The document provides an overview of the Cold War period from 1945-1965. It summarizes that after WWII, the alliance between the US, Britain, and France on one side and the Soviet Union on the other quickly gave way to suspicion as their interests diverged. This led to the Cold War, characterized by ideological clashes between capitalism/democracy and communism/totalitarianism, and geopolitical tensions as the US sought to contain Soviet expansionism in Europe. Key events that deepened the Cold War included the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Berlin Airlift, and formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact military alliances.

1. Unit I: The Cold War Period (1945—1965)

2. What do we know about WWII?
• Working with a partner, construct a
paragraph explaining the key aspects of
WWII using the following ten terms:
President Winston Adolph
Germany Japan
Roosevelt Churchill Hitler
Pearl December June 6,
D-Day Hiroshima
Harbor 7, 1941 1944

3. Some Brief Reminders About WWII
• 1939: Hitler begins to invade countries
throughout Europe in an attempt to
expand German power
• 1930’s: Japan invades Korea, China, and
many other areas of Asia in an attempt to
expand Japanese control over the Pacific

4. Some Brief Reminders about WWII
• From 1939 until 1945 most of the world
will be involved in a war between the
forces of freedom, and those of fascism
and totalitarianism
– US enters into the fight after the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941

5. Major Players
• Allies • Axis
– US – Germany
Democracies – Great Britain – Japan Fascist
Dictatorships
– France – Italy
Communist – Soviet Union
Hmm…why are these
people fighting on the
same side?

6. Fast-forward…Ending the War
• Germany surrenders in May, 1945
• Japan surrenders in August, 1945
– Japanese surrender only after…

8. Impact of World War II
56 Million Deaths…
U.S.S.R. 21.3 Million
China 11 Million
Germany 7 Million
Japan 2.6 Million
United States 500,000
Great Britain 326,000

9. The Problem
• The alliance between the pro-Democratic
nations (US, GB, FR) and the Communist
USSR was one of convenience…
• As soon as the war ended, the former
friends quickly gave in to self-interest
and suspicion
U.S. and U.S.S.R. emerge as the world’s
Dominant Powers
This leads to…

10. THE
COLD
WAR

11. Daily Learning Objective
The clash between the U.S. and U.S.S.R is marked by the
combinations of capitalism and democracy versus
totalitarian dictatorship and communism.
Specific Learning Outcomes
• Define the Cold War
• Compare the interests of the United States and the
Soviet Union to identify the causes of the Cold War
• Differentiate between communism and capitalism
and democracy and totalitarianism
• Interpret the significance of the conferences at Yalta
and Potsdam

12. Define the following 2 terms in
your own words:
‘Cold’
‘War’

13. • Cold: Distant, “cold shoulder” angry, ignoring; when
rifle range is cold when no rounds are being sent
down range, hot when rounds are being fired
• War: Conflict between two nations, groups or
people. Oftentimes associated with physical fighting
• Cold War: Time of conflict ranging from 1945 to
1991 between the United States and the Soviet Union.
It was a verbal, and psychological war between the
two nations

15. Conflict United States Soviet Union
Economic Reasons Capitalism Communism
Political Reasons Democracy Totalitarianism/Dictatorships
/Communism
Philosophical Political Freedom State controlled all
aspects of a person’s life
Post War Europe Desired countries to hold Sought for countries to
free elections and become “satellite
establish democracies nations” under their
control
Atomic Weapons Possessed weapons but Desired weapons
did not want to share

16. • Expansionism – Efforts of the U.S.S.R to
expand its nation’s territory
• Containment – Efforts of the U.S. to block the
spread of Soviet influence
• Both nations competed in the Arms Race
where each nation tried to gain more and more
weapons, creating bigger and better weapons
• Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD):
“He who fires first, dies second”

17. Harry Truman
• United States
Joseph Stalin
• Soviet Union
Winston Churchill
• Great Britain

19. • Ideology: the ideas reflecting the
social needs and desires of an
individual, group, class or culture
Capitalism vs. Communism
Democracy vs. Totalitarianism

20. The United States Wanted To The Soviet Union Wanted To
•Encourage democracy in other •Encourage communism in other
countries to help prevent the rise of countries as part of the worldwide
new totalitarian governments struggle between workers and the
wealthy
•Gain access to raw materials and
markets for its booming industries •Transfer the industrial equipment of
Eastern Europe to the S.U. to help
•Rebuild European governments to rebuild its war ravaged economy
ensure stability and to create new
markets for American goods •Control Eastern Europe to balance the
U.S. influence in Western Europe
•Reunite Germany believing that Europe
would be more secure if Germany were •Keep Germany divided and weak, since
productive and less bitter about defeat the Germans has waged war against
Russia twice in 30 years and had caused
most of the 20 million Soviet deaths in
WWII

21. • Yalta
– Stalin promised to hold “free and unfettered”
elections in Eastern Europe
– Later, prevented
elections in
satellite
nations

22. • Yalta Conference Potsdam, Germany
Conference
• In the Crimean Peninsula
• Feb. 1945: Stalin, • July 1945: Truman,
Churchill, and Clement Atlee, and
Stalin
Roosevelt
• Create United Nations • Final Wartime
Conference
• Stalin promised to hold
“free and unfettered” • Soviet Union – wanted
elections in Eastern all parts of Germany to
Europe pay & Refused free
elections in Poland

23. - Winston Churchill Speech, 1946
Listen to
Churchill's Speech
1. What is he saying?
2. What do you think the
Soviet reaction was?
Iron Curtain: symbolic
boundary dividing
Europe in half (‘45-’91)

24. “An iron
curtain has
descended
across…
Europe.”
-Churchill

26. Exit Ticket
In your own words,
define the Iron Curtain.

27. Daily Learning Objectives
Drawing a “boundary” between communist nations and
western democracies only helped to keep them separate.
Tensions mounted when the U.S.S.R. attempted
to expand and the West tried to contain them.
Specific Learning Outcomes
• Evaluate the success of containment during the Cold War
(and Truman Administration)
• Summarize the efforts that the U.S. took in containing Soviet
influence as tension increased
• Describe how the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
further defined and deepened the Cold War in Europe.

28. Warm-Up: Rock, Paper, Scissors Activity
Action/Object Symbolizes
Candy Money
Random Distribution of Candy What you are born with.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Work/Free Enterprise
Collection of Candy Government
What happens in a free enterprise
Kids who didn’t play by the rules
society; can be illegal and corrupt
Redistribution of Candy (wealth) Communist Theory
Questions for Discussion
1. If you had a lot of candy before we started, how did you feel?
2. If you lost all your candy, how did you feel?
3. How did you feel about me collecting your candy if you were
‘rich’?
4. How did you feel about me collecting your candy if you were
‘poor’?

29. “THEY made it, of course; they drew the iron curtain
across the middle of Europe, partly to stop us looking in,
partly to stop their own poor wretches looking out
enviously at the boundless goods and comforts on our
side. Behind the iron curtain were the hapless peoples
held captive by the grim-faced Russians and their
stooges in office in the satellites; in front of it were
ourselves, expressing sympathy for the captives but
apologetically remaining very thoroughly armed, in
however subdued a way. “
Fred Inglis,
The Cruel Peace: Everyday Life and the Cold War
(1991)

30. List 3 synonyms

31. Containment
• George Kennan was the mastermind
- U.S. must take measures to prevent the expansion
of Soviet Union
- According to Kennan, Russia’s policy was:
“to undermine the general and strategic potential of
major western powers by a host of subversive measures to
destroy individual governments that might stand in the
Soviet path, to do everything possible to set the major
Western powers against each other.”
• U.S. Foreign Policy for next 30 + Years.

32. BIG IDEA
The US realizes that the best way to spread
democracy is to eliminate the conditions that
are a breeding ground for communism
(hunger, poverty, economic instability…)

33. • Truman Doctrine
• “It must be the policy of the United States to support free
peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation (conquest) by
armed minorities or by outside pressures”
• Truman’s speech to Congress when Greece and Turkey were
threatened by communism
• In support, Congress approved $400 million to aid Greece and
Turkey
• Marshall Plan
• Developed by Secretary of State George C. Marshall
• Plan to provide aid to war torn Europe to prevent communist
take over
• In support, Congress approved $17 billion in economic aid to
Europe

34. Effects
Causes
Truman Turkey and Greece
Congress approves
$400 billion in aid to
Doctrine faced communist take
over
prevent the spread of
communism
Effects
Causes
Marshall Economic condition of
Europe after WWII
Congress approves $17
billion in economic aid
Plan made it susceptible to
to war torn Europe.
Marshall wins the Nobel
communism
Peace Prize

35. The Marshall Plan
Podcast
As you listen, consider the following questions:
1. What measures did Marshall outline to assist the
countries of Europe?
2. How much money did the U.S. offer to Europe?
3. How would the plan benefit the U.S. economy?
Was it successful?
Source:
http://stream.state.gov/streamvol/libmedia/usinfopodcasts/
4770/interactive/05_22_2007_marshall_plan_1.mp3

37. Berlin Airlift
Cause and Effect
Britain, France and United States form Trizonia,
a united West German government
Soviets oppose action and block all roads, canals, and railways linking Berlin
to western Germany. They cut off shipments of food, fuel and other crucial
supplies to the city hoping to drive Western powers out of Berlin
Rather than risking war by sending supplies overland, U.S. and Great
Britain sent planes of supplies into West Berlin

39. Berlin
Interactive Berlin Wall

44. U.S.S.R, if you
shoot down
ONE PLANE
…it’s war!

45. FYI – At its peak, the airlift had a plane
landing every few minutes. Over 10 months,
U.S. and British planes carried more than 2
million tons of food and supplies to the people
of West Berlin.
Finally, the Soviets relented and the blockade
was lifted in May 1949.

46. • North Atlantic Treaty Organization [1949]
- Military alliance formed by U.S., Canada,
Iceland and 9 European nations
- “Attack one, attack all”
• Warsaw Pact
- Military alliance between communist
countries in Eastern Europe