Ideologies of the
Cold War
Unit 8
Post* WWII and the US
• Allied leaders FDR, Churchill and Stalin met in
February 1945 at the Yalta Conference.
• They agreed to organization a United Nations and
Germany was divided into four zones. The French,
Americans and British united their zones in the West
and the Russians controlled the East.
• Tensions grew between Stalin and the other Allies at
the Potsdam Conference
• Communist Russia and Poland now controlled much
of Eastern Europe.
• The US occupied Japan from 1945-1952. By 1947
Japan had a constitution and a democratic government
with universal suffrage.
The United Nations (the UN)
• The United States, Britain, Russia and China
met in 1944 and created an international
organization called the United Nations.
• The UN included a general assembly for all
member nations and a 15 member Security
Council with five permanent nations,
including the United States, and ten rotating
positions.
• One of the first U.S. delegates to the UN was
former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.
War Crimes Trials
• At the Potsdam Conference, the Allied leaders agreed
that “stern justice shall be given out to all war
criminals….”
• The German War Crimes trials were known as the
Nuremberg Trials. Twelve Nazi leaders were
sentenced to death, thousands more were jailed, fined
or barred from holding public office
• Many Nazis fled to Latin America to avoid
prosecution.
• Seven Japanese leaders were sentenced to death in War
Crimes Trials held in Tokyo.
• The Search Continues
Problems of Demobilization
• By 1946 more than 9 million men and women had
been discharged from the army.
• The GI Bill (officially titled the Servicemen's
Readjustment Act of 1944) gave money to military
veterans to start a business, buy a farm, or go to
college.
• Women were encouraged to leave the workforce
and become full time homemakers
• In 1946 alone almost 5 million workers participated
in strikes for higher wages and shorter working
hours.
The Roots of the Cold War
Category
Soviet Communism
American Democracy
Political System
One political party, the
Communist Party.
A multi-party democracy
Organizations
All labor groups and other
associations are run by the
Communist Party
Unions and other organizations
openly negotiate with employers
Economic System
Industries and farms are owned by
the state; central planners
determine the nation’s economic
needs; limited private property;
education and limited private
property; education and health
care provided by the state
Free enterprise system; private
ownership of property; supply and
demand determine prices; people
meet their own needs with some
limited government involvement
Religion
Religion is discouraged
Free exercise of religion
Individual Rights
Secret police arrest opponents;
censorship; no free exercise of
beliefs
Freedom of the press and
expression
(Jarrett, Zimmer, & Killoran, 2012)
The Cold War Begins
• Soviet expansion after WWII fueled American mistrust.
• Winston Churchill described the Soviet influence as an
“Iron Curtain” that had divided East and West Europe.
• The US and Russia began a dispute over atomic weapons.
The US tried to regulate their production but the Soviet
Union rejected inspections and created their own Abombs (atomic bombs)
• Berlin airlift, 1948–49, supply of necessities to West
Berlin by US air transports primarily. It was initiated in
response to a land and water blockade of the city that had
been instituted by the Soviet Union in the hope that the
Allies would be forced to abandon West Berlin.
US Responses
• American leaders respond to Soviet domination with a Containment
Policy – not attempting to overturn Communism where it already
exists but prevent it from spreading
• The Truman Doctrine provided military support for countries
resisting Communism
• Marshall Plan sought to prevent expansion of Communism
• NATO was developed
• The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October 1962
• The Iron Curtain divided Europe between Communist and
Democratic
• Berlin Wall was constructed to divide East and West to halt the flow
of human resources
The Truman Doctrine
• In 1946 a civil war broke out in Greece and
Communist-led rebels threatened to
overthrow the Democratic government.
• In a speech to Congress that would later
become known as the Truman Doctrine, the
President asserted that the US must protect
free peoples from outside pressures.
• Congress responded to Truman by approving
$400 million to aid Greece and Turkey.
NOTES #2
The Marshall Plan
• After WWII, European economies were in shambles and
horrible blizzards worsened an already difficult
situation.
• In April of 1948 Secretary of State George C. Marshall
presented his European Recovery Program to Congress.
• By helping Europe, economies were quickly restored
and the U.S. gained strong trading partners in the region.
• Initially Congress hesitated to accept the Marshall Plan,
but when the Soviet Union overthrew Czechoslovakia,
Congress agreed.
The Election of 48’
• Leading up to the election of 1948, President Truman
had begun to take steps to end racism in the US.
• In December of 1946,Truman created the Committee
on Civil Rights. In1948, Truman banned racial
discrimination in hiring federal employees.
• Truman’s strong stand on civil rights split the
Democratic Party and Southern Democrats created
the States’ Rights Party or ‘Dixiecrats’.
• Republican saw the split as a sure win, but in a great
upset, Truman defeated Dewey.
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
• In 1949 nine Western European nations joined the US,
Canada and Iceland to form the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO).
• NATO members pledged to defend the other nations
in case of an outside attack.
• In response to NATO the Soviet Union joined other
Communist Nations in a similar agreement known as
the Warsaw Pact.
• After NATO the US began to station troops in Europe
and provided massive aid to its allies
China Falls to Communists
• Since the 1920’s, China had two main political
parties the Chinese Communists and the Nationalist
Party.
• During WWII the two sides put away their
differences to focus on defeating Japan.
• After the War, fighting resumed and the US began to
send money to the Nationalist Party
• By 1949, Communist forces led by Mao Zedong
controlled most of the country and established the
People’s Republic of China
Communist Fears in America: McCarthyism
In 1947 the United States established the CIA (Central
Intelligence Agency) to gather strategic military and
political info.
To crack down on the Communist Party in the US the
Congress created the House Un-American Activities
Committee (HUAC).
In 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a list of
known Communist supporters, he used his position on a
Senate investigating committee to accuse hundreds of
Communist ties with little or no proof.
The United States and the UK worked together to intercept
encrypted Soviet messages and to create the Venona
Papers which listed Soviet spies in the US.
• Edward R. Murrow was a hero.
When this nation was drowning
in cowardice and demagoguery,
it was Murrow who hurled the
spear at the terror. The spear was
his See It Now television
broadcast on Senator Joe
McCarthy.
Notes #3
• Hiss worked in the administration of
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• In 1948, Whitaker Chambers
accused Hiss of having been a
member of an underground
communist organization.
• Hiss denied this but was found
guilty and served more than three
years of a five-year prison sentence.
• He released in 1954, still asserting
his innocence. He died in 1996.
The Alger Hiss Trial
• Following the Success of the nuclear attacks,
America became suspicious of how the Soviet
Union received information about the
technology
• July 17, 1960 Julius Rosenberg was arrested
for provided Soviets with information
• One month later, Julius’ wife Ethel was also
arrested for assisting her husband
• Although the evidence against the
Rosenberg’s was circumstantial and at times
contradictory, a culture of fear led to a guilty
verdict under the Espionage Act of 1917
• Two years later, both would be executed in the
electric chair
Rosenberg Trials (1951)
Arms Race & Space Race
• After WWII, the United States began work on the
hydrogen bomb or H-bomb which was 1,000 times more
powerful than the A-bomb the competition between the
Soviets and Americans to develop more powerful
Nuclear weapons became known as the “Arms-Race”
• The Soviet Union, under Nikita Khrushchev, launched
Sputnik in 1957 ,the first space satellite. Later, when
Sputnik II went into orbit around the earth, the US
created NASA (National Aeronautical and Space
Administration) and began to pour millions into
improving education in MATH and SCIENCE. The
competition to make discoveries in outer space became
known as the “Space Race”
Life in the Eisenhower Era
• In 1952 Dwight Eisenhower became President and a
new era began in the United States.
• Automation allowed machines to greatly increase
productivity in US factories.
• Americans began to marry and have children at a
younger age. The resulting population increase
became known as the Baby Boom.
• By the end of the 1950’s, over 46 million households
owned televisions. TV commercials helped market
many new products across the nation.
Youth Culture of the 1950’s
• Elvis ‘The King’ Presley became the leading talent
in a new kind of music called rock-n-roll.
• Rock-n-roll also crossed racial lines as Little
Richard, Chuck Berry and Ritchie Valens became
‘minority stars’ in rock-n-roll.
• Many parents felt that music, movies, and literature
were creating juvenile delinquents.
• Television and films of the 1950’s glamorized
rebellion against suburban culture.
The Election of 1960
• The election of 1960 pitted Eisenhower's VP, Richard Milhouse
Nixon against the Democrat, JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy)
• Kennedy chose Texas Senator, Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) as his
running mate. Johnson was chosen partially because Kennedy
(from Massachusetts) wanted to attract more Southern voters.
Johnson would soon be thrust into the spotlight of American
history.
• Nixon argued that he was more experienced, but many felt that in
the televised debates JFK appeared more confident and relaxed.
• Kennedy won the election by only 120,000 popular votes and 84
electoral votes.
Bay of Pigs – A Disaster for the US
• In 1959, Fidel Castro led a revolution in Cuba and set
up a Communist government. Castro had very close
ties to the Soviet Union.
• The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) began a project
to train Cuban rebels to overthrow Castro and JFK
pledged US support.
• On April 17, 1961 American trained Cuban forces
landed at the Bay of Pigs, but JFK did not provide the
support he had promised and Castro’s forces quickly
defeated the guerrillas
• The incident was a source of embarrassment for
Kennedy and pushed Castro closer to the Soviets.
Cuban Missile Crisis
• The Bay of Pigs caused Soviet leader, Nikita
Khrushchev to question JFK’s toughness.
• The Soviet Union erected the Berlin Wall (in Germany)
and also began sending long range missiles to Cuba.
• Kennedy responded aggressively by sending troops to
Berlin and blockading Cuba from the Soviets.
• For several days the US and the Soviets were on the
brink of nuclear war, Cuba armed nuclear missiles and
Soviet ship moved toward Cuba, but Khrushchev backed
down and agreed to dismantle Cuban missiles.
The Impact of JFK at Home
• John F. Kennedy was an extremely popular
President. His good looks and athleticism
presented an image of youth and vitality.
• President Kennedy often inspired young people
to take a more active role in politics.
• Domestically (within the US) Kennedy’s
programs often were vetoed by Congress.
• JFK was successful in passing the Area
Redevelopment Act to provide economic
assistance to the poorest parts of the US.
Kennedy’s Assassination
• As part of his 1964 Presidential campaign, Kennedy
traveled to Dallas, Texas.
• Around 12:30 PM Kennedy’s open-top motorcade
moved through downtown and the President was fatally
shot in the head.
• Within hours , police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, who
would himself be shot to death two day later by
nightclub owner , Jack Rubenstein (Ruby).
• New President LB Johnson appointed the Warren
Commission to review crime scene evidence. The
Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone
RACE TO THE MOON
• President Kennedy wanted to beat the Soviets to the
moon, but did not live to see the event.
• The United States achieved the first manned landing on
Earth's Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission commanded
by Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969.
• Soviet and U.S. leaders knew that being the first country
to land on the moon would be an extremely important
media event. .
• The first words Armstrong spoke “ That's one small step
for man, one giant leap for mankind.”