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Yalta Conference
Roots of the conflict begin with the Yalta Conference where Allied leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill & Joseph Stalin, also known as the "big three" came to an agreement on how they wanted to separate Germany among the three allies. This event marks the beginning of the cold war since the division of Germany created tension between the super powers.
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Truman Doctrine
Greece and Turkey were in danger of falling to communist forces. The Truman Doctrine agreed to help both countries by providing them aid economically and military. The US president Truman gets $400 from congress in aid to both countries. This connects to the gaspire theme intellectual because Americans are trying to help poor countries by providing them aid economically and military. -
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a plan created by U.S Secretary of State George Marshall. The plan was designed to rebuild Europe from the ravages of World War II, in order to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism. The plan was in operation for four years as it began in April 1948. Between those 4 years nearly $13 billion in U.S aid was sent to Europe. This event connects to the gaspire theme economic since the United States sent lots of money to help rebuild Europe. MORE ON DOCUMENT -
Berlin Airlift
In response to U.S aid for European countries, especially the democratic portions of Germany, the Soviets block all land & water access to the capital, Berlin. The blockade was a soviet attempt to starve out the allies in Berlin in order to gain supremacy. Between June 1948 to May 1949, U.S & Brittish airlift 1.5 million tons of supplies to the residents of West Berlin.
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Arms Race
Arms race was a competition two see who can have the best armed forces. Each country competes to create a mass amount of weapons, stronger armies and superior military technology. This connects to the gaspire theme economic because it caused a lot of these competing countries money and resources to participate in the arms race. This affected the Cold War because both America and the Soviet Union fought to see who could create the strongest nuclear weapons. -
NATO
NATO stands for "North Atlantic Treaty Organization" and was formed by the United States of America in 1949. It's a military alliance and a pledge to protect and support one another if attacked. The NATO consisted of USA, Canada, UK, France and eight other western countries. This connects to the gaspire theme political because it's an alliance based on the western nations. This affected the Cold War because it made a large strong western force. The NATO was the opposite of the Warsaw Pact. -
Korean War
The Korean War started when the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel in 1950 and wanted to unite the whole of Korea and create a communist country. The United Nations, which were led by the US, came to the aid of the South Koreans to stop the spread of communism. Communist China and the USSR both gave North Korea military support and weapons. NATO forces won the war which ended in 1953 splitting Korea in half. This connects to the gaspire theme geographic because Korea was spit in two. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a Soviet Union led military alliance, similiar to the NATO alliance, but was instead based on eastern instead of western nations. The pact consisted of Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Soviet Union which all were communist countries. Leaving the pact would be seen as disloyal. This connects to the gaspire theme political because it's an alliance based on several eastern nations. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a fight between communist North Vietnam and South democratic Vietnam. This war was very costly for the rest of the world. Soviet Union and Communist China gave aid and support to Communism North Vietnam. The United States gave aid and support to the South Vietnam. in 1973 America was forced to drop out of the war and Vietnam was under communist control. This connects to the gaspire theme of artistic because there was lots of propaganda during the Vietnam War. -
The Cuban Revolution
On Jan 1st 1959, the Cuban nationalist Fidel Castro overthrew a corrupt government by Fulgnencio Batista. He took government control over all major industries and installed a totalitarian communist regime with the support of the USSR. US supported and trained 1000 ore more Cuban exiles to overthrow the communist Castro government in April 1961. This connects to the gaspire political because two countries are arguing about communism. This affected the world because US cut all ties with Cuba. -
The Olympics
In 1972, the USSR beat the US in basketball in the Olympics. They won because they had military players that had trained all day while the US was playing without any professional players. The US hadn't lost a basketball game since 1936. This connects to the gaspire theme social because hosting sports events was a way for countries to communicate although they were playing against each other. This affected Americans because this is something unforgettable. -
End of Soviet Union
I decided to interview my father Philip because he has been through a lot since he has been in the Swedish military.
Me: Can you give me your definition for the Cold War & tell me what images come to mind when you hear that term?
My father Philip: It was between the west and east, it wasn't really a war but it was all about power so therefor I would call it a "power-game" instead of a war. Sweden was neutral and has stayed that way ever since.
THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW IS IN A SEPARATE DOCUMENT
