Cold War - Definition

Understanding the Cold War: Definition and Key Concepts

The Cold War (1947-1991) was a rivalry between the USA and USSR. Both superpowers avoided direct war but fought proxy wars.

What was the Cold War?

The Cold War was a political and military rivalry between the USA and USSR.
The Cold War started in 1947 after World War II ended in 1945.
The Cold War ended in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.
The Cold War involved ideological conflict between capitalism and communism.
- The Cold War never led to direct war between the USA and USSR.

Superpowers in the Cold War

The USA and the USSR were the Cold War's superpowers.
- The USA supported democracy and capitalism.
- The USSR supported communism and a one-party government.
Both superpowers built large nuclear arsenals to show strength.
Both superpowers competed for influence worldwide.

Rivalry between superpowers

The USA and USSR competed in arms, space, and politics.
The USA launched the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe and stop communism.
The USSR created the Warsaw Pact to oppose NATO.
The rivalry caused fear and tension globally.
- Each superpower aimed to spread its ideology.

Proxy wars

The USA and USSR fought indirect wars called proxy wars.
- Proxy wars allowed the superpowers to avoid direct fighting
The Korean War (1950-1953) was a proxy war between communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea.
The Vietnam War (1955-1975) involved USA support for South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam.
The Afghanistan War (1979-1989) saw USSR invading Afghanistan, with USA supporting rebels.

Why wasn't it a direct war?

The USA and USSR avoided direct war to prevent nuclear destruction.
Both superpowers used diplomacy, espionage, and propaganda instead of fighting.
The fear of Mutually Assured Destruction stopped direct war.
The Cold War stayed 'cold' because of this mutual caution.
- Indirect conflicts kept the tension high without open war.

Key dates and events

1947: Cold War begins with the Truman Doctrine.
1949: NATO forms as a Western military alliance.
1955: Warsaw Pact forms in response to NATO.
1962: Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world close to nuclear war.
1991: The Soviet Union collapses, ending the Cold War.

Socialism and Communism in the 20th Century

The main communist countries in the 20th century were the Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Cuba.

Famine and socialism in the 20th century

Between 1917 and 2017, communist governments presided over the deaths of 100 million of their own citizens.
- The collectivisation of farming transferred food production and individual farmlands to a government-owned farming project.
Once the government controlled all the country's food, food could be withheld from people to make them do as the government wanted.
Poor organisation, incompetence, or lack of information also lead to less deliberate famines.

Concentration of power and socialism in the 20th century

In socialism, all economic and political decisions in a society are made centrally. Power is naturally concentrated into the hands of a very small number of people, a bit like a dictatorship.
- In Cambodia, a communist party, the Khmer Rouge killed up to 2 million Cambodians, including political rivals and enemies of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge leader.

Incentives and socialism in the 20th century

In socialism, a small number of individuals decide everything that must be produced in a country.
- An individual is told what to produce, and they are not permitted to produce anything else.
There is little incentive for workers to work hard, as people gain no additional benefit for working harder or for making higher-quality products.

Incentives and socialism in the 20th century 2

Although social planners try to guide and control economies, they have the brainpower, innovation and information of only a small number of individuals in government.
Since China shifted closer to a capitalist model, companies like Tencent and Alibaba were founded, and innovation in China and the standard of living has risen rapidly.

1Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair?

1.1What were the Motives and Aims at Versailles?

1.1.1The Treaty of Versailles

1.1.2Roles of Wilson, Clemenceau & George

1.2Did the Victors Get Everything They Wanted?

1.2.1The Terms: Territory

1.2.2The Terms: Reparations

1.2.3The Terms: Armaments

1.2.4The Terms: War Guilt

1.2.5The League of Nations

1.2.6French Reaction

1.2.7American Reaction

1.2.8British Reaction

1.2.9Countries Left Out of the Treaty of Versailles

1.3What was the Impact on Germany up to 1923?

1.3.1German Reaction to the Treaty

1.3.2Germany’s Allies

1.3.3Economic Impacts: Ruhr & Hyperinflation

1.3.4Social Impacts of the Treaty in Germany

1.3.5Political Impacts of the Treaty on Germany

1.3.6Reducing Reparation: The Dawes Plan

1.4Could the Treaty be Justified at the Time?

1.4.1Positives & Negatives

1.4.2Contemporary Opinions About the Treaty

2Was the League of Nations a Success?

2.1How did Weaknesses in the League Lead to Failure?

2.1.1The League of Nations

2.1.2Structure of the League: Assembly & Council

2.1.3Structure of the League: Special Commissions

2.1.4Structure of the League: Permanent Court

2.1.5Structure of the League: Secretariat

2.1.6Financial Crisis in the World

2.2The League’s Success in Peacekeeping

2.2.1Successes: International Borders

2.2.2Successes: International Agreements

2.2.3Failures: Vilna (1920)

2.2.4Åland Islands 1920-21

2.2.5Failures: Corfu 1923

2.2.6Failures: Bulgaria 1925

2.3How Important was the League's Humanitarian Work?

2.3.1Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 1

2.3.2Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 2

2.4How did the Depression Impact the League?

2.4.1The Great Depression, 1929

2.4.2The Manchurian Crisis, 1931

2.4.3Invasion of Abyssinia, 1935

3How did Hitler's Foreign Policy Impact the War?

3.1What were the Long-Term Consequences of Versailles

3.1.1Long-Term Consequences of Versailles

3.2What were the Consequences of the League's Failure

3.2.1The Disarmament Conference

3.2.2Collapse of the League of Nations

3.2.3Tension in Europe in the 1930s

3.2.4WWII & Failure of the League of Nations

3.2.5Weak Nations

3.3Was the Policy of Appeasement Justified?

3.3.1The Spanish Civil War, 1936-39

3.3.2The Sudetenland

3.3.3Arguments for Appeasement

3.3.4Arguments Against Appeasement

3.3.5Reasons & Acts of Appeasement

3.3.6Impact of Appeasement

3.4How Important was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

3.4.1The Nazi-Soviet Pact

3.4.2The Polish Crisis & the Outbreak of War

3.5Why did Britain & France Declare War on Germany?

3.5.1The Guarantee for Poland and the War

3.5.2Hitler’s Foreign Policy & Rearmament

3.5.3Hitler's Plan

3.5.4The Saar

3.5.5Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

3.5.6The Rome-Berlin Axis

3.5.7Germany & Italy in the Spanish War

3.5.8The Anti-Comintern Pact

3.5.9Anschluss with Austria

3.5.10The Munich Agreement

3.5.11The Crisis over Czechoslovakia

4Who was to Blame for the Cold War?

4.1Why did the US-Soviet Alliance Break Down?

4.1.1Cold War - Definition

4.1.2The Grand Alliance

4.1.3The 1945 Summit Conferences

4.1.4Early US-Soviet Relations

4.1.5The Breakdown of the US-Soviet Alliance

4.1.6Attitudes of Truman & Stalin

4.1.7US & Soviet Attitudes to Peace

4.2How did the USSR Gain Control of Eastern Europe?

4.2.1The USSR & Eastern Europe

4.3How did the US React to Soviet Expansionism?

4.3.1The Beginning of the Cold War

4.3.2The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

4.3.3East-West Boundaries

4.3.4Berlin Crisis

4.4What were the Consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

4.4.1Germany

4.4.2Bizonia

4.4.3Berlin Blockade

4.4.4FRG & GDR

4.4.5NATO

4.4.6Warsaw Pact

4.5Who was More to Blame for Starting the Cold War?

4.5.1The Responsibility for Cold War Tensions

4.5.2Blame on the USRR

4.5.3Blame on the US

4.5.4Sharing the Blame

5Did the US Contain the Spread of Communism?

5.1The US and Korea, 1950-53

5.1.1The US and Korea: Background to the Crisis

5.1.2The Korean War

5.1.3The Course of the Korean War

5.2The US and Cuba, 1959-62

5.2.1Build-Up to the Cuban Missile Crisis

5.2.2The Cuban Missile Crisis

5.2.3Consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis

5.3The US and Vietnam, 1955-75

5.3.1French Rule in Vietnam

5.3.2President Eisenhower

5.3.3President Kennedy

5.3.4The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 1964

5.3.5US Tactics

5.3.6Vietcong Tactics

5.3.7The Vietcong

5.3.8The My Lai Massacre, 1968

5.3.9Vietnamisation

5.3.10The Tet Offensive, 1968

5.3.11Attacks on Cambodia & Laos

5.3.12The Bombing of North Vietnam

5.3.13The Failure of Vietnamisation

5.3.14The Growth of Opposition

5.3.15The Draft System

5.3.16The Kent State University Shootings, 1970

5.3.17Political Opposition

5.3.18Reasons for Support 1

5.3.19Reasons for Support 2

5.3.20Political Support

5.3.21Peace Negotiations

5.3.22The Paris Peace Accords, 1973

5.3.23Economic & Human Costs 1

5.3.24Economic & Human Costs 2

5.3.25The Strengths of North Vietnam 1

5.3.26The Strengths of North Vietnam 2

5.3.27The Weaknesses of the US 1

5.3.28The Weaknesses of the US 2

5.3.29Opposition in the US

5.3.30Reasons Why USA Lost

6How was USSR's Control Over Eastern Europe?

6.1Opposition to Control in Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.1.1Causes of Opposition

6.1.2The Hungarian Uprising

6.1.3Czechoslovakia, 1968

6.1.4Reaction to the Brezhnev Doctrine

6.2Similarities Between Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.2.1Hungary and Czechoslovakia 1

6.2.2Hungary & Czechoslovakia 2

6.3Why was the Berlin Wall Built?

6.3.1The Berlin Wall 1

6.3.2The Berlin Wall 2

6.3.3The U2 Crisis

6.4Solidarity in Poland & Soviet Influence

6.4.1Solidarity in Poland

6.5Gorbachev's Responsibility

6.5.1Reagan & Gorbachev

6.5.2Reagan and the ‘Second Cold War’

6.5.3The Collapse of Soviet Control

6.5.4The Collapse of the USSR

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