Cold War (briefly)

Causes of the Cold War

After the bloodiest war in human history, World War II, ended, where the USSR became the winner, the preconditions were created for the emergence of a new confrontation between the West and the East, between the USSR and the USA. The main reasons for the emergence of this confrontation, known as the “Cold War,” were the ideological contradictions between the capitalist model of society characteristic of the United States and the socialist one that existed in the USSR. Each of the two superpowers wanted to see itself at the head of the entire world community and organize life according to its ideological principles. In addition, the Soviet Union established its dominance in the countries after World War II of Eastern Europe, where communist ideology reigned. As a result, the United States, along with Great Britain, was frightened by the possibility that the USSR could become a world leader and establish its dominance in both the political and economic spheres of life. At the same time, for the United States of America, one of the main tasks becomes clear attention to the policy of the USSR in the countries Western Europe in order to prevent socialist revolutions in this territory. America did not like communist ideology at all, and it was the Soviet Union that stood in its way to world domination. After all, America became rich during the Second World War, it needed somewhere to sell its manufactured products, so the countries of Western Europe, destroyed during hostilities, needed to be restored, which was what was offered to them by the US government. But on condition that the communist rulers in these countries will be removed from power. In short, the Cold War was a new kind of competition for world domination.

Beginning of the Cold War

Start " cold war"was marked by the speech of the English ruler Churchill, delivered in Fulton in March 1946. The US government's primary goal was to achieve complete military superiority of the Americans over the Russians. The United States began to implement its policy already in 1947 by introducing a whole system of restrictive and prohibitive measures for the USSR in the financial and trade spheres. In short, America wanted to defeat the Soviet Union economically.

Progress of the Cold War

The most culminating moments of the confrontation were 1949-50, when the North Atlantic Treaty was signed, the war with Korea occurred, and at the same time the first atomic bomb of Soviet origin was tested. And with the victory of Mao Zedong, fairly strong diplomatic relations between the USSR and China were established; they were united by a common hostile attitude towards America and its policies.
proved that the military power of the two world superpowers, the USSR and the USA, is so great that if there is a threat of a new war, there will be no losing side, and it is worth thinking about what will happen to ordinary people and the planet as a whole. As a result, from the beginning of the 1970s, the Cold War entered the stage of settling relations. A crisis broke out in the USA due to high material costs, but the USSR did not tempt fate, but made concessions. A nuclear arms reduction treaty called START II was concluded.
The year 1979 once again proved that the Cold War was not over yet: the Soviet government sent troops into Afghanistan, whose inhabitants offered fierce resistance to the Russian army. And only in April 1989 the last Russian soldier left this unconquered country.

End and results of the Cold War

In 1988-89, the process of “perestroika” began in the USSR, the Berlin Wall fell, and the socialist camp soon collapsed. And the USSR did not even lay claim to any influence in third world countries.
By 1990, the Cold War was over. It was she who contributed to the strengthening of the totalitarian regime in the USSR. The arms race also led to scientific discoveries: nuclear physics began to develop more intensively, and space research acquired a wider scope.

Consequences of the Cold War

The 20th century has ended, more than ten years have passed in the new millennium. Not anymore Soviet Union and the Western countries have also changed... But as soon as the once weak Russia rose from its knees, gained strength and confidence on the world stage, the “ghost of communism” again appeared in the United States and its allies. And we can only hope that politicians in leading countries will not return to the Cold War policy, since everyone will ultimately suffer from it...

Formation of new military-political alliances

From the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 The USSR emerged with increased international authority, based on the military power of the Soviet state and the gratitude of European peoples for liberation from fascism. Foreign policy The USSR envisioned the spread of Soviet influence through the creation of communist regimes in Eastern Europe. This policy encountered opposition from former allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, primarily the United States. After the war, the United States controlled up to 80% of the gold reserves of the capitalist world and concentrated up to 60% of world industrial production. Economic power allowed the United States to pursue an active foreign policy and act as the undoubted leader of the Western world.

A bipolar system of international relations has emerged. A bloc of countries oriented toward the USSR (socialist camp) and a bloc of Western countries opposing them (capitalist camp) were formed.

In 1945-1948. in Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia under active participation The USSR first formed coalition governments (with the participation of communists), and then completely communist governments. Communists came to power in North Vietnam, North Korea and China.

The USSR concluded treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with these states. These treaties allowed the USSR to control their political course and at the same time provide economic assistance through the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), established in 1949.

The Soviet party and state leadership exercised a strict dictatorship in relations with the countries of Eastern Europe, demanding political and socio-economic reforms along the Soviet model. J. Broz Tito's desire to defend the independence of Yugoslavia displeased J. V. Stalin. This led to the severance of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Yugoslavia in 1949 and the economic blockade of Yugoslavia by its Eastern European neighbors.

The USSR's desire to expand its influence in Europe caused alarm in the West. In March 1946, in Fulton (Missouri, USA), W. Churchill, in the presence of US President G. Truman, made a speech about the need to lower the “iron curtain” across Europe, which would prevent the spread of Soviet influence. W. Churchill called for the United States and Great Britain to join forces to fight communism. In March 1947, the Truman Doctrine, a US foreign policy concept that included opposition to communism, was presented to Congress. The economic basis for the formation of a bloc opposing the USSR in the West European countries became the Marshall Plan (head of the State Department in the Truman administration), which outlined the provision of American aid to Europe in the amount of more than $12 billion. The provision of assistance was conditioned by the requirements to prevent communists from coming to power. The communists lost their positions in governments. Western European states have allocated territories for the deployment of American military bases. American investments in Western European economies have strengthened the US economic position in the region.

The military-political result of the confrontation between the USSR and Western Europe was the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in April 1949 by ten European countries, the USA and Canada. Acting within the framework of the UN Charter, these states agreed on joint defense against enemy attack and created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for these purposes. NATO's united armed forces were created, led by American General D. Eisenhower.

The confrontation between the two blocs of states manifested itself in a number of crisis situations. The confrontation was especially acute over the German question. In 1949, Germany split. The USA, Great Britain and France united their zones of occupation of Germany. In May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was proclaimed in the zone of occupation of the USA, Great Britain and France. In October 1949, the formation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was proclaimed on the territory of the Soviet occupation zone.

"Cold War"

Part of the Cold War included local military conflicts, the largest being the Korean War (1950-1953). In August 1945, the Soviet Army liberated North Korea from the Japanese. South Korea was liberated by American troops in September 1945. According to the decision of the Potsdam Conference, a dividing line was drawn between the USSR and the USA on the territory of Korea (along the 38th parallel). In August 1948, with the assistance of the United States, the creation of the Republic of Korea was proclaimed, and in September 1948, with the assistance of the USSR, the creation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

In June 1950, North Korean troops, with the support of the USSR and China, crossed the demarcation line and began to rapidly move south. The war has begun. The UN Security Council recognized the DPRK as an aggressor and sent UN troops there. US troops operated under the flag of the UN troops. The world found itself on the brink of a world war, as a clash between the USSR and the USA took place in Korea. The Soviet and American governments, fearing unpredictable consequences, abandoned military action. The war ended with a truce. A reinforced concrete wall was erected along the 38th parallel.

These events marked the beginning of the Cold War.

The Cold War is a political, economic, ideological confrontation between states and systems.

The Cold War lasted from March 12, 1947 (approval of the Truman Doctrine by the US Congress) until December 21, 1991 (collapse of the USSR) and split the world into two military-political and economic factions.

An important element of the Cold War was the arms race, which began in 1949 after the creation of atomic weapons in the USSR, which eliminated the US monopoly in this field. In 1952, the United States tested the first hydrogen bomb. Nine months later, similar weapons were tested in the USSR. In both countries, work began on the creation of new weapons carriers, which resulted in the creation of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In the first half of N.S. Khrushchev’s term in power, progressive changes took place in the foreign policy of the USSR. In 1955, relations with Yugoslavia were normalized, relations with India were established, Soviet and American troops were withdrawn from Austria. The new foreign policy concept was formulated by the 20th Congress of the CPSU. It provided for the right of socialist countries to choose their own path to building socialism, without following the Soviet model. The principle of peaceful coexistence came to the fore in relations with capitalist states.

During this period, the idea of ​​building a “European home” was proclaimed; its implementation was the signing in 1957 of an agreement between Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg on the formation of the European Economic Community (EEC). Its goal was to create a single internal market that would gradually eliminate restrictions on trade between participating countries and ensure the free movement of people, capital, goods, and services.

Several crises occurred in the relations between the USSR and socialist countries. The most serious of them was caused by the process of de-Stalinization that began in the USSR and covered Poland and Hungary in 1956. In Poland, the Soviet leadership made concessions by agreeing to the reform program. An anti-communist and anti-Soviet uprising broke out in Hungary in 1956. After agreement with the participating countries of the Warsaw Warsaw War, the Hungarian uprising was suppressed by Soviet troops.

De-Stalinization caused a crisis in the world communist movement. The authority of Western European communist parties has been shaken. A large reduction in numbers occurred in the Italian Communist Party. The Communist Parties of Albania and China, on the contrary, did not share the position of criticism and did not support the exposure of the cult of Stalin. The isolation of these countries from the world socialist community began, the cults of Mao Zedong (China) and E. Hoxha (Albania) were formed. In the early 60s. Soviet specialists were withdrawn from China. The USSR stopped providing him with economic assistance and expelled Chinese diplomats from Moscow.

In relations with capitalist countries, the USSR made a number of proactive proposals:

— declared a moratorium on nuclear testing;

- unilaterally carried out a reduction in the armed forces;

— reduced and eliminated certain types of weapons.

The active foreign policy activities of N. S. Khrushchev, his numerous personal contacts with the leaders of the Western world created the opportunity to seek mutual understanding. Particular hopes were instilled by the visit of N. S. Khrushchev to the USA in 1959 and the return visit of President D. Eisenhower to the USSR, scheduled for the following year.

The aggravation of economic difficulties in the USSR required diverting the people's attention to the “external enemy.” In the spring of 1960, an American reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over the territory of the USSR. A diplomatic game designed to undermine the prestige of the United States and President D. Eisenhower disrupted his return visit to the USSR, as well as the meeting of the leaders of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France in Paris. Has begun new round confrontation between East and West.

In the spring and summer of 1961, a political crisis occurred in the GDR. A significant part of the population began to openly advocate for change political system countries. Through West Berlin there was significant financial aid dissatisfied. In this regard, the GDR government decided to build a wall around West Berlin; its construction only exacerbated international contradictions.

The Cold War reached its climax in the fall of 1962 with the outbreak of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1959, the revolution won in Cuba, and anti-American forces led by F. Castro came to power. In 1962, the USSR decided to place missiles with nuclear warheads on the island. The United States demanded that the missiles be removed from Cuba, otherwise they threatened to launch a nuclear strike on the missiles. At the last moment, on October 22-27, 1962, thanks to direct telephone conversations between US President John Kennedy and the head of the USSR Government, N. S. Khrushchev, a nuclear war was prevented. As a result, the USSR removed nuclear missiles from Cuba. The United States promised not to invade the island and removed missiles from Turkey aimed at the USSR. After this culmination of tension, positive developments were also achieved in international relations. The Moscow Treaty of 1963 was concluded banning nuclear weapons tests in space, under water and in the atmosphere.

Consequences of the Cold War

1. Enormous costs for weapons.
2. Encouragement of scientific research in the field of nuclear physics, space, electronics.
3. Exhaustion Soviet economy and the decline in competitiveness of the American economy.
4. Restoring economic and political positions West Germany and Japan.

USSR in global and regional crises

The foreign policy of the USSR during the Brezhnev period was contradictory. In 1969-1979 There was some detente in international relations. Détente was characterized by the renunciation of the policy of rivalry and tension, the threat of using force or the accumulation of weapons as a means of influencing other states, as well as the strengthening of mutual trust and understanding, the resolution of disputes and conflicts by peaceful means, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, the development of contacts in the political and economic spheres. , cultural and scientific-technical fields.

An important event in world politics was the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held from July 30 to August 1, 1975. The leaders of 33 European states, the USA and Canada signed the final act, which set out the principles of the countries participating in the conference: sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty; non-use of force or threat of force; inviolability of borders; territorial integrity of states; peaceful settlement of disputes; non-interference in internal affairs; respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief; equality and the right of peoples to control their own destinies; cooperation between states; conscientious fulfillment of obligations under international law.

However, in the second half of the 70s. the discharge process has slowed down. In 1979-1985 there was a new aggravation of international relations associated with the introduction Soviet troops to Afghanistan. Participation in the Afghan War led to significant casualties and a decline in the authority of the USSR in the world.

The Afghan war allowed the West to increase pressure on the USSR. In January 1981, R. Reagan was elected president of the United States and issued theses on the “Soviet military threat.” In March 1983, R. Reagan came up with the “Strategic Defense Initiative” (SDI), a long-term program for creating large-scale missile defense with space-based elements. The military-political situation in the USSR worsened, and tensions in the world increased.

During the period of perestroika, changes occurred in the field of foreign policy. The new foreign policy concept of the USSR was called “new political thinking.”

M. S. Gorbachev was the main initiator of the new political course. He gained personal authority in the international arena and received the Nobel Peace Prize.

The goals of the USSR foreign policy during the perestroika period: to reduce the level of confrontation with capitalist countries; reduce the costs of the arms race, which had become unsustainable for the USSR.

By concluding agreements on medium- and short-range missiles, the USSR made greater concessions than the United States. Regional conflicts were resolved, Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan cost the USSR 15 thousand killed and 37 thousand wounded, was extremely unpopular among the people, and undermined confidence in the USSR in the world. In February 1988, M. S. Gorbachev announced the withdrawal of troops, which lasted from May 15, 1988 to February 15, 1989.

After 1985, relations with China improved. In May 1989, the first visit of the head of the USSR to the PRC in 30 years took place.

The number of contacts between the USSR and Western countries also increased, trade ties and humanitarian contacts between individuals expanded. Relations of the USSR with socialist countries in 1985-1988. were built on the same foundations as before, but mass anti-socialist movements began in these countries, leading to the overthrow of socialism. Political, economic and military ties between socialist countries were disrupted, and states began to withdraw from the Warsaw Treaty Organization (WTO). In March 1991, the Department of Internal Affairs was officially liquidated. There is only one military bloc left in Europe - NATO.

In 1985-1991 Cardinal changes took place in the international situation: the East-West confrontation disappeared, the socialist camp ceased to exist, and the Cold War ended.

At the end of 1990 - beginning of 1991. The USSR concluded agreements with all Eastern European countries on the withdrawal of Soviet troops from them. In October 1990, Germany was reunified.

FOREIGN POLICY OF THE USSR IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD. THE BEGINNING OF THE COLD WAR

USSR in the post-war world. The defeat of Germany and its satellites in the war radically changed the balance of forces in the world. The USSR turned into one of the leading world powers, without which, according to Molotov, not a single issue of international life should now be resolved.

However, during the war years, the power of the United States grew even more. Their gross national product rose by 70%, and economic and human losses were minimal. Having become an international creditor during the war years, the United States gained the opportunity to expand its influence on other countries and peoples. President Truman said in 1945 that victory in World War II “challenged the American people to rule the world.” The American administration began a gradual retreat from wartime agreements.

All this led to the fact that instead of cooperation in Soviet-American relations, a period of mutual distrust and suspicion began. The Soviet Union was worried about the US nuclear monopoly and attempts to dictate terms in relations with other countries. America saw a threat to its security in the growing influence of the USSR in the world. All this led to the beginning of the Cold War.

The beginning of the Cold War. The “cold snap” began almost with the last salvos of the war in Europe. Three days after the victory over Germany, the United States announced a cessation of supplies to the USSR military equipment and not only stopped shipping it, but also returned American ships with such supplies that were already off the coast of the Soviet Union.

After the successful American test of nuclear weapons, Truman's position hardened even more. The United States gradually moved away from the agreements already reached during the war. In particular, it was decided not to divide defeated Japan into occupation zones (only American units were introduced into it). This alarmed Stalin and pushed him to increase influence on those countries on whose territory Soviet troops were located at that time. In turn, this led to increased suspicion among the leaders of Western countries. It intensified even more due to the sharp increase in the number of communists in these countries (their number tripled from 1939 to 1946 in Western Europe).

Former British Prime Minister W. Churchill accused the USSR of “the limitless spread of its power and its doctrines” in the world. Truman soon proclaimed a program of measures to “save” Europe from Soviet expansion (the “Truman Doctrine”). He proposed providing large-scale economic assistance to European countries (the terms of this assistance were set out later in the Marshall Plan); create a military-political alliance of Western countries under the auspices of the United States (this became the NATO bloc created in 1949); place a network of American military bases along the borders of the USSR; support internal opposition in Eastern European countries; use conventional weapons and nuclear weapons to blackmail the Soviet leadership. All this was supposed to not only prevent further expansion of the sphere of influence of the USSR (the doctrine of containing socialism), but also force the Soviet Union to withdraw to its former borders (the doctrine of rejecting socialism).

Stalin declared these plans a call for war against the USSR. Since the summer of 1947, Europe has been divided into allies of two superpowers - the USSR and the USA. The formation of economic and military-political structures of the East and West began.

Formation of the "socialist camp". CPSU(b) and the communist movement. By this time, communist governments existed only in Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria. However, since 1947, the process of their formation was accelerated in other countries of “people's democracy”: Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia. That same year, a pro-Soviet regime was established in North Korea. In October 1949, the Communists came to power in China. The political dependence of these countries on the USSR was ensured not so much by the military presence of Soviet troops (they were not present in all countries of the “people's democracy”), but by enormous material assistance. For 1945-1952 the amount of long-term concessional loans to these countries alone amounted to 15 billion rubles. ($3 billion).

In 1949, the economic foundations of the Soviet bloc were formalized. For this purpose, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance was created. For military-political cooperation, a Coordination Committee was first created, and then, already in 1955, the Warsaw Pact Organization.

After the war, communists found themselves in power not only in people's democracies, but also in a number of large Western countries. This reflected the great contribution that leftist forces made to the defeat of fascism.

Since the summer of 1947, in the face of the emerging final gap between the USSR and the West, Stalin tried to once again organizationally unite the communists different countries. Instead of the Comintern, which was abolished in 1943, the Cominform was formed in September 1947. He was given the task of “exchanging experience” between communist parties. However, during this “exchange”, “working out” of entire parties began, which, from Stalin’s point of view, did not act energetically enough against the United States and its allies. The Communist Parties of France, Italy and Yugoslavia were the first to be subjected to such criticism.

Then the struggle against “opportunism” began in the ruling communist parties of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Albania. More often than not, this concern for “cleanliness of the ranks” resulted in settling scores and a struggle for power in the party leadership. This ultimately led to the deaths of thousands of communists in Eastern European countries.

All those leaders of the countries of the “socialist camp” who had their own opinions about the ways to build a new society were declared enemies. Only Yugoslav leader J.B. Tito escaped this fate. However, relations between the USSR and Yugoslavia were severed. After this, none of the leaders of the countries of Eastern Europe spoke about “different paths” to socialism.

Korean War. The most serious clash between the USSR and the USA was the Korean War. After the withdrawal of Soviet (in 1948) and American (in 1949) troops from Korea (which had been there since the end of World War II), the governments of both South and North Korea stepped up preparations to unite the country by force.

On June 25, 1950, citing provocations from the South, the DPRK launched an offensive with a huge army. On the fourth day, the troops of the North occupied the capital of the southerners, Seoul. There was a threat of complete military defeat of South Korea. Under these conditions, the United States, through the UN Security Council, passed a resolution condemning the aggression of the DPRK and began to form a united unit against it. military coalition. About 40 countries have expressed their desire to provide assistance in the fight against the aggressor. Soon, allied troops landed at the port of Chemulpo and began liberating South Korean territory. The Allies' success was unexpected for the northerners and quickly created a threat of defeat for their army. The DPRK turned to the USSR and China for help. Soon they began to receive from the Soviet Union modern views military equipment (including MiG-15 jets), military specialists will arrive. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers came from China to help. At the cost of heavy losses, the front line was leveled, and ground fighting stopped.

The Korean War claimed the lives of 9 million Koreans, up to 1 million Chinese, 54 thousand Americans, and many Soviet soldiers and officers. It showed that a cold war could easily turn into a hot war. This was understood not only in Washington, but also in Moscow. After General Eisenhower won the 1952 presidential election, both sides began searching for a way out of the impasse in international relations.

What you need to know about this topic:

Socio-economic and political development Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Nicholas II.

Domestic policy tsarism. Nicholas II. Increased repression. "Police Socialism"

Russo-Japanese War. Reasons, progress, results.

Revolution 1905 - 1907 Character, driving forces and features of the Russian revolution of 1905-1907. stages of the revolution. The reasons for the defeat and the significance of the revolution.

Elections to the State Duma. I State Duma. The agrarian question in the Duma. Dispersal of the Duma. II State Duma. Coup d'etat of June 3, 1907

Third June political system. Electoral law June 3, 1907 III State Duma. Arrangement political forces in the Duma. Activities of the Duma. Government terror. Decline of the labor movement in 1907-1910.

Stolypinskaya agrarian reform.

IV State Duma. Party composition and Duma factions. Activities of the Duma.

Political crisis in Russia on the eve of the war. Labor movement in the summer of 1914. Crisis at the top.

International position of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.

The beginning of the First World War. Origin and nature of the war. Russia's entry into the war. Attitude to the war of parties and classes.

Progress of military operations. Strategic forces and plans of the parties. Results of the war. Role Eastern Front in the first world war.

The Russian economy during the First World War.

Worker and peasant movement in 1915-1916. Revolutionary movement in the army and navy. The growth of anti-war sentiment. Formation of the bourgeois opposition.

Russian culture of the 19th - early 20th centuries.

The aggravation of socio-political contradictions in the country in January-February 1917. The beginning, prerequisites and nature of the revolution. Uprising in Petrograd. Formation of the Petrograd Soviet. Interim Committee State Duma. Order N I. Formation of the Provisional Government. Abdication of Nicholas II. The reasons for the emergence of dual power and its essence. The February revolution in Moscow, at the front, in the provinces.

From February to October. The policy of the Provisional Government regarding war and peace, on agrarian, national, and labor issues. Relations between the Provisional Government and the Soviets. Arrival of V.I. Lenin in Petrograd.

Political parties(Cadets, Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, Bolsheviks): political programs, influence among the masses.

Crises of the Provisional Government. Attempted military coup in the country. The growth of revolutionary sentiment among the masses. Bolshevization of the capital's Soviets.

Preparation and conduct of an armed uprising in Petrograd.

II All-Russian Congress of Soviets. Decisions about power, peace, land. Formation of organs state power and management. Composition of the first Soviet government.

Victory of the armed uprising in Moscow. Government agreement with the Left Socialist Revolutionaries. Elections to the Constituent Assembly, its convocation and dispersal.

The first socio-economic transformations in the field of industry, Agriculture, finance, labor and women's issues. Church and State.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, its terms and significance.

Economic tasks of the Soviet government in the spring of 1918. Aggravation of the food issue. Introduction of food dictatorship. Working food detachments. Combeds.

The revolt of the left Socialist Revolutionaries and the collapse of the two-party system in Russia.

The first Soviet Constitution.

Reasons for intervention and civil war. Progress of military operations. Human and material losses during the civil war and military intervention.

Domestic policy of the Soviet leadership during the war. "War communism". GOELRO plan.

Policy new government in relation to culture.

Foreign policy. Treaties with border countries. Russia's participation in the Genoa, Hague, Moscow and Lausanne conferences. Diplomatic recognition of the USSR by the main capitalist countries.

Domestic policy. Socio-economic and political crisis of the early 20s. Famine 1921-1922 Transition to new economic policy. The essence of NEP. NEP in the field of agriculture, trade, industry. Financial reform. Economic recovery. Crises during the NEP period and its collapse.

Projects for the creation of the USSR. I Congress of Soviets of the USSR. The first government and the Constitution of the USSR.

Illness and death of V.I. Lenin. Intra-party struggle. The beginning of the formation of Stalin's regime.

Industrialization and collectivization. Development and implementation of the first five-year plans. Socialist competition - goal, forms, leaders.

Formation and strengthening state system economic management.

The course towards complete collectivization. Dispossession.

Results of industrialization and collectivization.

Political, national-state development in the 30s. Intra-party struggle. Political repression. Formation of the nomenklatura as a layer of managers. Stalin's regime and the USSR Constitution of 1936

Soviet culture in the 20-30s.

Foreign policy of the second half of the 20s - mid-30s.

Domestic policy. Growth of military production. Emergency measures in the field of labor legislation. Measures to solve the grain problem. Armed forces. The growth of the Red Army. Military reform. Repressions against the command cadres of the Red Army and the Red Army.

Foreign policy. Non-aggression pact and treaty of friendship and borders between the USSR and Germany. The entry of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus into the USSR. Soviet-Finnish War. Inclusion of the Baltic republics and other territories into the USSR.

Periodization of the Great Patriotic War. The initial stage of the war. Turning the country into a military camp. Military defeats 1941-1942 and their reasons. Major military events. Surrender fascist Germany. Participation of the USSR in the war with Japan.

Soviet rear during the war.

Deportation of peoples.

Guerrilla warfare.

Human and material losses during the war.

Creation of an anti-Hitler coalition. Declaration of the United Nations. The problem of the second front. "Big Three" conferences. Problems of post-war peace settlement and comprehensive cooperation. USSR and UN.

The beginning of the Cold War. The USSR's contribution to the creation of the "socialist camp". CMEA education.

Domestic policy of the USSR in the mid-40s - early 50s. Recovery National economy.

Social and political life. Policy in the field of science and culture. Continued repression. "Leningrad case". Campaign against cosmopolitanism. "The Doctors' Case"

Socio-economic development of Soviet society in the mid-50s - the first half of the 60s.

Socio-political development: XX Congress of the CPSU and condemnation of Stalin’s personality cult. Rehabilitation of victims of repression and deportation. Internal party struggle in the second half of the 50s.

Foreign policy: creation of the Department of Internal Affairs. Entry of Soviet troops into Hungary. Exacerbation of Soviet-Chinese relations. Split of the "socialist camp". Soviet-American relations and Caribbean crisis. USSR and "third world" countries. Reduction in the size of the armed forces of the USSR. Moscow Treaty on the Limitation of Nuclear Tests.

USSR in the mid-60s - first half of the 80s.

Socio-economic development: economic reform 1965

Increasing difficulties in economic development. Declining rates of socio-economic growth.

Constitution of the USSR 1977

Social and political life of the USSR in the 1970s - early 1980s.

Foreign policy: Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Consolidation of post-war borders in Europe. Moscow Treaty with Germany. Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). Soviet-American treaties of the 70s. Soviet-Chinese relations. Entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan. Exacerbation of international tension and the USSR. Strengthening Soviet-American confrontation in the early 80s.

USSR in 1985-1991

Domestic policy: an attempt to accelerate the socio-economic development of the country. Attempt at reform political system Soviet society. Congresses of People's Deputies. Election of the President of the USSR. Multi-party system. Exacerbation of the political crisis.

Exacerbation national question. Attempts to reform the national-state structure of the USSR. Declaration of State Sovereignty of the RSFSR. "Novoogaryovsky trial". Collapse of the USSR.

Foreign policy: Soviet-American relations and the problem of disarmament. Agreements with leading capitalist countries. Withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Changing relations with the countries of the socialist community. Collapse of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the Warsaw Pact Organization.

Russian Federation in 1992-2000

Domestic policy: “Shock therapy” in the economy: price liberalization, stages of privatization of commercial and industrial enterprises. Fall in production. Increased social tension. Growth and slowdown in financial inflation. Intensifying struggle between the executive and legislative branch. Dissolution Supreme Council and the Congress of People's Deputies. October events of 1993. Abolition of local authorities Soviet power. Elections in Federal Assembly. Constitution of the Russian Federation 1993 Formation of a presidential republic. Aggravation and overcoming national conflicts in the North Caucasus.

Parliamentary elections of 1995. Presidential elections of 1996. Power and opposition. An attempt to return to the course of liberal reforms (spring 1997) and its failure. Financial crisis of August 1998: causes, economic and political consequences. "Second Chechen War". Parliamentary elections of 1999 and early presidential elections of 2000. Foreign policy: Russia in the CIS. Participation of Russian troops in the "hot spots" of the near abroad: Moldova, Georgia, Tajikistan. Relations of Russia with foreign countries. Withdrawal of Russian troops from Europe and neighboring countries. Russian-American agreements. Russia and NATO. Russia and the Council of Europe. Yugoslav crises (1999-2000) and Russia’s position.

• Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G. History of the state and peoples of Russia. XX century.

After the end of the Second World War, which became the largest and most brutal conflict in the entire history of mankind, a confrontation arose between the countries of the communist camp on the one hand and Western capitalist countries on the other, between the two superpowers of that time, the USSR and the USA. The Cold War can be briefly described as a competition for dominance in the new post-war world.

The main reason The Cold War became insoluble ideological contradictions between the two models of society, socialist and capitalist. The West feared the strengthening of the USSR. The lack of a common enemy among the winning countries, as well as the ambitions of political leaders, also played a role.

Historians identify the following stages of the Cold War:

· March 5, 1946 – 1953 The Cold War began with Churchill's speech in Fulton in the spring of 1946, which proposed the idea of ​​creating an alliance of Anglo-Saxon countries to fight communism. The goal of the United States was an economic victory over the USSR, as well as achieving military superiority. In fact, the Cold War began earlier, but it was by the spring of 1946, due to the USSR’s refusal to withdraw troops from Iran, that the situation seriously worsened.

· 1953 – 1962 During this period of the Cold War, the world was on the brink of nuclear conflict. Despite some improvement in relations between the Soviet Union and the United States during Khrushchev's "thaw", it was at this stage that the anti-communist uprising in Hungary, events in the GDR and, earlier, in Poland, as well as the Suez crisis took place. International tensions increased following the Soviet development and successful testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile in 1957. But, the threat of nuclear war receded, since the Soviet Union was now able to retaliate against US cities. This period of relations between the superpowers ended with the Berlin and Caribbean crises of 1961 and 1962, respectively. The Cuban missile crisis was resolved only through personal negotiations between the heads of state Khrushchev and Kennedy. Also, as a result of negotiations, it was signed whole line agreements on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

· 1962 – 1979 The period was marked by an arms race that undermined the economies of rival countries. The development and production of new types of weapons required incredible resources. Despite the presence of tension in relations between the USSR and the USA, agreements on the limitation of strategic arms are signed. The joint Soyuz-Apollo space program is being developed. However, by the beginning of the 80s, the USSR began to lose in the arms race.

· 1979 – 1987 Relations between the USSR and the USA are again strained after the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. In 1983, the United States deployed ballistic missiles at bases in Italy, Denmark, England, Germany, and Belgium. An anti-space defense system is being developed. The USSR reacts to the actions of the West by withdrawing from the Geneva negotiations. During this period, the missile attack warning system is in constant combat readiness.

· 1987 – 1991 M. Gorbachev’s coming to power in the USSR in 1985 entailed not only global changes within the country, but also radical changes in foreign policy, called “new political thinking.” Ill-conceived reforms completely undermined the economy of the Soviet Union, which led to the country's virtual defeat in the Cold War.

The end of the Cold War was caused by the weakness of the Soviet economy, its inability to no longer support the arms race, as well as pro-Soviet communist regimes. Anti-war protests in various parts of the world also played a certain role. The results of the Cold War were dismal for the USSR. The symbol of the victory of the West was the reunification of Germany in 1990.

As a result, after the USSR was defeated in the Cold War, a unipolar world model emerged with the dominant superpower of the United States. However, there are other consequences of the Cold War. This is the rapid development of science and technology, primarily military. Thus, the Internet was originally created as a communication system for the American army.

Today, many documentaries and feature films have been made about the Cold War period. One of them, telling in detail about the events of those years, is “Heroes and Victims of the Cold War.”

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Lesson progress Causes of the Cold War of the USSR and the “Marshal Plan” Creation of two systems of alliances

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Waiting for the best... People in dozens of countries around the world, including the USSR, who had experienced suffering, hardship, and the bitterness of losing loved ones, dreamed that the ended war would be the last in the history of mankind.

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Waiting for the best... However, these hopes were not destined to come true. Relations between the victorious powers, the USSR and the USA, in 1945-1947. rapidly deteriorated. Their rivalry led to an arms race, a struggle for control over key areas of the world, an increase in the number of local conflicts and the creation of a system of military alliances. It was increasingly characterized as the Cold War. Watch the video “First session of the General Assembly”

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The concept of the “Cold War” The term “Cold War” was introduced by the American journalist and science fiction writer W. Lippman. The Cold War is a state of intense confrontation between capitalist and socialist countries led by the USA and the USSR.

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Causes of the Cold War 1. The lack of a common enemy among the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. 2. The desire of the USSR and the USA to dominate the post-war world. 3. Contradictions between capitalist and socialist socio-political systems. 4. Political ambitions of the leaders of the USSR (Joseph Stalin) and the USA (Harry Truman)

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The Cold War was accompanied by: 1. An arms race and intensive preparations for a “hot” war; 2. Rivalry in all spheres of public life; 3. An acute ideological struggle and the creation of an image of an external enemy; 4. The struggle for spheres of influence in the world; 5. Local armed conflicts.

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Who is guilty? USA and Western countries. In his speech in March 1946, W. Churchill called for contrasting the power of the USSR with the power of the Anglo-Saxon world. Nuclear blackmail of the USSR: 196 bombs to destroy 20 Soviet cities. The “Truman Doctrine” - the “salvation” of Europe from Soviet expansion: economic assistance to Europe; placement of military bases near Soviet borders; use of military forces against the USSR; maintaining internal opposition in Eastern European countries. J. Marshall Plan: strengthening US penetration into Europe through economic assistance European countries victims of World War II ($17 billion)

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Who is guilty? USSR The desire to change the regime of the Black Sea straits. Return of the Kara and Ardagan districts. Cooperative management of Tangier (North Africa). Interest in changing the regime of governance in Syria and Lebanon. USSR protectorate over Tripolitania (Libya). In 1949, the USSR carried out its first nuclear weapons test. Soviet scientists were the first to develop a new generation of weapons - thermonuclear weapons. 1947 The creation of the Information Bureau of Communist Parties (Cominform) - an organization that had political and ideological goals of opposing the West. Doctrine of A. Zhdanov: the world is divided into two camps - “imperialist” (led by the USA) and “democratic” (led by the USSR)

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The Marshall Plan (official name - European Recovery Program) is a program of assistance to Europe after World War II, put forward in 1947 by US Secretary of State J. Marshall. As part of the implementation of this program, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation was created at the Paris Conference on July 12 - 15, 1947. Representatives of the USSR and the states of Eastern Europe were also invited to this conference, but Stalin did not allow any of the countries under Soviet control to participate in the discussion. 16 European countries took part in the Marshall Plan: Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey. After creation Federal Republic Germany, the Marshall Plan was extended to this state. Email Textbook: page 12 (top)

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Conditions: All these countries received US assistance on the condition of: abandoning the policy of nationalization of industry, maintaining freedom of private enterprise, encouraging private American investment, free access American goods to these countries with their unilateral reduction of customs tariffs, etc.

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Dynamics of GDP and the USSR during the Second World War (billion) Question: What is the reason for such a difference in GDP between the two great powers during the Second World War?

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In 1947, the communists of Eastern European countries, at the direction of the Information Bureau, strongly condemned the “Marshal Plan”. In contrast to him, they put forward the idea of ​​accelerated development of their countries based on own strength and with the support of the USSR

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Instead of the Comintern, dissolved in 1943, in the fall of 1947, the Information Bureau of Communist and Workers' Parties (Informburo) was created - an international coordination center created by the decision of the meeting of communist and workers' parties held in Poland at the end of September 1947. The Cominform Bureau included representatives communist and workers' parties of Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, France, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. Initially, the headquarters of the Cominform Bureau was located in Belgrade, but after the conflict between the Soviet and Yugoslav leadership, it was relocated to Bucharest. At the meetings of the Cominform Bureau, the Declaration on the International Situation (1947), resolutions “On the exchange of experience and coordination of party activities” (1947), “Defending peace and fighting warmongers”, “Unity of the working class and the tasks of communist and workers’ parties” were adopted. "(1949).

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In response to the US creation of the Western European Union (WEU) in January 1949, the USSR and its allies - Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia - created the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. - intergovernmental economic organization of socialist countries. Created in 1949 by decision of an economic meeting of representatives of the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia. At the time of the creation of CMEA, the point was to demonstrate with this political act the solidarity of the socialist countries in the face of Western Europe, which had begun to implement the “Marshall Plan”. The CMEA Charter came into force only in 1960, when the leadership of the USSR tried to make CMEA a socialist alternative to the European “common market”. In 1974, CMEA received observer status at the UN. The purpose of creating the CMEA was to promote economic development participating countries, increasing the level of industrialization, living standards, labor productivity, etc.

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In April 1949, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Portugal established a military-political alliance - the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).