U.S. History
EOCT test
Unit 8 Preparation
SSUSH 20
20a
Describe the creation of the
Marshall Plan, U.S.
commitment to Europe, the
Truman Doctrine, and the
origins and implications of the
containment policy.
Cold War
• The tension between
the United States
and the Soviet Union
that dominated both
nation’s foreign
policies and which
many feared would
lead to war.
“Iron Curtain”
• Berlin, Germany was
divided after WWII into
western democracies
and Easter Soviet
Communist
• Former Prime Minister
Winston Churchill said
of Europe, “A shadow
has fallen… an Iron
curtain has descended
across the continent.”
United States
USSR
• Rebuild Europe
• Ruled by Democracy
• Private Ownership of Business
• Free Speech
• Control Europe
• Ruled by Totalitarianism
• Government controlled
Business
• Used Censorship
Berlin Airlift
• In an effort to stop people
from fleeing to west Berlin,
Stalin cut the city off by not
allowing anyone to enter or
leave.
• Truman did not want war but
felt he had to deal with Stalin
so he ordered supplies for
the East Germans delivered
by airplane to be dropped in
East Berlin
Domino theory
• The idea that if one country
fell to communism its
neighbor would be next.
Containment Policy
• Origins
• Recommended by George kennen, diplomat to
Soviet union.
• Implications
• U.S. should focus on containing communism
where it already was (stopping communism
from spreading to other countries.)
• Do not let communism spread further
Marshall Plan
• Financial plan created by
Secretary of state George
Marshall that provided the
war torn nations of Europe
money and financial support
to alleviate the suffering of
their people.
• Since Communist revolutions
often start during economic
hardship the Marshall Plan
was actually a weapon used
as containment policy.
Truman Doctrine
• President Harry
Truman stated the
U.S. intervene and
aid other nations
attempting to resist
Communism.
20b
Explain the impact of the new
communist regime in China and
the outbreak of the Korean War
and how these events contributed
to the rise of Senator Joseph
McCarthy.
New Communist China
Mao-Zedong
• China fell to
Communism when Mao
Tse-tung won control of
China forcibly removing
Chiang Kai-Shek to flee
the land in 1949.
• The event left many
wondering if
containment was
working.
Mao Tse-tung--
“Communist”
Chiang Kai-shek
“Nationalist”
Pro-American
Korean War
• In 1950, The war began
when North Korean
forces crossed the 38th
parallel. The UN come
to South Korea’s aid.
• The incident was never a
declared war but an
incident handled by UN
police power.
Fear at home – Red Scare
• Citizens at home were concerned
with the spread of communism
possible nuclear war. The built fall
out shelters, did school nuclear
attack drills.
• American citizens were convinced
by the fall of china, and communist
forces moving into Korea were
indicators that the Communist were
attempting to dominate and take
over the world.
• The government responded
by investigating, arresting,
and harassing people
connected to the Communist
Party.
McCarthyism
• Joseph McCarthy was
convinced that Communists
had infiltrated high levels of
government and the Military.
• Korean aggression and the fall
of china helped McCarthy’s
ideas gain popularity
• McCarthy had to defend his
views on television and by
1954 many people labeled him
“Crazy” and “Paranoid”
20c
Describe the Cuban
Revolution, the Bay of
Pigs, and the Cuban
Missile Crisis.
Cuban Revolution
• A revolution in the 1950s
that took over the
government of Cuba and
placed Fidel Castro as
the new communist
leader of Cuba.
• Important to the U.S.
because Cuba is 90 miles
South of Florida and the
U.S. is trying to Contain
Communism.
Bay of Pigs
• April 17, 1961 a failed attempt by the Kennedy
administration to launch an invasion of Cuba by
CIA trained anti- Castro Cuban exiles. It
embarrassed the Kennedy Administration.
Most importantly, it forced Fidel Castro to ask
the Soviet Union for help.
Cuban Missile Crisis
• Fidel allowed Soviets to
secretly put nuclear missiles in
Cuba– just 90 miles off the
coast of Florida.
• U.S. Spy planes spotted the
Missiles in October 1962.
• For 13 days, the world watched
as the two superpowers almost
had nuclear war.
• In the end Khrushchev agreed
to withdraw in exchange for a
U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba
and a secret agreement that
the U.S. would remove US
missiles located in Turkey as
Well.
20d
Describe the Vietnam
War, the Tet Offensive,
and growing opposition
to the War.
Vietnam War
• Fighting erupted when
Vietnamese nationalists led
by Communist Ho Chi Minh
wanted independence from
France.
• The U.S. supported the
South Vietnamese leader
Ngo Kinh Diem and in the
early 1960s both sides broke
into war for control of
Vietnam.
• Twelve years later the war
officially ended in January
1973 when all parties signed
the Paris Peace Accords.
Tet Offensive
• North Vietnamese and Viet Cong
launched a major coordinated attack
against the U.S. and South
Vietnamese forces.
• Heavy fighting in Saigon, the South
Vietnamese capitol.
• The U.S. and allies turned them back
but the incident was televised
ending in a psychological victory for
the Vietcong.
• Many people in the U.S. began to
question U.S. involvement in
Vietnam and whether the U.S.
should be there.
Growing opposition to the War
• College campuses become
places of protest against the
war.
• Students for a Democratic
Society (SDS) demanded the
government take radical
steps radical steps to deal
with poverty, inequality, and
to end the war in Vietnam.
• The organization and others
helped create pressure to
end the Vietnam war and
get the troops home.
Kent State University
Protest gone violent----
20e
Explain the role of geography
on the U.S. containment
policy, the Korean War, the
Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile
Crisis, and the Vietnam War.
Containment - Geography
• Nort
Korean War - Geography
• North Korea & china
were Communist.
• South Korea was
Capitalist.
• The line of Latitude or
38th parallel
separated the two
sections.
Bay of Pigs - Geography
• Cuba had a Communist
Revolution and Fidel
Castro gained control.
• Threatened U.S.
because Cuba’s
location so close to
Florida & USA.
Cuban Missile Crisis - Geography
Vietnam War - Geography
• Just as in Korea,
North Vietnam
became Communist.
• South Vietnam under
containment
remained Capitalist.
• Divided at the line of
latitude 17th parallel.
21a
Describe the impact of
competition with the USSR
as evidenced by the launch
of Sputnik I and President
Eisenhower’s actions.
Sputnik I
• October 4, 1957 Russian
satellite launched into space
to transmit messages and
other information.
• Shocked the U.S. because
Soviet Union beat them in
Technological advancement in
Space.
Eisenhower’s response to Sputnik I
• Signaled a technology
gap between the U.S. and
the Soviet Union
• On July 29, 1958 the
National Aeronautics
Space Act created the
Government Agency
NASA
• Its goal was to Pioneer
the future of space
exploration, scientific
discovery, and
aeronautics research.
National
Aeronautics and
Space
Administration
(NASA)