Video 16 The Cold War - Part 1

Summary

This review video delves into the complex history of the Cold War, starting from its origins post-World War II. It highlights the ideological rift between the United States and the USSR, the arms race, and key incidents like the U-2 affair and the Space Race. The script discusses the Iron Curtain, the division of Germany, the Berlin Blockade, and the construction of the Berlin Wall. It also touches on U.S. policies like the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan aimed at preventing communism's spread, emphasizing the containment strategy and economic aid to vulnerable nations.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The Cold War was a prolonged conflict between the United States and the USSR that lasted for decades and was characterized by a lack of direct military confrontation due to the threat of nuclear warfare.
• 🤝 Initially, the US and the USSR were allies during World War II, but their alliance quickly deteriorated after the war due to ideological differences and mistrust.
• 🛡️ The concept of the 'Iron Curtain' emerged as a metaphor for the division between the Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the Western democracies, with Eastern Europe becoming a buffer zone for the USSR.
• 🏰 Eastern European countries like Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria were turned into satellite states of the USSR, with forced communist governments.
• 🔄 The West perceived communism as a spreading ideology, leading to the US policy of containment aimed at preventing the spread of communism through financial aid and support.
• 💵 The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan were key US policies that provided financial aid to countries like Greece, Turkey, and Western Europe to counter the influence of communism.
• 🇩🇪 Germany became a focal point of Cold War tensions, with the country divided into East and West, reflecting the broader ideological split between the communist East and the democratic West.
• 🛬 The Berlin Blockade was an attempt by the Soviet Union to force the Western Allies out of Berlin, which was countered by the Western airlift of supplies to the city.
• 🧱 The Berlin Wall was constructed by the Soviet Union in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin, symbolizing the physical division of the city and the ideological split.
• 🚀 The Cold War also included an arms race and space race, with incidents like the U-2 spy plane and the competition to reach space heightening tensions between the superpowers.
• 🌐 The Cold War had a significant impact on global politics, shaping alliances, conflicts, and the balance of power during the period.

Q & A

What is the Cold War and why was it called 'Cold'?

The Cold War refers to the prolonged state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies, after World War II. It is called 'Cold' because it was characterized by psychological and proxy warfare, instead of direct military conflict between the two superpowers, due to the presence of nuclear weapons which made a 'hot' war unthinkable.

Why did the relationship between the United States and the USSR deteriorate after World War II?

The relationship deteriorated because, despite being allies during World War II, the ideological differences between the democratic capitalist West and the communist Soviet Union remained. The West viewed the USSR as a threat due to its communist ideology, and the USSR saw the capitalist West as imperialistic enemies.

What was the significance of the Potsdam Conference in the context of the Cold War?

The Potsdam Conference was significant as it marked the beginning of the Cold War. It was during this conference that the tensions between the Allies became evident, especially regarding the future of Eastern Europe and Germany, leading to the division of Germany and the establishment of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

What is the Iron Curtain and how did it symbolize the division between the East and the West?

The Iron Curtain was a metaphorical term used to describe the political, military, and ideological barrier imposed by the Soviet Union on the countries it occupied in Eastern Europe. It symbolized the division between the communist Eastern Bloc and the democratic Western Bloc, as it represented the lack of freedom and the forced spread of communism in the East.

Why did the Soviet Union want to control Eastern Europe after World War II?

The Soviet Union wanted to control Eastern Europe to create a buffer zone against potential invasions from the West. Stalin saw the capitalist countries of Western Europe as enemies and needed a way to protect the USSR from any military threats.

What was the policy of containment and how did it aim to address the spread of communism?

The policy of containment was a strategy adopted by the United States to prevent the spread of communism. It involved providing financial aid and support to countries to strengthen their economies and make them less susceptible to communist influence, thereby 'containing' the spread of communism.

What were the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, and how did they relate to the policy of containment?

The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan were both initiatives of the United States to support countries financially in order to prevent the spread of communism. The Truman Doctrine provided aid to Greece and Turkey, while the Marshall Plan provided massive economic aid to Western Europe to help rebuild their economies after World War II, thereby strengthening them against communist influence.

Why was Germany a focal point of conflict during the Cold War?

Germany was a focal point of conflict because it was divided between the Soviet-occupied East, which became communist, and the Western Allies' zones, which were not. The division of Germany, including the capital city of Berlin, into East and West represented the larger ideological struggle between communism and capitalism.

What was the Berlin Blockade and how did the Western Allies respond to it?

The Berlin Blockade was an act by the Soviet Union to cut off all land and water routes to West Berlin in an attempt to force the Western Allies to abandon their zones in the city. The Western Allies responded by organizing the Berlin Airlift, flying in supplies to the city by airplane, which ultimately led to the end of the blockade.

What was the Berlin Wall and what was its purpose?

The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier constructed by the Soviet Union to completely divide East and West Berlin. Its purpose was to prevent East Germans from escaping to West Berlin and to solidify the division between the communist East and the democratic West.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Origins of the Cold War

This paragraph sets the stage for a multi-part review of the Cold War, a complex and lengthy conflict that lasted for decades. It begins with the end of World War II, highlighting the uneasy alliance between the United States and the USSR, which quickly deteriorated after the war due to ideological differences and mutual distrust. The Cold War is characterized as a battle between the US and the USSR, with the arms race and nuclear weapons playing a central role in preventing direct conflict. The paragraph also introduces key terms such as the Iron Curtain, the Potsdam Conference, and the concept of containment, which was the US policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

05:01

🛡️ Containment and Economic Strategies

The second paragraph delves into the concept of containment, the US policy designed to stop the spread of communism, which was perceived as a global threat. It discusses the use of economic aid as a tool to prevent countries from turning to communism, especially in financially unstable nations. The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan are highlighted as key initiatives that provided financial support to Greece, Turkey, and Western Europe to bolster their economies and counter communist influence. The paragraph also touches on the symbolic representation of communism in Western media, like the octopus cartoon, and the fear of communism spreading across borders.

10:04

🇩🇪 The Division of Germany and Berlin

This paragraph focuses on the geopolitical implications of the Cold War, particularly the division of Germany and the city of Berlin. It describes the post-World War II occupation of Germany by the Allied forces, with the Soviet Union controlling the eastern part and other Allies controlling the western regions. The Soviet Union's decision to maintain communist governments in its occupied areas led to the establishment of East Germany as a communist state and West Germany as a non-communist one. The narrative also covers the Berlin Blockade, where the Soviet Union attempted to force the Allies out of West Berlin by cutting off land access, and the subsequent Western response of the Berlin Airlift. The paragraph concludes with the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 by the Soviet Union to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.

Keywords

💡Cold War

The Cold War refers to the prolonged state of political and military tension between the United States and its Western allies, and the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies, from the end of World War II until the early 1990s. It is a central theme of the video, highlighting the ideological conflict between capitalism and communism, and the various strategies employed by both sides to avoid direct military confrontation while seeking global influence.

💡Non-aggression Pact

A non-aggression pact is a treaty between two or more parties where they agree not to engage in armed conflict with one another. In the context of the video, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union is mentioned, which was later violated by Hitler, leading to the USSR joining the Allies against Germany.

💡Allies

In the script, the term 'Allies' refers to the countries that fought against the Axis powers during World War II, primarily the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. The video discusses how the Allies, despite being on the same side during WWII, had underlying tensions that would later lead to the Cold War.

💡Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons are weapons that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions. The video emphasizes the role of nuclear weapons in shaping the Cold War, as both the US and the USSR possessed these weapons, which deterred them from engaging in a full-scale 'hot war' due to the potential for mutual destruction.

💡Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain was a metaphorical barrier that symbolized the division between the Western Bloc and Eastern Bloc in Europe during the Cold War. The video explains how the Soviet Union established control over Eastern Europe, creating a buffer zone of communist satellite states that separated the USSR from the capitalist West.

💡Potsdam Conference

The Potsdam Conference was a meeting between the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union towards the end of World War II. The video script mentions this conference as a key event where the seeds of the Cold War were sown, with disagreements over the post-war settlement and the future of Europe.

💡Containment

Containment was a foreign policy strategy adopted by the United States to prevent the spread of communism. The video describes how the US aimed to contain the influence of the Soviet Union and its ideology by providing financial aid and support to countries to strengthen their economies and resist communist infiltration.

💡Truman Doctrine

The Truman Doctrine was a policy by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to provide economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism. The video script uses this as an example of the U.S.'s efforts to prevent the spread of communism, specifically mentioning financial aid to Greece and Turkey.

💡Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to provide economic support to Western Europe after World War II, with the aim of rebuilding economies and preventing the spread of communism. The video highlights this plan as a significant U.S. strategy during the Cold War to strengthen Western Europe and counter Soviet influence.

💡Berlin Blockade

The Berlin Blockade was an act by the Soviet Union to cut off Western Allies' access to the city of Berlin, which was located within Soviet-occupied East Germany. The video describes the blockade as an attempt by the Soviets to force the Allies to abandon their occupation of West Berlin, which was ultimately unsuccessful due to the Western airlift of supplies.

💡Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) starting in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin. The video script discusses the wall as a symbol of division and a tool used by the Soviet Union to control the movement of people and maintain the separation between the communist East and the democratic West.

Highlights

The Cold War is a complex and lengthy conflict that is divided into multiple parts for review.

The Cold War began with the end of World War II, where the United States and the USSR were initially allies but later became adversaries.

The USSR viewed the capitalist West as a threat, and vice versa, leading to the breakdown of the alliance post-World War II.

The term 'Cold War' signifies the absence of direct large-scale warfare due to the nuclear deterrent.

Nuclear weapons and the arms race were central to the Cold War, preventing an all-out conflict.

The Iron Curtain symbolizes the division of Europe into Western and Soviet-controlled territories after World War II.

Stalin's change of mind at the Potsdam Conference marked the beginning of the Cold War, with Eastern Europe becoming a buffer zone for the USSR.

Eastern European countries became satellite nations of the USSR, forced to adopt communist governments.

The West perceived communism as an ideology aimed at global spread, prompting the policy of containment by the United States.

The United States used financial aid as a weapon against the spread of communism, exemplified by the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

Germany's division into East and West during the Cold War highlights the ideological split and the struggle for influence.

The Berlin Blockade was an attempt by the Soviet Union to force the West out of Berlin, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

The Berlin Airlift demonstrated Western resilience in the face of Soviet attempts to control the city.

The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 was a physical manifestation of the division between East and West Germany.

The video promises to cover the Chinese Communist Revolution and its implications in the next installment.

Transcripts

hi we are up to the next review video

now we're going to take a look at the

Cold War as you can see I'm splitting

this into a couple of different parts

and the reason is the Cold War is a very

very long conflict that lasts for

decades and it's pretty complex so we're

gonna have to take it in a couple of

different pieces alright so let's start

with let's start with where the Cold War

began and it begins with the end of

world war two if you remember during

world war two United States and the USSR

we're actually on the same side if you

remember from our last video Hitler and

Stalin had signed a non-aggression pact

and when Hitler violated that pact

Stalin changed sides and joined the

Allies but by no means did he feel like

you know he was a welcome part of the

team the West which are generally

democratic capitalist imperialist

societies viewed communists this the

Communist Soviet Union as a threat they

didn't trust communists at enlight

communism and similarly the USSR viewed

the imperialist West as an capitalist

West as enemies and so very quickly

after the end of World War two these

former allies start to fall apart so

it's basically you know like I said it's

when you think of the Cold War the

easiest way to think of it is a battle

between the United States and the USSR

if we start at the top of this graphic

really the reason why they call this the

Cold War versus the hot war or something

like that cold war just references the

fact that even though the United States

and the USSR hated each other's guts at

the end of the day they could not have a

no-holds-barred you know to the death

fight to the end

and the reasons was because of nuclear

weapons it had changed the nature of

warfare you couldn't go all-out anymore

because he would end up wiping each

other off of the face of the earth

so this battle over nuclear domination

this arms race is a key element in this

fight and if you go through these are

some other highlights you know a couple

of other incidents of issues like the

u-2 incident the space race things like

that that just kind of heated up

tensions we're gonna talk about the

different alliances we're gonna talk

about the Iron Curtain Germany is a key

area where the US and the USSR are going

to come into conflict the different US

policies against communism against the

Soviet Union and the Potsdam Conference

Potsdam Conference again is really where

the the Cold War begins

all right so let's move on first thing

let's talk about is the Iron Curtain

what happens is is if you remember again

at the end of world war two there were

two conferences the first was the alter

conference and the Yalta Conference is

the one where Roosevelt takes part so

everybody's sitting down and in that one

the Soviet Union had occupied Eastern

Europe which is kind of standard

operating procedure for any war if

you've conquered a person you wouldn't

just necessarily let them you know go

off and do their business without

keeping an eye on it so the Soviet Union

had had troops stationed in Eastern

Europe after they had been taken back

from the Nazis during the Yalta however

Stalin had promised to give those areas

self-determination and and leave those

countries but by the time the Potsdam

Conference comes Stalinist changed his

mind he has said that he needs to

control Eastern Europe he needs to make

sure that Eastern Europe are going to be

communist regimes because he needs a

buffer zone he has this fear that if

Western Europe as you can see from the

map Italy Austria France all of these

countries of Western Europe England he

considers them enemies if and you know

he doesn't want the USSR to be invaded

so what happens is the idea is is that

if they wanted to invade the USSR they'd

have to go through all these countries

first so they would act as a buffer zone

so these countries of East

Europe as you can see from the map

Poland East Germany Czechoslovakia

Hungary Romania Bulgaria will all be

known as satellite nations so satellites

of the USSR and they are all forced to

have communist governments they have no

choice they must have communist

governments and those communist

governments are going to kind of take

orders from the Soviet Union all right

if you take a look at this cartoon

whenever you see an octopus anything

shown is an octopus it always means you

know obviously the key feature of an

octopus is all the arms that somebody's

gonna be able to grab grab grab lots of

stuff you see the red color you see the

you know the hammer and the sickle

that's always the sign of communism and

naturally the face of Stalin so what is

this communist Stalin doing he's trying

to grab grab grab and that's the idea

the idea is is that the West saw

communism as a philosophy that they

wanted to spread

it's it's you know that's the idea of

communism the idea of communism is that

all workers all the proletariat's are

united and it doesn't matter national

borders don't matter all the proletariat

should stay together and fight off the

booze huazi so there was this fear that

communism was looking to spread so that

is how the United States kind of

formulates this policy which is known as

basically containment that the idea is

is that the US can't attack the Soviet

Union by this time very shortly after

the US has developed a nuclear bomb the

Soviet Union has a nuclear bomb as well

so they know they're not gonna wipe the

Soviet Union off the face of the earth

but they want to keep communism from

spreading they want to stop communism

from spreading and that is the idea of

containment all right if you take a look

at this picture this is a cartoon the

figure on the Left represents Uncle Sam

the figures on the right are communist

communist soldiers that were trying to

come in

to Greece and Turkey and if you notice

Uncle Sam is holding a weapon he's

holding a gun but there's something

special about the gun if you notice it's

got a dollar sign on it that's the idea

what's the best weapon to use if you

want to stop communism from spreading

well if you remember from the Industrial

Revolution lessons what the philosophy

of communism is it's all about the idea

that we should take wealth from the

bourgeoisie from the owners it should be

distributed to the workers there should

be more fairness more a wealth is spread

around Society so as you can imagine the

people are gonna who are going to be

most receptive to that message is gonna

be the poor worker right it's not gonna

be the wealthy owner of the factory he's

gonna hate communism because he knows

he's not gonna do very well under it but

what happens is if you have generally

speaking the idea you know obviously

there are exceptions on either side but

the general idea is is when you have a

very poor country with a lot of poor

people those are the types of societies

those are the types of people who are

going to be most receptive most open to

the idea of turning to communism so for

if America wants them to stop communism

from coming you want to make sure that

you don't have countries that are in bad

you know in a bad financial state so the

best way to do that is to loan to give

these countries money and that's what

the u.s. ends up doing we provide

financial aid to countries to prevent

the spread of communism the first one is

the Truman Doctrine where we gave

financial and financial aid to Greece

and Turkey but the one and it comes up

on the comes up on the region's most is

the Marshall Plan the Marshall Plan we

give millions and millions of dollars to

Western Europe be in because we want the

Western Europe has obviously been the

economy of Western Europe is really

after World War two with all the

bombings and all destruction and all the

death the economy of Europe is really in

trouble so the United States gives a lot

of aid millions and millions of dollars

of aid to Western Europe to help their

economies get going again okay

if you remember from the first slide I

told you that one of the areas that has

seized a lot of conflict during this

Cold War period is Germany

all right so if you take a look at the

map on the left as you can see once

Germany once Hitler has been defeated as

I said it's kind of standard operating

procedure for the winning country to

occupy the losing country and that's

what happened here and Germany is

occupied by Allied forces Soviet Union

gets the eastern portion of the country

England gets this northern portion you

see France gets a section America gets a

section what happens is is again as I

said the Soviet Union decides that it

will not allow the areas under its

occupation to go free instead it's going

to maintain communist governments so

what happens is is the country of

Germany ends up becoming split during

the Cold War there becomes two Germany's

there is the country of East Germany

which is communist and the country of

West Germany which is not communist what

can get confusing is if you see on the

picture you see there's a circle drawn

and that circle is the capital of Berlin

and as you can see the capital of

Germany Berlin is located inside East

Germany but what's interesting about the

capital city is while the Allies split

the entire country into four pieces

they also split the city of Berlin into

four pieces because Berlin was the

capital city so they all have maintained

they all occupied the city Berlin what

happens is the Soviet Union doesn't like

the idea of all these Westerners coming

in and out of East Germany so they

decide that they want to prevent this

they want to force the Allies to give up

their control of Berlin and the way they

do with it is they cut off access to

Berlin they tell the West you will have

no access to pretend they'll starve the

city they'll give the city nothing until

the West gives up their Aryan bro

and that Berlin like the rest of East

Germany goes communist well that's not

what happens instead even though they

cut off access by Road the west ends up

flying in supplies so if you've ever

seen you can picture if you've ever seen

Hunger Games or they would drop in

supplies on on you know parachute kind

of like that huge huge crates of food

were dropped by plane by air to the

people of Berlin and once the Soviet

Union realizes that their plan has

failed they give it up all right so that

takes us that's in 1949 48 to 49 by 1961

the Soviet Union has decided they're not

going to be able to get the West to give

up their portion of Berlin so instead

they decide to build a wall and there is

a literal wall that divides the city of

Berlin the eastern half of the city is

communist the western half is not if you

have the time I invite you to go to my

website check out there's a great video

from The History Channel that talks

about the Berlin wall really makes it

clear but but that was the idea it this

wall is gonna prevent East Germans from

escaping into West Berlin and leaving

Germany alright with that I'm gonna take

a little break check out the next video

bear in mind we're gonna in addition to

this conflict between the US and the

USSR in the next video I believe we may

get into the Chinese Communist

revolution as China also adopts

communism alright let's go