The Potsdam Conference

1
The Cold War
1946-1991
What is a cold war? What is THE Cold War?
2
The Cold War
Why is the Cold War historically important?
Every Breath You Take by the Police, 99 Luft
Balloons by Nena, 1999 by Prince, Its a
Mistake, by Men at Work, Back to the USSR-The
Beatles, pretty much anything by Devo,
Killroy-Styx, Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne,
Cult of Personality by Living Color, Berlin the
band, Dancing on the Berlin Wall by Rational
Youth, Der Kommisar by Falco, Final Countdown
by Europe, Forever Young by Alphaville, Games
Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel, Gods of
War by Def Leppard, Fortunate Son by CCR,
Ohio by Neil Young, Hard Rains Gonna Fall by
Bob Dylan,the band name, U2, The Cold War
Kidsand hundreds more!
besides all the awesome music written about it?
3
How does the Cold War start?

• After WWII
• Over 60 million dead in Europe and the Pacific
• United States and Soviet Union (now USSR) emerge
  as superpowerswhy?
• Differing views capitalism vs. communismwhy?

4
Life Under Communism
5
Yalta Feb 1945

• Big Three discuss shape of post war world.
• Poland divided into former Russian territories
  (Stalin pledge free elections in these new
  countries)
• Germany will be divided into 4 zones to assist
  in the reconstruction after WWII (capitol of
  Berlin also divided)
• Japan will be taken over by U.S. (Gen. MacArthur
  in charge)
• State of Israel created. Why?
• Why did Stalin hold all the cards?

6
Potsdam Conference, near Berlin July 1945

• Who are the Big Three now?
• Soviets agree to enter the war against Japan
• U.S. reveals Manhattan Project
• A United Nations is created (like FDR hoped),
  with a Security Council. What do these
  organizations do?

7
The Iron Curtain

• from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the
  Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across
  the Continent this is certainly not the Europe
  we fought to build up. Nor is it one which
  contains the essential of permanent peace.
  Winston Churchill 1946
• What is meant by an Iron Curtain?

8
I believe that it must be the policy of the
United States to support free peoples who are
resisting attempted conquest by armed minorities
or by outside pressures. I believe that we must
assist free peoples to work out their own
destinies in their own way
Rewrite The Truman Doctrine in your own words for
your notes
How does Congress respond to beginnings of a
Communist takeover in Greece and Turkey?
9

• What are satellite nations?
• George S. Keenan describes containmentwhat
  does that mean?
• Why would we not fight a war, and choose to just
  contain the influence?

10
Marshall Plan 1948-1951
How did the United States try to promote
stability with the Marshall Plan? the most
unsordid act in human history
11
The Berlin Airlift 1948-1949
ACTION The Soviet Union sets up a blockade of
West Berlin by roads, bridges and waterways so
resources from west cant get in.
RESPONSE ? (click to see what we did)
12
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
An armed attack against one or more free
nations. shall be considered an attack against
them all. Restate the goal of NATO in your own
words in your notes. What was the Warsaw Pact?
13
China's fall to Communism 1949
Loss of confidence in the administration of
containment
14
Korean War1950-1953
Why was the 38th parallel drawn? What is the
final result of the Korean War today?
15
Second Red Scare!
16
Spy Cases
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were the first U.S.
civilians to be executed for espionage (being
spies) What have we learned from this case?
17
Many believed the HUAC was a horrible violation
of civil rights and liberties.
18
The HUAC and the Hollywood Ten
? Actors such as Humphrey Bogart protested the
Communist witch hunts of the House Un-American
Activities Committee and became known as the
Hollywood Ten.
Why did the HUAC target the movie and
entertainment industry? Who was the Hollywood
Ten?
19
Sputnik and the U-2 incident
1957 What was the result of Sputnik? What was
the result of the U2 incident?
20
Studios resisted all films dealing with social
problems and concentrated on pure
entertainment. Thus grew the popularity of the
Hollywood musical and a decade of bland, boring
1950s movies!
21
McCarthyism
Who was Senator McCarthy and what did he
do? What happened at the Army-McCarthy hearings?
22
Truman vs. Eisenhower
ContainmentGeorge Kennan
BrinksmanshipJohn Foster Dulles

1. Marshall Plan
2. Truman Doctrine
3. Berlin Airlift
4. NATO
5. Korean War

1. Mutual security agreements.
2. Massive retaliation.
3. M. A. D.
4. Domino Theory
5. CIA covert operations
6. Eisenhower Doctrine
7. Dollar Diplomacy

23
Suez Canal Crisis 1956

• United States refuses to send to finish
  construction of a dam near the canal
• Egypt leader Nassar nationalizes the canal in
  retaliation and begins talks with Soviet Union
  for help
• Britain and France plan secret invasion
• How does this all lead to the Eisenhower
  Doctrine and what did the doctrine state?

24
Beginning of a nuclear arms racecontinues until
the late 1980s
Combination of deterrence and brinkmanship The
ability to get to the verge without getting into
war is a necessary art. If you cannot master it,
you inevitably get into war. If you try to run
away from it, if you are scared to go to the
brink, you are lost. -- Sect. of State John
Dulles 1956
25
War of Illusion?

• In Europe and America, theres a growing feeling
  of hysteriaConditioned to respond to all the
  threatsIn the rhetorical speeches of the
  sovietsMr. Krushchev said we will bury youI
  dont subscribe to this point of viewIt would be
  such an ignorant thing to doIf the Russians love
  their children tooHow can I save my little boy
  from Oppenheimers deadly toy?There is no
  monopoly on common sense, On either side of the
  political fenceWe share the same biology,
  Regardless of ideologyThere is no historical
  precedentTo put the words in the mouth of the
  presidentTheres no such thing as a winnable
  war, its a lie that we dont believe anymoreMr.
  Reagan says we will protect youI dont subscribe
  to this point of viewWe share the same
  biologyRegardless of ideologyWhat might save
  us, me, and youIs if the Russians love their
  children too
• -Sting