race” as both sides built up their military

Western European countries and USA formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to oppose Russian aggression

In Response the Russians formed the Warsaw Pact alliance (Russia and Eastern European Communist countries)

Germany (and Berlin) stayed divided

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The Cold War Goes Global When Communists gained control of China, it became a

new front in the Cold War

New Chinese leader was Mao Tse-Tung.

This frightened America as it seemed the Communists were winning the Cold War

Mao in Chinese Communist Propaganda

The Korean War

The Korean War Korea was one country until after World War 2, when the

North became Communist Dictatorship and the South became a Capitalist Democracy

Kim il Sung, the North Korean dictator, wanted to gain control of all of Korea and invaded the south, starting the Korean War

Russia and China supported the Communist North

America supported the Capitalist South

Douglas McArthur, American Leader in Korea

The Korean War The Americans, led by General Douglas McArthur, fought the

Communists and invaded North Korea

China became afraid that America would then invade and invaded Korea in retaliation

After two years of fighting a truce was agreed which exists to this day

As part of the truce, a demilitarised buffer zone between North and South Korea was created

Statue of Kim il Sung, North Korean Communist Leader

Korea today – the demilitarised zone

Korea today – American troops help guard South Korea from attack

Space Race The “race” between Soviet Union (Russia) and the United

States to explore space

Winner of the “Space Race” will be seen as the more powerful country

Russia – first to put a man in space

America – first to the moon

Space race – P84 A demonstration of rocket power

Same rockets that bring people to the moon can be used to carry nuclear weapons around the world

By going into space, the US and Russia were saying to the countries of the world “Look how powerful we are – you would not want to be our enemy”

Peaceful space rocket or nuclear weapon?

Space Race – America reaches the Moon

Berlin Wall – P 85 Berlin Wall was a wall seperating West (Capitalist) Berlin

from the rest of (Communist) East Germany

Built to stop people leaving East Germany for Capitalist West Germany

Lasted from 1960s until 1989

The Berlin Wall

Cuban Missile Crisis Cuba in the 1950s was ruled by a corrupt dictator known

as General Batista.

Batista oppressed the Cuban people badly

Corrupt…. But friendly to America

In 1959 he was overthrown by Fidel Castro (Communist) who is still alive today

Cuba ruled by Batista

Batista

Castro

Cuban Missile Crisis USSR (Communist) installed nuclear missiles on Cuba

This threatened the USA and they made plans to invade Cuba

USSR (Russia) said if America invaded it would be an “Act of War”

After a tense stand off the USSR eventually backed down

This was the closest world has come to Nuclear War

Afterwards both sides worked to reduce nuclear weapons tensions by Test Ban Treaties

Missiles Discovered In Cuba

The world awaits….

Castro in 2000

End of the Cold War By the 1980s the USSR was struggling economically by

trying to keep up with America in the “Arms Race”

In 1985 a new Soviet leader, Gorbachev came to power and introduced Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (Reform)

In 1989 Gorbachev said that the USSR would no longer support Communist Governments in eastern Europe and they became democracies, ending the “Cold War”

Reagan and Gorbachev – key figures at the End of the Cold War

Reagan and Gorbachev discuss nuclear disarmament (1987)

1989 – Berlin Wall falls, end of Cold War

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