COLD WAR REVISION SHEET

Introduction
During WW2, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the axis powers
and were united by a mutual enemy. When Germanys defeat seemed inevitable, the 3 biggest powers
United States, Soviet Union and Great Britain met together at a conference (The Conference of Yalta).
During this conference it was decided that Germany would be divided into 4 occupation zones each
going to the U.S, S.V, G.B and France. The U.S, G.B and France would get Western Germany and the
Soviet Union would get Eastern Germany. After Germanys collapse, the U.S and the Soviet Union were
no longer united by a common goal but actually distinct by their totally different ideologies. During the
course of the preceding years, tensions will rise and another war would seem inevitable.
New Superpowers

What is the Cold War Really?
The Cold War is a term used to describe the negative relations between the U.S and the Soviet Union
from 1945 up until the late 1980s. During the Cold War, the 2 superpowers never engaged in actual
warfare instead it was a war of diplomacy- who could talk the most s**t behind each others backs.
Keep reading and find out more.
United States
Becauseof no home
damages caused by WW2,
maintained an enourmous
army
imperial power, had
colonies everywhere and
had military bases in the
Pacific, Caribean and Latin
America
Richest country in the
world
Owned the atomic bomb
Soviet Union
a considerable population
large territory/land
abundant natural resources
impressive army, 6 million
soldiers
What caused the Cold War?
The essential cause of the Cold War was the mutual dislike between the 2 superpowers on their morals,
political and economic system.
Political/Economic Systems and Values

United States

Soviet Union

- A democratic country in which every
citizen can decide the future of its country

- A capitalist country- an economic system
characterized by private ownership and
market competition. The type of economy
associated with a capitalist system is a
market economy. An economy in which
the government intervenes limitedly
within the economy and in economic
decisions. The government allows the
market to answer the 3 economic
questions for society (What is produced,
how is it produced and for whom is it
produced for?)

- In a capitalistic/democratic country there
is total economic and political freedom
(except for terrorism)

- All citizens have personal freedom and
cannot be persecuted for political
ideology. Citizens also have the right to
information and the media is limitedly
uncensored.


- A dictatorship/autocratic system in which
an individual or a small group of
individuals govern the state with no input
or critique.

- A communist country- an economic
system characterized by the public who
are forcefully share the same economic
goals. The type of economy associated
with this is a command economy. An
economy is which the government takes
total control of economic activities within
the country (what, how and whom?)

- In a communistic/ dictatorship country
there is no economic and political
freedom.

- Citizens have some personal freedom and
will be persecuted for foreign political
ideology. The media and information
offered is strictly censored. There is also a
secret police that strictly monitors society.

Events of Rising Tensions
The following events are things that caused tension to rise during the Cold War. In the upcoming rising
tensions of the 2 superpowers and invasions would seem inevitable, other countries noticed the
diplomatic state of the world and either joined the Soviet Union or joined the United States.
Le Plan Marshall
Billions of dollars were given to Western Europe to rehabilitate their economy. European economy
strengthened while the Soviet Union struggled.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
NATO is an organization that consists of many western European countries and North American
countries. NATO is a military organization that states an attack on any member countries of NATO would
be an attack on them all. NATO did not force member states to respond with military aid, but such
response would be expected if deemed necessary. NATO was primarily lead by the U.S.
Warsaw Pact (Pacte de Varsovie)
Just like NATO, the Warsaw Pact was put in place (after Western-Germany joined NATO) by the Soviet
Union and its satellite states. The Warsaw Pact stated that if an eastern-communist country was
attacked; all member countries were to pitch in to aid with military efforts. At the end of the day, NATO
was stronger than the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact was led by the Soviet Union. After the Cold War,
the Warsaw Pact was deemed unnecessary and unwanted and therefore dissolved on April 1
st
1991.
Most former Warsaw Pact countries joined NATO at the end of the Warsaw Pact.
The Truman Doctrine (La Doctrine Truman)
This was a policy made by President Truman that will state American Foreign Policy. The Truman
Doctrine was like a warning to the USSR (Soviet Union). It states: The U.S will intervene to support any
nation that was being threatened by an armed minority. We will see this policy come into effect in Korea
and Vietnam.
The Iron Curtain
Is a metaphor made by Winston Churchill in a very famous speech called the Iron Curtain. During WW2,
when the Soviet Union invaded Hitler-Germany, it took over Eastern Germany but at the same time the
Eastern countries as well (Poland, Bulgaria, Romania etc.) Even though these countries were
independent they were heavily influenced by Soviet Communism and became known as satellite states.
Eastern Europe was known as the Iron Curtain because nothing was passed through to Eastern Europe,
it was covered up and isolate
Berlin- Capital of Pre-Germany
Just like Germany, Berlin was divided into 4 sectors as well. In 1949, the Allies who occupied their zones
unified all their zones under 1 nation (Western Germany). The Soviets also renamed their zone to
Eastern Germany. Western Germany who received Marshall Aid was always the prosperous state, the
capitalist state was doing better and the communistic state was plummeting. Many Eastern Germans
left Eastern Germany to find a better life in Western Germany. Eastern Germany was rapidly losing its
population and workforce and decided to stop the border crossings. The Soviets built a wall that
completely divided Berlin and it was guarded by armed soldiers who were allowed to shoot at civilians.
The Berlin Wall would be a symbol of West vs. East, Democracy vs. Communism and War vs. Peace. The
Soviets wanted to eliminate capitalist influence in Germany by driving out the allies. The Soviet Union
had threatened the allies but they were ready to defend Western Germany, threatened by the A-Bomb,
the S.V tried another anti-warfare tactic. The Soviet Union shut of railroads and telephone wires
connecting the two states but the allies were able to bypass every obstacle. Western Germany
continued to prosper while Eastern Germans got more and more pissed.
The End of the Cold War
The end of the Cold War was primarily caused by the dismantling of the Soviet Union and the Iron
Curtain. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union was going through economic hardships and its satellite
countries were abandoning communism one after the other. The Berlin Wall fell and the Iron Curtain
was destroyed. The breakup of the Soviet Union (USSR) was officially proclaimed on December 25
th

1991, a superpower vanished from the face of the earth. Only America was the last superpower and the
Cold War ended.
The Cold War started in 1947 and ended in 1991.
Cold War chronology

1945 : A-Bomb dropped on Hiroshima + Nagasaki. USA ahead in the arms race.

1947 : Marshall Aid to the west of Europe. Stalin of USSR refused it for Eastern Europe.

1948 : start of the Berlin Blockade - ended in 1949

1949 : NATO established; USSR exploded her first A-bomb; China becomes communist

1950 : Korean War started.

1952 : USA exploded her first hyrogen bomb.

1953 : Korean War ended. USSR exploded her first hydrogen bomb. Stalin died.

1955 : Warsaw Pact created. Peaceful coexistence called for.

1956 : Hungary revolts against USSR. Suez Crisis.

1957 : Sputnik launched.

1959 : Cuba becomes a communist state.

1961 : Military aid sent to Vietnam by USA for the first time. Berlin Wall built.

1962 : Cuban Missile Crisis.

1963 : Huge increase of American aid to Vietnam.

1965 : USA openly involved in Vietnam.

1967 : Six-Day War in Middle East.

1968 : USSR invades Czechoslovakia.

1973 : Yom Kippur War.

1979 : USSR invaded Afghanistan.

1986 : Meeting in Iceland between USSR (Gorbachev) and USA (Reagan).

1987 : INF Treaty signed.

1991: The official breakup of the USSR