1945: A Pivotal Year
 Harry S. Truman become President
 WWII ends after Atomic-Bombs are dropped
 United Nations formed.
 International peace keeping body consisting of 50
nations.
Tensions Mount
 Following WWII:
 Josef Stalin of Russia
established communist
governments in much of
Eastern Europe.
 Called these satellite
nations.
 Iron Curtain: Term referring
to the division between East
and West Europe.
 Germany Split into EAST
and WEST GERMANY!
U.S. and Containment
 Containment – U.S. pledge to take measures to
prevent any extension of communist rules to other
countries.
Cold War and The Truman
Doctrine
 Cold War – A state of hostility,
without direct military conflict,
that developed between the
United States and the Soviet
Union after WWII.
 Truman Doctrine – President
Truman’s pledge to provide
military and financial aid to
countries resisting communism.
 America’s response to their
fear of spreading communism.
The Marshall Plan
 Marshall Plan – Gave $
to war torn nations of
Europe.
 Purpose: To help
European countries gain
economic stability and
build stable democracies,
which would then help
stop the spread of
communism.
The Berlin Airlift
 1948 – Germany split into
East Germany
(Communist) and West
Germany (NonCommunist).
 Berlin also split into East
and West Berlin…
BERLIN WALL BUILT!
 The Berlin Airlift –
American and British forces
airlifted food and supplies
into the Blockaded West
Berlin.
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
 NATO – 1949, 10 Western
European countries plus
the U.S. and Canada
formed a defensive
military alliance to
protect against Soviet
aggression.
 Warsaw Pact – Soviet /
Communist version of
NATO.
Korean War
 Causes
 Following WWII, Korea was
divided along the 38th Parallel.
 North Korea - pro-Communist
 South Korea - pro American
 1950 – North Korea invaded
South Korea in an attempt to
unite Korea under one
Communist Regime.
Korean War
 U.S enter the war on the
side of South Korea….
TRUMAN DOCTRINE…
 Provided air, sea, and
ground support
Korean War
 After initial success,
Chinese communist forces
halted the U.N. forces and
the war resulted in a twoyear stalemate along the
38th parallel.
 THE RESULT
 Korea remained divided
along the 38th parallel.
 NOTHING CHANGED,
but Communism was
contained.
Writing Assignment
In your notebooks and in complete sentences write a
four to five sentence paragraph answering the
following question:
Considering containment and the Truman Doctrine,
do you think the Korean War was a success or a failure?
Why?
The Cold War At Home
 HUAC – House Un-American Activities Committee,
Investigated people suspected of communist influence
both inside and outside of the government.
 Hollywood Ten
 Blacklists
 Alger Hiss
 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Joseph McCarthy’s “Witch
Hunts”
 Joseph McCarthy –
Anti-Communist
Republican Senator from
Wisconsin.
 McCarthyism –
McCarthy’s practice of
accusing people of being
Communists without
providing sufficient
evidence.
Eisenhower and the Cold War
 1953: Dwight D. Eisenhower
elected President.
 Brinkmanship – The
willingness of the U.S. under
Eisenhower to go to the
brink of all out war with the
Soviet Union.
 Eisenhower Doctrine –
Said that the U.S. would
defend the Middle East
against an attack by any
communist country.
Eisenhower and the Domino
Theory
 Domino Theory – If one Asian country would fall to
communism, then others would fall in a domino like
effect.
Cold War and the Skies
 Sputnik – Soviet satellite
that was the first artificial
satellite ever sent into space.
 Confirmed American fears
of Soviet technological
superiority.
 U.S. starts NASA.
 U-2 Incident –American U-2
spy plane was shot down over
Russia.
 Intensified the Cold War
conflict.
John F. Kennedy
 Democratic congressman.
 U.S. Navy Veteran.
 Young (43 years old).
 Catholic.
 Won the election of 1960
(defeated Richard Nixon).
Kennedy Takes Office
 No mandate- public
endorsement of proposals.
 “New Frontier”- Term
referring to Kennedy’s
proposals to improve the
economy, assist the poor,
and speed up the space
program.
The Bay of Pigs
 April 17, 1961
 The Plan: Cuban refugees
trained by the CIA would
invade Cuba and
overthrow Fidel Castro.
 The Result: TOTAL
DISASTER!!!
 U.S. looks ignorant and
incompetent…
Cuban Missile Crisis
 October 16, 1962- Spy plane
photos revealed Soviet
missile bases being built in
Cuba.
 Cuban Missile Crisis
followed- A stand off
between the S.U. and U.S.
that nearly led to nuclear
war.
Cuban Missile Crisis
 Kennedy’s Options:
 Negotiate with
Khrushchev.
 Invade Cuba.
 Blockade Cuba.
 Bomb the missile sites.
Activity
 In a well organized four to five sentence paragraph in
your notebooks, state which of the options you would
choose and why.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
 Kennedy’s decision:
 Naval Quarantine
 Khrushchev agreed to
remove missiles and
Kennedy removed the
blockade.
 Kennedy removed
missiles from Turkey.
Cuban Missile Crisis
 The Aftermath:
 Limited Test Ban
Treaty: Banned nuclear
testing above ground
Writing Activity
 Situation: You are a journalist for the New York Times
and the Cuban Missile Crisis has just ended. Your
Editor in Chief has just asked you to write an article
recapping the event, describing who, what, when,
where, and why the event took place.
 GET TO WORK!