Lernzettel: Cold War: Origins and Key Events

📋 Course Outline

1. Cold War origins and Yalta-Potsdam
2. Containment and the Marshall Plan
3. Berlin Blockade and alliance system
4. Korean War to Sputnik
5. Cuban Missile Crisis and nuclear tension
6. Détente and Eastern Europe
7. Afghanistan and the end of détente

📖 1. Cold War origins and Yalta-Potsdam

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Cold War : A period of intense tension between the USA and the USSR without direct fighting because both had nuclear weapons.
• Ideological rivalry : A clash where the USA supported capitalism and democracy while the USSR supported communism and one-party rule.
• Yalta Conference : A 1945 meeting where post-war arrangements were agreed, including division of Germany and promises of free elections in Eastern Europe.
• Potsdam Conference : A 1945 meeting marked by disagreements and growing mistrust, with the atomic bomb and Soviet-backed communist governments shaping outcomes.

📝 Essential Points

• The USA and USSR avoided direct war because both possessed nuclear weapons.
• Stalin pushed for a buffer zone in Eastern Europe after WWII losses.
• At Yalta, Germany was divided into 4 zones and Berlin into 4 zones.
• At Yalta, free elections were promised in Eastern Europe and the United Nations was created.
• At Potsdam, wartime alliance tensions increased as Truman was more anti-communist and Stalin created communist governments in Eastern Europe.

💡 Memory Hook

Yalta=zones and elections; Potsdam=atomic bomb and communist governments.

📖 2. Containment and the Marshall Plan

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Truman Doctrine : A 1947 policy where the USA aimed to stop communism by promising support to countries threatened by it.
• Containment : A strategy adopted by the USA to prevent the spread of communism across Europe and beyond.
• Marshall Plan : A 1947 programme providing large-scale economic aid to rebuild Europe and reduce the appeal of communism.

📝 Essential Points

• The Truman Doctrine was caused by fear of communism spreading to Greece and Turkey.
• The Truman Doctrine increased tensions with the USSR while promising help to threatened countries.
• The Marshall Plan was caused by the need to rebuild Europe and prevent the spread of communism.
• The Marshall Plan gave $13 billion to European countries.
• Stalin viewed the Marshall Plan as American interference.

💡 Memory Hook

Containment uses promises; Marshall uses $13 billion to rebuild and block communism.

📖 3. Berlin Blockade and alliance system

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Berlin Blockade : A 1948-49 action where Stalin blocked routes into West Berlin to pressure Western plans and influence in Germany.
• Berlin Airlift : An American operation supplying West Berlin after Stalin blocked all access routes.
• NATO : A 1949 Western military alliance created in response to fears of Soviet aggression after Berlin.
• COMECON : A 1949 Soviet response to the Marshall Plan that promoted economic cooperation among communist countries.

📝 Essential Points

• The Berlin Blockade was linked to Western influence from the Marshall Plan, a stronger West Germany, and the Deutschmark introduction.
• Stalin blocked all road, rail, and canal routes into West Berlin.
• The USA organised the Berlin Airlift to keep West Berlin supplied.
• After the blockade, NATO was created in 1949 and Germany was divided into East and West Germany.
• COMECON increased Soviet control over Eastern Europe.

💡 Memory Hook

Blockade met Airlift; Blockade also leads to NATO vs COMECON.

📖 4. Korean War to Sputnik

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Korean War : A 1950-53 conflict where North Korea invaded South Korea and the Cold War spread beyond Europe through US containment goals.
• Warsaw Pact : A 1955 communist military alliance formed as a response to NATO.
• Hungarian Uprising : A 1956 revolt seeking more freedom that ended with Soviet invasion and suppression.
• Sputnik : The first satellite launched by the USSR in 1957 during the Space Race, increasing fear of Soviet technology.

📝 Essential Points

• The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea.
• The USA fought to support containment during the Korean War.
• Korea remained divided after 1950-53.
• After Sputnik, the USA accelerated its space programme and fear of Soviet technological power increased.
• During the Hungarian Uprising, Hungary tried to leave the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet army invaded.

💡 Memory Hook

Korea spreads Cold War; Sputnik triggers a tech shock; Hungary shows “force to maintain control.”

📖 5. Cuban Missile Crisis and nuclear tension

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Bay of Pigs : A failed 1961 invasion attempt to remove Castro, which pushed Cuba closer to the USSR and fed into the missile crisis.
• Cuban Missile Crisis : A 1962 crisis triggered by Soviet missiles in Cuba and a US naval blockade, bringing the two sides to the brink of nuclear war.
• Hotline : A direct communication link between leaders established after the Cuban Missile Crisis to reduce risk during crises.
• MAD : Mutually Assured Destruction, where both sides had enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other completely.

📝 Essential Points

• The Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) failed when CIA-trained Cuban exiles invaded Cuba.
• Castro moved closer to the USSR after Bay of Pigs, helping cause the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet missiles were placed in Cuba and U2 photos discovered them.
• Kennedy imposed a naval blockade and Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles.
• The crisis reached the closest point to nuclear war and led to the Hotline and the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

💡 Memory Hook

Bay of Pigs → closer to USSR → missiles in Cuba → blockade → removal.

📖 6. Détente and Eastern Europe

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Détente : A period from 1963-79 marked by relaxation of tensions between the USA and the USSR.
• Prague Spring : A 1968 reform movement in Czechoslovakia led by Dubcek that involved less censorship and more freedom before USSR invasion.
• Brezhnev Doctrine : A doctrine stating the USSR could invade a communist country if it threatened Soviet control.
• Ostpolitik : Efforts in the 1970s to improve relations between East and West Germany, supporting détente.

📝 Essential Points

• Détente was driven by the danger revealed by the Cuban Missile Crisis, the high cost of the arms race, and economic problems in both countries.
• The 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty banned nuclear testing in atmosphere, space, and underwater.
• The 1968 Prague Spring reforms ended when the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia.
• The Brezhnev Doctrine justified USSR intervention when communist control was at risk.
• Helsinki Accords in 1975 were a high point of détente because they addressed security, cooperation, and human rights.

💡 Memory Hook

Prague Spring gets crushed by Brezhnev Doctrine; Ostpolitik smooths Germany relations for détente.

📖 7. Afghanistan and the end of détente

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• SALT II : A détente-linked arms-control agreement mentioned as collapsing after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
• SALT I : A 1972 agreement that limited strategic nuclear weapons and improved relations between the superpowers.
• Soviet invasion of Afghanistan : The 1979 invasion when USSR troops entered Afghanistan, reversing détente and worsening East-West relations.

📝 Essential Points

• In 1972, SALT I limited strategic weapons due to fear of the arms race.
• In 1975, the Helsinki Accords improved cooperation through agreements on security, cooperation, and human rights.
• The USSR invaded Afghanistan (1979) to support a communist government and to avoid losing influence in the region.
• After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, SALT II collapsed and détente ended.
• The USA boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics after Afghanistan.

💡 Memory Hook

Afghanistan ends détente: SALT II collapses and Olympics boycott follows.

📅 Key Dates

Date	Event
1945	Yalta Conference
1945	Potsdam Conference
1947	Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
1948-49	Berlin Blockade
1949	NATO created
1950-53	Korean War
1955	Warsaw Pact
1956	Hungarian Uprising
1957	Sputnik
1960	U2 Incident

⚠️ Common Pitfalls & Confusions

1. Students may mix up the immediate cause of the Cuban Missile Crisis with its long-term Cold War background.
2. Students may confuse the Berlin Blockade immediate trigger (German Deutschmark) with its long-term cause (Cold War rivalry).
3. Students may state NATO was created because of the Marshall Plan directly rather than after the Berlin Blockade and fear of Soviet aggression.
4. Students may claim the Hungarian Uprising succeeded or that the USA intervened, instead of noting Soviet invasion and no US intervention.
5. Students may think détente ended because of the arms race alone rather than linking it to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and SALT II collapse.

✅ Exam Checklist

1. Explain why the Cold War began without direct fighting and link it to nuclear weapons and ideology.
2. List the four-zone decisions at Yalta for Germany and Berlin and state the Yalta promises about Eastern Europe elections.
3. State two factors at Potsdam that increased mistrust and two consequences for the wartime alliance.
4. Describe the cause and consequences of the Truman Doctrine, including containment and tension with the USSR.
5. State the cause, amount ($13 billion), and consequence of the Marshall Plan and Stalin’s interpretation.
6. Give the causes and what Stalin did during the Berlin Blockade and identify the USA response.
7. State the consequences of the Berlin Blockade, including NATO creation in 1949 and Germany’s division.
8. Identify NATO (1949) and COMECON (1949) as alliance responses and link them to Soviet vs Western fears.
9. State the causes and consequences of the Korean War, including that Korea remained divided.
10. Explain how Hungarian Uprising (1956) began and what the USSR did, including the result for Nagy and the Warsaw Pact.
11. State what Sputnik (1957) was, its immediate consequence for US actions, and why it mattered.
12. Connect the Bay of Pigs (1961) to Castro moving closer to the USSR and to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
13. Describe the sequence of events in the Cuban Missile Crisis including Soviet placement, U2 discovery, US blockade, and missile removal agreement.
14. Define MAD and state how it affected the risk of direct war.