The Cold War Era: The United States After World War II (1946-1960)

1. Chapter 23 The Cold War Era: The United States After World War II (1946-1960)

2. Post-War Economy • Baby boom throughout the 1950s • Rapid process of reconverting factories back to producing consumer goods • Result: Americans begin to spend more freely and the economy recovers

3. Post-War Economy • GI Bill: Servicemen’s Readjustment Act • Provided low interest home loans and money for college education • Still in use today, extremely important and provides opportunity for many to get a college education • Part of the movement of readjustment back to peace in America • Resulted in a housing shortage that mass produced remedied • Helped reinforce the typical “middle class values” that were revered throughout the 1950s

4. The Cold War: Soviet Containment • Post-war period ushers in years of tension between the US and the Soviet Union known as the Cold War • As Stalin tried to expand to Eastern Europe, Soviet expert George Keenan outlined a policy of “Soviet Containment” • Blocking the expansion of communism at all costs

5. The Cold War: Soviet Containment • Post-War Strategy • Russians occupy Eastern Europe – greatly concerned about national security • The invasion of Poland by Germany was the primary reason for occupation • Wanted to establish regimes that were friendly and/or subservient to Russia • Russia is frightened of the U.S. utilizing an atomic bomb and retaining them • Begins to build their own, starts the arms race

6. The Cold War: Soviet Containment • Post-War Strategy • US troops occupy Western Europe • Did not like Russia’s national security emphasis through occupation • They wanted to keep free elections throughout Europe and promote democracy • U.S. already utilized an atomic bomb • They were stockpiling and beginning to build the hydrogen bomb to keep up in the arms race • Civil war in Greece and Turkey provide an opportunity for the U.S. to try out their policy of containment

7. Truman Doctrine • First application of the containment doctrine – written in 1947 as a result of the civil war in Greece and Turkey • Truman asks Congress to supply funds to keep Greece and Turkey within the western sphere of influence • Used the defense of freedom as reasoning • Also an informal declaration of Cold War against the Soviets • Truman’s rhetoric suggested that the U.S had assumed a permanent global responsibility

9. The Marshall Plan • U.S. attempted to prevent the spread of Soviet/Communist influence in western Europe by economic means • 1947 – Secretary of State George Marshall proposed an economic aid package to help Europe rebuild their industries • Soviets decline this aid because of the political agenda attached to it (democracy for all) • Fosters prosperity in Western Europe that in turn helped stimulate the American economy in the post-war period

11. NATO • North Atlantic Treaty Organization • Military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and most of Western Europe • Soviets and Communists were left out • Pledged mutual defense against any future Soviet attack • Third and final step in the first large-scale phase of containment • U.S. troops began to be stationed in western Europe in 1949 • Greatly enhanced the Russian fear of Western expansion

12. Cold War Expansion • Russians’ response is to cut off access to Berlin • Truman refuses to withdraw American troops and orders an airlift to supply the city • Truman is reelected in 1948, Russia retreats and ends their blockade in 1949 • This sets the stage for the West/East Berlin animosity that lasts until the 1980s

14. Cold War Expansion • US improves its security after WWII • National Security Act of 1947 – unified armed forces, CIA, National Security Council (advisors to the President) • U.S. puts their defense budget into the Air Force • U.S. seems determined to win the Cold War at all costs

15. Cold War Expansion • Problems in Asia • Both the U.S. and Soviets have large stakes in Asia after WWII • U.S. moves to consolidate its influence over Japan and the Pacific Islands • China (between the U.S. and Soviet spheres of influence) is torn between pro-Western Chiang Kai-shek and pro-Soviet Mao Tse Tung (future Chairman of China and genocidal maniac throughout the 1960s)

16. Chairman Mao

17. Chiang Kai-shek

18. Cold War Expansion • Problems in Asia • Mao wins over in China, Chiang Kai-shek is exiled from China for the rest of his life • China is clearly within the influence of the Soviets and Communism • Truman is attacked for losing China • As a result, he begins to build up U.S. influence in post-war Japan

19. The Korean War • America becomes involved with South Korea in 1950 as Communist forces in North Korea begin to invade the south • The 38th parallel becomes the dividing line between the two groups

21. The Korean War • General Douglas MacArthur pushed to take the war into China after the U.S. gets involved • Wanted to achieve a total victory and to demonstrate American military superiority (much like Patton in WWII) • Wanted to make future wars less likely • Truman disagrees, feared Russia and nuclear holocaust • MacArthur pushes Truman too far and is relieved of command in Korea

22. The Korean War • U.S. involvement in South Korea becomes a United Nations effort • The majority of troops, supplies, and strategy is supplied by the U.S. though • The Korean War becomes a stalemate due largely to guerilla warfare on both sides

23. The Korean War • The war continues into Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency • Most significant result of the war was the massive American rearmament • Americans felt they were now ready to stop Soviet expansion anywhere in the world

24. The Communist Threat • The Cold War encouraged a culture of secrecy and dishonesty • Freedom of speech and dissent comes under attack again in a new “Red Scare” after America wins the war for freedom • Those who could be linked to communism (no matter how absurd the link) were considered enemies of freedom

26. The Communist Threat • Essentially turned into another witch hunt that had the potential to tear the country apart • The entire country became gripped in this phenomena • As much of a local threat as it was national • Local anticommunist groups would readily storm public libraries and destroy “un-American” books • The courts did nothing to stop this type of behavior

28. The Communist Threat • Why do we favor fascism over communism? • Traces its roots back to the Civil War • Americans prefer order over anarchy • We eerily respect the staunch militarism (conservatism) of the Germans over the idea of absolute social and economic revolution

29. The Communist Threat • Joseph McCarthy • Announced in 1950 that he had a list of 205 communists working for the State Dept. • Really working for his own fame and glory; didn’t care who he stepped on to make sure he was #1

31. The Communist Threat • Joseph McCarthy • Gained a ton of support from Midwestern Republicans, Irish, Poles, and Italians as he lambasted privileged bureaucrats • His demise (and embarrassment) finally came as he tried to take on the US Army, claiming that a great percentage of them were communists in disguise • The new “Red Scare” takes place during the election of 1952