Alexander ~ Socials 11
COLD WAR - CRASH COURSE
Cold War
Soon after WWII ended, the U.S. and the Soviet Union became major rivals:
A. Both were superpowers with massive military strength and nuclear weapons (U.S. – 1945, S.U. – 1949)
B. Their rivalry lasted over 40 years and was called the Cold War b/c it didn’t erupt into open war
C. The roots of the Cold War lay in ideological differences
1. The S.U. was communist (Gov’t controlled all industry and commerce) and totalitarian
2. The U.S. was capitalist (economy based on private enterprise) and democratic
D. Western countries (U.S., Can, Br, W Germ, etc.) were suspicious of communism – thought it aimed at
world revolution
E. The S.U. was suspicious of the West – believed they might try to invade Soviet territory through Europe
F. Soviet foreign policy was to extend communist influence in other countries (Cuba, Eastern Bloc), U.S.
foreign policy was to contain communism’s spread.
Gouzenko
Soviet embassy worker in Ottawa notified the RCMP of a Soviet spy ring in Canada. He was a cipher clerk for
the Soviet Embassy to Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. He defected on September 5, 1945 with 109 documents on
Soviet espionage activities in the West.
Gouzenko's defection exposed Joseph Stalin's efforts to steal nuclear secrets and the then unknown technique of
planting sleeper agents. With World War II over, the spy scandal helped change perceptions of the Soviet Union
from an ally to an enemy and thus contributed to the onset of the Cold War.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Established in 1949. Military alliance including the U.S., Canada, and many Western European nations.
Offered collective security – an attack on one would be considered an attack on all. Made provision for use of
nuclear weapons.
Communists Take Over China
Communists (under Mao Tse-Tung) won the civil war in China. Nationalist Gov’t fled to Taiwan (root of
current tension). The Communist Party of China (CPC) (official name).
Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨.
The party was founded in 1921, and fought the Kuomintang during the Chinese Civil War, which ended with
the party's victory in the Chinese Revolution. With more than 70 million members, the CPC is the largest
political party in the world (5% of the total population of China).
Korean War
Communist N Korea (supported by S.U. and China) invaded democratic S Korea (supported by U.S.). A United
Nations force (incl. Canadians) was sent to support S Korea. The war ended in stalemate, but North and South
Korea have been split since the war.
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Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact or Warsaw Treaty, was an organization of Central and Eastern European Communist states. It
was established in 1955 to counter the alleged threat from the NATO alliance (which had been established in
1949). The creation of the Warsaw Pact was prompted by the integration of a "re-militarized" West Germany
into NATO. The Pact lasted throughout the Cold War until certain member nations began withdrawing in 1991,
following the collapse of Communism in Europe and political changes in the Soviet Union. The Warsaw Pact
was officially dissolved in July 1991.
Suez Crisis
The Egyptian Gov’t seized the Suez Canal from its British and French owners (1956). Israel, Britain, and
France attacked Egypt. The S.U. offered Egypt financial aid and missiles. The U.S. was angry with its allies but
threatened retaliation against Soviet involvement. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lester B. Pearson
feared a larger war and came up with a clever plan to separate the opposing forces and place with United
Nations forces between them to act as a buffer zone or 'human shield' (he later won a Nobel Peace Prize). This
event marked the completion of the shift in the global balance of power from European powers to the United
States and the Soviet Union.
(NORAD) North American Aerospace Defense Command
Integrated defence system with U.S. to defend against a possible Soviet attack. Headquarters in Colorado
(Cheyenne Mountain).
Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line
Line of radar stations in the Arctic designed to detect a Soviet missile attack over the North Pole. This would
give the U.S. time to launch a counter-attack.
Berlin Wall
Initially constructed starting on August 13, 1961 and dismantled in the weeks following November 9, 1989, was
the most prominent part of the GDR (German) border system and was an iconic symbol of the Cold War. It was
part of the Iron Curtain. Communist-controlled E Germany built a wall around West Berlin to keep East
Berliners and West Berliners from inter-acting.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United
States regarding the Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis started on October 16, 1962,
when U.S. reconnaissance was shown to U.S. President John F. Kennedy revealing Soviet nuclear missile
installations on the island, and ended thirteen days later on October 28, 1962, when Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev announced that the installations would be dismantled.
The Cuban Missile Crisis is regarded as the moment when the Cold War came closest to escalating into a
nuclear war. Russians refer to the event as the "Caribbean Crisis," while Cubans refer to it as the "October
Crisis." The U.S. announced a naval and air blockade of Cuba. Soviet ships steamed towards the U.S. blockade
– the world was on the brink of war. At the last minute, the Soviets agreed to dismantle the missile bases. This
event was solved through diplomacy and ‘saber rattling’.
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Domino Theory
U.S. theory that if one state was allowed to fall to communism then other states would follow.
Vietnam War
* N Vietnam – communist, supported by S.U. and China
* S Vietnam – supported by the U.S.
Through the late 1950’s and entire 1960’s, the U.S. increased its economic and military support
(1969 – 500,000 troops) of the S Vietnam Gov’t against communist insurrection.
The U.S. entered in 1965 and withdrew in 1973 and S Vietnam fell to the communists in 1975.
Afghanistan
The S.U. invaded Afghanistan to support the communist Gov’t against Muslim fundamentalist guerillas. The
U.S. supported the guerillas. Became the “Soviet Vietnam”.
Fall of the Berlin Wall
It became a key symbol of what Western powers regarded as Communist tyranny, particularly after the highprofile shootings of would-be defectors. Political liberalization in the late 1980s, associated with the decline of
the Soviet Union, led to relaxed border restrictions in East Germany, culminating in mass demonstrations and
the fall of the East German government.
When a government statement that crossing of the border would be permitted was broadcast on November 9,
1989, masses of East Germans approached and then crossed the wall, and were joined by crowds of West
Germans in a celebratory atmosphere. The Wall was subsequently destroyed by a euphoric public over a period
of several weeks, and its fall was the first step toward German reunification, which was formally concluded on
October 3, 1990.
The Wall became the symbol of Soviet and communist collapse in Eastern Europe.