Post WWII and the US
• Allied leaders Truman, Churchill and Stalin met
in July 1945 at the Potsdam Conference.
• Germany was divided into four zones. The French,
Americans and British united their zones in the
West and the Russians controlled the East.
• Tensions grew between Stalin and the other Allies as
Communist Russia and Poland now controlled much
of Eastern Europe.
• The US occupied Japan from 1945-1952. By 1947
Japan had a constitution and a democratic
government with universal suffrage.
 At the Potsdam Conference, the Allied leaders agreed
that “stern justice shall be given out to all war
criminals….”
 The German War Crimes trials were known as the
Nuremberg Trials. Twelve Nazi leaders were
sentenced to death, thousands more were jailed, fined
or barred from holding public office
 Many Nazis fled to Latin America to avoid
prosecution.
 Seven Japanese leaders were sentenced to death in War
Crimes Trials held in Tokyo.
 The Search Continues
Problems of Demobilization
• By 1946 more than 9 million men and women had
been discharged from the army.
• The GI Bill (officially titled the Servicemen's
Readjustment Act of 1944) gave money to military
veterans to start a business, buy a farm, or go to
college.
• Women were encouraged to leave the workforce
and become full time homemakers
• In 1946 alone almost 5 million workers participated
in strikes for higher wages and shorter working
hours.
The Marshall Plan
• After WWII, European economies were in shambles
and horrible blizzards worsened an already difficult
situation.
• In April of 1948 Secretary of State George C.
Marshall presented his European Recovery Program
to Congress.
• By helping Europe, economies were quickly restored
and the U.S. gained strong trading partners in the
region.
• Initially Congress hesitated to accept the Marshall Plan,
but when the Soviet Union overthrew Czechoslovakia,
Congress agreed.
The United Nations (the UN)
• The United States, Britain, Russia and
China met in 1944 and created an
international organization called the
United Nations.
• The UN included a general assembly for all
member nations and a 15 member Security
Council with five permanent nations,
including the United States, and ten
rotating positions.
• One of the first U.S. delegates to the UN was
former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.
The United Nations
Headquarters in New York City.
The Election of 48’
• Leading up to the election of 1948, President
Truman had begun to take steps to stop racism.
• In 1948 he established Executive Order 9981 which
banned segregation or discrimination in the Military.
• In1948, Truman banned racial discrimination in
hiring federal employees.
• Truman’s strong stand on civil rights split the
Democratic Party and Southern Democrats created
the States’ Rights Party or ‘Dixiecrats’.
• Republican saw the split as a sure win, but in a great
upset, Truman defeated Dewey.
WRONG! The newspaper incorrectly
reported Dewey as the winner! Truman
upset Dewey in the election.
Roots of the Cold War
• After WWII the United States and the Soviet
Union emerged as the worlds “Super-powers”
• The US was committed to the principles of
democracy, capitalism and freedom while the
Soviet Union included a state-run economy, oneparty rule and suppression of rights
• The US and Russia began a competition for
global power known as the Cold War. The ‘war’
was fought mostly on political and economic
fronts, and not on a battlefield.
The Cold War Begins
• Soviet expansion after WWII fueled American mistrust.
• Winston Churchill described the Soviet influence as an
“Iron Curtain” that had divided East and West Europe.
• The US and Russia began a dispute over atomic
weapons. The US tried to regulate their production but
the Soviet Union rejected inspections and created their
own A-bombs (atomic bombs)
• Berlin airlift, 1948–49, supply of necessities to West
Berlin by US air transports primarily. It was initiated in
response to a land and water blockade of the city that had
been instituted by the Soviet Union in the hope that the
Allies would be forced to abandon West Berlin.
The Truman Doctrine
• In 1946 a civil war broke out in Greece and
Communist-led rebels threatened to
overthrow the Democratic government.
• In a speech to Congress that would later
become known as the Truman Doctrine,
the President asserted that the US must
protect free peoples from outside
pressures.
• Congress responded to Truman by approving
$400 million to aid Greece and Turkey.
Harry S. Truman
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
• In 1949 nine Western European nations joined the
US, Canada and Iceland to form the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• NATO members pledged to defend the other
nations in case of an outside attack.
• In response to NATO the Soviet Union joined
other Communist Nations in a similar agreement
known as the Warsaw Pact.
• After NATO the US began to station troops in Europe
and provided massive aid to its allies
China Falls to Communists
• Since the 1920’s, China had two main political
parties the Chinese Communists and the Nationalist
Party.
• During WWII the two sides put away their
differences to focus on defeating Japan.
• After the War, fighting resumed and the US began to
send money to the Nationalist Party
• By 1949, Communist forces led by Mao Zedong
controlled most of the country and established the
People’s Republic of China
Funny
Serious
Communist Fears in America: McCarthyism
 In 1947 the United States established the CIA (Central
Intelligence Agency) to gather strategic military and
political info.
 To crack down on the Communist Party in the US the
Congress created the House Un-American Activities
Committee (HUAC).
 In 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a list
of known Communist supporters, he used his position on
a Senate investigating committee to accuse hundreds of
Communist ties with little or no proof.
 The United States and the UK worked together to
intercept encrypted Soviet messages and to create the
Venona Papers which listed Soviet spies in the US.
• Edward R. Murrow was
a hero. When this
nation was drowning in
cowardice and
demagoguery, it was
Murrow who hurled the
spear at the terror. The
spear was his See It
Now television
broadcast on Senator
Joe McCarthy.
Arms Race & Space Race
• After WWII, the United States began work on the
hydrogen bomb or H-bomb which was 1,000 times more
powerful than the A-bomb the competition between the
Soviets and Americans to develop more powerful
Nuclear weapons became known as the “Arms-Race”
• The Soviet Union, under Nikita Khrushchev, launched
Sputnik in 1957 ,the first space satellite. Later, when
Sputnik II went into orbit around the earth, the US
created NASA (National Aeronautical and Space
Administration) and began to pour millions into
improving education in MATH and SCIENCE. The
competition to make discoveries in outer space became
known as the “Space Race”
Common items in
the shelter were:
water, canned food,
radio w/ batteries,
medical supplies.
An air filtration
system was used to
prevent nuclear
radiation (fallout)
from entering.
Occupants were to
be prepared to stay
underground for
weeks.
Children
were taught
to duck-andcover in
case of a
nuclear
attack!
Life in the Eisenhower Era
• In 1952 Dwight Eisenhower became President and a new
era began in the United States.
• Automation allowed machines to greatly increase
productivity in US factories.
• Americans began to marry and have children at a
younger age. The resulting population increase became
known as the Baby Boom.
• By the end of the 1950’s, over 46 million households
owned televisions and TV commercials drove sales of
new products.
• In 1956 the US officially added “In God We Trust” as its
official motto in part to show differences from the state
supported Atheism of many Communist nations.
A television of the 1950’s, black and white, of course.
Note: You had to actually go to the TV and turn a knob to change the channel.
Youth Culture of the 1950’s
• Elvis ‘The King’ Presley became the leading talent
in a new kind of music called rock-n-roll.
• Rock-n-roll also crossed racial lines as Little
Richard, Chuck Berry and Ritchie Valens became
minority stars in rock music.
• Many parents felt that music, movies, and literature
were creating juvenile delinquents, television and
films of the 1950’s often glamorized rebellion
against suburban culture
• Authors, artists and musicians helped define the
“Beat Generation” which rejected conformity and
materialism and often included liberal views
towards drug use and sexuality.
Ritchie Valens
Chuck Berry
Rebels
"What are you rebelling against?" asks
someone. "What've you got?" responds surly,
leather-jacketed motorcycle punk Marlon
Brando.
The landmark teen film that solidified Dean's
image with the public follows the story of
rebellious middle-class teens, disenfranchised
with their parents, and given to a life of
thuggery and deadly dangerous drag racing
to win over women.




The election of 1960 pitted Eisenhower's VP, Richard Milhouse
Nixon against the Democrat, JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy)
Kennedy chose Texas Senator, Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) as his
running mate. Johnson was chosen partially because Kennedy
(from Massachusetts) wanted to attract more Southern voters.
Johnson would soon be thrust into the spotlight of American
history.
Nixon argued that he was more experienced, but many felt that
in the televised debates JFK appeared more confident and
relaxed.
Kennedy won the election by only 120,000 popular votes and 84
electoral votes.
Campaign Buttons are excellent
collectors items and some are very
valuable.
Bay of Pigs – A Disaster for the US
• In 1959, Fidel Castro led a revolution in Cuba and
set up a Communist government. Castro had very
close ties to the Soviet Union.
• The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) began a
project to train Cuban rebels to overthrow Castro
and JFK pledged US support.
• On April 17, 1961 American trained Cuban forces
landed at the Bay of Pigs, but JFK did not provide
the support he had promised and Castro’s forces
quickly defeated the guerrillas
• The incident was a source of embarrassment for
Kennedy and pushed Castro closer to the Soviets.
Cuban Missile Crisis
• The Bay of Pigs caused Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev
to question JFK’s toughness.
• The Soviet Union erected the Berlin Wall (in Germany)
and also began sending long range missiles to Cuba.
• Kennedy responded aggressively by sending troops to
Berlin and blockading Cuba from the Soviets.
• For several days the US and the Soviets were on the
brink of nuclear war, Cuba armed nuclear missiles and
Soviet ship moved toward Cuba, but Khrushchev
backed down and agreed to dismantle Cuban missiles.
The Impact of JFK at Home
• John F. Kennedy was an extremely popular
President. His good looks and athleticism
presented an image of youth and vitality.
• President Kennedy often inspired young people
to take a more active role in politics.
• Domestically (within the US) Kennedy’s
programs often were vetoed by Congress.
• JFK was successful in passing the Area
Redevelopment Act to provide economic
assistance to the poorest parts of the US.
A 16 year
old future
President
meets
President
Kennedy.
Order of Presidential Succession
#
1
Office
Current Officer
Vice President
Joe Biden
2
Speaker of the
House of
Representatives
John Boehner
3
President pro
tempore of the
Senate
Senator Patrick
Leahy
4
Secretary of State
5
Secretary of the
Treasury
John Kerry
Jack Lew
Kennedy’s Assassination
• As part of his 1964 Presidential campaign, Kennedy
traveled to Dallas, Texas.
• Around 12:30 PM Kennedy’s open-top motorcade
moved through downtown and the President was
fatally shot in the head.
• Within hours , police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald,
who would himself be shot to death two day later by
nightclub owner , Jack Rubenstein (Ruby).
• New President LB Johnson appointed the Warren
Commission to review crime scene evidence. The
Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone
RACE TO THE MOON
• President Kennedy wanted to beat the Soviets to the
moon, but did not live to see the event.
• The United States achieved the first manned landing
on Earth's Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission
commanded by Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969.
• Soviet and U.S. leaders knew that being the first country
to land on the moon would be an extremely important
media event. .
• The first words Armstrong spoke “ That's one small
step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
APOLLO 11