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Cold War at Home

U.S. History 11. Cold War at Home. “Duck and Cover” . http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60. Arms Race: Mutually Assured Destruction. September 1949-Soviet Union sets off an atomic bomb U.S. no longer has monopoly on atomic weaponry 1952- U.S. tests the first Hydrogen bomb

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Cold War at Home

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  1. U.S. History 11 Cold War at Home

  2. “Duck and Cover” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60

  3. Arms Race: Mutually Assured Destruction • September 1949-Soviet Union sets off an atomic bomb • U.S. no longer has monopoly on atomic weaponry • 1952- U.S. tests the first Hydrogen bomb • The following year, Soviets also develop and test an H-bomb • H-bombs are ~ 1,000x more powerful than the atom bomb

  4. Red Scare • Fear that communism inside and outside of America will destroy the American way of life • Fear of totalitarian, fascists, communist or any subversive views/organizations • HUAC • Hollywood Ten • McCarthyism

  5. HUAC • House Un-American Activities Committee • Created in 1938 to investigate subversive activities • After the war, conducted highly publicized hearings • Investigated the government, armed forces, education, unions, science, newspapers, etc.

  6. Hollywood Ten • Most famous HUAC case involved the investigation of the film industry in 1947 • A group of left-wing producers, writers, and directors • They asserted their 5th amendment right and refused to answer questions • After the hearings, they were tried and sent to prison for contempt of Congress

  7. Hollywood Ten • Blacklist • Movie execs circulated a list of entertainment figures who should not be hired due to suspicion of communist activities • The blacklist destroyed many careers • The filmmaking industry avoided sensitive social issues Herbert Biberman, Martin Popper, Robert W. Kenny, Albert Maltz, Lester Cole, Dalton Trumbo, John Howard Lawson, Alvah Bessie, Samuel Ornitz, Ring Lardner Jr., Edward Dmytryk, Adrian Scott.

  8. Threats to Ways of Life • Blacklists were common among many institutions and industries • People were fired for having associations with communists or making remarks considered disloyal • Cultural Aspects: • Captain America comics, Invasion of the Body Snatchers

  9. Espionage • Fear of communist spies infiltrating America • KGB- • Alger Hiss • Government employee, accused by Whittaker Chambers in 1948 • Tried for perjury and sentenced to 5 years in prison

  10. Espionage • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg • 1950- charged with conspiring to pass secret info about nuclear weapons to Soviet agents • Case based on one supposedly confessed spy • Found guilty and sentenced to death • Many believe the harsh treatment was fueled by: Govt. wanting to send a message, anti-Semitic views, trying to unveil a spy ring

  11. Joseph McCarthy • Senator from West Virginia • In 1950, made a speech calling out the State Department • Claimed to have a list of communist employees; but never did produce such a list • McCarthyism- McCarthy’s brand of extreme, reckless accusations of communist activity

  12. Joseph McCarthy • Between 1950-54, he became one of the most powerful political figures in the U.S. • Mere accusation by McCarthy caused people to lose their jobs and credibility • Power finally fades in 1954 when he went after the US Army • Televised hearings were conducted and Americans witnessed McCarthy’s bullying tactics

  13. Red Scare Winds Down • The Korean War ends in 1953 • McCarthy’s support and influences fades in 1954 • The nation has suffered from the suppression of free speech and realized the importance of preserving democratic institutions

  14. Dwight D. Eisenhower • Takes over presidency from 1953-1961 • Campaign Slogans- “I like Ike,” crusade against “communism, Korea, and corruption” • Believed communism was the greatest threat to the free world • Policy of massive retaliation: stockpile and be prepared for nuclear war • Policy of Brinkmanship: being on the brink of war was the best way to protect allies, discourage communism, prevent war, etc.

  15. Nikita Khrushchev • Takes over USSR after Stalin died in 1953 • Disagreed with Stalin’s tactics, cruelty, and suspicion • Still a proponent of communism and opponent of U.S. • 1955- Met with Eisenhower in Geneva • Small move towards peaceful co-existence

  16. Eisenhower Takes Action • Eisenhower Doctrine (1957) • U.S. would assist any Middle Eastern nation trying to fight communism • Used the CIA to implement anti-communist leaders in countries like Iran and Guatemala • NASA and the Space Race (1958) • Response to USSR’s Sputnik • Presented as the idea of peaceful discovery in space

  17. Space Race Response • Turn to education • Increased emphasis on math and science • Why do you think this shift occurs?

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