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CHAPTER 39 The Cold War Begins

CHAPTER 39 The Cold War Begins. Postwar Economic Anxieties. 1945, World War II and the Great Depression had just ended. After the war labor strikes swept the nation. Suicide rates increase and marriage rate decreased as a result of an economic downturn.

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CHAPTER 39 The Cold War Begins

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  1. CHAPTER 39 The ColdWarBegins

  2. Postwar Economic Anxieties • 1945, World War II and the Great Depression had just ended. • After the war labor strikes swept the nation. • Suicide rates increase and marriage rate decreased as a result of an economic downturn. • Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act: they outlawed “closed shops”. • This was opposite to the Wagner Act.

  3. Operation Dixie • In 1948 “Operation Dixie” was created to overcome lingering fears of racial mixing. • This plan was proved frustrating and unsuccessful. • It aimed at unionizing Southern textile workers and steel workers.

  4. The Employment Act • The Democratic administration sold war factories and other government installation. • The Employment Act was passed in 1946. • Their policy was to “promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power” • To enforce this policy Congress created the Three Member Council of Economic Advisors which would provide data to the president.

  5. Servicemen’s Readjustments Act • Servicemen’s Readjustments Act was passed in 1944 to allow servicemen to have free education after coming home from war. • Eight million veterans advanced their education in technical and vocational schools and two million were in colleges and universities. • 14.5 million dollars were used total • The Veteran administration used sixteen billion dollars in loans to veterans.

  6. The Long Economic Boom, 1950-1970 • The economy began to recover. • The technological advances grew rapidly (i.e. television, two car garage, radio, etc.) • The middle class began to receive an annual household income of 3,000-10,000 dollars. • Women began to play an important role in the work force. They were ¼ of the American work force. • Men returning from war were not very happy with this which sparked feminist revolts in 1960´s.

  7. The Roots of Postwar Prosperities • Most of the prosperity of the 50´s and 60´s resulted from colossal military projects: named by critics the “permanent war economy”. • Massive appropriations were for the upcoming Korean War and defense spending such as aerospace, plastics, electronics, and reseach. • R and D became a new industry and it was one of the famous “think tanks”.

  8. Roots of Postwar Prosperities cont. • Cheap energy which was abundant petroleum from the Middle East that kept prices low. • Energy was used to power automobiles, and spider grids of electrical cables carried power of oil, gas, coal, and falling water. • The farming industry was improved by new technology in fertilizers and machinery. • There was less farmers, but there was more production.

  9. The Smiling Sunbelt • Dr. Benjamin Spock’s wrote “The Common Sense of Baby and Child Care” used by many parents. It became popular because the families were separated due to migration. • Immigration caused the Sunbelt to increase its population twice as much the Frostbelt, industrial zones of the Northeast.

  10. The Smiling Sunbelt cont. • Oportunities in the Sunbelt atracted immigrants to California´s electronics industry and the aerospace complexes of Texas and Florida • Around 125 million federal dollars poured into the Sunbelt. • Every U.S. president came from that region since 1964. • Sunbelters took political power out of the North and Notheast.

  11. The United States and the Soviet Union • Communism and Capitalism were historically hostile social philosophies. • The U.S. would not recognize the Bolshevik revolutionary Government in Moscow until 1933 • Britain and the U.S. had frozen the Soviet Union from developing nuclear or atomic weapons. • 1945: The Washington Gov. also withdrew a vital lend-lease of $6 billion reconstructive loan to Moscow- while they approved a similar loan to Berlin for $ 3.75 billion. • Stalin had made it clear that he wanted the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R) to have a friendly Gov. specially in nations like Poland as a result of the attacks to the heartland twice before.

  12. The United States and the Soviet Union cont. • The U.S.S.R wanted to maintain a “sphere of influence” in Eastern and Central Europe to protect itself and become the world’s leading communist country once again. • Both the USA and the USSR had been isolated from world affairs prior to WWII. The USA by choice and the USSR by rejection of other powers. • Both also had history of conducting “missionary” diplomacy and found themselves in a political down stare. • The Cold War went on for 4 ½ decades.

  13. Shaping the Postwar World • The USA managed to establish some of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ideas of an open world. • International Monetary Fund (MIF) was established by Western allies at the meeting at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, 1944, by regulating currency exchange rates. (World Bank) • The UN Conference opened April 25, 1945, as planned. 13 days after FDR’s death • The member nations made a charter. (similar to the old League of Nations) was written to prevent another power war. • They formed a security council with 5 permanent powers.(China, USSR, Britain, France, USA) which had total veto powers and was held in NYC(Twin Towers) • July 28, 1945 The senate approved the UN 89:2 because it provided safeguard for US sovereignty and freedom of action.

  14. Shaping the Postwar World cont. • The UN kept peace with Kashmir and other places and created the new Jewish State, Israel • Formed groups: UNESCO(UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization),and WHO(World Health Organization) to benefit people. • US delegate Bernard Baruch wanted the UN agency free from the great power veto to investigate all nuclear facilities and weapons. • USSR opposed it and did not want to give up veto power and rejected “capitalist spies” • The possibility of regulating nuclear weapons was lost.

  15. The Problems of Germany • In the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46 punished 22 culprits of the Holocaust for crimes against laws of war and humanity and plotting aggressions. • The US knew that Germany needed to be strong to be able to recover all of Europe. • Russia feared another blitzkrieg so they demanded a large reparations from Germany. • Germany was divided into four occupational zones controlled by the Big Four Powers (USSR, USA, Britain, France) • The Western nations made sure that Stalin would not get his promised part of Germany.

  16. The Problems of Germany cont. • Germany seemed to be indefinitely divided. The West became an independent country and the east became part of the Soviet-dominated countries like Poland and Hungary. • 1948 USSR blocked all air and railway access to Berlin(East Germany) hoping to starve allies out since Berlin itself was divided into four zones. • Allies got organized to feed the people of Berlin through the massive Berlin Airlift, and the Soviets stopped the blockade.

  17. The Cold War Congeals • 1946 Stalin did not remove his troops from Iran and instead aided a rebel movement and Truman protested, and the Soviets backed down. • The Kremlins had refused to continue the wartime partnership with the US. • Truman stated “I’m tired of babying the Soviets” • March 12, 1947 Truman took on intellectual coherence by having George F. Kennan formulate the “containment doctrine” to prevent the spread of communism later becoming the “Truman doctrine” • Truman’s first implementation was helping Greece and Turkey by giving them $400 million to prevent a communist takeover. • The idea was criticized because the US gave dictators money who were “fighting communism” • Truman with the help of Secretary of State George C. Marshall implemented the “Marshall Plan”, a recovery effort to bring up Western Europe and succeeded. • This helped to form the European Community (EC)

  18. The Cold War Congeals cont. • The plan cost the US $12.5 billion in four years to 16 nations to aid recovery, but at first congress disagreed with the idea since they had already given $2 billion to United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) but the Soviet sponsored coup in the Czechoslovakia Gov. made them change their mind. • Truman recognized the state of Israel on May 14, 1948(its B-day) despite the Arab opposition and the fact that those Arabs controlled the oil supplies in the Middle East. • One of Truman’s reasons were all the Jewish Holocaust survivors, his wishes to preempt Soviet influence, and to retain American Jewish voter support.

  19. America Begins to Rearm • 1947 National Security Act made the Dept. of Defense housed in the Pentagon and headed by the Secretary of Defense, a new cabinet position. • They also created National Security Council(NSC) to advise the president on security matters and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to coordinate the government’s foreign fact-gathering. • 1948 broadcast radio “Voice of America”, while congress resorted to military draft. (Selective Service System) persuaded young people to go to college. • 1948: The US became part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. • Any attack to one of the members would be considered an attack on all of them, Even though the US had a policy of no involvement in entangling alliance. • The USSR created their own alliance system, Warsaw Pact. • NATO grew, 1952 Greece and Turkey joined and in 1955 West Germany.

  20. Reconstruction and Revolution in Asia • General Douglas MacArthur was head of reconstruction in Japan and democratized it. • He followed with Germany’s pattern, Japanese “War Criminals” were tried in Tokyo, Japan, 1946-48 and 18 were sentenced to prison and 7 were hanged. • MacArthur constitution was adopted in 1946(renounced militarism, women’s equality, and introduced Western-style democratic Gov. • In China a civil war had been going on, Nationalists vs. Communists • The communists led by Mao Zedong defeated the nationalists led by Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) • 1949 Jiang and his forces fled to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) • Now ¼ of the world’s population(500 millon) were under the communist flag

  21. Reconstruction and Revolution in Asia cont. • 1949 Truman announced the Soviets had exploded the first atomic bomb. Before it was even thought possible. The US was thought to be the only ones with nuclear weapons. • Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer tried to persuade Truman not to use the H-bomb but in 1952 it was exploded in a South Pacific atoll and in 1953 the Soviets did the same. • The dangerous arms race began which could have ended the world.

  22. Ferreting Out Alleged Communist • Anti-red chase in full force. • 1947 Truman launched the “Loyalty” program and found 90 supposed disloyal organizations they were not able to defend themselves. • The Loyalty Review Board investigated more than 3 million federal employees, 3,000 of whom were resigned or dismissed. • 1949 11 communists were brought to NY jury for violating the Smith Act of 1798, the first peacetime anti-sedition law • They were convicted and sent to prison by the 1951 case, Dennis vs. US • 1938 the House of Representatives formed the Committee on Un-American Activities (“HAUC”) to investigate “subversion” • 1948 Richard M. Nixon prosecuted Alger Hiss and was convicted of perjury in 1950

  23. Ferreting Out Alleged Communist cont. • Feb. 1950 Joseph R. McCarthy said there were scores of unknown communists in the State Department. • Americans began to fear that the red chase was going to far, and how could there be freedom of speech if saying communists ideas would get people arrested. • Truman vetoed the McCarran Internal Security Bill, let the president arrest and detain suspicious people during an “internal security emergency” • 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of espionage and in 1953 went to the electric chair.

  24. Democratic Divisions in 1948 • 1946 the Republicans won control of the House and nominated Thomas E. Dewey to the 1948 ticket, while democrats were forced to choose Truman again when Dwight D. Eisenhower refused to be chosen. • The Democrats divided and The Southern Democrats “Dixiecrats” nominated Governor J. Strom Thurman of South Carolina. • Former Vice President was nominated by the new Progressive Party. • Everyone thought that Dewey would win and even announced his win early but Truman won 303 electoral votes: 189. Democrats won control.

  25. Democratic Divisions in 1948 cont. • Truman was supported by Farmers, workers, and blacks. • Created “Point Four” financial support for poor, underdeveloped lands to keep underprivileged people from turning communists. • “Fair Deal”, improved housing (Housing Act, 1949), full employment, higher minimum wage(success), better farm price support, New Tennessee Valley Authority, and an extension in Social Security(Social Security Act, 1950

  26. The Korean Volcano Erupts (1950) • June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, pushing them dangerously to Pusan • Truman sent military to fight against the aggressor, North Korea, it was quadrupled as the National Security Council Memorandum Number 68 (NSC-68) • There were 3.5 million men under arms and $50 billion were spent per year in defense budget.

  27. The Military Seesaw in Korea • General MacArthur was went to drive North Koreans back across 38th parallel towards China and the Yalu River. • MacArthur stated “have the boys for Christmas” but he was wrong. • Nov. 1950 tens of thousands of Chinese “volunteers ” flooded across the border and pushed the South Koreans back. • MacArthur wanted to blockade China but Truman didn’t want to have war beyond necessity. • MacArthur had to dismiss MacArthur due to public criticism on his part and insubordination. • MacArthur was received with cheers and Truman was called “pig”, “imbecile”, an appeaser to “Communist Russia and Communist China” • July 1951truce discussions began and the issue of prisoner exchange was addressed. • The discussions lasted another two years of men continuing to die.

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