The Cold War Deepens
Photo of one of the
checkpoints in Berlin,
preventing East
Berliners from escaping
into the West.
14.2
What is this political cartoon
suggesting about the Soviet Union?
Who is the short chubby guy?
Chubby guy is the last
Soviet leader, Gorbachev.
Cartoon shows him
dictating “plans for a new
world to the East German
(communist) leader, while a
guy leaning over from the
west shouts, “Don’t fence
me in”.
Why was Berlin a major point of
contention in the Cold War?
• Berlin was divided
into Zones
– Was within Soviet
controlled Germany
• Soviets tried to force
all Berliners to use
their currency
6/18/1948
• Blockaded the city
and shut off power
• 2 million East
Berliners held
hostage
Again, the chess metaphor:
Germany was just a piece on
the Cold War chessboard. The
US and Soviets were the two
super-powers playing the
game.
How did Truman deal with the Crisis
in Berlin?
His Options:
• Order troops to break through
– Risk starting WWIII
• Give it up to Stalin
– Risk a ‘Domino Effect’
Said to advisors, “We are going to
stay- period.”
Took advantage of air corridors and
started an airlift of needed supplies
– Flew milk, food, etc. for 11 months
– Landed every 11 minutes
– 2, 400 pounds a day
• Raised American status in the world
• Stalin lifted the blockade after 11
months
Above: map showing two
Germanys; below, loading
milk onto transport planes
during airlift
Berlin Airlift
Capture of map showing
two Germanys from clip on
the Berlin airlift
What is NATO?
• North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
• Alliance of 12 nations
formed to stop the spread
of communism
• An attack on one nation is
considered an attack on
all
• Soviets responded by
forming the Warsaw Pact
Cartoon shows US, Britain and
France, plus smaller allies,
trapped in a barbed wire pen.
Stalin is screaming
“encirclement” at them, though
they are the ones encircled. For
our part, Uncle Sam is goading
Stalin from inside the pen:
“Warmongers!”
NATO
Members
in Europe
Clearest map of
Europe from 1950s
through 1980s
The Marshall Plan
Capture from start of Marshall Plan clip, showing
US flag with thirteen stars
What was the result of the civil war in
China?
• US supported anticommunist
named Chiang Kai Shek
– Truman gave Shek $3 billion in aid
– Told him to clean up corruption
– Shek ignored Truman
• Mao Zedong (communist leader)
– Gave peasants land and set up
police force
– Peasants felt protected by Mao
• Mao won in 1949
• US feared Soviets would
dominate all of Asia and that
communism would spread
– Domino Effect
– Was containment failing?
Above: map showing
Chinese civil war; below:
Mao Zedong
Red China
Capture from start of clip on Red China,
with soldiers and a lot of red
Aid to South Korea
Self-explanatory
Why did North Korea invade South
Korea on 6/25/1950?
• Korea was Japanese territory during
WWII
• After war:
– Divided between Soviets (North)
and Americans (South) along the
38th parallel
• Korean people wanted to reunite but
under which kind of government?
• North Korea made its move (might we
have been better off if the Soviets
never declared war against Japan?
• “Hindsight is always 20-20”
Above: map of Korea;
below, invading N.
Koreans
Describe the Korean War.
• Known at the time as the
Accordion War or Forgotten War
• Truman got UN to support military
action against N. Korea
• UN forces were driven back to
Southeastern coast (Pusan)
• 9/15/1950 MacArthur led naval
invasion near Inchon
• Drove N. Korea back across
Chinese border
• 11/1950: thousands of Chinese
attacked UN forces and drove
them back past 38th parallel into
South Korea
• War became stalemate, not
resolved until Ike was elected
Inchon
Pusan
Korean War
Self-explanatory
Firing of
MacArthur
Presentation
Photo of Gen. MacArthur
with trademark shades
(rare in those days)
Why did Truman fire MacArthur?
• Wanted to use nuclear weapons
on China
– “In war there is no substitute for
victory.”
• Mac publicly criticized Truman
for fighting a limited war
– Fired for Insubordination
• Very unpopular decision (to fire
MacArthur)
• War with China would likely lead
to war with Soviet Union also or
weaken US position in Europe
Above: repeat of MacArthur
wearing shades; below,
Truman meets MacArthur
MacArthur and the Korean War
Video capture of a
battle in Korea
What were the results of the Korean
War?
• Korea divided along the
38th parallel
• North= communist
• South= democratic
• Started Arms race
– US drastically increased
defense spending
– Had 3.5 million men in
military and no reduction
after Korea
– 750 nuclear warheads
Above: map of divided Korea;
below, aerial photo of nuclear test
Left: map of Korea showing its close
proximity to Japan; right, Panmunjom
Satellite map,
incredibly graphic,
showing urban
lights (sign of
wealth and
progress) visible
from space. The
South is lit up like
an Xmas tree; by
contrast, the only
visible light from
the North is from its
capital of
Pyongyang.