AHON Chapter 25 Section 1 Lecture Notes

Chapter

25 Section 1

Objectives • Examine how friendships among the Allies broke down after the war. • Discover how the United States tried to limit the spread of communism. • Learn about three new international organizations. • Understand how the events of 1949 shook America’s confidence.

Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

Terms and People • iron curtain– a barrier to understanding and information • satellite– a country ruled by another nation

• containment– President Truman’s policy of limiting Soviet expansion • airlift– to send supplies on cargo planes • veto– to reject

Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

How did the United States respond to the early stages of the Cold War? After World War II, the Allies’ wartime alliance was replaced by the Cold War, a struggle between Communist and non-Communist nations.

The United States took measures to stop the spread of Communism.

Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

Differences arose among the wartime Allies even before the war had ended.

Russia

U.S.

Britain

Josef Stalin

Franklin Roosevelt

Winston Churchill

Josef Stalin had promised to hold free elections in the parts of Eastern Europe under his control. Instead, he set up Communist governments in these nations. Roots of the Cold War

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Stalin wanted to protect the Soviet Union by surrounding it with a ring of friendly countries.

Winston Churchill referred to this threat as the iron curtain.

Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

The Cold War began at a time when many Americans worried about the nation’s leadership. President Franklin Roosevelt died suddenly in April 1945.

Vice President Harry S. Truman took over as President.

Harry S. Truman

Truman’s leadership had not yet been tested. Roots of the Cold War

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President Truman soon faced several Cold War challenges.

A Communist-led revolt in Greece

Soviet threats to Turkey and Iran

Truman declared that the U.S. would block the spread of Communism, a principle known as the Truman Doctrine. Roots of the Cold War

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Military force alone would not contain Communism.

European countries needed money to repair damages from the war.

Communists said the capitalist system was too weak to make these repairs.

Communist parties gained strength in nations including Italy and France. Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

To meet this crisis, the United States developed the Marshall Plan. The U.S. loaned 16 European countries more than $12 billion.

The plan was a success. It helped France, West Germany, and Italy recover from the war. Roots of the Cold War

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The focus of the Cold War next shifted to Germany. The Allies had split Germany into four zones after the war. Germany

American Zone

Soviet Zone

French Zone

British Zone

Germany’s capital, Berlin, lay inside Soviet territory.

In 1948, the Western Allies wanted to reunite Germany. Roots of the Cold War

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Stalin opposed the reunification of Germany.

The Soviets set up a blockade around Berlin, preventing food from reaching residents.

The Allies responded with a massive airlift to bring supplies to the people of Berlin.

The Soviets called off the blockade in May 1949.

Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

Germany was partially reunified in May 1949.

The Western Allies combined their zones to form West Germany. The Soviet zone became East Germany. Berlin was also divided. The Soviets kept control of East Berlin. Roots of the Cold War

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A divided Germany and Berlin remained a focus of Cold War tensions. Thousands of East Germans fled to West Germany.

In 1961, the East German government built a wall around West Berlin. The Berlin Wall stood for 28 years. Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

Cold War threats led the United States to join two international organizations.

The U.S. helped form the United Nations to maintain world peace.

The U.S. joined NATO for protection against an attack from the Soviets.

These actions signaled a turn away from U.S. isolationism. Roots of the Cold War

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The United States played a leading role in creating the United Nations, or UN. Maintain peace.

The UN had two main goals.

Settle international disputes.

The UN has two parts: the General Assembly and the Security Council. Each country in the General Assembly gets one vote. Roots of the Cold War

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The fifteen countries on the Security Council hold most of the power.

All UN nations are supposed to follow its decisions.

The five permanent members (U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France) can veto UN proposals.

The UN has been successful in fighting hunger and disease and improving education. Roots of the Cold War

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25 Section 1

In 1949, the U.S. and other Western nations established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO nations agreed to protect one another against a Soviet attack. The Soviets and their satellites formed their own alliance, the Warsaw Pact. Roots of the Cold War

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In 1949, two events shook America’s confidence. The Soviet Union exploded its own atomic bomb.

China fell under the control of the Communists.

Now, the Cold War seemed much more deadly.

The most populous nation was now Communist.

Americans were haunted by Cold War fears, but held hopes for a better life. Roots of the Cold War

Chapter

25 Section 1

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