THE COLD WAR
What is the Cold War?
The Cold War was a period between 1945 and 1991 of tension, marked by competition for influence between
the capitalist USA and the communist USSR, without direct military conflict. The term describes the
conflict of ideologies between the Western capitalist powers and the USSR and the other communist
countries.
→ The Cold War between the 2 powers never became ‘hot’
→ The 2 powers never went to war against each other they always supported opposing sides in wars in
other parts of the world (e.g: Vietnam War)
→ The Cold War deeply affected newly independent countries in Africa including South Africa
→ The Cold War came to an end during the collapse of the USSR in 1991
→ The USA supported Western countries (the West)
→ The USSR supported other communist countries (the Soviet bloc)
→ It was a rival of political ideologies - communism and capitalism
Development of the Cold War
ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR:
→ There were roots of mistrust between the USSR and the West beginning after the 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution
→ Western powers feared the threat of communism to capitalism and the threat of a workers' revolution
spreading to other countries (threatens private ownership and capitalism)
→ Western powers aided anti-Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War, leading to communist distrust
of the West
→ The rise of totalitarianism in the USSR under Stalin fueled distrust among Western democracies
→ The USSR and the West formed a Grand Alliance to defeat Hitler after Hitler invaded the USSR
→ US supplies to the USSR were essential for Stalin to supply his armies to defeat Hitler
→ Roosevelt felt that he could work with Stalin, this wartime alliance was under strain soon after the
defeat of Nazi Germany
, POST WORLD WAR II:
→ Both countries wanted their political and economic systems (communist USSR and capitalist
democracy USA) to be dominant
→ Stalin continued to distrust the West :
→ Suspicions that the 2.5-year delay between American entry into the war and the invasion of
Normandy in 1944 was a deliberate attempt to let Germany weaken the USSR
→ Suspicious of US secrecy regarding the atomic bomb (only officially informed about the bomb
as it was about to be used against Japan)
TEHRAN CONFERENCE:
→ Late 1943
→ Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill
→ First conference between the big 3 allied powers leaders (USA, UK, USSR)
→ The 3 leaders coordinated their military strategy against Germany and Japan and made several
important decisions concerning the post-WWII era.
YALTA CONFERENCE:
→ Held in Yalta, USSR
→ February 1945
→ Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
Aims
→ To plan a post-war settlement (decide what to do about Germany and the countries controlled by
Germany in Eastern Europe)
→ Each leader had their own agenda :
→ Roosevelt : Soviet support against Japan in the US Pacific War (especially for the planned
invasion of Japan) and USSR involvement in the UN
→ Churchill : Free elections and democratic governments in Central and Eastern Europe
→ Stalin : A Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ in Eastern and Central Europe (satellite states) to maintain
the USSR’s national security strategy. Promised free elections in Poland and Eastern Europe
(which was a lie)
Decisions and impacts
→ Germany would be divided into 4 zones of occupation (US, UK, USSR, France → France zone was
carved by US and UK zones)
→ No agreement on how these zones would be governed or how Germany would pay reparations
What is the Cold War?
The Cold War was a period between 1945 and 1991 of tension, marked by competition for influence between
the capitalist USA and the communist USSR, without direct military conflict. The term describes the
conflict of ideologies between the Western capitalist powers and the USSR and the other communist
countries.
→ The Cold War between the 2 powers never became ‘hot’
→ The 2 powers never went to war against each other they always supported opposing sides in wars in
other parts of the world (e.g: Vietnam War)
→ The Cold War deeply affected newly independent countries in Africa including South Africa
→ The Cold War came to an end during the collapse of the USSR in 1991
→ The USA supported Western countries (the West)
→ The USSR supported other communist countries (the Soviet bloc)
→ It was a rival of political ideologies - communism and capitalism
Development of the Cold War
ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR:
→ There were roots of mistrust between the USSR and the West beginning after the 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution
→ Western powers feared the threat of communism to capitalism and the threat of a workers' revolution
spreading to other countries (threatens private ownership and capitalism)
→ Western powers aided anti-Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War, leading to communist distrust
of the West
→ The rise of totalitarianism in the USSR under Stalin fueled distrust among Western democracies
→ The USSR and the West formed a Grand Alliance to defeat Hitler after Hitler invaded the USSR
→ US supplies to the USSR were essential for Stalin to supply his armies to defeat Hitler
→ Roosevelt felt that he could work with Stalin, this wartime alliance was under strain soon after the
defeat of Nazi Germany
, POST WORLD WAR II:
→ Both countries wanted their political and economic systems (communist USSR and capitalist
democracy USA) to be dominant
→ Stalin continued to distrust the West :
→ Suspicions that the 2.5-year delay between American entry into the war and the invasion of
Normandy in 1944 was a deliberate attempt to let Germany weaken the USSR
→ Suspicious of US secrecy regarding the atomic bomb (only officially informed about the bomb
as it was about to be used against Japan)
TEHRAN CONFERENCE:
→ Late 1943
→ Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill
→ First conference between the big 3 allied powers leaders (USA, UK, USSR)
→ The 3 leaders coordinated their military strategy against Germany and Japan and made several
important decisions concerning the post-WWII era.
YALTA CONFERENCE:
→ Held in Yalta, USSR
→ February 1945
→ Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
Aims
→ To plan a post-war settlement (decide what to do about Germany and the countries controlled by
Germany in Eastern Europe)
→ Each leader had their own agenda :
→ Roosevelt : Soviet support against Japan in the US Pacific War (especially for the planned
invasion of Japan) and USSR involvement in the UN
→ Churchill : Free elections and democratic governments in Central and Eastern Europe
→ Stalin : A Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ in Eastern and Central Europe (satellite states) to maintain
the USSR’s national security strategy. Promised free elections in Poland and Eastern Europe
(which was a lie)
Decisions and impacts
→ Germany would be divided into 4 zones of occupation (US, UK, USSR, France → France zone was
carved by US and UK zones)
→ No agreement on how these zones would be governed or how Germany would pay reparations
