1.
State of the
World &
Beginning of
the Cold War
Berlin Airlift, NATO and the Warsaw Pact

2.
What is a Cold War?
A Cold War is a state of
diplomatic hostility between two
superpowers (USA and USSR).
These two superpowers will
never actually fight each other
therefore it is considered a cold
war.

3.
The Post-War World
 After World War II the US
and the USSR were the two
world leaders.
 As many nations were re-
building or becoming
independent after World War
II there was a competition
between these two countries
to gain influence over as
many of these new nations
as possible.

4.
Containment
 The US takes on the
policy of containment or
trying to block the Soviet
influence elsewhere in
the world.
 Containment policies
meant the US tried to
create alliances with
countries against the
Soviet Union, and tried
to stop countries from
becoming communist.

5.
Truman Doctrine
 US President Harry
Truman wanted to
influence new &
rebuilding countries to
not support
communism.
 The Truman Doctrine
was his plan stating that
the United States would
provide “support” to
countries that were not
communist or were

6.
Marshall Plan
 Going along with the
Truman Doctrine, the
Marshall Plan said the
United States would
provide
food, machines, and
other necessities for
countries that were
struggling and resisting
communism.
 Some worried these
plans could support

7.
Satellite Nations
 To stand up against the US
policies the Soviet Union
tried to gain as many
satellite nations as
possible.
 Satellite Nations are
nations that are technically
independent, but under
close control from the Soviet
Union. They are also
communist and have the
same policies as the USSR.

8.
Divided Berlin
 At the Yalta Conference it
was decided that
Germany would be
divided into four occupied
sections.
 Berlin is in the Soviet
sector of Germany. Even
though Berlin is in
eastern Germany the city
itself was divided into an
eastern part under Soviet
control and a western
part under

9.
Berlin Airlift
 In 1948 the US, France & Britain thought Germany
was ready to reunite, so they left their zones in the
west and Berlin.
 The Soviet Union refused to leave their zone. Since
Berlin was in the Soviet zone and also divided they
cut off all supplies (food, water, and traffic) to the
western part of Berlin.
 The US and Britain countered the blockade by flying
supplies into the western side of Berlin. The Soviets
looked like fools and eventually lifted their blockade in
May 1949.

10.
Berlin Airlift

11.
The “Iron Curtain”
 After the Berlin airlift relations between the Soviet
satellite nations the rest of western Europe were
tense.
 Winston Churchill declared an “Iron Curtain”
had descended across Europe.
 The Iron Curtain is a metaphor for the divide
between democratic western Europe and
communist eastern Europe. No actual curtain
exists. This saying came from a speech Winston
Churchill made in which he used the saying “Iron
Curtain” to describe the divide in Europe.

12.
NATO
 In 1949 the
US, Canada, and ten
other western European
nations came together
to form the North
Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO).
 The countries in NATO
agreed that if anyone of
them were attacked
they’d fight back
together.

13.
Warsaw Pact
 The Soviets felt
threatened by NATO so
in 1955 they developed
their own alliance
system known as the
Warsaw Pact.
 The Warsaw Pact
included the Soviet
Union, Poland, East
Germany, Czechoslovaki
a, Hungary, Romania, B
ulgaria, and Albania.

14.
“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended
across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of
Central and Eastern Europe.
Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all
these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the
Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet
influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from
Moscow. The safety of the world, ladies and gentlemen, requires a unity in
Europe, from which no nation should be permanently outcast.” – Winston
Churchill, “Iron Curtain” Speech

15.
Honors – “Iron Curtain” Excerpt Guiding
Questions
 How do the British/Americans feel towards the Soviet
Union?
 What does Churchill feel is required to maintain the
safety of the world?
 What does Churchill speculate the Soviet Union
wants to achieve in the post-war world?
 Who is to blame for World War II in Churchill’s mind?
How can atrocities like this be prevented in the
future?
 What is the role of Britain/America/western Europe in
the post-war world according to Churchill?