The Cold War (1945-1989)

US vs. USSR
Capitalism vs Communism
 Yalta and Postdam
Conferences (1945)
 The Big 3: EE UU (Roosevelt in Yalta and Truman in Postdam),
Great Britain (Churchill) and the USSR (Stalin) agreed on:
 Create the United Nations (1945)
 Split Germany into 4 occupied areas

 But…
 EE UU and Great Britain pressed to allow free elections in
Eastern Europe.

 Stalin had converted the nations of Eastern Europe into

satellite states. Officially, those nations were independent
but in practice, they were under soviet control.
• Germany
lost
Eastern
Prusia,
given to
Poland
and a part
to the
USSR.
 The Speech of Churchill
 1946. In a conference given in the U.S., Winston Churchill warned of
an “Iron Curtain” in Europe:
o “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has
descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the
ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague,
Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities
and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere,
and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but
to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from
Moscow”

o Stalin called this speech offensive, “an act of war”, and later he gave
an speech saying Capitalism and Communism cannot exist in same
world. It was the beginning of the Cold War.
 The Cold War
 After the WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union, temporally
allies against Nazis, were very different.

 U.S. and Western Europe

• As a capitalist democracy, the US allowed citizens and businesses to
keep private property, decide economic production and pursue
profits.
• Its Constitution also guaranteed basic human rights and allowed
citizens to have a role in their government.

On the contrary, the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe:

• It was a communist dictatorship
• Its dictator, Joseph Stalin, commonly ordered the imprisonment or
execution of anyone who opposed his rule.
• Communism meant that the state, not the citizens or businesses,
owned the property and determined production.
 The Cold War
 ¿What was the Cold War?
 It was a time when people around the world feared the
tension between the US and the USSR would eventually lead
to war.

 Political, strategic and ideological struggle between the US

and the USSR that spread throughout the world.

 Struggle that contained war conflicts but not in their proper

territories (In Cuba, Vietnam, Korea, etc.)

 Competing social and economic ideologies. Use of

propaganda

 Eventually, Germany became two separate nations: West

Germany became a capitalist democracy (like the US) and East
Germany became a communist state (like the USSR).
 The Cold War
 Goals for the U.S.  Goals for the USSR

 Promote open markets  Establish defensible

for US goods to prevent borders
another depression like it
took place in 1929  Encourage friendly
governments on its
 Promote democracy borders
throughout the world,
especially in Asia and  Spread communism
Africa around the world

 Stop the spread of

communism (“domino
effect”)
 Containment policy:
Truman doctrine
 The US decided that it could not remove communism from
Eastern Europe without war, so President Truman adopted a
containment policy.
• Containment meant that the US would not attempt to remove
communism from places where it already existed, BUT it would do
all it could to make sure communism didn’t spread to other parts
of the world.
• Truman’s vow to help other nations to resist communism became
known as the Truman Doctrine.

• Ej. Greece Civil War: In 1947, the British helped Greek government
to fight communist guerrillas. Great Britain appealed to America for
aid, and the response was that Greece received large amounts of
arms and supplies and by 1949 it had defeated the communists
 The Marshall Plan
In Europe, the Truman Doctrine led to the Marshall Plan
• By the end of the war, Europe was devastated
• The Marshall Plan was a massive economic aid (12,5 billion of
dollars between 1947 and 1952) for Europe to help it to
recover from the damage caused by the war. This plan involved
the US government giving money to Western European nations.
The money helped them to get rebuilt after the war.
• By helping nations, the US believed it would prevent the spread
of communism.

• Marshall (Secretary or State of EE UU):

• “This movement is not against any country or doctrine, but against
hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos”
• “Helping Europe to recover economically would provide markets for
American goods, so benefiting American industry”
 NATO vs Warsaw Pact
 NATO (1949), a military alliance:
• Just before the end of the Berlin Airlift (patience, will see now), the
United States signed a treaty with Canada and several European
nations. Each nation vowed to help the others if the Soviets attacked.
• They also formed NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
• NATO would provide a combined military force to fight against any
attack from Eastern Europe.

In response, the USSR created the Warsaw Pact in 1955, a military group
to defend communist countries.
• The USSR had also founded in 1949 the COMECOM (the equivalent to
the Marshall Plan for communist countries.

• IMPORTANT: Yugoslavia, a communist country, rejected to join the

Warsaw Pact. In fact, Yugoslavia was the unique country belonging to
the USSR sphere which managed to escape from the iron grip of
Moscow.
 Nuclear and space race started
• As a consequence, nuclear race developed:
• Within a few years of the US dropping its first atomic bomb, the
Soviet Union developed its own nuclear weapons. Soon later,
both nations developed hydrogen bombs that were more
powerful then the bombs dropped on Japan.

• Both nations created more nuclear weapons and had nuclear

missiles that could travel 1000’s of kms. in minutes and destroy
cities on the other side of the world.
• Regarding space race:
• Cold War tensions increased when the USSR launched the
Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite into geocentric orbit (1957).
Yuri Gagarin became first human in space.

• EE UU, with the Apollo 11, landed on the moon on July 16, 1969
Nuclear and space race started
 Episodes of the Cold War.
1) The Berlin airlift
• June-1948. Stalin wanted the western Allies out of Berlin. His
army surrounded West Berlin and would not let an supplies in or
out.
• West Berlin could only be reached by traveling through East
Germany (which was Communist).
• He blocked highway, rail, and water routes so that no food or
fuel could get into the city.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
1) The Berlin airlift
• Truman responded with the
Berlin airlift:
• For several months in 1948
and 1949 (May), the US and
its allies flew planes
delivering supplies across the
Soviet lines and into West
Berlin.
• Not wanting a war, Stalin
finally gave up.
• But the Berlin airlift only
made the two sides angrier
with one another.
 The Berlin Wall, the Wall of Shame
 Since the very beginning of the
Cold War, citizens living in East
Berlin moved to West Berlin,
where the facilities and standard
of living was higher and
freedoms greater. This situation
ruined the prestige of the USSR
and the Communist itself.

 Therefore, on August 13, 1961,

on the dark of night, a low,
barbed-wire barrier rose
between East and West Berlin.
Within days, workers cemented
concrete blocks into a low wall,
dividing neighborhoods and
families, workers and employers.
 The Berlin Wall, the Wall of Shame
• The USSR called the wall a barrier to brake Western imperialism. The
West Germans called it the "Wall of Shame“.
• Over the years, it was rebuilt three times. Each version of the wall was
more higher, stronger and repressive. Towers and guards with machine
guns and dogs stood watch.
• Forbidden zones were created behind the wall. No one was allowed to
enter the zones. Anyone trying to escape was shot on full sight.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
2) The Korean War (1950-1953)
 Very important background
 In 1949, the communist Mao Tse Tung defeated the
nationalist Chang Kai Chek in the Chinese Civil War (1945-
1949), after expelling the Japanese forces.
 China became a Communist country.
 US believed there was a communistic plot to rule the world.

 After WWII, the Allies split the Eastern Asian nation of

Korea into two halves:
• North Korea became a Communist state and South Korea
became a Capitalist democracy.
• The 38th parallel served as a dividing line between the two
nations.
• In 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38 th parallel and
quickly conquered much of South Korea.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
2) The Korean War (1950-1953)
 Episodes of the Cold War.
2) The Korean War (1950-1953)
• The U.S. put pressure one United Nations to send troops to stop
the invasion. President Truman put general MacArthur in charge
and MacArthur managed to drive back the North Koreans.
• But, before he could finally defeat them, Chinese troops (China
became a communist state in 1949) crossed the border to help
the North Koreans. The Korean War continued until 1953.
• It resulted in a cease-fire that left the country divided at almost
the same place as before the war began.
Today, the division remains. South
Korea is a capitalist and modern
country and North Korea endures a
communist dictatorship and is one
of the most backwards countries in
the world.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
3) The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
Background: In 1959, communist rebels under the leadership of
Fidel Castro overthrew the government of the dictator Julio
Batista, a puppet of the U.S., and took control of the country.
• At that time, Cuba was the place where wealthy Americans
spent the money in casinos and prostitution.

• John F. Kennedy approved an attempt to overthrow Castro’s

government. The plan consisted of invading Cuba by landing in the
Bay of Pigs. The plan failed and increased Castro’s fear that the US
might try to invade Cuba.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
3) The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
• Castro struck a deal with the Soviet Union and its new leader
Nikita Khrushchev (after Stalin’s death)
• Khrushchev took over as First Secretary of the USSR and
Communist Party after Stalin died in 1953.
• Cuba allowed the Soviets to place
nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962
pointing to EE UU.

• When Kennedy learned of the

missiles, he called on Khrushchev to
remove them and ordered a blockade
of the island.

• Finally, the Soviets agreed to remove

the missiles and the US promised to
never invade Cuba.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
4) The Vietnam War
 Background: Vietnam was a colony of
France. In 1954, when most of the Asian
countries managed to get its
independence, an international treaty
divided Vietnam.

• Communist ruled North Vietnam and

a pro-US government ruled South
Vietnam. Soon the two sides were at
war.

• The southern leader was corrupt and,

therefore, many peasants in South
Vietnam formed a rebel army (the
Vietcong) and fought alongside North
Vietnam to unify the country
 Episodes of the Cold War.
4) The Vietnam War
• The US did not want South Vietnam to fall to Communism. President
Lyndon Johnson ordered to bombard North Vietnam and the places
of South Vietnam where it was expected the Vietcong hided. He also
sent troops.
• The Vietnam War escalated in the 1960’s and was unlike any war
the US had ever fought. Even though the US military was much
stronger, the Vietcong struck quickly and unexpectedly.
• After killing and wounding as many Americans as they could,
Vietcong fighters went back into the thick jungle.
• The Vietcong did not try to win battles as much as they tried to
make the US tired of fighting.
• The US military grew frustrated because it could not keep the
Vietcong engaged in a battle long enough to totally defeat them.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
4) The Vietnam War
• Overtime, people in the US got tired of war. Many protested against
it and demanded that the troops to return home.
• Finally in 1973, the US signed a peace agreement that pulled the US
out of Vietnam.
• Soon, however, war erupted again between North and South
Vietnam. After a long and bloody war, the Communist finally
controlled the entire country.
 Episodes of the Cold War.
4) The Vietnam War
 What was different about Vietnam?
• It was the first war to occur during the age of tv. Vietnam was the first
war where citizens could actually see much of the death and destruction
from their own living rooms.

• During the 1960’s many college students began to question traditional

values and authority figures, including the government. A huge anti-war
movement happened on many college campuses.

• The US lost and Vietnam fell to Communism.

• Many US soldiers returned home feeling forgotten or hated rather then
like heroes. Some suffered lasting health and mental problems caused
by the war. A few had to face the fact they had committed horrible acts
against civilians while in Vietnam. Even today, memories of Vietnam
affect US politics and society.
 Life behind the Iron Curtain: the
rebellion of Hungary and Czechoslovakia
 Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) tried to scape from
being a USSR satellite.

• Hungary (1956). The leader of Hungary, Imre Nage, took Hungary out
of Warsaw Pact. Hungarians wanted to choose its own political system,
far away from Communism.
• Kruschev sent in Soviet troops and tanks.
• Nage was executed.

• Czechoslovakia (1968). The movement was called “The Prague Spring”.

The country desired to experience its proper way to Socialism and
Communism without totalitarianism.
• The tanks surrounded Prague and smashed the revolution

• In both cases, the answer was grounded on an iron fist policy

• But, the pictures of the Soviet army crushing the rebellions
were seen all over the world damaging the prestige of the
Communist system.
 Life behind the Iron Curtain: the
rebellion of Hungary and Czechoslovakia
 Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) tried to scape
from being a USSR satellite.
 The slow thaw
 Agreements on reducing missiles and nuclear weapons

oSALT I. In 1969, the new president of EE UU, Nixon, began

negotiations with the USSR on SALT I, common name for the and
strategic arms imitation treaty agreement.

 SALT I froze the number of ballistic missile launchers at existing

levels. At the same time, submarine-launched ballistic missile
must be dismantled.

 It was the first effort between US-USSR to stop the increase in

nuclear weapons.

o SALT II (1972-1979) was a second round of US/USSR talks which had

the aim of reducing nuclear weapons. In fact, SALT II was the first
nuclear treaty seeking real reductions in strategic forces.
 The invasion of Afghanistan
 In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan and tried to set up a friendly
government (Communist)

 Afghanistan is consider to be the USSR’s Vietnam: long war with no

clear victory possible and many casualties at high costs.

 The US supported the Afghani rebels known as the “mujahedeen”

(the Talibans).

 In 1989 the Soviets finally withdrew. Islamic extremists (the

Talibans) took advantage of the opportunity to take over the
country.

 The leader of the mujahadeens, Osama Bin Laden, became later the
great enemy of EE UU.

 The invasion of Afghanistan throw away the dialogue between the

two superpowers.
The invasion of Afghanistan
The collapse of the Communist world
 In 1981, the former actor Ronald
Reagan (republican, right wing) was
elected president of EE UU.
oReagan was a fiercely anti-
Communist and quickly
resumed the nuclear race. He
increased military spending and
launched the SDI (Strategic
Defense Initiative or Star Wars),
known as “the war of galaxies”.
oThe USSR tried to keep up with
the arms race, but its economy
could not cope with this
enormous effort.
The collapse of the Communist world
 In the USRR, in 1985, Gorbachev became
Soviet premier and understood that the
Soviet economy cannot compete with the
West. He tried to reform the USSR with:
The glasnost (transparency and
accountability from Government, press
allowed to criticize government)
 And the perestroika (economic
reforms to make the URSS more
competitive and political changes to
soften the iron grip of the Communists
and to gradually democratize the
country)
 The fall of the Berlin Wall
But, misery, poverty and the lack of liberties in the Eastern countries
unleashed a sparking crisis which expanded without control.

The Wall of Berlin had became the symbol of the Cold War. The Berlin
Wall was pulled down on 9-November-1989 after 28 years.

 The fall of the Berlin Wall:

 Previously to that day, a wave of rebellion against Soviet influence
occurs throughout its European allies.

 Poland’s Solidarity movement broke the Soviet hold on that country

 Hungary removed its border restrictions with Austria.
 Riots and protests broke out in East Germany.
 That day, east Germans stormed the wall. Confused and
outnumbered, border guards did not fight back.
The fall of the Berlin Wall
 The fall of the Berlin Wall
Consequences of the fall of the Berlin Wall:
 In the next few months after the fall of Berlin, one by
one, the dictators of the Eastern countries were
deposed and their governments overthrown.

The bloodiest episode took place in Romania, where

the dictator, Nicolae Ceaucescu and his wife were
publicly executed after a broadcast trial

Gave rise to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc.

Opened the process of the German reunification

(1990) after 45 years of division.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjpxPEGTVpA

http://cinemania.elmundo.es/noticias/6-peliculas-guerra-balcanes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYDxOnDGpHc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdxG-fLv0vI