Unit 8.1 - Setting the Stage for Cold War and Decolonization
The Big Three, consisting of the USA, Britain, and the USSR, had a task in front of them to figure out how to manage the world after World War II. The Yalta Conference in 1944 served as a platform for discussions where FDR pressed for free elections in Eastern Europe after the war. However, Stalin was more inclined to keep Eastern Europe under Soviet influence as a buffer zone to prevent invasions. The Potsdam Conference in July 1945, saw new President Truman, who also insisted on free elections in Eastern Europe, but Stalin's occupation of these countries and refusal of Truman's demands deepened the rift between the two countries. This led to the two superpowers, the USA and the USSR dominating the international stage post-World War II.
The USA managed to avoid most of the fighting on its soil during World War II. In an effort to assist the rebuilding of European cities and prevent the spread of communism, the USA offered $12 billion dollars in aid under the Marshall Plan. Meanwhile, the USSR, despite massive losses, had enough population to spare and had been building its industry. On the other hand, every other European country was broken from the war, which further widened the gap between the two superpowers. The Cold War ensued, characterized by a state of hostility between two countries that did not result in open warfare but included threats, propaganda, an arms race.
The peak of colonization and empire building at the start of World War I propelled many colonized people to fight for their independence. US President Wilson pushed for the right of nations to self-determination and choose their own governments. The colonial soldiers who fought for parent countries in World War II led to enormous war debts that drained the imperial nations, thus spurring decolonization. The USA and USSR interventions in colonial disputes ushered in a wave of decolonization, and colonial nations garnered support to become free, leading to a surge in decolonization activities.
Unit 8.2 - The Cold War
The Cold War involved a clash between the capitalist economy and democracy of the US and the communist economy and authoritarian government of the USSR. The Marshall Plan was designed to spread capitalism, whereas the USSR favored communism, making other countries dependent on them. The US formed alliances with Western European countries and introduced the containment policy to prevent the spread of communism, while the USSR created the Soviet bloc and used the Five Year Plan and outlawed any party but the communist party.
The arms race intensifies the situation as both the US and USSR strive to develop bigger and deadlier nuclear weapons, including the atomic and hydrogen bombs. The fear of mutual assured destruction kept them from firing at each other. The space race further exacerbated the situation, with the USSR launching the first satellite and sending the first man into space. The Non-Aligned Movement, which was established in 1961, represented the interests of developing nations and sought to distance themselves from the conflict.
Unit 8.3 - Effects of the Cold War
The effects of the Cold War are seen in the formation of new military alliances, proxy wars, and the buildup of nuclear weapons. For instance, the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact between Western and Soviet bloc nations respectively led to a divide in the international arena. Proxy wars, indirect fighting carried out in smaller, local conflicts, further added to the turmoil and tension between the two superpower blocs.
