Cold War Overview

Aim: What were the causes & effects of the Cold War?

Do Now: Quiz - You have 5 Minutes

Lesson Overview:

Item	Approx Time
Do Now	3-5 Min
Mini Lesson	15-20 Min
Activity	15 Min
Discussion	5-7 Min

The Cold War Overview

The Cold War was a conflict between the capitalist and communist nations of the world that lasted from the end of World War II into the 1990's. Problems created by the Cold War still exist today, although many of the combatant countries do not. Capitalist nations are sometimes referred to as the First World, communist nations are called the Second World, and the developing nations of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia are often referred to the Third World. This terminology, however, is becoming outdated because the titles reflect the Cold War conflict, which is now over. The Cold War is rather ironic because the main instigators in the conflict, the United States and the Soviet Union, the superpowers, never actually engaged in open warfare with one another, hence the usage of the term “Cold War.” This is not to say, however, that many lost their lives over what boiled down to economic and political ideology.

Causes of the Cold War

Arms Race

An event that took less than one second to unfold shaped the remainder of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. The destruction of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the use of atomic bombs, ended WWII. The unveiling of this super-weapon caused the Allied nations of the world to realign themselves in an effort to either gain access to atomic technology or to secure it and keep it from others. This arms race for atomic and then nuclear weaponry is considered a long-term cause of the Cold War.

There were a number of immediate causes at the end of WWII that were also responsible. Josef Stalin refused to allow free elections in the Soviet-controlled territories and imposed communism instead, creating satellite states. The United States, Great Britain, and France rejected the practices of Stalin. Stalin was considered to be as untrustworthy, sinister, and evil as Hitler had been.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described the spread of communism and the control of Stalin by saying,

"A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victories. . . . From Stetting in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent."

Europe was divided into eastern and western blocs. President Truman settled on a policy of containment which is called the Truman Doctrine. Containment was the idea that the spread of communism and Soviet control must be stopped, or contained. Stalin viewed this as a threat, which created a conflict that would last nearly half a century.

In the aftermath of WWII, Europe was in a state of ruin, with people living in constant hunger and abject poverty. The United States sought to relieve some of this suffering through economic aid called the Marshall Plan.

A Divided Germany

This aid package soviet missile included the rebuilding of Germany, which Stalin saw as a threat. Therefore, Germany was divided into an eastern and western half. The city of Berlin itself was also divided. The western half of Germany and Berlin was rebuilt by the Marshall Plan, while the Soviet-controlled eastern portion was ignored. Stalin tried to keep Western aid out of Berlin, but failed when Allied planes flew around the clock missions for one year, supplying West Berlin.

The Berlin Airlift is considered the first victory for the west in the Cold War. The Soviets went so far as to construct a wall in the center of the city in the 1960's. The Berlin Wall's stated purpose was to keep capitalism out, but was in reality a wall to keep people from escaping the brutal life under Soviet rule. The policies of both sides created greater tension between the superpowers and by the 1950's military alliances had been formed with each side expecting the other to attack.

The United States, Canada, and most of the free nations of Western Europe formed NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Conversely, the Soviet Union created the Warsaw Pact, an alliance between the USSR and its satellite nations. The satellite nations were more of a buffer zone used to protect from invasion than a true alliance system. The military alliances also engaged in an escalating arms race in which each side tried to outpace the other in nuclear arms production and strength. In fact, both sides had enough to destroy the planet ten times over in what Churchill called a "balance of terror." Fortunately, neither side was willing to take the final step to actually firing upon the enemy in anger.

Classwork & Homework

Lesson PowerPoint: The Cold War - U.S. vs Soviet Union

Lesson Video: Duck and Cover

Lesson Activity: Cold War DBQ Questions

Homework: Complete Classwork Assignment