■Essential Question:
–How did the Cold War
increase fears in the United
States?
The Cold War by the 1950s
■ In the 1950s, Cold War tensions led
to anxiety & fear in America:
–The USSR dominated Eastern
Europe & China fell to communism
–The Korean War almost led to a
full-scale war with China
–The U.S.-Soviet atomic arms race
led to fears of a nuclear attack
–The discovery of Soviet spies in
the U.S. led to a new Red Scare
The
Red
Scare
From 1947-1951, 3.2 million gov’t employees were
investigated
& 212
as security
■During
thewere
Reddismissed
Scare, the
gov’t risks
(2,900
resignedconcerned
rather than face
investigation)
became
about
the
growth of communism in America
–The Loyalty Review Board was
created to investigate & dismiss
“disloyal” gov’t employees
–The House Un-American Activities
Committee (HUAC) investigated
suspected communists in the
entertainment & other industries
In 1947, numerous Hollywood writers &
executives were investigated by HUAC;
500 were blacklisted from the film industry
& some were sent to prison for refusing to
testify (the “Hollywood Ten”)
The Red Scare
■Red Scare fears in America were
heightened by the discovery of
spies working for the USSR:
–State Dept employee Alger Hiss
who was eventually convicted of
spying for the USSR
–Ethel & Julius Rosenberg were
convicted & executed for passing
atomic bomb secrets to the USSR
Alger Hiss
Julius & Ethel
Rosenberg
McCarthyism Activity
■Examine the document titled
“McCarthy’s Telegram to Truman”
& answer the questions provided
■After a brief class discussion,
read “Truman’s Response” &
answer the questions provided
McCarthyism
■In 1950, Wisconsin Senator Joseph
McCarthy emerged as the leader
of anti-Communism in the U.S.
–He attacked Truman & the
Democrats for allowing
communists to infiltrate the gov’t
–He used public trials to make
unsupported accusations against
suspected communists in the
State Dept & the U.S. military
McCarthyism in Action
■McCarthy’s attacks lasted 4 years
–But “McCarthyism” did not result
in a single confirmed Communist
or spy in the U.S. gov’t
–McCarthy was briefly popular but
by 1954, the Senate & American
public grew tired of his bullying
techniques & McCarthyism faded
■Essential Question:
–How did the Cold War evolve by
the 1950s & how did President
Eisenhower respond to these
foreign policy challenges?
■Warm-Up Question:
–What was the Red Scare?
–What was HUAC?
–How did Joe McCarthy increase
the tensions of the Red Scare?
Eisenhower & the Cold War
■In 1952, World War II hero Dwight
Eisenhower was elected president
–At home, he tried to
promote the “good
times” of the 1950s
economic boom
–In foreign policy, he
took a strong stand
against Communism
Brinksmanship
■Eisenhower began a “New Look”
to fight the Cold War:
–He invested heavily in new longrange nuclear missiles (ICBMs)
–In foreign policy, he used veiled
threats of nuclear war to achieve
his goals (called brinksmanship)
–In case of a Soviet attack, the U.S.
would use “massive retaliation”
thus making the use of nuclear
weapons unlikely on either side
Nuclear
submarines
The
stockpiling
of ICBMs
What are the stakes of war?
Massive Retaliation?
Mutual Assured Destruction?
Americans were
anxious by the threat
of nuclear war & built
fallout shelters for
protection
Eisenhower & the Cold War
■In response to the threat of a
Soviet nuclear attack, Eisenhower
pushed Congress to create the
Interstate Highway System in 1956
–41,000 miles of divided highway
to connect major U.S. cities
–In addition to helping promote
trade & travel, these highways
were vital to evacuate cities
during a nuclear attack
Interstate Highway System
Covert CIA Operations
■In addition to relying on nuclear
weapons, Eisenhower increased
the role of the CIA in foreign policy
–The CIA spied on foreign nations
& carried out covert operations to
weaken communist governments
–The CIA led successful coups in
Iran & Guatemala and tried to
overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba
In 1957, the
president
issued
the
Eisenhower
The
Eisenhower
Doctrine
Doctrine, pledging the USA to protect the
■ After
Stalin’s
in 1953, new
Middle
East death
from Communism
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev
began to challenge U.S. influence:
–In 1955, the USSR formed the
Warsaw Pact alliance
–In 1956, the Soviet military violently
suppressed an anti-communist
revolt in Hungary
–In 1956, the USSR began to make
moves towards the Middle East
Sputnik & the Space Race
■ In 1957, the USSR launched the
1st space satellite, Sputnik I
–People feared that the U.S. had
lost its competitive edge
–The
National
Aeronautics
& Space
Advanced
placement
(AP) classes
Administration
formed
were
created as a(NASA)
result ofwas
the NDEA
in 1958 to catch up to the Soviets
–National Defense Education Act
was created to promote math,
science, & technology education
The “space race” intensified the
The Original Seven NASA Mercury Astronauts
Cold War between USA & USSR
Eisenhower & the Cold War
■ Eisenhower failed to thaw the Cold
War by the end of the 1950s:
–In 1960, an American U-2 plane
was shot down over the USSR
proving we were spying on Russia
–He was unable to negotiate with
the USSR weapons reduction
–Before leaving office, he warned
against overspending on defense
(“Military Industrial Complex”)
Francis Gary Powers
& the U-2 Incident
Conclusions
■ By 1960, the Cold War remained
the major focus of U.S. foreign policy
–Truman contained communism in
Europe while Eisenhower used
the CIA & brinksmanship to limit
Soviet global influence
–But, Americans remained anxious
due to McCarthyism, threats of
nuclear war, & increasing gov’t
spending on defense
Closure Activity
■Compare & contrast the Cold War
policies & actions of Presidents
Truman & Eisenhower:
–List the events and/or policies
that each president faced
–When you compile your list,
which president was the better
“Cold Warrior”? Explain
■Read A U2 is Shot Down (p.
626-627)
■Write 1 paragraph describing the
incident and its role in the Cold
War.