5. The Cold War
Who was to blame for the Cold War?
Focus Points
• Why did the USA–USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
• How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?
• How did the USA react to Soviet expansionism?
• What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?
• Who was the more to blame for starting the Cold War: the USA or the USSR?
Specified Content
• The origins of the Cold War:
– the 1945 summit conferences and the breakdown of the USA–USSR alliance in 1945–46
– Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe to 1948, and American reactions to it
– the occupation of Germany and the Berlin Blockade
– NATO and the Warsaw Pact.