COLD WAR

COLD WAR
A BIPOLAR WORLD
Bipolar: characterized by opposite extremes, as two
conflicting political philosophies.
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USA
Democratic government
Capitalist economics
Goal of protecting and
promoting global
capitalism
Feared world revolution
USSR
•  Authoritarian government
•  Communist economics
•  Goal of realizing a global
communist revolution
•  Feared counter-revolution
within the Soviet Union
COLD WAR
•  Ideological struggle (not military struggle)
•  Non-traditional weapons:
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Propoganda
Espionage (spying)
Economic and political pressure
Nuclear arms race
•  A fight for global power and influence
AMERICAN STRATEGY
Domino Theory
•  Americans believe that when one country became
communist then the surrounding countries would
soon follow
Therefore
Containment
•  “contain” communism; don’t let it spread
•  At (almost) all cost
EUROPE 1946
Soviet Union
Satellite States
“An Iron Curtain has fallen
across Europe”
US STRATEGY:
TRUMAN DOCTRINE
Truman Doctrine made the
containment strategy official US
policy
•  USA will support those
countries facing subjugation
Harry Truman, President USA
US STRATEGY:
MARSHALL PLAN
Billions of dollars in aid offered
to European countries to:
•  Buy loyalty
•  Buy stability
Harry Truman, President USA
CANADIAN CONCERNS
1945 – Igor Gouzenko, a young clerk with the Soviet
Embassy in Ottawa asks for political asylum
(protection) in exchange for Soviet documents
proving Soviet spy activity in Canada
CANADIAN CONCERNS
1945 – Igor Gouzenko, a young clerk with the Soviet
Embassy in Ottawa asks for political asylum
(protection) in exchange for Soviet documents
proving Soviet spy activity in Canada
CANADIAN CONCERNS
1945 – Igor Gouzenko, a young clerk with the Soviet
Embassy in Ottawa asks for political asylum
(protection) in exchange for Soviet documents
proving Soviet spy activity in Canada
Significance
•  Evidence of a communist threat in Canada
•  Beginning of the Cold War in Canada
•  Red Scare
•  RCMP use exceptional (and illegal) power to investigate
suspected communists
•  Potential immigrants are screened; known communists are
deported