History 1101 Lecture: The Cold War

Overview of the Cold War

• Duration: Nearly half a century
• Superpowers Involved: United States and USSR
• Nature of Conflict: Global standoff, potential for nuclear war (MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction)
• Significance: Shaped modern world

Origins of the Cold War

• Collapse of the Grand Alliance: Post-WWII, pre-existing tensions among allies
• Yalta Conference (Feb 1945):
  • Attendees: F.D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin
  • Outcomes: Stalin's free hand in Poland, promise of free elections
  • Criticism of Roosevelt: For allowing Soviet control in Eastern Europe
• Potsdam Conference (July 1945):
  • Attendees: Harry S. Truman, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill (later replaced)
  • Shift in U.S. stance due to atomic bomb knowledge
  • Disagreements: Future of Germany, occupation zones established

Early Cold War Developments

• Iron Curtain Speech (1946):
  • Given by Winston Churchill in Missouri
  • Highlighted Soviet domination and totalitarianism in Eastern Europe
• Truman Doctrine (1947):
  • U.S. support for governments threatened by totalitarian regimes
  • Initial focus: Greece and Turkey
• Marshall Plan (1947):
  • Economic aid to rebuild European infrastructure and economies
  • Total of $13 billion offered
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-1949):
  • Soviet blockade intended to pressure the West
  • U.S. response: Airlift to supply West Berlin
• Formation of NATO and Warsaw Pact (1949):
  • NATO: Solidified U.S. presence in Europe
  • Warsaw Pact: Soviet response, alliance of Eastern Bloc countries

Cold War Goes Global

• Chinese Civil War (1949):
  • Outcome: Establishment of the People's Republic of China
• Korean War (1950-1953):
  • Division: Communist North Korea vs. Non-Communist South Korea
  • UN intervention led by U.S.
  • Ceasefire achieved in 1953, no official end to the war
• Vietnam Conflict:
  • Result of French colonial withdrawal
  • Division: Communist North led by Ho Chi Minh vs. Non-Communist South
  • U.S. involvement: Support for South Vietnam, eventually military intervention

Changes and Tensions in Europe

• Death of Stalin (1953):
  • Successor: Nikita Khrushchev
  • Denounced Stalin's crimes, hinting at potential liberalization
• Hungarian Revolt (1956):
  • Initial rejection of Stalinism
  • Soviet military intervention to suppress revolt
• Berlin Wall (1961):
  • Symbol of Cold War division
  • Hardening of East-West separation

Non-Aligned Movement

• Yugoslavia's Tito:
  • Resist Soviet control while not aligning with the West
  • Maintained a unique socialist path