History > Key Stage 4 > Course Notes and Revision Lists

Cold War

The Cold War: A hostility between the Russians and western powers (especially the USA) where there was no direct fighting. The rivalry tended to be worked out through propaganda, spying and suspicion, trade, an arms race, the space race and the backing of different sides in a series of conflicts around the world.

Origins: Russia stayed in those countries out of which they had forced the Nazis eg. Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and imposed Communism.

Iron Curtain: A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the separating of those communist lands of Esat Europe from the West.

Truman Doctrine: President Truman of the US helped contain the spread of communism by giving money and military aid to those countries wanting to fight against communism.

Marshall Aid: The US gave money to countries to help them rebuild after WW2. The aim was not just to help those in need but to strengthen non – communist countries and create markets for American goods. Communist countries received nothing.

Domino Theory: US belief that when one country becomes communist there is a likelihood that neighbouring countries will fall under communist influence one after the other. This is what they believed had happened in Eastern Europe at the end of WW2 and led them to try and 'contain' communism (in Asia for example).

Divided Germany: Centre of the Cold War. Germany separated into four zones at the end of WW2. Western zones were ruled by France, Britain and the US. Eastern zone ruled by Russia. Berlin, the capital, in the Russian zone, also split up into four parts. The Russians wanted to claim all of Berlin. Western powers wanted to keep control of Berlin for strtegic reasons.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948/9): In order to freeze the western powers out, Russia blockaded Berlin and wou;ld not allow supplies into the western zone by road or rail. The western powers airlifted supplies in to feed the people of west Berlin. 13,000 tonnes a day. Airlift lasted for a year, after which Stalin called off.

NATO 1949: Western powers joined together to form a military alliance callefd the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Warsaw Pact: Eastern powers retaliated by forming their own military alliance.

Korea 1950: Small land bordering China. Prior to WW2, ruled by Japan. After, Northern Korea occupied by Soviet forces, South by Americans. Occupation ended 1948. Soviet Army left behind a communist government, Americans a 'friendly' government in the South. Both governments claimed the right to rule. June 1950, N.Koreans decided to 'invade' South. Truman acted quickly, war planes sent to help South. He persuaded UN Security Council to back him. Because USSR failed to get to veto in, it became a UN operation. Other nations did send troops but it was mainly an American operation. US aimed to push back communistsm and put in a friendly government.

China Communist – helped N.Koreans and new war startred. Was it America or UN?

War ended in 1953. What had been achieved ? Nothing: boundary as before. Both sides claimed victory. US said it had stopped spread of communism – N. Koreans/China said they had pevented a US victory.

H – Bomb (1952): First H – bomb exploded. Many times more powerful than Hiroshima. America had first – so USSR had to build one – led to arms race and proliferation of nuclear weapons.

SEATO/CENTO: Dulles,US Secretary of State, set up a series of alliances which he claimed were defensive in nature but which the Russians saw as aggressive and anti – communist.

Hungary (1956): Under USSR control since 1945. Rebelled, but USSR sent tanks in to crush rebellion. UN/USA did nothing. Confrontation could lead to nuclear war.

Brinksmanship: Dulles, US Secretary of State, threatened to build more atomic weapons and use them if USSR attracted allies.

U2 incident (1960) : US/USSR meeting in Paris to talk peace; with meetings ongoing a Russian missile shot down a US spy plane (U2) – Khruschev accused Kennedy of planning a war. US could hardly retaliate as they were seen by the world to be hypocrites.

The Berlin Wall (1961): Built by the Russians to stop people escaping from the East and to protect the East from western agents. East Germans saw it as a success because their economy now started to recover but the west said that the wall proved that the East was no 'paradise' – why else would so many people wish to escape?

Cuba: Cuba is an island which is just 90 miles from the US. In 1959 a popular revolution brought Fidel Castro to power. Most of Cuba's banks,sugar plantations and businesses were American owned. When Castro took power he took over these industries so that they could be run in a way that benefitted the Cuban people instead of the Americans but the US were furious and said that Castro was stealing their property. US also feared the setting up of a communist government in Cuba. President Eisenhower agreed to provide weapons/ships for Cuban refugees to use in an invasion of the island. At this point Kennedy comes to power as the new US president and he too gives the plan the go – ahead.

The Bay of Pigs: 1400 anti-Castro Cubans landed at the Bay of Pigs on Cuba's south coast. Castro was well prepared and blocked the invasion with all invaders either captured or killed. Humiliating for Kennedy but Castro fears further US backed attempts at invasion and so he asked the USSR for help.

The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): US spy plane (U2) flew over Cuba and took photographs which showed Russian nuclear missile launching sites. President Kennedy feared that an attack so he insisted that Cuba should dismantle the missiles. USSR warned not to approach Cuba by sea or air. There seemed to be a real threat of nuclear war.

Eyeball to Eyeball: For 10 days there was stalemate. Russian ships heading for Cuba then turned round. Nuclear war was averted and both sides claimed sucess. USSR said it had put peace first and that the US now agreed not to attack Cuba while the US said it had stood up to Russia and got the missiles removed. Kennedy gained credibility and was seen to have been 'cool' through the crisis in the US.

Pages created by J Reeve, 2006.