Understanding the Cold War and the Policy of Containment: Key Concepts and Objectives, Study notes of Religion

Download Understanding the Cold War and the Policy of Containment: Key Concepts and Objectives and more Study notes Religion in PDF only on Docsity!

The Cold War and the Policy of Containment

Content Statement The United States followed a policy of containment during the Cold War in response to the spread of Communism

The Roots of the Cold War

• Although the United States and the Soviet Union had been allies during World War II, they soon became rivals in the Cold War - This war was “cold” in that, because of nuclear weapons, the two superpowers never confronted each other directly in open warfare

The Roots of the Cold War

• The roots of the Cold War lay in their competing ideological systems - The United States wanted to spread democracy and free enterprise - The Soviet Union wanted other countries to adopt Communism

Important Differences between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Category Soviet Communism American Democracy Political System One political party, the Communist Party A multi-party democracy Organiza- tions All labor groups and associations are run by the Communist Party Unions and other organizations openly negotiate with employers

Important Differences between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Category Soviet Communism American Democracy Economic System Industries are owned by the state; central planners determine all economic needs; limited private property; education and health care are provided by the state Free enterprise system; private ownership of property; supply and demand determine prices; people meet their own needs with some limited government involvement

Important Differences between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Category Soviet Communism American Democracy Religion Religion is discouraged Free exercise of religion Individual Rights Secret police arrest opponents; censorship; no free exercise of beliefs Freedom of the press and expression

The Roots of the Cold War

• Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, was supposed to be building a classless society that helped all workers, but he actually established a brutal dictatorship over which he exercised absolute control
• Suspected opponents and critics were arrested and often sent to gulags in Siberia

The Yalta and Potsdam Conferences

• They agreed on the creation of a United Nations
• They also agreed that Germany would be divided into four occupation zones
• Finally, they agreed to allow free elections in the countries liberated from German Rule
• Stalin further pledged free elections in Poland after the war

The Yalta and Potsdam Conferences

• When Truman met with Stalin six months later at the Potsdam Conference in Germany, serious differences began to emerge among the leaders
• President Truman, despite his relative inexperience in having just replaced Roosevelt in the Presidency, thought he held the upper hand in making demands on Stalin

The Cold War Begins: The Iron Curtain

• After the war, the Soviets saw a growing threat from Western governments
• Stalin wanted to insure the safety of the Soviet Union and greatly distrusted the West
• Stalin sought to create a wall of “satellite” countries as a buffer against any future invasions from Europe
• As a result, Stalin went back on his promise to allow free elections in Poland

The Cold War Begins: The Iron Curtain

• He had no intention of losing control over a country through which Germany had invaded Russia twice in the last 30 years
• The United States also refused to share their atomic bomb secrets
• The Cold War now began in earnest
• Instead of withdrawing from Eastern Europe, Soviet troops continued to occupy it
• They placed local Communists in power in all the governments of Eastern Europe

The Cold War Begins: The Iron Curtain

The Origins of U.S. Containment Policy

• American leaders responded to the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe by developing a policy of containment - Under this policy, they did not attempt to overturn Communism where it already existed, but they resolved to prevent it from spreading further