The Heirs of War

1
The Heirs of War
2
The New World

• In 1945, the United states was the only major
  power whose territory had not been devastated by
  world war 2.
• The U.S had large oil deposits, and produced more
  than half of the worlds industrial and
  agricultural production.
• America had replaced Europe as the leader of the
  industrialized world.

3
USSR

• The Soviet Union had lost an estimated 20 million
  soldiers in the war. It contained the largest
  land mass of any country, and it had a wealth of
  resources.
• The USSR also had control of the Eastern European
  countries which had vast technical skills and
  industrial equipment.

4
Competition

• These two vast superpowers began to dominate
  world politics and forced the other countries of
  the world to choose sides.
• The world was also very unstable at this time as
  many nations were rebuilding after the war.
• Some nations took advantage of Britains weakness
  and fought for independence. I.E India
• Nations hoped that the two superpowers could
  remain friendly and provide stability in the
  world.

5

• This was not to be.
• The world became separated in a battle of West
  (U.S, Britain, France etc.versus East (U.S.S.R,
  China, East Germany)
• It was also a war of ideals. Democracy versus
  Communism
• Free Market Liberalism versus Centrally plan
  economies.

6
Origins of the Conflict

• Relationships between the U.S and U.S.S.R were
  never friendly.
• In 1917 the Russian revolutionary ideas spread to
  the U.S calling for a more socialist style of
  government.
• The U.S tried to overthrow the communist
  government to stop the spread of communism
  throughout the world.

7
Origins of the Conflict

• In 1939, the U.S.S.R signed a secret
  non-aggression pact with Germany saying they
  would not attack each other if war broke out.
• This angered the west and caused great tensions
  between the USSR and the US.
• In 1941 Germany attacked the USSR and broke the
  treaty. The USSR then joined with the western
  nations for the war.

8
American and British Perspectives

• With the end of the war came an end of
  cooperation between the two powers.
• Soviet expansion was a very serious threat to the
  West. They needed access to foreign markets and
  economies for trade.
• The USSR had troops in Central Europe
  (Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary). And the
  US did not believe their explanation that it was
  for defensive purposes.

9

• In 1947 a communist government was imposed on
  Soviet occupied Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
• This went against the Yalta conference which
  guaranteed free elections throughout Europe.
• In Greece, the Soviets funded an uprising to
  overthrow the British backed Royalist government.
• They also pressured Turkey to give up the straits
  of the black sea so they would have access to the
  Mediterranean.

10

• The U.S intervened by providing 400 million in
  aid to assist the governments of Greece and
  Turkey.
• This led to the creation of the Truman Doctrine.
• This doctrine gave the US the right to support
  free people from outside pressures or armed
  minorities and promised the US would contain the
  threat of communism throughout the world.

11
Soviet Perspective

• The Soviet Union was also had bad relations with
  the West as it believed they delayed opening a
  second front in the second world war.
• The USSR was left alone to battle Germany while
  the west did nothing.
• The U.S stopped sending arm shipments to the USSR
  even though it was promised in the lend lease act.

12

• The Soviets also felt the US use of the atomic
  bomb on Hiroshima was a deliberately designed to
  intimidate them.
• Stalin also did not believe in capitalism and
  wanted to form a trade union called COMECON
  Council for Mutual Economic assistance. This
  would be blocked off from trading with the West
  and contained China and Central Europe.

13
Nuclear Arms Race

• The Atomic Bomb quickly brought an end to the war
  in the pacific. The U.S agreed to peace with
  Japan afterwards.
• The Soviets and Americans proposed that all
  nuclear weapons should be eliminated.
• The U.N should have control over the technology
  but neither nations could agree on the details of
  how it should be done. They did not trust each
  other enough.

14

• The USSR developed an atomic bomb in 1949. 4
  years later the US developed a hydrogen bomb 1000
  times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima
• Within a year the Soviets did the same
• The U.S developed bombers that could deliver the
  weapon and also had advanced ballistic missiles
  with better accuracy. It looked as though the
  US was winning

15
ICBM

• In 1957, the USSR developed the first
  Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. This could
  reach anywhere in the US from the USSR.
• The US developed one a year later.
• By 1970 each superpower had enough missiles to
  destroy all the cities in the others country 12
  times.

16

• Britain 1949, France 1956, and China 1964 also
  acquired Nuclear technologies during this time.
• The world was afraid of Nukes getting into the
  wrong hands and began signing treaties designed
  to stop the spread.
• Non nuclear proliferation treaty, SALT 1 and 2
  were all enacted to control the spread of Nuclear
  technologies.

17

• The U.S failed to ratify the SALT 2 and has
  routinely broken the Non proliferation treaty by
  testing and developing missile defense.
• These treaties were designed to reduce the number
  of nuclear missiles and research in technology.
• Although it was designed with the purpose of
  reducing arms, it made no real difference.

18
Nuclear Diplomacy

• Neither side ever wanted a Nuclear war
• It was mutually decided that if one country was
  attacked than the other would respond. This made
  the act of first strike improbably
• Mutual destruction would be the only thing
  accomplished.
• The Cuban Missile crisis was the closest to
  nuclear destruction the world has come.

19
MAD and Detente

• MAD Mutually Assured Destruction. If one
  nation ever attacked it would mean the
  destruction of both nations. Led to Detente
• Détente a period of peace and relaxing of
  tension.