THE COLD WAR BEGINS

• Yalta Conference – US,
GB, and USSR met at Yalta in 1945 (Feb.) to discuss the postwar world
– Tensions increase between
Soviet Union and Allies
• Topics included:
– Poland
– Germany
– National rights

• Stalin insisted that Poland’s location made it crucial to
Soviet security
• WC and FDR agreed to recognize the Polish gov’t set up by the Soviets
• Stalin agreed that the new gov’t would include prewar
Polish gov’t members and free elections would be held

• Divided into 4 zones:
– British
– American
– French
– Soviet
• Berlin itself was also divided into 4 zones
• A big issue that caused problems between the
USSR and the other three was reparations

1.
Tensions Begin (p.762) – Romania, Poland, attitudes as end of the war approached (A1, A2)
2.
Soviet Security Concerns (762) – Soviet goals, Soviet attitude about communism and capitalism (B1, B2)
3. American Economic Issues (762-763) – Connection between GD and WWII, importance of int’l trade, importance of democracy and free enterprise (C1, C2)
4. Truman Takes Control (763-764) – HT’s views on communism, cause of WW II and connection to the USSR, meeting with Molotov (D1, D2)
5. Potsdam Conference (764-765) – who?, when?, where? Deal reached? (E1, E2)
6. Iron Curtain Descends (765) – free elections in Eastern Europe?, satellite nations,
WC’s speech and the origins of the term Iron Curtain, meaning of the term (F1,F2)

• strong anti-Communist
• Hated appeasement; wouldn’t appease Stalin
• he demanded free elections in Poland; relations with the Soviet
Union turned colder as tensions increase

• July, 1945 – Truman and Stalin meet to discuss Germany
• Reach an agreement:
– Soviets take reparations from their zones, Allies allow economic recovery in theirs
– Soviets could buy industrial equipment from Allied zones
– Allies “recognize” new
German-Poland borders
• Result of the conference increases tension, adds to the “coldness”

• As a result of Yalta and
Potsdam the Soviet
Union basically controlled Eastern
Europe
• Communist countries of
EE became known as
“satellite nations” – why?
• Churchill gave a speech declaring an “iron curtain” had fallen across
Eastern Europe
– Term is used to refer to
Communist nations of EE

• U.S. policy was to support countries opposed to/threatened by Communism
• George Kennan
– Wrote the “Long Telegram”; emphasized Soviet insecurity and paranoia regarding capitalism
– Developed the policy of containment
• What was it?
– Basis of U.S. Policy throughout the Cold War

• During 1946 the U.S. was concerned about Soviet actions and communist activities in the
Middle East and SE Europe
• March 12, 1947 – HT asked
Congress for money to fight
Communism in Greece and
Turkey
– In the speech he laid out his doctrine; the goal was to:
“free all people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”
--- what does this mean for U.S. policy going forward?

• George Marshall (Sec. of
State) – proposed a plan to help struggling, postwar
Europe
– Combined with the Truman
Doctrine, it was seen as crucial to containment (why?)
– MP was rejected by the USSR and its satellites
– it pumped billions worth of aid into Western Europe
US video about Truman
Plan/Marshall Plan
Video about aid/country

• Opposing Soviet and
American views about
Germany?
• 1948 – GB, US, Fr. announced they were merging their zones in
Germany, and in Berlin
– Creation of the new country of the
Federal Republic of
Germany (West
Germany); German
Democratic Republic
(East Germany)

• This decision outraged the
Soviets….reparations
• USSR cut off all road/rail traffic to West
Berlin
• U.S. response:
1.
Sent bombers with atomic weapons to bases in GB
2.
Supplies were flown into Berlin
– Airlift lasted from June 1948-Spring of 1949
– Soviets lifted the blockade in May of 1949
– Proved Allies would not give into communism
– Leads to the creation of NATO
US video about BA and NATO

• North Atlantic
Treaty
Organization
– Created in 1949
– A mutual defense alliance
• Soviet leaders were not happy, respond by creating the
Warsaw Pact

1

IRON CURTAIN

2

YALTA

3

MARSHALL PLAN

4

POTSDAM

5

NATO/WARSAW PACT

6

TRUMAN DOCTRINE

7

BERLIN AIRLIFT

• U.S. sent aid to the
Nationalists (Chiang Kai-shek) fighting the Communists (Mao
Zedong) in the 1940s
• People’s Republic of China set up in 1949 (Mao wins)
• Nationalists fled to the island of Formosa/Taiwan
• 1950 – USSR and PROC signed a treaty of friendship and alliance

• Gen. MacArthur was in charge of America’s
“occupation” of Japan
– Introduce democracy
– Prevent Japanese threat in future
– Rebuild economy/nation
– Japan goes from being an enemy to a potential strong ally in Asia

see graphic organizer

1.
NK’s missile capabilities
2.
How war might unfold
3.
Propaganda in NK
4.
Who has nuclear weapons?
5.
Nuclear Weapons tests

• Red Scare – began in the mid-1940s with the
Gouzenko case
– Fear of the spread of communism; find them and expose them
– Major concerns about subversion

• HT creates the Loyalty
Review Program
– Screens all federal employees
– How do you define acceptable behavior?
– Too much power for the gov’t?
(FBI)
– Program actually increases public fears about the spread of communism

HUAC
ROSENBERGS
ALGER HISS

• Many other steps were taken by other groups/institutions to ferret out suspected communists: a. U. of California – loyalty oaths b. Church affiliation c. Taft Hartley Act - 1947

• Senator from Wisconsin
– Claimed to have a list of communists in the State
Department (1950)
– made a career out of going after communists/suspected communists
– Greatly influences society, public debate (ex. McCarran
Act)

• Becomes chairman of the Senate subcommittee on investigations
– Carried out a “witch hunt”; destroyed reputations
– Tactics are known as
“McCarthyism”
– He was finally censured by the
Senate in 1954; lost public support
(died in 1957)
– Issues of free speech/association continue today ( rapper/gang case )

22.4 – EISENHOWER’S POLICIES
• Election of 1952 – Eisenhower defeats
Stevenson
– Why didn’t Truman run?
• Wanted:
Technology to deliver nukes
Use of covert operations (CIA)
Strong economy (benefits at home and abroad)
• Believed
Relying solely on a large military/conventional war was too expensive
Containment could not be maintained through a series of small wars (too unpopular/expensive)
Policy of massive retaliation was more effective – threatening the use of nuclear weapons
- He cut military spending by millions while simultaneously increasing the nuclear arsenal (history of nuclear testing)

22.4 – EISENHOWER’S POLICIES
• John Foster Dulles – key figure in foreign policy during the
1950s
– Believed strongly in the policy of
brinkmanship – willingness to go to the brink of war to force the other side to back down
(quote on p.783)

22.4 – BRINKMANSHIP IN ACTION - KOREA
• Ike wanted to end the costly/unpopular war
• “hinted” to China use nuclear weapons to end it
• 1953 – armistice is signed; establishment of the DMZ

22.4 – BRINKMANSHIP IN ACTION - TAIWAN
• 1954 – PROC started shelling islands part of
Taiwan
• Ike has Congress authorize the use of force
• Told China the U.S. would use force (naval, nuclear) to defend Taiwan
• China backed down

22.4 – BRINKMANSHIP IN ACTION - EGYPT
• Ike wanted to stabilize the
Middle East against communism
• 1956 – Soviets threatened to bomb British and
French that invaded Egypt
• Ike put U.S. forces on
“nuclear alert” and pressured the British and
French to leave Egypt

22.4 – COVERT OPERATIONS
• Ike supported the use of covert operations to prevent communist uprisings in foreign countries (nukes made no sense in these cases-why not?)
• CIA became involved in
“developing nations”
– Why were they especially
“vulnerable” to communism?
– Exs.
1.
Iran
2.
Guatemala
3.
Eastern Europe (Hungary)

22.4 – EISENHOWER DOCTRINE
• ED – “use of force whenever necessary to assist Middle East nations resisting Communist aggression”
– Prompted by events in
Egypt
– An extension of the
Truman Doctrine and containment to the Middle
East

22.4 – COLD WAR HEATS UP
• 1957 - Sputnik – first satellite ever launched into space
– Caused major concerns in the
U.S.
• 1957/1958 – Nikita Khrushchev vowed to “crush capitalism” and demanded withdrawal of Allied troops from West Berlin
• 1960 – U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviets
– Khrushchev cancelled a summit with Ike
• Ike left office in 1961 and warned against the influence of the “military- industrial complex”