11.1 The Cold War Begins

Notes

After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became rival superpowers. Their long struggle without direct war between them is called the Cold War (about 1947 to 1991).

• The U.S. supported capitalism and democracy; the USSR supported communism and one-party rule.
• The USSR set up communist governments in Eastern Europe. In 1946, Winston Churchill said an "iron curtain" had descended across Europe.
• Containment: the U.S. policy of stopping the spread of communism.
• Truman Doctrine (1947): U.S. aid to nations, such as Greece and Turkey, resisting communism. Marshall Plan (1948): billions of dollars to rebuild Western Europe.
• Berlin Airlift (1948 to 1949): when the Soviets blockaded West Berlin, the U.S. and Britain flew in supplies.
• Germany split into West Germany and East Germany (1949). The Berlin Wall was built in 1961.
• Alliances: NATO (1949) for the U.S. and Western Europe; the Warsaw Pact (1955) for the USSR and Eastern Europe.