The Cold War Heats Up
Truman Doctrine
• What is it?
– After WWII President
Truman announced the
US would give economic
aid to countries to fight
communism
Containment
1. New Foreign Policy
– US would try to
“contain” communism
– Wanted to keep it
from spreading into
important areas
– Keep communism
were it was
Korean War
1950-1953
• At the end of WWII Korea was split at the 38th
parallel.
• June 1950 N. Korea invades S. Korea in an
attempt to reunite the country.
• Truman saw this as communists expanding
and sent in planes and ships. He also asked
the U.N. for help.
• The U.N. forces came mostly from the U.S.
• Gen. MacArthur was
put in command.
• Sept. 1950 – N. Korea pushes to the bottom of the
peninsula near the town of Pusan.
• MacArthur takes 70,000 troops and lands in Inchon
splitting the N. Korean army.
• October 1950 – S. Korea had pushed all the way to
the northern part of the peninsula.
• MacArthur wanted one last push to the North.
• This will cause China to send their troops into the
war.
• November 1950 – The North and South are
back to being divided at the 38th parallel.
• The fighting would stay here until the end
of the war.
• MacArthur gets fired – Mac was questioning
Truman’s decisions and calling for the use
of nuclear weapons.
• Truman grew tired of listening to him and
fired him.
• This was a very unpopular move with the
citizens of the U.S.
• 1952 – Eisenhower is elected president and
promises to end the war.
• Armistice signed 7/52 – No peace treaty.
Douglas MacArthur: US Commander in Korea War
Suez Crisis
• In 1948 Israel became a country. A war
followed with Egypt, Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon & Iraq. Israel won.
• To help them in the war, Egypt was
getting friendly with the Soviet Union.
• The U.S. stopped helping with the
Aswan High Dam.
• As pay back, Egypt nationalized the
Suez Canal. (They took control of it)
• England & France went to war with
Egypt over this.
• England took back control of the canal.
Two ideas come from the Suez Canal Crisis.
1.
2.
Eisenhower Doctrine – The U.S. will step in and
help any country in the Middle East to stop the
spread of communism.
Domino Theory – If one country, in a region of the
world, falls to the communists, all of the
neighboring countries will fall.