The Cold War Begins

1. The Cold War Begins What can happen when powerful friends become enemies? Pgs. 359-361

2. Superpowers • Superpower - A very powerful nation with great influence in world events. • After WWII the United States and the Soviet Union became the two most powerful nations in the world. • However, the two nations were quite different from one another, so there were many conflicts between them.

3. The Cold War • Although the two nations never went to war, the threat of war was great between the years of 1945-1991. • These years were frightening for citizens in both countries.

4. The Berlin Crisis • After WWII ended, the Allies divided Germany into four parts. • Each major ally took charge of one part. • The United States, France, and Britain worked together to build a strong West Germany. • The Soviet Union took control of East Germany and formed a Communist country there.

6. East Germany • With the formation of a Communist government in East Germany, the government took over land and businesses. • The people had little freedom to make decisions about how their society should be run.

7. Berlin • The capital of Germany, Berlin, was in East Germany. It was divided into four parts, too. • West Berlin was controlled by the Allies. • East Berlin was controlled by the Soviets. • You could not get to West Berlin without traveling through East Berlin.

8. Berlin • The Soviet Union would not let the Western Allies send supplies through East Germany to West Berlin. • They blocked highways, railroads, and water routes so that no food or fuel could get to the city. • They hoped to drive the Western Allies out of West Berlin.

9. Berlin • To avoid the blockade, the Allies airlifted supplies for more than 11 months. • Pilots made more than 272,000 flights into West Berlin. • The planes carried about 2 million tons of food and supplies to the people of West Berlin. • Eventually, the Soviets backed down and allowed supplies to be delivered over land.

10. The Berlin Wall • After the blockade ended, many living in East Germany tried to escape communist rule. • In 1961, the East German government, built a concrete wall with barbed wire on top to keep people from leaving. • The wall was guarded by soldiers ready to shoot anyone who tried to cross it.

14. “The Iron Curtain” • Communist countries were said to be “behind an iron curtain.” • The iron curtain was an idea to show how people in communist countries were cut off from the rest of the world. • Many viewed communism as a threat to freedom and worried about its spread to other countries.

15. “The Iron Curtain” • East Germany • Poland • Czechoslovakia • Hungary • Romania • Yugoslavia • Albania • Bulgaria • Soviet Union