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COLD WAR CONFLICTS

COLD WAR CONFLICTS. U.S vs. U.S.S.R. ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR. After being Allies during WWII, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. soon viewed each other with increasing suspicion

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COLD WAR CONFLICTS

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  1. COLD WAR CONFLICTS U.S vs. U.S.S.R.

  2. ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR • After being Allies during WWII, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. soon viewed each other with increasing suspicion • Their political differences created a climate of icy tension that plunged the two countries into an era of bitter rivalry known as the Cold War The Cold War would dominate global affairs from 1945 until the breakup of the USSR in 1991

  3. POLITICAL DIFFERENCES • At the heart of the tension was a fundamental difference in political systems • America is a democracy that has a capitalist economic system, free elections and competing political parties • In a capitalist economic system private citizens control economic activity. • In the U.S.S.R., the sole political party – the Communists – established a totalitarian regime with little or no rights for the citizens Soviets viewed Marx, Engels and Lenin as founders of Communism

  4. SUSPICIONS DEVELOPED DURING THE WAR ISSUES • Even during the war, the two nations disagreed on many issues • The U.S. was furious that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had been an ally of Hitler for a time • Stalin was upset that the U.S. had kept its development of the atomic bomb a secret

  5. THE UNITED NATIONS PROVIDES HOPE • Hopes for world peace were high at the end of the war • The most visible symbol of these hopes was the United Nations (U.N.) • Formed in June of 1945, the U.N. was composed of 50 nations • Both the United States and the Soviet Union joined the United Nations organization after World War II. • Unfortunately, the U.N. soon became a forum for competing superpowers to spread their influence over others The United Nations today has 191 member countries

  6. SOVIETS DOMINATE EASTERN EUROPE • The Soviet Union suffered an estimated 20 million WWII deaths, half of whom were civilian • As a result they felt justified in their claim to Eastern Europe • Furthermore, they felt they needed Eastern Europe as a buffer against future German aggression

  7. STALIN INSTALLS PUPPET GOVERNMENTS • Stalin installed “satellite” communist governments in the Eastern European countries of Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia and East Germany • Satellite nations consisted of Eastern European nations that were dominated by the Soviet Union. • This after promising “free elections” for Eastern Europe at the Yalta Conference In a 1946 speech, Stalin said communism and capitalism were incompatible – and another war was inevitable

  8. U.S. ESTABLISHES A POLICY OF CONTAINMENT • Faced with the Soviet threat, Truman decided it was time to “stop babying the Soviets” • In February 1946, George Kennan, an American diplomat in Moscow, proposed a policy of containment • Containment meant the U.S. would prevent any further extension of communist rule • The Cold War refers to the indirect but hostile conflict between the Unite States and the Soviet Union that began at the end of World War II. • Harry S. Truman believed that the best way to avoid a third world war was to create a new world order in which all nations had the right to self-determination.

  9. CHURCHILL: “IRON CURTAIN” ACROSS EUROPE • Europe was now divided into two political regions; a mostly democratic Western Europe and a communist Eastern Europe • In a 1946 speech, Churchill said, “An iron curtain has descended across the continent” • The phrase “iron curtain” came to stand for the division of Europe • With the “iron curtain” in place, it set the stage for the Cold War. Churchill, right, in Fulton, Missouri delivering his “iron curtain” speech, 1946

  10. Iron Curtain cartoon, 1946

  11. THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE • The American policy of “containment” soon expanded into a policy known as the Truman Doctrine” • This doctrine, first used in Greece and Turkey in the late 1940s, vowed to provide aid (money & military supplies) to support “free peoples who are resisting outside pressures” • The main goal of the Truman Doctrine was to stop the spread of communism. • Restrict the spread of communism was the main goal of the Truman Doctrine. • By 1950, the U.S. had given $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey • Harry S. Truman arranged for about 400 million dollars in aid to be sent to postwar Turkey and Greece.

  12. THE MARSHALL PLAN • Post-war Europe was devastated economically • In June 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall proposed a U.S. aid package to European nations • Western Europe accepted the help, while Eastern Europe (read Stalin) rejected the aid • The Marshall Plan aid program was directed “not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos?” • Over the next four years 16 European countries received $13 billion in U.S. aid • Billions of dollars in economic aid was provided too many foreign nations as part of the Marshall Plan. • By 1952 Western Europe’s economy was flourishing The Marshall Plan helped Western Europe recover economically

  13. Marshall Plan aid sent to European countries

  14. Marshall Aid cartoon, 1947

  15. SUPERPOWERS STRUGGLE OVER GERMANY • At the end of the war, Germany was divided among the Allies into four zones for the purpose of occupation • The U.S, France, and Great Britain decided to combine their 3 zones into one zone – West Germany, or the federal Republic of Germany • The U.S.S.R. controlled East Germany, or the German Democratic Republic • Now the superpowers were occupying an area right next to each other – problems were bound to occur

  16. BERLIN AIRLIFT – 1948 • When the Soviets attempted to block the three Western powers from access to Berlin in 1948, the 2.1 million residents of West Berlin had only enough food for five weeks, resulting in a dire situation • The Soviet blockade of West Berlin was a response to efforts by Western nations to reunify Germany. • The Soviet Union set up the Berlin blockade in response to efforts from the West to reunify Germany. Like the whole of Germany, the city of Berlin was divided into four zones

  17. AMERICA & BRITAIN AIRLIFT SUPPLIES TO WEST BERLIN • Not wanting to invade and start a war with the Soviets, America and Britain started the Berlin airlift to fly supplies into West Berlin • The Berlin airlift provided vital supplies to a region blockaded by the Soviet Union. • The Berlin airlift involved the use of airplanes to bring food and supplies to the people of West Berlin. • For 327 days, planes took off and landed every few minutes, around the clock • In 277,000 flights, they brought in 2.3 million tons of food, fuel and medicine to the West Berliners

  18. SOVIETS LIFT BLOCKADE • Realizing they were beaten and suffering a public relations nightmare, the Soviets lifted their blockade in May, 1949 On Christmas 1948, the plane crews brought gifts to West Berlin

  19. NATO FORMED • The Berlin blockade increased Western Europe’s fear of Soviet aggression • As a result, ten West European nations joined the U.S and Canada on April 4, 1949 to form a defensive alliance known as the North American Treaty Organization • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a defensive military alliance and was the first military alliance that the United States ever entered during peacetime. The NATO flag

  20. Section 1 Origins of the Cold War United Nation (UN) – an international peacekeeping organization to which most nations in the world belong, founded in 1945 to promote world peace, security, and economic development. Satellite nation – a country that is dominated politically and economically by another nation. Containment – the blocking of another nation’s attempts to spread its influence—especially the efforts of the United States to block the spread of Soviet influence during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Iron curtain – a phrase used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe an imaginary line that separated Communist countries in the Soviet bloc of Eastern Europe from countries in Western Europe. Cold War – the state of hostility, without direct military conflict, that developed between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II. Truman Doctrine – a U.S. policy, announced by President Harry S. Truman in 1947, of providing economic and military aid to free nations threatened by internal or external opponents. Marshall Plan – the program, proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947, under which the United States supplied economic aid to European nations to help them rebuild after World War II. Berlin Airlift – a 327-day operation in which U.S. and British planes flew food and supplies into West Berlin after the Soviets blockaded the city in 1948. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – a defensive military alliance formed in 1949 by ten Western European countries, the United States, and Canada.

  21. SECTION 2: THE COLD WAR HEATS UP • CHINA: For two decades, Chinese communists had struggled against the nationalist government of Chiang Kai-Shek The U.S. supported Chiang and gave the Nationalist Party $3 billion in aid during WWII Between 1944 and 1947, Chinese nationalist ruled in the southern and eastern regions of China. However, Mao Zedong’s Communist Party in China was strong, especially among Chinese peasants China’s Communist leader Mao Zedong used strategic tactics to lure Chinese peasants to the Communist Red Army Mao Zedong was the leader of the Communist in China. Although Mao Zedong won the hearts of the Chinese peasants, he failed to win American support because he was a communist.

  22. CHINESE CIVIL WAR: 1944-1947 • After Japan left China at the end of the War, Chinese Nationalists and Communists fought a bloody civil war • Despite the U.S. sending $ billions to the Nationalists, the Communists under Mao won the war and ruled China • The Nationalists were defeated in the civil war in China despite 2 billion dollars in aid sent to them from the United States. • Chiang and the Nationalists fled China to neighboring Taiwan (Formosa) • The Chinese Nationalists were forced to retreat to Taiwan (Formosa). • Mao established the People’s Republic of China MAO Kai-Shek

  23. AMERICA STUNNED • The failure of Chiang Kai-shek’s forces in the Chinese Civil War can largely be blamed on his weak and corrupt leadership. • The American public was shocked that China had fallen to the Communists • Many believed containment had failed and communism was expanding • American fear of communism and communist expansion was increasing

  24. KOREAN WAR Soviet controlled • Japan had taken over Korea in 1910 and ruled it until August 1945 • As WWII ended, Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel surrendered to the Soviets • Japanese soldiers south of the 38th surrendered to the Americans • As in Germany, two nations developed, one communist (North Korea) and one democratic (South Korea) • The 38th parallel became an important dividing line between North and South Korea U.S. controlled

  25. NORTH KOREA ATTACKS SOUTH KOREA • On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces swept across the 38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea • Troops from North Korea first crossed the 38th parallel and began the Korean War. • With only 500 U.S. troops in South Korea, the Soviets figured the Americans would not fight to save South Korea • The Soviet Union did not vote to defend South Korea at the UN Security Council because the Soviets were boycotting the UN over the presence of Taiwan. • Instead, America sent troops, planes and ships to South Korea

  26. MACARTHUR’S COUNTERATTACK • At first, North Korea seemed unstoppable • General Douglas MacArthur commanded U.S. forces in Korea. • However, General MacArthur launched a counterattack with tanks, heavy artillery, and troops • Many North Koreans surrendered; others retreated across the 38th parallel

  27. CHINA JOINS THE FIGHT • Just as it looked like the Americans were going to score a victory in the North, 300,000 Chinese soldiers joined the war on the side of the North Koreans • The South Koreans appeared to be winning the Korean War until China actively entered the conflict. • China fought on the side of the Communist during the Korean War. • The fight between North and South Korea had turned into a war in which the main opponents were Chinese Communists vs. America

  28. MACARTHUR RECOMMENDS ATTACKING CHINA • To halt the bloody stalemate, General MacArthur called for an extension of the war into China • General Douglas MacArthur argued that the Korean War should be extended into a war against China. • Furthermore, MacArthur called for the U.S. to drop atomic bombs on several Chinese cities • President Truman rejected the General’s requests

  29. MACARTHUR VS. TRUMAN • MacArthur continued to urge President Truman to attack China and tried to go behind Truman’s back – Truman was furious with his general • On April 1, 1951, Truman made the shocking announcement that he had fired MacArthur • President Truman fired General MacArthur because of MacArthur’s insistence that the United States should blockade and bomb China. • Americans were surprised and many still supported their fallen general. Macarthur was given a ticker-tape parade

  30. AN ARMISTICE IS SIGNED • Negotiators began working on a settlement as early as the summer of 1951 • Finally, in July 1953, an agreement was signed that ended the war in a stalemate (38th parallel) • When an armistice was signed ending the Korean War, North and South Korea were still divided along the 38th parallel. • America’s cost: 54,000 lives and $67 billion Korean War Memorial, Washington D.C.

  31. Section 2 The Cold War Heats Up Taiwan – An island in which May Chiang Kai-shek and the remnants of his demoralized government fled to in May 1949. 38th Parallel – As World War II ended, Japanese troops north of the this surrendered to the Soviets and Japanese troops south of the parallel surrendered to it to the Americans. As in Germany, two nations developed, one communist and one democratic. Korean War – a conflict between North Korea and South Korea, lasting from 1950 to 1953, in which the United States, along with other UN countries, fought on the side of the South Koreans and China fought on the side of the North Koreans.

  32. SECTION 3: THE COLD WAR AT HOME • At the height of WWII, about 80,000 Americans claimed membership in the Communist Party • Some feared that the first loyalty of these American Communists was to the Soviet Union • Overall, Americans feared communist ideology, a world revolution and Soviet expansion Anti-Soviet cartoon

  33. U.S. GOVERNMENT TAKES ACTION • In March of 1947, President Truman set up the Loyalty Review Board • The board was created to investigate federal employees and dismiss those disloyal to the U.S. government • The U.S. Attorney General also drew up a list of 91 “subversive” organizations – membership in any of these was ground for suspicion

  34. THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE • The HUAC was a government body which first made headlines in 1947 when it began investigating communist influence in the movie industry • HUAC is best known for investigating communism in the film industry. • The committee believed that Communists were sneaking propaganda into films • The HUAC subpoenaed witnesses from Hollywood to discuss their involvement • In 1947, HUAC subpoenaed 43 witnesses from the Hollywood film industry to give testimony on whether Communists influenced the American film industry.

  35. THE BLACKLIST TEN • Ten witnesses refused to cooperate because they believed the proceedings were unconstitutional – they were jailed • The Hollywood Ten decided not to cooperate with the investigation into whether the American film industry had been influenced by Communists. • Subsequently, the committee blacklisted 500 actors, directors, writers and producers whom they believed had communist connections The “Blacklist Ten” (And two lawyers)

  36. SPY CASES STUN THE NATION • Two spy cases added to the fear gripping the nation • Alger Hiss was accused of being a spy for the Soviets • A young Republican congressman named Richard Nixon gained fame by tirelessly prosecuting Hiss • Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury after being accused of spying for the Soviet Union. • Alger Hiss could only be charged with perjury, not espionage, because too many years had passed since the spying had taken place. • Hiss was found guilty and jailed – less than four years later Nixon was VP Nixon examines microfilm in Hiss case

  37. THE ROSENBERGS • Another high profile trial was the Rosenberg spy case • Claiming to be persecuted for being Jewish and holding radical beliefs, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg pleaded not guilty to the crime of espionage. • The Rosenbergs were accused of providing information to Soviets which enabled them to produce an atomic bomb in 1949 • In pronouncing sentence on Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, Judge Irving Kaufman declared the crime “worse than murder” because it had put “into the hands of the Russians the A-bomb.” • Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were found guilty and executed The Rosenbergs were the first U.S. citizens executed for espionage

  38. MCCARTHY LAUNCHES “WITCH HUNT” • The most famous anti-Communist activist was Senator Joseph McCarthy, a Republican from Wisconsin • McCarthy took advantage of people’s concern about Communism by making unsupported claims that 205 state department members were Communists • At various times, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have personal knowledge of 57, 81, or 205 Communists working in the State Department. • Accusations that communism was widely present in the U.S. government and military were made by Joseph McCarthy. • The technique of making unsupported charges of disloyalty without regard for the basic rights of the accused was named after Senator Joseph McCarthy.

  39. Anti-Communist propaganda during McCarthy era

  40. MCCARTHY’S DOWNFALL • To label someone’s activities as McCarthyism would be to suggest that the person is making unsupported accusations. • Finally, in 1954 McCarthy went too far • He accused high ranking Army officers of being Communists • In general, McCarthyism is the unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty without providing evidence. • In the televised proceedings McCarthy’s bullying of witnesses alienated the national audience • The Senate eventually condemned Senator Joseph McCarthy for improper conduct that tended “to bring the Senate into dispute.” • Three years later he died of alcoholism at age 49 McCarthy’s attacking style and utter lack of evidence led to his downfall

  41. THE AMERICAN SHAME • Today, those Congressional witch hunts and episodes of “red-baiting" are universally discredited as abuse of official power • The history of the blacklist era has come to stand for demagoguery, censorship, and political despotism; and the blacklisting, persecution, and jailing of American citizens for their political beliefs - or their perceived political beliefs - is regarded as a shameful chapter in modern American history

  42. Section 3 The Cold War at Home HUAC – a congressional committee that investigated Communist influence inside and outside the U.S. government in the years following World War II. Hollywood Ten – ten witnesses from the film industry who refused to cooperate with the HUAC’s investigation of Communist influence in Hollywood. Blacklist – a list of about 500 actors, writers, producers, and directors who were not allowed to work on Hollywood films because of their alleged Communist connections. McCarthyism – the attacks, often unsubstantiated, by Senator Joseph McCarthy and others on people suspected of being Communists in the early 1950s.

  43. SECTION 4: TWO NATIONS LIVE ON THE EDGE • After World War II, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. competed in developing atomic and hydrogen bombs • The Soviets tested their first atomic bomb in 1949 • The U.S. began work on a bomb 67 times stronger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima – the hydrogen bomb • When the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb, the United States responded by intensifying efforts to develop a hydrogen bomb. • American interest in developing a hydrogen bomb intensified when the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb. An H-bomb test conducted by America near Bikini Island in Pacific Ocean, 1954

  44. BRINKMANSHIP • Dwight D. Eisenhower led the nation that developed the first hydrogen bomb. • By the time both countries had the H-bomb (1953), President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Foster Dulles made it clear they were willing to use all military force (including nuclear weapons) to stop aggression • As secretary of State, John Foster Dulles proposed that the United States declare its intention to use massive retaliation against any aggression. • The Soviets followed suit • This willingness to go to the edge of all-out war became known as brinkmanship • Brinkmanship was a U.S. policy required greater dependence on nuclear weapons and the airplanes that delivered them. • The policy of Brinkmanship threatened retaliation to the edge of all-out war against acts of aggression toward the United States. Some Americans created shelters in their backyards in case of nuclear attack

  45. THE COLD WAR SPREADS • As the Cold War heated up, the U.S. depended more and more on information compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) • The CIA began attempts to weaken or overthrow governments unfriendly to the U.S.

  46. COVERT ACTIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST • One of the first covert operations occurred in the Middle East • In Iran the U.S. orchestrated the return of the pro-U.S. Shah of Iran in 1953 The last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

  47. THE WARSAW PACT • To counter the U.S. defense alliance (NATO), in 1955 the Soviets formed their own mutual defense alliance known as the Warsaw Pact • The satellite nations were members of the Warsaw Pact military alliance. • Satellite nations of the Soviet Union joined the military alliance known as the Warsaw Pact.

  48. NATO WARSAW NEUTRAL

  49. Soviet prestige in Middle East rises because of support for Egypt Eisenhower Doctrine—U.S. will defend Middle East against communists The Eisenhower Doctrine was intended to counterbalance the Soviet Union’s growing prestige in the Middle East. The Eisenhower Doctrine was a policy intended to defend the Middle East from an attack by any communist country. The United States responded to fear of Soviet military action in the Middle East by issuing the Eisenhower Doctrine. The Eisenhower Doctrine was a warning to the Soviet Union against military intervention in the Middle East. The Eisenhower Doctrine

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