U.S. History Review Guide: 1860s-Present

Ideologies:

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: wrote the Communist Manifesto

Communist Manifesto: Bourgeois were capitalists and Proletariats were the working class. Class struggle was the Bourgeois vs. the Proletariats. The goal of communism was to eliminate class differences and for everyone to be equal.

Adam Smith and The Wealth of Nations: The invisible hand-The ability for the market to correct seemingly disastrous situations with no intervention from the government or other organizations. An individual’s self-interest is what keeps the economy going.

Communism vs. Capitalism: Communists say that capitalists corrupt society but capitalists say that they fuel society by allowing a stable economy

Origins of the Cold War:

US-Soviet relations: The two government ideologies were opposites. The soviets resented capitalists and the Americans resented communists. Any disagreements between the two nations were certain to start large conflicts due to their underlying dislike.

Issues that created tension: The US did not want communism to spread anywhere out of Russia because communism represented everything that undid capitalist ideals. Soviet aggression into Europe caused tension. The Soviet’s take over of Eastern Europe, especially Poland created Tension because the US was nervous that communism was spreading too fast. The Soviet’s were nervous about the Americans monopoly on the Atomic bomb because it gave the Americans enormous power over the soviets. The US vision of postwar Europe included a strong Germany because Europe could not be economically healthy without Germany being strong. Russia wanted to weaken Germany to a point of extinction.

Conferences:

Tehran Conference 1943: Stalin wants a Western Front (happens in 1944) because he needs Germany to take some pressure off the eastern front. After war Stalin wants to spread communism to Eastern Europe.

Bretton Woods Conference 1944: Conference about money (internationally). All money backed by gold in countries. International Monetary Fund-World Bank.

Yalta Conference 1945: Stalin agrees again to declare war on Japan after Germany is defeated. Stalin says that he will give free elections in Poland. All countries agree to form League of Nations. (U.N.)

-Tension between US and Soviets because Stalin did not give free elections or declare war on Japan until it was already defeated. Also US did not open Western Front for over a year after Tehran Conference (Soviets angry).

UN: Security Council has 11 members-5 permanent (U.S, France, Great Britain, Soviet Union, and China), 6 that rotate.

Potsdam Conference: Allies agree to divide up Germany. Soviet Union gets big section. US and Great Britain get a medium sized section. France gets a small section.