The Cold War Test Notes

Summary of the Cold War 1945-1991 

What Was It?

War of words with tension and rivalry between the two sides.

The Cold War was the result of tension and rivalry between the USA and the USSR to rule the world.

Superpowers fought the war with espionage and propaganda and competed with each other over arms and the space race.

Key aspects: 

Space race;

Propaganda;

Arms race;

Prestige competition; (Sport, cultural events & living)

Threats;

Espionage;

Treaties;

Military & economic aid to countries to gain influence.

Who Was Involved? 

Capitalist countries led by the USA and the Communist countries led by the USSR.

Why Did It Occur?

1. The USSR would not give up territory gained during WWII;

2. USSR was afraid of the USA’s atomic bomb;

3. USA thought the USSR wanted to spread Communism;

4. Both powers couldn’t talk calmly about the issue.

Beginnings:

In February 1945 the Allied leaders met to determine what would happen to Europe after the war. This was called the Yalta Conference. There were three countries: UK, USA and the USSR.

Churchill: 

Leader of the UK;

Anti-Communist;

Anti-Hitler/Germany; (Wants them to pay)

Facing an election.

Roosevelt:

Leader of the USA;

Sick man;

Believed in peace and cooperation;

Did not believe in revenge;

Peacemaker of the meeting

Stalin: 

Leader of the USSR;

Anti-Capitalist;

Anti-Hitler/Germany; (Has been invaded twice in 20 years)

Concerned about USSR security; (Invasions, USA’s atom bomb)

Holds complete power.

After Germany is defeated, Stalin breaks Yalta by occupying Eastern Europe.

After the war, there was a second conference called the Potsdam Conference. The USA has a new leader – Harry Truman.

Harry Truman: 

Extremely anti-Communist;

Opposite of Roosevelt;

Truman Doctorate: America must get involved to stop aggressive powers.

Before that there was the Monroe Doctorate which said the US should stay out of Europe.

USA hold the upper hand as they have demonstrated the destructive power of the atomic bomb.

This conference was held in Berlin spanning July – August 1945. Churchill was replaced by Attlee midway through.

The USA and the UK disagreed with the USSR on three important issues:

1. What to do with Germany; (USA wanted to make Germany self-sufficient while the Soviet Union wanted her to remain permanently crippled)

2. Reparations for war damages; (The USA said this was a bad idea as it had allowed Hitler to gain power after the IWW)

3. The existence of a buffer zone. (The USSR wanted all of the countries immediately on her boarders to be ‘friendly’ countries to lower the risk of attack)

The Berlin Blockade & Wall: 

During the Berlin blockade (June 1948-May1949) Stalin lay siege to the city which was in Soviet territory. He blocked all rail, road and canal traffic so the Americans were forced to airlift vital supplies of food and fuel.

Brinkmanship: 

A foreign policy in which a state is prepared to go to the brink of war in pursuit of its objectives.

The Iron Curtain: 

The boundary between the Soviet bloc countries of Eastern Europe and the West European countries.

Containment Policy & The Marshal Plan: 

In 1947 America announced its Containment Policy: its intention to prevent the spread of Communism by dealing with the economic and social conditions in which Communist appeal might prosper. This meant providing assistance to any government threatened by Communist expansion.

Treaties: 

1949 NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Anti-Communist

Automatic response

Members:

1. UK;

2. USA;

3. Canada;

4. Belgium;

5. Denmark;

6. Greece;

7. West Germany;

8. Iceland;

9. Lux;

10. Netherlands;

11. Norway;

12. Portugal;

13. Turkey.

1951 ANZUS

Anti-Communist

USA promised to help Australia and NZ if they were attacked

1954 SEATO South East Asian Treaty Organisation

1. Australia;

2. UK;

3. USA;

4. NZ;

5. France;

6. Pakistan;

7. Philippines;

8. Thailand.

CENTO Central Treaty Organisation

Anti-Communist

1. Turkey;

2. Pakistan;

3. USA;

4. UK;

5. Iran;

6. Iraq. (Left 1958)

1955 Warsaw Pact

1. USSR;

2. Bulgaria

3. Czechoslovakia;

4. East Germany;

5. Hungary;

6. Poland

7. Romania.

The Korean War: 

1950-1953 USA & UN with South Korea against North Korea and China.

Korea was divided at the 38th parallel by the USSR and the USA when they liberated the country from the Japanese. North Korea became Communist while the South became fervently anti-Communist.

The North invaded the South and pushed toward the Capital (Seoul)

The 1970 Thaw: 

From 1970-1979 there was an improvement in relations between the US and the USSR. This involved improved communication with more conferences as well as arms reduction talks. (SALT – Strategic Arms Limitations Talks) First SALT I was signed in 1972 and then 1979 SALT II was signed.

Ended when the USSR invaded Afghanistan. This was a USSR attempt to bring its power to bear on the Gulf in order to secure the Soviet Union’s own oil supplies and provide bases to attack Western oil supplies should the need arise.

When relations improved again in the ‘80s START (Strategic Arms Reduction Talks) began. It started in 1982, was suspended, and then began again in 1985. The goal was to significantly reduce the amount of strategic arms held by both sides.

Vietnam: 

The US decided to get out of Vietnam by changing its foreign policy. The Nixon Doctorate which involved the US maintaining current treaty obligations but they would allow a countries own government to sort out its own problems.