21.2 The Early Cold War Years
 5,540




word cable message (that’s long!)
explaining diplomat George Kennans’ views of
the Soviet goals.
Russian “insecurity”
Fear of the West
Historical struggle with capitalism.
 Goal
should be to keep the Soviets from
expanding.

Containment: Keeping communism within its
present territory through the use of diplomatic,
economic, and military actions.
Soviets occupied
northern Iran
U.S. had put troops in
southern Iran.
Soviets wanted a
supply line from the
Persian Gulf.
Remained in northern
Iran and then started
demanding access to
Iran’s oil supplies.
Soviet troops helped
local Communists
establish a separate
government
Were the Soviets trying to push
into the Middle East?
 U.S.
battleship Missouri sailed into the
eastern Mediterranean.

Pressure seemed to work and the Soviet forces
withdrew!
 Stalin
turned to Turkey to control the
Dardanelles (a vital route from the Black Sea
to Mediterranean).
Stalin demanded joint
control of the
Dardanelles with Turkey
Presidential Advisor,
Dean Acheson, saw
this as a step to
control the Middle
East.
Advised Truman to
make a show of
FORCE
 New
aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt
to join the Missouri in protecting Turkey and
the eastern Mediterranean.
 U.S
Turkey.
 Britain
Greece.
Greek Communists launched
a guerrilla war against the
British government.
 British fought for about 6
months but then could not
longer afford to help Greece.

 In
1947 Truman went before Congress to ask
for $400 million to fight Communist
aggression in Greece and Turkey.
 “To aid free peoples who are resisting
attempted subjugation by armed minorities
or by outside pressures.”
 Effects:
 Stabilize
the Greek government.
 Ease Soviet demands in Turkey
 Western
European countries in serious
financial crisis.
 George Marshall – U.S. Secretary of State.

European Recovery Program, or Marshall Plan.



American aid to rebuild their economies.
Offered to all nations planning a recovery program.
Soviets and countries in Eastern Europe rejected
the offer.
 President
Truman and his advisors believed
that Western Europe’s recovery depended on
Germany’s recovery.
 Soviets still wanted Germany to pay
reparations to the Soviet Union.
 1948
the U.S. Great Britain, and France
announced that they were merging their
zones in Germany and allowing the Germans
to have their own government.
 They also planned to merge their zones in
Berlin (which would become part of the new
German republic).
 Federal Republic of Germany


Was called West
Germany.
Soviet Zone became known as East Germany.
 By
late 1948 the Soviets knew they were
never get the reparations they wanted.
 Soviets cut off all road and rail traffic to
West Berlin.
 Blockade

U.S. sent long-range bombers with atomic
weapons to bases in Great Britain.
 June
1948 – President Truman ordered the
Berlin Airlift to begin.


Lasted 11 months.
Cargo planes supplied Berliners with food,
medicine, and coal.
 Stalin
finally lifted the blockade on May 12.
 Became a symbol of American determination
to stand by the divided city.
 Military
Alliance with Western Europe.
1949 North Atlantic Treaty
Organization was formed – A mutual defense
alliance.
 April
U.S.
Canada
Britain
France
Italy
Belgium
Denmark
Portugal
Netherlands
Norway
Luxembourg
Iceland
 Any
member agreed to come to the aid of
any member who was attacked.
 6 years later the U.S. and its allies agreed to
allow West Germany to rearm and join NATO.
 How do you the Soviets are going to respond
to this?
 Soviets
organized a military alliance in
Eastern Europe which became known as the
Warsaw Pact.