U.S. History / Unit 8: World War II and the Early Cold War
8.4 The Cold War Begins
Notes
After WWII, the United States (capitalism, democracy) and the Soviet Union (communism, one-party rule) became rival superpowers in a Cold War: a struggle without direct fighting between them.
- The United Nations was founded in 1945 to keep peace.
- The Soviets set up communist governments in Eastern Europe. Winston Churchill said an "iron curtain" had descended across Europe (1946).
- Containment: the U.S. policy of stopping the spread of communism (George Kennan).
- Truman Doctrine (1947): aid to Greece and Turkey to resist communism.
- Marshall Plan (1948): about $13 billion to rebuild Western Europe.
- Berlin Airlift (1948 to 1949): when the Soviets blockaded West Berlin, the U.S. and Britain flew in supplies.
- NATO (1949): a military alliance of the U.S. and Western Europe. The Soviets formed the Warsaw Pact (1955).
- In 1949 the Soviets tested an atomic bomb and communists won China's civil war.
Practice
The U.S. policy of stopping the spread of communism to new countries was called:
Containment guided U.S. foreign policy throughout the Cold War.
How was the Marshall Plan meant to contain communism?
Prosperous, stable nations were seen as less likely to turn to communism.
When the Soviets cut off road and rail access to West Berlin in 1948, the United States responded by:
The Berlin Airlift supplied the city until the Soviets lifted the blockade in 1949.
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