Chapter 28: Cold War and a New Western World, 1945-1973

Chapter 28: Cold War and a New Western World, 1945-1973

Introduction: Even though World War Two had caused a lot of destruction and chaos for Europe in general, European nations were on their way to a great recovery. Even by 1950, it was seen that European nation’s industrial and agricultural outputs were 30% above how they were before the war started. But even though you may think World War Two only physically damaged Europe that is definitely not the case. Europe’s power had been also destroyed. This power can also be known as supremacy. Once the Cold War (conflict b/w the U.S. and the Soviet Union) got worse, the European nations were split up into two armed camps.
I. Development of the Cold War
a. Even b4 WW2 was over, the 2 major Allied powers, the U.S. & the Soviet Union, disagreed on what would happen after the war. Peace was kept b/w them during the war bcuz they had to focus on defeating the Axis, but once the war was over, their differences came about again.
b. Confrontation of the Superpowers
i. No1 rlly knows who started the Cold War. But the confrontation b/w the U.S. and the Soviet Union came from their diff historical POVs as well as their political goals; they both wanted to expand their ways of life to the rest of the world. The Soviet Union didn’t want to give up the lands it got in Eastern Europe from Germany’s defeat bcuz it needed to feel secure on its western border. At the same time, the U.S. wasn’t willing to let go of the power & prestige they got throughout the entire world.
ii. Disagreement over Eastern Europe
1. The 1st place of disagreement was Eastern Europe, in which the U.S. & Great Britain supported self-determination & democratic freedom 4 liberated nations there. But Stalin feared tht the Eastern European nations would go back to anti-Soviet feelings if they got free elections, so he went against the West’s plans. After liberating Eastern Europe from the Nazis, the Red Army made pro-Soviet governments in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, & Hungary. These...

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