COLD WAR
Basic Information
- Post-World War II tensions between the two nations, the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union resulted in mutual suspicions and a series of international incidents that brought the world’s superpowers to the brink of disaster.
- It was a clash between ideology, capitalism versus communism and trying to exploit every opportunity for expansion around the world.
- The Soviet Union and U.S. were very distrustful towards one another.
- They fought through client states. The Soviet Union would help the pro-communists, while the U.S. would help the anti-communists. For example, South Vietnam was anti-communist, so, the U.S. helped supply them while they fought North Vietnam, who was pro-communist and supported by the Soviet Union.
- This lack of mutually understanding the ideology, would lead the world down a very dangerous path. It led to the development of weapons with extreme destructive capability and the creation of some policies such as MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction.
BERLIN BLOCKADE
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The Berlin Blockade was by the Soviet Union striving for, in 1948, the limit of ability of France, Great Britain, and the United States to travel to their sectors of Berlin, which lay within, Russian-occupied, East Germany. Although, Western Powers initiated an airlift, lasting almost a year, that delivered supplies and relief to West Berlin. It came three years after World War Two, the blockade was the "first major clash of the Cold War" and foreshadowed future conflict in Europe. The Cold War was the main cause of the Berlin Blockade, which was only starting. Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, started taking over eastern Europe, through salami tactics. Czechoslovakia had just become communist in March, 1948. The U.S. also had just embraced the Truman Doctrine, which it's mission was to "contain" the USSR. The Berlin Blockade was an just another in the Cold War between the superpowers. Another cause of the Berlin Blockade was that the U.S. and the USSR had different ideas with what they wanted to do with Germany. The USSR already disagreements with Britain and the U.S. at the Potsdam Conference, in July, 1945. Joseph Stalin wanted to destroy Germany and the USSR had already been stripping East Germany of its wealth and machinery. Whereas, Britain and the U.S. wanted to rebuild Germany's industry so they would become a wealthy trading partner. These differences were the primary cause of the Berlin Blockade. There were also three events that led Joseph Stalin to block off borders in Berlin. In January, 1947, the U.S. and Britain joined their two zones together and were then called Bizonia. When the Soviet Union realized that the U.S. and Britain were starting to create a strong, new Germany, they were furious. Then, on March 31, 1948, Congress voted for the Marshall Aid. Joseph Stalin then saw this as an attempt to subvert Soviet influence upon eastern Europe. Soon after, the Soviet Union began stopping road and rail traffic into Berlin. Lastly, on June 1, Britain and the U.S. announced that they wanted to create West Germany. Then on June 23, they instituted a new currency into Bizonia and into western Berlin. People soon began to change their money into the new currency, they thought it was worth more. The Soviets soon put a stop to this and stopped traffic in Berlin. The consequences of the Berlin Blockade was that it started an "all-out war". Another consequence was that NATO and the Warsaw Pact were also established. Germany also split up due to the Berlin Blockade.
WORKS CITED
- "What Caused The Berlin Blockade." What Caused The Berlin Blockade. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.