THE COLD WAR€¦ · between the soviet union (russia) and its allies and the united states and its allies • extreme tension, mistrust, paranoia between both sides and their allies

DESCRIPTION•BETWEEN THE SOVIET UNION (RUSSIA) AND ITS ALLIES AND THE

UNITED STATES AND ITS ALLIES•EXTREME TENSION, MISTRUST, PARANOIA BETWEEN BOTH SIDES

AND THEIR ALLIES•ALLIANCE BUILDING AND ESTABLISHING “SPHERES OF

INFLUENCE” AROUND THE WORLD

•CONVENTIONAL ARMS, NUCLEAR ARMS AND “SPACE” RACE•SPYING & PROPAGANDA ON BOTH SIDES•GENERAL FEAR OF NUCLEAR DESTRUCTION

FEATURES•VERY LITTLE DIRECT CONFLICT BETWEEN THE USSR AND THE USA

(BECAUSE BOTH FEARED NUCLEAR WAR), BUT MANY “PROXY WARS”-SMALLER CONFLICTS AROUND THE WORLD SUPPORTED BY EACH SIDE

-KOREA, VIETNAM, SUEZ CANAL, AFGHANISTAN

CAUSE #1RADICALLY DIFFERENT POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES•CAPITALISM & DEMOCRACY VS. COMMUNISM &

TOTALITARIANISM-PRIVATE VS. STATE CONTROL OF PROPERTY & BUSINESS-VOTING/FREEDOM OF RELIGION VS. SINGLE PARTY

CAUSE #2DELAY OF THE D-DAY INVASION•GERMANY INVADED THE SOVIET UNION IN 1941. THE WESTERN

ALLIES WAITED UNTIL 1944 TO INVADE FRANCE AND ATTACK GERMANY IN WESTERN EUROPE. STALIN BELIEVED THAT THIS DELAY WAS INTENTIONAL TO CAUSE RUSSIA UNDUE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND FURTHER WEAKEN THE SOVIET UNION.

CAUSE #3AMERICA NOT SHARING OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY WITH THE SOVIET UNION•IN AUGUST, 1945, THE USA DETONATED TWO NUCLEAR BOMBS IN

JAPAN. THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF THIS WEAPON WAS IMMENSE. THE AMERICANS REFUSED TO SHARE THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY WITH THEIR WARTIME ALLY, THE SOVIET UNION. STALIN FELT VERY BETRAYED AND THREATENED BY THIS.

CAUSE #4CONFLICT BETWEEN US PRESIDENT TRUMAN AND RUSSIAN LEADER STALIN•STALIN AND ROOSEVELT HAD MUTUAL RESPECT AND A

FAIRLY GOOD PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. WHEN ROOSEVELT DIED SUDDENLY IN 1945 AND WAS REPLACED BY VICE PRESIDENT TRUMAN, THAT ALL CHANGED. TRUMAN AND STALIN HAD A VERY STRAINED RELATIONSHIP.

CAUSE #5CREATION OF A SOVIET “BUFFER ZONE” AFTER THE WAR•AFTER THE SOVIET UNION DEFEATED THE GERMAN ARMY IN STALINGRAD

AND TOOK AN OFFENSIVE POSITION BY PUSHING GERMAN FORCES OUT OF EASTERN EUROPE, STALIN TOOK CONTROL OF AND MADE COMMUNIST A LARGE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES (POLAND, HUNGARY, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, ROMANIA, ALBANIA AND EASTERN GERMANY). STALIN DID THIS TO CREATEA “BUFFER ZONE” AGAINST FUTURE INVASION.

TO THE AMERICANS IT LOOKED LIKE COMMUNISM WAS SPREADING AND THE ENTIRE WORLD WAS AT RISK OF BEING TAKEN OVER. THIS WAS PERCEIVEDAS A REAL RISK TO THE “AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.”