CHAPTER 26
COLD WAR CONFLICTS
What was the Cold War?
• Conflict between the
superpowers of the U.S.
and USSR.
• Democracy v.
Communism
• From 1945-1989 After
World War II to Fall of
Berlin Wall)
• Examples: Berlin, Cuba,
Korean War and
Vietnam War
What was the United Nations?
• 1945- new
organization created to
keep the peace.
• 50 nations were
involved.
• Eleanor Roosevelt was
active in its
beginnings.
What was the Potsdam
Conference?
• Meeting of Churchill,
Stalin, and Truman outside
of Berlin in July 1945.
• Stalin made clear his ideas
for the spread of
Communism into Eastern
Europe.
• Truman was sure the next
conflict would be with the
Soviets.
What were satellite nations?
• Communist
governments on
Albania, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, Romania,
and Poland.
• Controlled by Soviet
Union.
What was the U.S. policy of
containment?
• Policy of George F.
Kennan that many
Presidents will follow.
• Prevent the spread of
communism
throughout the world.
• Examples: Berlin,
Cuba, Korea, Vietnam
What was the Iron Curtain?
• Statement by
Winston Churchill
• Stood for the division
of Western European
democracies and
Eastern European
communist nations.
• Berlin Wall will be
built in the 1960’s.
What was the Truman Doctrine
(1947)?
• Truman declared that
the policy of the U.S.
was to support free
people against
communism.
• Gave $400 million to
Greece and Turkey to
prevent communism
What was the Marshall Plan
(1947)?
• 16 Western European
countries received $13
billion in aid from the
U.S. (Secretary of State
George C. Marshall)
• Provided basic needs like
food and clothing
• Showed America was
generous and promoted
democracy.
What was the crisis in Berlin
(1948-49)?
• Stalin blockaded all
goods from entering the
Allied section of Berlin.
• Truman responded with
the Berlin Airlift for 327
days until Stalin lifted the
blockade.
• Giving supplies to those in
West Berlin
• Close to war.
What was NATO (1949)?
• North Atlantic Treaty
Organization created
as a military alliance
of democratic nations.
• Kept a standing
military force of
500,000 troops.
What was the Warsaw Pact
(1949)?
• Alliance of
Communist nation in
opposition to NATO
led by the Soviet
Union.
What was happening in China?
• The U.S. supported
government of Chiang
Kai Shek is overthrown
by the Communists Mao
Zedong in 1949.
• Chiang Kai Shek flees to
Taiwan.
• U.S. does not recognize
Communist China.
What was the Korean War?
• North Korea (Communist
nation supported by China)
invades South Korea
(Democracy supported by
U.S.)
• United Nations supported war
(led mostly by Americans)
fights N. Koreans from 195053.
• Stalemate at 38th parallel.
• Korea still divided today!
• Over 50,000 Americans die in
the Forgotten War.
Why was Douglas MacArthur
fired?
• Disagreed openly with
Truman.
• MacArthur wanted to
expand Korean War
into China and use
nuclear weapons.
• Truman wanted to
stick to the policy of
containment.
What was the House of UnAmerican Committee (HUAC)?
• Set up to investigate
suspected Communists in
America.(Started 1947)
• Fear that America would
be taken over by
Communist spies.
• Investigated all people
including those in
Hollywood.
• Hollywood Ten- refused
to answer government?’s
• Blacklist- not allowed to
work.
Who were the spies?
• Alger Hiss- accused
of spying for Soviet
Union.
• Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg- accused
of passing atomic
secrets to Soviets.
Sentenced to death.
What was McCarthyism?
• Led by Senator Joseph
McCarthy as a witch hunt
for communists in
America.
• “Are you or have you
ever been a member of
the Communist Party?”
• Naming names of friends
• Late 1940’s-1950’s
• Inspiration for Arthur
Miller’s The Crucible
What was the H bomb?
• 67 times more powerful
than the bombs used on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• U.S. developed first one in
1952 and a few months
later Soviets develop
weapon.
• Fear that Soviets will
attack America with
nuclear weapons.
What was the policy of
brinkmanship?
• Willingness to go to
the edge of nuclear
war and then backing
down.
• Policy of John Foster
Dulles
• Used by President
Eisenhower
What was the CIA?
• Central Intelligence
Agency
• Used spies to gather
information and carry
out secret covert
actions to overthrow
governments.
What was the Eisenhower
Doctrine?
• U.S. would defend the
Middle East against
attack by any
communist country.
Who was Nikita Khruschev?
• Leader of Soviet
Unionafter Stalin’s death
from 1953- thru the
1960’s.
• Sputnik- Soviet’s launch
first artificial satellite.
• America responded by
investing more in science
and math education.
What was the U-2 Incident?
• U.S. spy plane flown
by Francis Gary
Powers was shot
down.
• Increased Cold War
tensions
What was the GI Bill of Rights?
• Guaranteed WW II
veterans education,
low cost mortgages,
and unemployment
benefits.
• Created a new middle
class with great
opportunities.
Where were WW II veterans
living?
• Suburbs- residential
communities outside
of major cities.
• Levittownstandardized homes
built with the
assembly line method.
What was the economy like in
the late 1940’s and early 1950’s?
• Boom in Consumer
goods
• Largest economic
expansion in U.S.
history
• Home ownership is
part of the American
Dream
What were the issues of domestic
policy in Harry S. Truman’s
presidency?
• Supported Civil Rights
with the integration of the
federal government and
the military.
• Fair Deal
• “The Buck Stops Here”
• Faces strikes
• Faced opposition from the
Dixiecrats- opposed to
Truman’s integration
policies.
• Barely wins 1948 election.
Who was Jackie Robinson?
• 1947- First African
American to play in
the Major Leagues
• Faced discrimination
and death threats daily.
• Became a successful
businessman also.
What were conglomerates?
• Major corporation that
includes a number of
smaller companies in
unrelated industries.
• Examples are Xerox
and General Electric
What is a franchise?
• Company that offers
similar products and
service in many
locations.
• The birth of fast foodMcDonalds
What was the baby boom?
• From the late 1940’s
to late 1950’s- 40
million Americans
were born.
• Lived in suburbs and
are affecting us today
with the Social
Security crisis.
What were the advances in
medicine and child care?
• Dr. Jonas Salk- polio
vaccine
• Dr. Benjamin SpockBooks on child care
• Schools were being
built at a very high
rate to keep up with
baby boomers.
What was life like for women?
• Homemaker was shown in
magazines, films, and TV.
• More than 20% of women
were dissatisfied with
their lives.
• 97% of women were
married.
• Only female jobs
available: teaching,
nursing, secretarial work.
What did people do in the leisure
time?
• Owned more products
like washing machines
and dishwashers.
• Sports
• TV
• Reading magazines
and books
How was the automobile
important in the 1950’s?
• Inexpensive gas
• Cars symbolized
people’s personality.
• Interstate Highway
System- Eisenhower
• Leads to traffic and
overcrowding.
• Drive In culture
What is consumerism?
• Buying material goods to
show success.
• New technologyhousehold products,
record players, swimming
pools, and cars.
• Buying on credit
• Keeping Up With the
Jones’
What is planned obsolescence?
• Products are designed
to go out of date in a
short period of time.
• Keeps customers
buying new products.
What forms of entertainment
were important?
• TV (I Love Lucy,
Ozzie and Harriet,
Gunsmoke, Howdy
Doody)
• Everything was for a
family audience.
• Movies: Actors like
James Dean and
Marilyn Monroe
What was the beat movement?
• Rejected the
materialism and
consumerism of the
1950’s.
• Forerunners of hippie
movement
• Jack Kerouac On the
Road
• Alan Ginsberg Howl
Who were the leaders of early
rock n’ roll?
• Started in African
American community
and considered the
“devil’s music”
• Chuck Berry
• Elvis Presley
• Billy Haley and the
Comets
• Jerry Lee Lewis