2nd Class- Trigger of the Cold War

In this second class, we first saw some videos, and then we talked about the situation of Germany (1948- 1949) and the terms of NATO.

Videos

The Origin of Godzilla: Inspired in the nuclear power, a metaphor to the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Sound of Stalin subbid: cartoon of an american portraying Staling aims.

Duck and Cover (1951): How to survive a nuclear atomic bomb?

Berlin before the Crises

• The 5 Ds proposed at Postdam were applicated.
• Germany was divided in two, controlled by five powers.
• Germany was administrated by the Allied Control Council (Acc) and Berlin was under the Kommandatura.

Berlin Crises (1948)

• Division of Berlin in two.
• Two ideas about economic future of Germany: Pastorlization (USSR) and Industralization (West).
• Deutsche Mark.

The Berlin Blockade (June 1948- May 1949)

Berlin’s occupied sectors were four: USA, Great Britain, France and the USSR. Stalin blockade the western powers.

Video: How was Germany after the Second World War. (In this video is mentioned that the Soviet Union anex Eastern Poland).

Berlin Airlif:As the allies were unable to supply Berlin through land, they designed a scheme of three flight routes.

Aftermath of the Berlin Blockade

• Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Democratic  Republic of Germany (East Germany) until 1990.
• The Iron Curtain became permanent.
• The two superpowers began an Arms Race.
• In 1949, the Allies set up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a military alliance to resist Soviet Russia.

     NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defense.

New Concept: Collective Defense

An arrangement that commit support between members if there was an attack by any external party.

Increase of Mutual Suspicions (1949- 1953)

•         Soviet Atomic Bombs: Tsar Bomba, H- Bombs (hydrogen bombs). 
•     Mao Zedong controls China: The People’s Republic of China was established on October 1,     1949. It was the culmination over two decades of civil and international wars.
•          McCarthy begins Communist witch hunt.