Chapter 26: The Cold War

1. Chapter 26: The Cold War Sec. 1: Origins of the Cold War

3. Allies Clash U.S. Wanted to Soviet Union wanted to • Encourage democracy in other countries to prevent the rise of totalitarian governments • Gain access to raw materials & markets • Rebuild European governments to ensure stability & a market for trade • Reunite Germany & make them more secure & less bitter • Encourage communism in other countries • Transfer the industrial equipment of Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union to rebuild its economy • Control Eastern Europe as a balance to the U.S. in Western Europe • Keep Germany divided & weak

4. Tension Mount • Stalin goes back on his word: DOES NOT ALLOW FREE ELECTIONS in Eastern Europe • Truman establishes a policy of containment • An effort to block the Soviet’s attempts at spreading communism • Create alliances with weaker countries • Churchill gives a speech saying, “an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” • Stalin declares Churchill’s words, ‘a call to war”

6. Truman Doctrine • The U.S. should support free people throughout the world who were resisting takeovers by “armed minorities” or “outside pressures” • Bottom line: it would keep the Soviet influence & communism from spreading around the world • Sent $400 million to Turkey & Greece – who did not adopt democracy but instead installed an oppressive right wing military regime

7. Marshall Plan • Provide aid to all European nations that needed it • Any nation receiving aid had to remove trade barriers & cooperate economically with one another • Why: U.S. needed strong stabilized governments in Europe to resist communism & to increase the U.S.’s wealth through trade

8. The Berlin Airlift • Soviet Union cut off all highway, water & rail traffic into West Berlin. No supplies could get through • People of West Berlin were running out of food, fuel • Soviets hoped the U.S. would give up West Berlin to them • Instead U.S. & Britain started to fly in supplies around the clock for 327 days • Soviets lifted the Berlin Blockade

9. NATO • North Atlantic Treaty Organization: (U.S., Canada, France, Britain, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal) • Western European nations form a military alliance to counter Soviet aggression • All members agreed: an attack on one is an attack on all of us • 1st time U.S. had entered an alliance with other nations • The Cold War had ended U.S. isolationism

10. Civil War in China • China separated into two: Nationalist China in the South and Communist China in the North • U.S. supports Nationalist China • The two governments come together to fight Japan during WWII • When Japan is defeated, a civil war breaks out between the two • In China, popular support was for Communistic China • Communist China takes over (Mao Zedong) • Truman is blamed for losing China

11. Korean War • 38th parallel separates North & South Korea • North Korea is a Communist government (sponsored by Soviet Union) • South Korea is a Republic sponsored by the U.S. • Each government wanted the sole right to rule all of Korea • North Korea troops invade South Korea on June 25, 1950

12. Korean War cont • U.S. sends in supplies and orders naval & air support • UN troops (90% Americans) were commanded by General MacArthur • Troops push back North Korea & MacArthur decides to cross the 38th parallel into North Korea • Communist China gets involved – does not want U.S. by the Korean-Manchuria border • Both sides are in a stale mate

13. Korean War cont • General Douglas MacArthur is fired by President Truman • MacArthur wanted a full scale war with China, Truman did not • American upset about their war hero MacArthur – they have a parade in New York for him • U.S. & Soviets agree to a cease fire at the 38th parallel • A year was spent on negotiations of prisoners • In July of 1953 an armistice was signed • 54,000 lives lost, war cost $22 billion • Truman out, Eisenhower in as president

14. Communists are Everywhere • Hollywood actors, writers, directors accused of being communists • If you didn’t cooperate you were blacklisted from Hollywood • Spy cases of Alger Hiss & the Rosenbergs stun the nation (Rosenbergs get death penalty) • Senator Joseph McCarthy’s “witch hunts”: he accuses government officials of being communists • McCarthy’s downfall was accusing army vets from WWII of being commies

15. Race to the Top • Soviets explode their first atomic bomb in 1949 • U.S. must do better than the A-bomb • Truman authorizes the development of the hydrogen bomb or the H-Bomb & test it in 1952 • Soviets test their own in 1953 • Brinkmanship: U.S. would go to the brink and use all of its force including nuclear weapons too “keep the peace” • Americans started to make bomb shelters for protection against the Soviets launching a nuke

16. The American Dream in the 1950s • White collar jobs • Suburban lifestyle; single family home outside of the city, good schools, safe environment & nice neighbors • Conforming and fitting in: don’t stand out in the workplace or in society. Loss of individuality • Baby Boomers (1946-1964): the largest generation in the nation’s history