Cold War Overview

Post-World War II Division

• End of WWII marked the beginning of the Cold War.
• World divided between two superpowers: United States (capitalism) and Soviet Union (communism).
• Ideological conflict, not conventional warfare.

Europe and the Eastern Bloc

• Europe split into Eastern (Soviet-influenced) and Western (US-influenced) camps.
• Stalin's Soviet Union installed communist governments in Eastern Europe as a buffer against the West.
• Winston Churchill referred to this divide as the "Iron Curtain."

United States Post-War Emergence

• Emerged as a capitalist post-war superpower.
• Thriving economy and sole control over atomic bombs used on Japan.

Early Cold War Conflicts

• Soviet delay in withdrawing troops from Iran and pressure on Turkey.
• US's "Truman Doctrine" aimed to contain Soviet expansion.
• Introduction of the Marshall Plan to aid European economies, countering communism's appeal.

Germany and Berlin

• Germany split into East (Soviet) and West (Allies) sectors.
• Berlin divided despite being within Soviet zone.
• Berlin Blockade (1948) and subsequent Berlin Airlift by the Allies.

Formation of NATO

• NATO established in 1949 as a defensive pact against Soviet Union.

CIA's Role

• CIA expanded to counter communist influence worldwide.
• Overthrows in Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954).

Asia and the Globalization of the Cold War

• Communist victory in China (1949) led by Mao Zedong.
• US involvement in Korea (1950-1953) to contain communism.
• Korean War ended with no clear victor but reinforced containment strategy.

Leadership Changes and New Tensions

• Post-Stalin era led by Khrushchev.
• Construction of Berlin Wall (1961) to stop defections.
• US embarrassment at Bay of Pigs (1961) and Cuban Missile Crisis (1962).

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Near-nuclear conflict averted by diplomacy between Kennedy and Khrushchev.

Vietnam War

• US involvement to prevent the spread of communism in Vietnam.
• War unpopular in the US, leading to protests and eventual withdrawal.

Soviet and US Relations under Brezhnev and Nixon

• Brezhnev's reign marked by stagnation, corruption.
• Détente period initiated by Nixon, leading to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT).

Reagan Era and Renewed Tensions

• Reagan's "peace through strength" policy and Strategic Defense Initiative.

Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War

• Gorbachev's reforms: perestroika and glasnost.
• Negotiations with Reagan led to Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.
• Collapse of the Soviet Union (1991) following democratic revolutions in Eastern Europe and fall of Berlin Wall (1989).

Conclusion

• Cold War spanned over 40 years, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union into independent states.