Chapter 13 PowerPoint
The Cold War
L1: Cold War Origins
1)
United Nations
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2)
Yalta Conference
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3)
Economic Tensions &
Differences
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4)
Truman & Potsdam
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5)
Iron Curtain
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Meeting in 1944 formed the basis of the UN. First official meeting took place in
August 1945 in San Francisco. General Assembly would consist of 1 rep from
every member nation in the world. Security Council would consist of 11 nations,
with 5 permanent members: U.S., U.K., U.S.S.R. France, & China, each with veto
power. Security Council could ask members to use force to uphold resolutions.
FDR, Churchill, & Stalin met to discuss postwar Europe. Among agreements,
Poland would be under Soviet-led government, but with some non-Communist
members; Declaration of Liberated Europe allowing postwar European nations
to choose own style of government; Germany divided into four zones controlled
by U.S., U.K, France, & U.S.S.R., with Berlin divided into 4 zones. Soviets
demanded reparations from Germany; these would come from goods.
Clashes of ideology & economic philosophy led to diplomatic clashes between
the U.S. & U.S.S.R. U.S. believed capitalism & democracy would help the world;
U.S.S.R. believed communism & totalitarianism would prevail. This led to the
Cold War, a period of confrontations & competition between the two nations
from 1946 to 1991.
After FDR’s death April 12, 1945, VP Harry Truman became President. Truman
immediately confronted U.S.S.R., denouncing communism. Truman met Stalin at
Potsdam in July 1945 to work out details over postwar Germany. Truman
believed industry was necessary to Europe’s survival; Stalin believed agriculture
was all that was necessary. However, Stalin was forced to accept the terms.
While Truman was successful on economic issues at Potsdam, he was unable to
get Soviets to agree to the Declaration of Liberated Europe. Eventually, nations
of Europe between Germany & U.S.S.R. would be communist-controlled
nations, known as satellite nations due to control by U.S.S.R. In a March 1946
speech, former U.K. prime minister Winston Churchill used the phrase “iron
curtain” to describe the separation between Eastern & Western Europe.
L2: Early Cold War
1)
The Long Telegram
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2)
Truman Doctrine
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3)
Marshall Plan
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4)
Berlin Airlift/ NATO
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5)
Chinese Revolution
6)
Korean War
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Feb. 22, 1946, U.S. diplomat George Kennan sent the State Department a message
explaining Soviet Behavior. Kennan proposed containment (the policy or process
of preventing the expansion of a hostile power) in order to defeat the U.S.S.R. This
became U.S. policy in trying to defeat & overtake the U.S.S.R.
After Soviet acts of aggression in Iran & the Mediterranean area, Truman went
before Congress asking for $400 million in aid. In his speech, Truman outlined a
plan to aid nations from being taken over & ultimately stopping communism.
June 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall proposed economic program to
provide aid for struggling postwar Europe. U.S. offered program to Soviets & allies,
but Soviets rejected the plan. Marshall Plan weakened appeal of communism.
By June 1948, U.S. believed U.S.S.R. was trying to keep Germany weak. U.S., U.K.,
& France united their German zones to form independent nation of West
Germany. In response, U.S.S.R. blockaded West Berlin, trying to force U.S. & Allies
to reconsider. U.S. began flying in supplies to blockaded Berlin through May 1949,
bringing 2 million tons of supplies to city. In response to Berlin crisis, U.S. & allies
formed a military defense alliance known as the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). All member states agreed to come to defense of any
member nation that was attacked; in 1955, NATO allowed West Germany to build
military and join NATO. In response, Soviets & allies created Warsaw Pact.
Communist forces, led by Mao Zedong, & Nationalist forces, led by Chiang Kaishek, had been battling for control of China since 1920’s. Despite U.S. assistance
to Nationalists, Communists took control of China in Fall 1949, causing nationalists
to flee. Communist government signed treaty with U.S.S.R. in 1950; U.S. refused
to recognize Communist government.
Korea was divided @ 38th parallel after WWII (U.S.S.R. to north, U.S. to south).
June 1950, North Korea invaded the South. U.S. assisted South in fight against
North, pushing Northern troops to Chinese border. In response, China entered the
war, causing U.S. to back down. Armistice declared in 1953, with DMZ separating
the sides. More than 50,000 U.S. troops died in Korea. War never declared over.
L3: Red Scare
1)
Red Scare
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2)
Loyalty Review Program
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3)
House Un-American
Activities Committee
(HUAC)
4)
McCarthyism
5)
Life during Red Scare
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After a Soviet clerk defected in 1945 & told U.S. authorities U.S.S.R. planned to infiltrate
U.S. government, fear of Communist subversion overtook the country.
1947, POTUS Truman established a loyalty review program in order to screen federal
government employees. 6 million employees were screened between 1947 & 1951 for
“loyalty” to the U.S. FBI screened 14,000, pressuring 2,000 to quit & firing 212.
Despite Loyalty Review Board, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover pressed for more hearings &
urged HUAC to investigate anyone that could even be suspect. Among those
investigated were the Hollywood Ten, a group of directors, screenwriters, & producers
that took the 5th Amendment & refused to testify, leading to a blacklist; Alger Hiss, a
diplomat accused of being a spy by former Communist Whittaker Chambers; and Julius
& Ethel Rosenberg; a NY Communist couple accused of spying for the U.S.S.R., which
resulted in their executions in 1953. As a result, many organizations began requiring
loyalty & anti-Communist oaths, firing anyone who refused to do so.
1950, Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy stated he had a list of 205 Communists working
for the State Department. McCarthy became a celebrity arousing fears of Communism.
His accusations led to the McCarran Act, which required Communist organizations to
register with the Attorney General, took away Communists passports, & allowed
Communists to arrested & jailed in times of war. Act was passed over Truman’s veto. By
1954, McCarthy’s bullying led to his downfall & censure by the Senate, but fear stayed.
During this time, bomb drills became common; many built bomb shelters in their
backyards. Witch-hunt became part of culture, inspiring books, movies, & plays,
including The Crucible, which was a veiled criticism of the Hollywood Ten hearings. This
spirit led Americans seeking a more secure existence & a more secure leadership during
the 1950’s.
L4: Eisenhower’s Policies
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1)
Eisenhower’s Election
2)
Brinksmanship
3)
CIA
4)
Khrushchev’s Rise
5)
Eisenhower Doctrine
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6)
Khrushchev vs.
Eisenhower
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By 1952, Truman decided not to run for reelection. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was
overwhelmingly elected POTUS. Once in office, Eisenhower reduced the number of
troops while increasing the number of nuclear weapons, saving money &keeping the
U.S.S.R. on guard.
Eisenhower’s policy of threatening nuclear war to maintain peace was used on multiple
occasions. Communist China threatened to invade Nationalist Taiwan, but Eisenhower
threatened nuclear action to halt the crisis. The U.S. also put pressure on Britain &
France during the Suez Crisis in 1956 to retreat from Egypt in order to calm the Soviets.
Eisenhower knew brinksmanship wouldn’t always work, so he relied on secretive
missions. To do this, he used the CIA to carry these missions out. CIA missions in Iran &
Guatemala replaced Soviet-friendly leaders with pro-American leaders.
After Joseph Stalin’s 1953 death, a power struggle took place in the U.S.S.R. By 1956,
Nikita Khrushchev emerged as the new Soviet leader. Khrushchev gave a secret speech
denouncing Stalin’s policies; U.S. got a copy of the speech & distributed it to Soviet-bloc
countries, causing an anti-communist rebellion in Hungary. Khrushchev quickly put the
rebellion down with force & reaffirmed communist beliefs.
After the Suez crisis, pro-Soviet leader Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt began calling for
pan-Arabism. This concerned Eisenhower, and he asked Congress to authorize force to
assist Middle Eastern nations resisting Communism. This became the Eisenhower
Doctrine. Force was used in Lebanon in 1958 in such a manner.
After Hungarian rebellion was crushed, Khrushchev boasted about Soviet power &
communism’s superiority. Late 1959, he demanded Allied troops leave West Berlin &
threatened to use force; however, Secretary of State John Dulles threatened NATO
involvement, causing Khrushchev to back down. After a successful White House visit
with Khrushchev in late 1959, Eisenhower and Khrushchev met at a Paris summit in
1960. Tensions erupted when the U.S.S.R. shot down a U.S. spy plane & captured the
pilot. After Eisenhower refused to apologize, Khrushchev left the summit. In his farewell
address, Eisenhower warned the U.S. to guard against the influence of the militaryindustrial complex, as it might lead to unnecessary escalations of war.