Transcript Post WWII Developments

Post WWII Developments
Foundations of the Cold War
Korean War
McCarthyism
Effects of WWII
• 60 million dead
– 2/3 Europe
– 2/3 Civilian
• 50 million uprooted
• August, 1945 - Berlin, 4,000/day were dying
Direct War
Costs
Military Killed Civilians
Killed
United
$288 billion
States
Great Britain $117 billion
292,131
X
271,311
60,595
France
$113 billion
205,707
173,260
U.S.S.R.
$93 billion
13,600,000
7,720,000
Germany
$212.3 billion 3,300,000
2,893,000
Japan
$41.3 billion
953,000
1,140,429
The Cold War
• Definition: The state of diplomatic hostility
between the United States and the Soviet
Union in the decades following WWII
Tensions Before End of WWII
• U.S. upset that Stalin signed nonaggression
pact with Hitler
• Stalin upset that Allies did not invade Germancontrolled France earlier
Effects of WWII were very different
United States: 400,000 Americans died, but
cities and factories in U.S. remained intact
Soviet Union: death toll more like
20,000,000 (20 MILLION!, or
50 times more deaths)
-1 in 4 Soviets killed or wounded
- Many cities were demolished
United States and Soviet Union had
different goals following WWII
U.S. goals:
1) Encourage democracy in other countries to
prevent the rise of communist governments
2) Gain access to raw materials and markets to fuel
booming industries
3) Rebuild European governments to promote
stability and create new markets for American
goods
4) Reunite Germany to stabilize it and increase the
security of Europe
Soviet Union goals:
1) Encourage communism in other countries
2) Rebuild its war-ravaged economy
3) Control Eastern Europe to protect Soviet
borders
4) Keep Germany divided to prevent it from
waging war again
Tensions Mount
• Soviet Blockade of Berlin and Airlift (1948-49)
• Soviets test bomb 1949
• “Loss” of China 1949
• Korean War (1950-53)
Soviets built a wall of satellite nations on their
western border to serve as a buffer, or wall of
protection.
Stalin installed or secured Communist
governments in Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary,
Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, and
Yugoslavia
The iron curtain divides Eastern and Western
Europe
Germany was split into two sections
- Soviets controlled East
- Allies controlled West
Containment
To offset Soviet threat, President Truman
adopted foreign policy called containment
Policy directed at blocking Soviet influence and
the expansion of communism
The U.S. would create alliances and help weak
nations resist Soviet advances
Truman Doctrine
Truman’s support for countries that rejected
communism
(1947) Congress authorized over $400 million in
aid to Turkey and Greece
February, 1948
Much of Europe was still in ruins
Marshall Plan:
U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall
proposed that America give aid to any
European country that needed it.
Berlin, just like Germany, was also divided into
“zones of occupation”
In 1948, France/Britain/U.S. withdrew forces
and allowed their zones to form one nation
Soviet Union responded by holding West Berlin
hostage
Cut off highway, water, and rail traffic
Berlin Airlift
American and British officials flew food and
supplies into West Berlin for 11 months
Planes took off and landed every 3 mins
277,000 flights brought in 2.3 million tons of
supplies (food, medicine, fuel)
Soviets lifted blockade in May, 1949
Rival Alliances
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- U.S., Canada, and ten Western European nations
formed a defensive military alliance in 1949
Warsaw Pact 1955
- Alliance system that Soviets developed in response
to NATO. Included the Soviet Union, Poland, East
Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania,
Bulgaria, and Albania.
Korean War
Korean
Since the early 1900s, Korea was a Japanese colony
After WWII, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel
Japanese troops surrendered to Soviets in the north
and to the U.S. in the south
On June 25, 1950, the North Koreans launched a surprise
attack on South Korea
They managed to conquer much of the Korean peninsula
within weeks

President Truman wanted to help South Korea
resist Communist influence (containment)

South Korea asked the United Nations to
intervene, which they did under the command
of General Douglass MacArthur

Meanwhile, the North Koreans continued to
advance

September, 1950: MacArthur launched a
surprise attack and the North Koreans retreated

UN troops pushed the North Koreans almost to
the Chinese border in the north (Yalu River)

October, 1950: China sent 300,000 troops to
aid North Korea

Now, the fight in Korea is between U.S. and
China

Chinese outnumbered UN forces and drove them
southward

General MacArthur calls for nuclear attack on
Chinese cities

Truman refuses out of fear of starting WWIII

Over the next 2yrs, UN forces clashed with the
North Koreans

Cease fire agreement signed in July, 1953

5 million soldiers and civilians had died in 3yrs

After the War, Korea remained divided into two
countries

North Korea led by Communist dictator Kim Il
Sung.




- established collective farms
- developed heavy industry
- built up countries military power
His son, Kim Jong Il, is the leader of North
Korea today. Under him, North Korea has
developed nuclear weapons