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The Iron Curtain (1946-1991)
A SPHERE OF INFLUENCE in the context of the Cold War was the area that each superpower (the USSR and USA) had strong influence over, either directly through military interference, or through a shared political ideology. The Iron Curtain was an ideological boarder that marked out these spheres of influence, as it divided Europe right through Germany where the Berlin Wall would stand, with the Russian's communism on one side and the westernized nations on the other. -
The Truman Doctrine
THE DOMINO EFFECT was a concept that described that as Russia continued its expansionism and more countries fell under communism, the more surrounding countries would be influenced or "knocked down" like a row of dominoes. The Truman Doctrine outlined a way to prevent this by providing aid to other European nations to win their favor and dissuade them away from communism and the influence of the Russians. President Truman thought this to be a better course of action than active combat. -
The Marshall Plan (1947-1952)
CONTAINMENT was exercised by both superpowers as they tried to prevent the other's expansionism without going to war directly. After WW2, America felt that too many nations were adopting communism and essentially siding with the Soviets. So as part of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan was a strings-attached deal that offered financial aid to damaged European nations in hopes to convert them to more capitalist and "free" ideals, as well as building alliances with the USA. -
The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)
After WW2, the allied nations divided Germany and Berlin in half in an attempt to control how fast their nation grew. This marked the beginning of a fifty year conflict as the two great superpowers in the world charted out their half of Europe. In July, 1948, the Russians blockaded West Berlin, effectively isolating those civilians from the westernized half of the nation. In response, American, Britain, and France, stated a year long airlift providing supplies to the citizens of West Berlin. -
The Korean War (1950-1953)
A PROXY WAR is a conflict where two nations back opposing sides of another nation's conflict either through direct military involvement or other means. The Korean War is an example of a proxy war, as the USSR aided North Korea's invasion of South Korea, and the Americans provided support to the South Koreans. This was the first time the two superpowers came face to face in a real conflict to maintain their influence and champion their political ideology, at the expense of another nation. -
NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955)
ALLIANCES were formed between many nations after the second world war in an attempt to ensure another conflict didn't break out. These alliances were formed through various international organizations, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) between 12 nations including the USA, the UK, Canada, and France. To contrast this, the USSR and other communist eastern block nations such as Poland and Romania, formed the Warsaw Pact. These pacts further divided Europe ideologically. -
The Arms Race (1945-1990)
MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION was the idea behind the whole Arms Race. Both the Americans and the Soviets believed that if they had the capacity to destroy the other in direct conflict, it would deter the other from attacking in fear of the consequences of retaliation. This lead to the Arms Race, which was a period in which the development of weaponry, specifically nuclear weapons, surged. It became the focus of both nations to ensure they had more weapons than the other side. -
The Hungarian Revolution
EXPANSIONISM is a nations attempt to expand its ideological influence to surrounding areas. This can be done through propaganda, alliances, or even direct military involvement. Hungarian government was strongly Stalinist, and in 1956 the Hungarian people revolted. Unfortunately, the USSR had a much stronger military, and in a huge show of dominance, crushed the rebellion. This strengthened the Soviet sphere of influence and discouraged other Eastern bloc nations from perusing liberalism. -
The Formation of NORAD
DETERRENCE is very similar to mutually assured destruction in that it's a tactic used to deter an opponent from attacking out a fear of the repercussions. While this was mainly done through nuclear weapons, an event that corresponded with deterrence efforts was the formation of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) between Canada and the USA. NORAD's main purpose was to send warning of missile attack from the Russians and also to exert aerospace control over north america. -
Creation of the Berlin Wall
As tension rose between the Soviets and what remained of the allied forces in Germany, the imaginary divide called the Iron Curtain became a very real thing. On August 13, 1961, East German troops blocked all passage between East and West Germany and began building the wall. This action was done to keep Germans from leaving to the more progressive and opportunistic West. The wall became a visual representation of the ideological conflict that would persist for the next 30 years. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
BRINKMANSHIP is when two powerful nations come face to face with war and attempt to push against the other without conceding in anyway. Neither one wants to be the first to declare war or make a move against the other, but neither will suggest negotiating. This was the case in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Cuba, backed by the USSR, posed a threat of nuclear war to the USA. The two nations were on the brink of war, and it took a lot of negotiation for the national leaders to see eye to eye. -
The Vietnam War (1955-1975)
A LIBERATION MOVEMENT is characterized by citizens of an occupied nation rising up in rebellion against the colonizing power to reestablish their sovereignty. Though the Vietnam War is often seen as a proxy war (and could be considered as such) it originally started out as a liberation movement when the Vietnamese began seeking aid to overthrow their French oppressors. Later, as other nations became more involved in the war, it became a war to ride Vietnam of foreign military powers altogether. -
Prague, Spring 1968
Czechoslovakia was in the heart of the Eastern Bloc, so when Alexander Dubcek began social and political reformation, making the country increasingly more westernized and liberal, this was perceived as threat to the surrounding communist nations. They feared Czechoslovakia becoming to friendly with Western nations, so in August, 1968, four members of the Warsaw Pact (USSR, Bulgaria, Poland, and Hungary) invaded Czechoslovakia and squashed these reforms. -
The SALT (1969) and START (1982) Talks
DETENTE is the easing of strained diplomatic relations between nations. For nearly 50 years, the Cold War built suspicion and tension between the United States and the USSR, even threatening world annihilation, until finally, in 1969, diplomats began the long process of reconciliation. During the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the two nations came to an agreement to limited and later reduce their number of nuclear weapons. After this time, relations improved -
The Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan to aid the spread of communism further. Still concerned about expansionism, America began funneling money through the CIA to those in Afghanistan that were fighting against the Soviets. Similar to a proxy war, each side was using civil war within another nation to further their agenda, until 1989 when the Soviet Union finally left Afghanistan. -
Glasnost and Perestrokia
In the 1980's, as the diplomatic relations between Russia and America improved, President Gorbachev of Russia proposed what he called Glasnost and Perestrokia, or "openness" and "restructuring" respectively. These were new ideas for the Russia that involved implementing some aspects of capitalism into the economy, allowing citizens to have more say in the government, and giving back more social freedoms, including more freedom of press. This was a huge step towards the end of the Soviet Union. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Just as the Berlin Wall rose in response to increasing tensions between superpowers, so to would it fall as those two sides reconciled their differences. Within Germany itself, both East and West had begun to work together to represent the interests of all Germans on an international level. Finally, in May 1989, the first blow to the wall took place in Hungary as soldiers began tearing down the wall. As Germans began crossing the wall in Berlin, it became clear that the Cold War was over
