Transcript Origins of the Cold War - Miami Beach Senior High School

The Postwar World &
Origins of the Cold War
Mr. Ermer
U.S. History
Miami Beach Senior High
Origins of the Cold War
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U.S. & Soviets have different views of how postwar
world should look
 The Atlantic Charter (1941) Nations should solve problems
through diplomacy—through an international organization—and
nations of the world should be free w/ self determination
► Signed
by United States, Great Britain, and Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.)
► Soviets secretly want to take control of Eastern Europe after war
► British nervous about what A.C. means for their worldwide empire
 Churchill and Stalin want the great powers to control
different “spheres of influence”
► Casablanca Conf: Agree for total surrender of Axis
► Teheran Conf: Soviets agree to help with Japan after
European war ends, disagreement over Poland’s future
The Yalta Conference
The Big Three meet in February 1945
► Roosevelt seeks Soviet help with Japan
►
 Promises Japanese land to Stalin in exchange
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Creation of a new United Nations
 Security Council: US, UK, France, USSR, China
 First meeting set for April 1945 in San Francisco
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After war Germany to be split into four sectors
controlled by US, UK, USSR & France, based on troop
placement at the end of the war
 Berlin too would be divided into four sectors
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Future of Poland left uncertain
 Soviets already held Poland, installed pro-communist gov’t
Potsdam and New Struggles
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Truman, now president, not as familiar with international
politics as FDR, uses “Get Tough Policy”
 FDR believed Stalin would ultimately listen to reason, Truman did
not trust Russians in general, and was suspicious of Stalin
►
July 1945: Potsdam Conference, Germany
 Truman demands elections for all of Europe, fails
 Stalin wins battle to move Polish border into German territory
 Truman convinces Stalin to accept no reparations from Allied
controlled parts of Germany, assuring Germany would stay
split
 Big Three agree to trials of Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg,
Germany(1945-1946)
►
Churchill: “iron curtain has descended on the continent”
splitting Europe east/west
Two Super Powers
►
After WWII, USA and Soviet Union emerge as superpowers
 unrivaled military, political, & economic power
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Disagreements over how to rebuild post-war Europe
breeds mistrust
1947:Truman Doctrine
 The United States will help any country fight Communism
► Supported
by the writings of diplomat George Kennan
 Born from a fear of Soviet influence in the developing world
The Marshall Plan
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Motivations for helping Europe after the war:



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Humanitarian concern for Europeans affected by war
Concern that Europe would be a drain on the U.S. economy
A recovered Europe would provide a market for American products
Strengthen pro-American, anti-Communist governments in Europe
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1948 Communist coup in Czechoslovakia galvanizes American public support
U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall offers plan:
 Offered to all European nations, including Russia
 Congress creates Economic Cooperation Administration
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$12 Billion in U.S. aid to European countries that accept Marshall Plan
 U.S. companies help finance and rebuild European countries
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European industrial production increases by 64% by end of 1950
 Keeps populations happy, Communism remains unpopular
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Soviet satellite states refuse American help
 Soviet plans to help failed, not enough money available
Division of Germany
►
According to Yalta & Potsdam agreements Germany divided
 United States, Soviet Union, U.K. & France split control over zones
►
Berlin, German capital, also split in four
 Berlin was located deep in Soviet East Germany
►
West Germany united, Soviets blockade West Berlin
 Soviets block supplies from reaching W. Berlin
 Soviets hope to take control of entire city of Berlin
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Berlin Air Lift: supplies are flown into West Berlin by U.S.
Air Force
Division of
Germany
Containment & the Bi-Polar World
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Policy of Containment: United States vow to keep
Communism from spreading past its current boundaries,
fight against Soviet aggression.
 Communist government comes to power in Yugoslavia
 U.S. helps Greece fight against Communist revolution
 U.S. helps Turkey defeat Communist rebels
►
The world splits into Communist and Anti-Communist
alliances:
 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): U.S., U.K.,
Belgium, Lux, France, The Neth., Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal,
Iceland, Canada, W. Germany, Turkey, Greece
 Warsaw Pact: U.S.S.R. & Eastern European “Communist Block”
►
By 1950s, USA allied with 42 nations against Communism
Containment in Asia
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Rebuilding Japan seen as way of hedging American influence
against Communist advances in China
Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist government is friendly to U.S.
interests, but corrupt, incompetent, and unpopular in China
 Mao Zedong’s Communist forces gaining strength & popularity
 United States seeks a “third force” to support
►
Civil War erupts in China, Truman supports Chiang
 Marshall maintains full out U.S. war in China only way Chiang can win,
does not recommend fighting in China—Mao ultimately wins
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1949: Communist government established in China
 Chiang and his allies flee to island of Formosa (Taiwan), U.S. support
 United States does not recognize Mao’s Communist China
►
Japan and Taiwan stand in American sphere of influence
 Hope for open, prosperous, democratic China fades
Cold War Heats Up
1948: Truman revives Selective Service System, draft
► 1949: Soviets detonate an atomic bomb
► Arms Race: Soviets and Americans build up militaries and
weapons, improve bombs
►
 1946: Atomic Energy Commission created
 1947: Congress passes the National Security Act
► Created
Department of Defense to handle all military activities
► Created National Security Council (NSC) to oversee policy from
White House
► Created Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as spy organization
 1950: Truman approves creation of the Hydrogen Bomb
 1950: National Security Council issues a report (NSC-68)
toughening containment policy, the U.S. could no longer depend
on other countries to help in containment, be the aggressor
Berlin Wall
► Arms
race builds steam with hydrogen bomb, ICBMs
and stronger nukes
► 1957: Soviet Sputnik I reaches space
 USA believes it’s losing space race/arms race
 1958: NASA created to compete with Soviet space program
► Nikita
Khrushchev, new Soviet leader, sees
problem with East Germans escaping to the much
richer, freer West Berlin
 Soviets build a wall around West Berlin to prevent escape
►On
page 329, write and answer
questions 1-4