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Rollback of Communism. United States wants to stop the spread of Communism during the Cold War. Chapter 26: Cold War Conflicts. Foreign Policy Cold War: state of hostility, without direct military conflict, between the USA and the USSR from the end of World War II to 1991
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Rollback of Communism • United States wants to stop the spread of Communism during the Cold War.
Chapter 26: Cold War Conflicts Foreign Policy Cold War: state of hostility, without direct military conflict, between the USA and the USSR from the end of World War II to 1991 Potsdam (July 1945): Truman (U.S.), Churchill & Clement Atlee (Britain), and Stalin (USSR) meet at Potsdam, Germany. Stalin announces no free elections in Eastern Europe and establishes satellite nations in Eastern Europe that are dependent and dominated by the USSR. Start of the Cold War.
Reasons for Mistrust Stalin • Late coming of the second front in WW II • Keeping atomic bomb secret • Invaded twice in past 30 years, want buffer zone in Eastern Europe USA • Pact with Hitler • Communist call for overthrowing capitalism • Iron curtain over Eastern Europe
Containment Policy (February 1946) • Developed by George Kennan • Contain USSR/communism to present boundaries. Don’t let it expand but try to roll it back. • Problem of policy? • Blanket policy that puts all communists under Soviet control. • Causes world wide competition between US/USSR • Led to Korean and Vietnam Wars • Led to Pactomania: NATO, SEATO, METO
Truman Doctrine (March 12, 1947) • US supports free people everywhere who are resisting takeovers by armed minorities or outside pressures. First used by providing $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey. • Reality of Doctrine: • US supports anyone who is non-communist. • US supports many totalitarian dictators around the world. • US overthrows freely elected governments with communist ties
Marshall Plan (1947-1948) • Secretary of State George Marshall • Aid to European nations after World War II to help rebuild ($12.5 billion ) • Used to keep countries from becoming communist. No country that received aid became communist. Rebuilt countries of Western Europe (USSR wouldn’t accept or allow Eastern European countries to have aid).
Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-49) • US/French/British combine their German zones to create West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany), a democratic, capitalist nation with its capital in Bonn. • USSR cuts off all access by the Allies to the 2.1 million people in West Berlin. • Allies break the blockade with a 327 day airlift (277,000 flights deliver over 2.3 million tons of supplies) • USSR creates East Germany (German Democratic Republic), a communist satellite with East Berlin as its capital. • Berlin would remain a problem for the duration of the Cold War
US Air Force pilot Gail Halvorsen, who pioneered the idea of dropping candy bars and bubble gum with handmade miniature parachutes, which later became known as "Operation Little Vittles".
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) • April 4, 1949 • Defensive military alliance where an attack on one is an attack on all • Members: US, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, France (leaves the military part in 1966), Greece & Turkey (1952), West Germany (1955), Spain (1982), Hungary & Czech Republic & Poland (1999), Bulgaria & Estonia & Latvia & Lithuania & Romania & Slovakia & Slovenia (2004) • Issues Today? • Collapse of USSR means no enemy • Adding E. European/Former Soviet Republics causing problems with Russia • Fighting war in Afghanistan
Warsaw Pact (1955) • Military alliance created by USSR to counter NATO (dissolved in June 1991) • Members: USSR, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Romania, & Albania (drops out in 1968) Yugoslavia • Josip Broz Tito: communist leader • Non-aligned Movement: not part of USA/USSR
Chinese Civil War • Communists (Mao Zedong) vs. Nationalists (Chiang Kai-shek) • Nationalists: inefficient, corrupt & dictatorial (US provided $2 billion in aid) • Communists: win support of peasants with promise of land reform • Communists win in 1949 and Nationalists flee to the island of Taiwan/Formosa • Impact in USA: • Failure of containment policy • Forced greater involvement in Korea • Red Scare in USA • Democrats blamed for losing China (won’t happen in Vietnam)
Korean War 1950-1953 • Korea divided at 38th parallel after WW II • South Korea (Republic of Korea)led by Syngman Rhee with capital Seoul • North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) led by Kim Il Sung with capital Pyongyang • June 25, 1950: North Korea invades South Korea • June 27, 1950: United Nations Security Council votes to help South Korea • USSR boycotting meeting so no veto (Don’t miss another meeting) Why U.S. went to UN? • Just fought WW II • Don’t want to fight alone in Korea • Purpose of UN
Korean War 1950-1953 • United Nations: 16 nations/520,000 troops (over 90% American). General Douglas MacArthur in command. • September 1950: UN/South Korean forces pushed back to Pusan perimeter • September 15, 1950: MacArthur lands behind enemy lines at Inchon • October 7, 1950: UN authorizes MacArthur to cross 38th parallel and reunite country Problem? • China borders North Korea • MacArthur believes China is not a threat (wrong)
Korean War 1950-1953 • November 25, 1950: 300,000 Chinese troops cross the border and by January 1951 have pushed UN forces below the 38th parallel Impact: • MacArthur wants to blockade coast of China, use Nationalist to invade China, use atomic bombs on China and create a radioactive buffer between China and North Korea. • President Truman doesn’t want WW III and on April 11, 1951, he fires MacArthur. • Stalemate around 38th parallel from July 1951 to July 1953
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Changjin Lake Campaign (simplified Chinese: 长津湖战役; pinyin: Cháng Jīn Hū Zhàn Yì),[nb 4] was a decisive battle in the Korean War. Shortly after the People's Republic of China entered the conflict, the People's Volunteer Army 9th Army[nb 1] infiltrated the northeastern part of North Korea and surprised the US X Corps at the Chosin Reservoir area. A brutal 17 day battle in freezing weather soon followed. In the period between 27 November and 13 December 1950, 30,000[5]United Nations (UN) troops (nicknamed "The Chosin Few") under the command of Major General Edward Almond were encircled by approximately 60,000[5] Chinese troops under the command of Song Shi-Lun. Although Chinese troops managed to surround and outnumber the UN forces, the UN forces broke out of the encirclement while inflicting crippling losses on the Chinese. The evacuation of the X Corps from the port of Hungnam marked the complete withdrawal of UN troops from North Korea.
Korean War 1950-1953 • Armistice signed in July 1953 • Border about the same • Costs: $67 billion & 54,000 dead • Still divided today with over 30,000 U.S. troops stationed there. Most dangerous border in the world • South Korea: economic developed and free society today
Fear of Communism on the Home Front Why? • Communist take over of Eastern Europe • Loss of China to communists • Korean War • USSR gets atomic bomb in 1949 (from US and British spies)
House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) 1947 • Investigate the influence of communism in Hollywood by calling actors, actresses, directors, producers and studio owners to testify Why Hollywood? • Draws publicity and press coverage which gives these people more power and influence • Hollywood not a threat to National Security Results: • Hollywood Ten: sent to prison because they wouldn’t cooperate • Hollywood Blacklists: can’t get work in Hollywood (around 500 people) • Thousands of people hurt by HUAC • No evidence of guilt-only accusations, some unconstitutional actions by HUAC against accused
Spy Cases • Alger Hiss: accused of spying by former communist spy Whittaker Chambers. Hiss is convicted of perjury and sent to prison • Julius & Ethel Rosenberg: convicted and sentenced to death for spying. First US civilians executed for espionage in electric chair in June 1953 Why? • Hysteria of the times (Red Scare) • Like Sacco/Vanzetti in 1920s Recent History • Soviet release of records (1997) show their guilt
McCarthyism • Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy (Wisconsin) • Campaign to rid the US government of communists Why? • Needs an issue to get re-elected Tactics: • Accusation after accusation with no evidence • Like the Salem Witchcraft Trials: confess and name others with little punishment or deny and be destroyed Results: • Brought down by Army in nationally televised hearing in 1954 • Censured by Senate • Destroyed thousands of lives with no proof and violated constitutional rights of accused • Died of alcoholism in 1957
Cold War Nuclear Arms Race • Hydrogen Bomb: US explodes one in November 1952 and the USSR explodes one in August 1953. • First Strike: surprise attack could wipe out other sides weapons and leave it open to destruction MAD: Mutual Assured Destruction • Build weapons so first strike fails (have enough weapons survive to destroy enemy) • Causes nuclear arms race • Led to Triad delivery system (SAC bombers, Missiles, Submarines) • US government promotes idea that you can win and survive a nuclear war (Done to calm publics fear) • Duck and Cover