The Cold War
(1945-1960)
Mr. Phipps
American History
Main Ideas/Events
• Potsdam Conference: Post-war meeting during which Stalin and
Truman broke their promises
• Truman Doctrine: Promise to contain Communism by financial and
military aid
• Marshall Plan: Commitment of financial support to war-torn Europe
• Berlin Blockade/Berlin Airlift: Soviet attempt to strangle Allied
occupied Berlin, in Soviet controlled East Germany
• NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance to
combat the spread of Communism
• Chinese Revolution: Communist Revolution, led by Mao
• Korean War: United Nations conflict to stop the spread of
Communism in the Korean Peninsula
• Space Race: Soviet/American challenge to launch satellites and
ICBMs into space
• U-2 Incident: American spy plane, shot over Soviet airspace
• Cuban Revolution: The spread of Communism into the Western
Hemisphere
California State Standards
11.7.8. Analyze the effect of massive aid given to Western Europe under the
Marshall Plan to rebuild itself after the war and the importance of a rebuilt
Europe to the U.S. economy.
11.9.2. Understand the role of military alliances, including NATO and SEATO, in
deterring communist aggression and maintaining security during the Cold War.
11.9.3. Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of
the Cold War and containment policy, including the following:
– The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e.g., Alger Hiss) and
blacklisting
– The Truman Doctrine
– The Berlin Blockade
– The Korean War
– The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis
– Atomic testing in the American West, the "mutual assured destruction" doctrine, and
disarmament policies
– The Vietnam War
– Latin American policy
Part I: Settling the War
The start of the Cold War is rooted in the
diplomacy and relationships between
Russia and the United States in the final
months of World War II. FDR’s untimely
death fundamentally changed both: the
diplomacy and the relationship.
The Yalta Conference
(Feb. ‘45)
• Big Three meet (FDR, Stalin,
and Churchill) for the last
time, at the end of the war
• Goals:
– Free elections in Poland
– Establish sovereign
governments in former Nazi
Germany
– Divide Germany and Berlin into
4 zones
– Write United Nations Charter
and create Security Council
– Create War Crimes Tribunal for
“crimes against humanity”
Collective Hopes
Division of Germany
and Berlin
Germany divided into four zones: British, American,
French, and Russian.
Berlin also divided into four zones, but stuck in the
Russian-controlled part of Germany
Created as a new, improved League of Nations
• to govern international affairs
• to provide collective security
• to promote international development
• to further human rights
The United Nations
Security Council comprised of 15 members
• 5 Permanent Members (France, U.K., U.S.A,
Russia, and China)
• 10 Members on two year rotation
• All 5 permanent members can veto ANY
Security Council Resolution
Different Philosophies
U.S.S.R. vs. U.S.A.
The Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics
The United States of
America
• Communist
• Totalitarian
• Censorship of the Press
•
•
•
•
Capitalist
Democratic
Free Press/Speech
Free Market
So What?
The war time alliance was based on mutual defense against a common
enemy. It was necessary. The U.S.A. didn’t trust Stalin because he was
allied with Hitler and was a murdering bastard. The U.S.S.R. didn’t trust
FDR because we were greedy bastards who only helped the British.
Shifting Expectations
Russia expected
U.S expected
• Reparations
• A Defensive Buffer
• Free Trade
• Economic Development
By April 15, 1945
Stalin cancels free elections in occupied countries
(Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Poland)
FDR dies of a cerebral hemorrhage, and V.P. Truman
takes over, bringing a new hard-line, no negotiation, style
of leadership.
The Update: July, 1945
• Roosevelt Dead, Hitler Dead
• Germans surrender--V.E. Day (May 8)
• Europe faced with overwhelming issues
–
–
–
–
Reconstruction of cities, factories, and railroads
Refugees and displaced people
Widespread disease, hunger, famine
Shame of widespread genocide (Russia: 12 million;
Germany: 6.5 million Jews, and others)
– Power vacuum in Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe
• Successful war in the Pacific--U.S. attacking
Tokyo, near atomic decision
The Potsdam Conference
(July, 1945)
• Truman argued that
Germany was essential to
the economic development
of Europe
• Stalin argued that Germany
should pay reparations
• Truman learned of the
successful atomic test and
told Stalin
• Stalin felt bullied and
announced the end to free
elections in Soviet occupied
Europe
An Iron Curtain Descends
(March, 1946)
• Stalin forced Communist
revolutions in Bulgaria,
Romania, Czechoslovakia,
and Poland
• Stated that all “satellite”
nations must remain loyal
to Communist government
• Churchill, on tour in the
U.S., contends that an
“iron curtain has
descended in Europe”,
extinguishing liberty
Part II: The Cold War
Heats Up (1946-1949)
Following the Potsdam Conference, the Cold
War gets more intense, as Stalin takes control of
Eastern Europe and the threat of Communism
spreads to Greece, Turkey, Iran, and Asia.
Truman takes a hard-line approach by sending
money, aid, and military support to America’s
allies.
The Policy of Containment
• George Kennan’s “The Long
Telegram” (Feb. ‘46)
• A very long telegram
response to the American
Ambassador to the Soviet
Union
• Outlined America’s
diplomatic position to
Russia
The Long Telegram
• U.S.S.R is fatally insecure
• U.S.S.R. is completely
opposed to Capitalism
• There is no room for
compromise
• Russian Communism is
expansionary: IT WILL
SPREAD!
• Only solution: CONTAIN
COMMUNISM -- ANY WAY
POSSIBLE
The Iranian Crisis
(Mar. ‘46)
• Soviets take control of Iran
– Refuse to withdraw from
Iran after WWII
– Take over Iranian oilfields
– Establish a new Communist
government
• Will result in regional
instability
– CIA will start a coup in the
70s, install the Shah,
resulting in the Iranian
Revolution and the elevation
of the Ayatollah Khomeini
– Deep hatred of the West
Greece and Turkey
(Feb. ‘46 - Mar. ‘47)
• British pull financial and
military support out of
Greece
• Results in a civil war
between Monarchists and
Greek Communists
• Americans fear spread of
Communism through
Greece and Turkey,
resulting in the loss of the
Bosporus Strait
The Truman Doctrine
(Mar. ‘47)
• To prevent spread of
Communism in Greece
and Turkey
• Asked Congress for $400
million to help “free
people who are resisting
subjugation…by an
outside power
• First explicit use of
American money to
finance anti-Communist
efforts
The Marshall Plan
(June ‘47)
• The Goal:
– To prevent the spread
of Communism in
Western Europe, by
giving over $12.5 billion
to help rebuild post-war
Europe
– To buy the loyalty of
Western European
governments
– To show American
commitment to
combat Communism
The Unification of Germany
• Western Allies unify
Germany into West
Germany
– American Zone, French
Zone, and British Zone
combine to unify against
Soviet East Germany
• Allies combine their
zones of Berlin, as an
outpost in Soviet
occupied E. Germany
The Berlin Blockade
(June ‘48 - May ‘49)
• Threatened by the Allied
coalition
• Resenting the outpost of
Capitalism in E. Germany
• Russians blockade the
city of Berlin
– Close all railroads
– Stop all planes and close
airports
– Close all roads
– Prevent all trade and traffic
into West Berlin
The Berlin Airlift
(June ‘48 - May ‘49)
Truman takes action:
– Authorized deployment of
atomic bombs to British
bases…just in case
– Ordered air drop of over 2
million tons of food, medicine,
and fuel to W. Berliners
– Ended after 11 month
standoff, when Stalin ended
blockade
– Symbolized America’s
commitment to a new Europe
– Crystallized aggression
between Soviets and U.S.
NATO Formed
(Apr. ‘49)
• The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization: The Sword
and the Shield
– To protect American and her
allies in Europe from Soviet
hostility
– Approved mutual defense
treaty, to use military to
combat Communism
– Originally 12 members
– Prompted the creation of the
Warsaw Pact, a Soviet
military alliance
The Update
• Truman Doctrine: Truman pushes the
use of money to prevent the spread of
Communism (Marshall Plan, Berlin
Airlift)
• Communism spreading to Greece,
Turkey, and Iran
• Eastern Europe closed to the West
Part III: Asia Goes Red
(1949 - 1953)
Communism spreads through
Asia, as Mao begins a successful
revolution in China, and then
funnels money and troops to
Korea.
The Chinese Revolution
• Long struggle between
Nationalist Chiang KaiShek and Communist
Mao Zedong
• Started in the 1920s and
continued through WWII
• Created a brief armistice
to fight the Japanese
• U.S. contributed over $2
billion to Nationalist
forces, which squandered
the money
The Fall of China
(Aug. ‘49)
• U.S. stops aid to China
• Chiang Kai-Shek flees to
island of Formosa to
establish the Republic of
Taiwan
• Mao takes over Beijing
and declares the People’s
Republic of China in Oct.
• Mao signs an alliance with
Soviet Russia, 1950
The American Response
• U.S. Ambassador to
the U.N. vetoes
admission of
Communist China to
U.N.
• Only allowed seated
members from Taiwan
• U.S. steps up
financial aid to Japan
-- to prevent the
expansion of China
The Korean War
(June, ‘50 - present)
Background
• Americans and Russians
entered Korean Peninsula at
end of WW2 to disarm
Japanese
• Both sides left troops and
munitions
• Both sides professed desire for
Korean unification
• Korea tentatively divided
along 38th Parallel
– North--Soviet control
– South--American control
Hostilities Flare
• Communist N. Koreans cross
38th Parallel and nearly take
city of Pusan, June 1950
• Truman issues NSC-68
(National Security Council
Memo #68)
– Increase military spending to
combat Communism
– Mobilize 3.3 million troops
– Create Cold War military
preparedness (which would
continue through
– Saves the declining post-WW2
military
The United Nations
Intervenes
• Truman calls United
Nations to action (cites
mistakes of the League
of Nations)
• Argues for aggressive
containment of
Communism
• MacArthur given
command of UN
forces
The Military See-saw
September 1950
• MacArthur orders
invasion of Inchon
• UN forces push N.
Koreans back to Yalu
River, on the border of
China
• China responds by
sending “volunteer”
soldiers to help
MacArthur Fired
(April 1951)
• Truman refused to fully
engage military
– The U.S. and public had lost
appetite for war atrocities
– Truman also fighting
Communism at home, with
espionage trials and HUAC
hearings
• MacArthur argued for use of
atomic weapons, and
publicly criticized the
president’s strategy
• Truman accepted
MacArthur’s resignation
The Armistice Signed
• After MacArthur is replaced,
UN forces push N. Koreans
to the 38th Parallel
• War settles down
– N. Koreans supplied by China,
U.S.S.R.
– S. Koreans supplied by U.S.
• Peace talks begin in the fall
of 1951, but will last nearly
two years
• Cease fire signed July 1953,
still existent
Part IV: The Eisenhower
Years
(1952-1960)
The Eisenhower presidency is noted for
its massive military buildup, the constant
threat of nuclear retaliation, and the idea
that constant nuclear preparedness
would result in peace.
A New Look
Dwight David Eisenhower
• Won a landslide victory for
Republican Party in 1952
• Professional soldier, general
of Normandy Invasion
• Liberator of Europe
• Trusted by the American
people and Western allies
Massive Retaliation
• The U.S. couldn’t afford
small wars: Use Nukes!
– Needed to flex its nuclear
muscle
– Needed to decrease
conventional military
spending on standing armies
– Increased nuclear arsenal
from 1,000 to 18,000
warheads
– Created Strategic Air
Command (SAC), superbombers equipped with
atomic bombs
The Space Race
• U.S. develops Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile program
(ICBMs)
– Ability to launch long-range
missiles, monitored by series of
satellites
– Russia tests atomic bomb in 1949
– U.S. responds by creating
Hydrogen Bomb (equal to 10
million tons of TNT, 1000x more
powerful than A-Bomb)
– Russia beats U.S. to space,
launches Sputnik, Oct. 1957
– Ike forms National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) to
create space technology
Brinksmanship
Brinksmanship:
– The threat of full scale nuclear war,
as a national foreign policy
•
•
•
Korean Armistice (1953):
– Forced prisoner exchange and N.
Korea to sign armistice
Taiwan (1954):
– Communist China threatens to take
Nationalist Chinese Taiwan, U.S.
threatens nuclear retaliation
Suez Crisis (1956):
– U.S. threatens to use nukes after
Communist Egyptian faction takes over
Canal, but loses foothold in Middle East
•
Guatemala
– CIA trains Guatemala nationalists to
combat Soviet Communists, in order to
protect United Farm Co.
The Hungarian Uprising
• Background
– New Soviet Premier, Nikita
Khrushchev, seemed more
tolerant of America
• June 1956
– Riots against Soviet rule
start throughout Eastern
Europe, notably in Hungary
– Soviets crushed the
rebellion
– U.S. ignored Hungarian
pleas for help
The U-2 Incident
(1960)
• Khrushchev vows to “bury
Capitalism,” pounds shoe
on podium
• U.S., NATO, and U.S.S.R.
meet to discuss problems
in Berlin, diffuse tension
– During summit meeting,
American spy plane is shot
down in Soviet airspace
– U.S. said it was a lost
weather plane
– Soviets, correctly, said it was
a spy plane
– Derailed summit
Cuba Goes Red
(1959)
• Increased resentment
toward U.S. for not
supplying financial aid to
Latin America
• Claimed racism toward
Hispanics
• Increased dependence
on American exports
devastated local
economies
The Cuban Revolution
• Fidel Castro and Che
Guevara denounces
everything American
– Values
– Culture
– Imperialism
• Overthrows existing
government led by
Fulgencio Batista
Communism in Cuba
• Castro begins
redistribution of land,
Robin Hood style
– Takes land from rich
American, or American
financed, sugar planters
– Collectivizes agriculture
– Removes all traces of
American culture and
capitalism
– Would remain major
adversary in Western
Hemisphere
Castro and Khrushchev
• Khrushchev promises
full financial and
military support to
Cuba
• Promises to send
nuclear missiles to
protect Cuba against
American imperialism
• Will ultimately result in
the Cuban Missile
Crisis
The Election of 1960
• Eisenhower leaves office having
– Mobilized a full nuclear arsenal
•
•
•
•
Created ICBMs
Highways to move nuclear arsenal
SAC
Massive retaliation
– Ignored pleas for help from Hungary
– Allowed Communism to spread in
•
•
•
•
Korea
Space
Hungary
Cuba