Transcript Cold War America

Chapter 26, VUS.13
 Its
origins can be found in the ideological
differences between the US & USSR.
• The United States represented democratic political
institutions and a generally free market economic
system.
• The Soviet Union was a totalitarian government with
a communist (socialist) economic system.
• Furthermore, the USSR was officially atheist, a
position that the US cannot support.
 FDR, Stalin, Churchill
agreed to United
Nations, Poland and Eastern Europe
would be a “Soviet sphere of influence”
but with “free-and unfettered elections”
• Freely elected governments would CONSENT to
Soviet domination
 Happens only in Finland, Stalin unwilling elsewhere
 Leads to Cold War
 Less
inclined to negotiate or “play nice”
with the Soviets
 Halted lend-lease shipments and denied
Soviet requests for $6 billion in credits when
they failed to honor Yalta agreements
 Truman’s advisors learned that the Soviets
had shifted back to believing that security
lies in territory- the more you have, the safer
you are.
• Spreading communism
 George
F. Kennan, advisor to Truman
 “Long Telegram”
• For Soviets, hostilities with West provided excuse
for their dictatorship
 The
“Containment Policy” should be thought
of as an umbrella under which the Truman
Doctrine, the Marshall Plan & NATO all fit.
Of course, the US will try to use the United
Nations to fight communism as well.

The Truman
Doctrine(1947) of
“containment of
communism” was a
guiding principle of
American foreign policy
throughout the Cold War.
• Not to roll communism
back, but to keep from
spreading
• Money sent to Turkey and
Greece to aid in repelling
communism
 Secretary
of State George C. Marshall envisioned
the European Recovery Program as a way to
ensure the spread of democracy and capitalism in
Europe AND as a method of containing
communism.
• The plan would also ensure that Europe would serve as a
market for American goods.
 $13
billion dollars sent to help rebuild
Europe
 Western Europe accepts, Stalin does not
allow “Soviet satellites” to accept
Europe lay in ruins, and the United States launched the Marshall Plan (1948-1952) which
provided massive financial aid to rebuild European economies and prevent the spread of
communism. Sixteen countries eventually accepted money from the US.
Secretary of State George C. Marshall envisioned the
European Recovery Program as a way to ensure the spread of
democracy and capitalism in Europe AND as a method of
containing communism.
The plan would also ensure that Europe would serve as a
market for American goods.
The Marshall Plan was successful in rebuilding Europe and thwarting the spread
of communism in Western Europe.



Germany partitioned into
east and west, as was
Berlin
By 1947 no agreement
for a unified Germany
had been made
In hopes of taking all of
Berlin and kicking the
Allies out of West Berlin,
Stalin implemented the
Berlin blockade in 1948
• Allies responded with the
Berlin Airlift
• Stalin backed down in May
of 1949
The Division of Berlin after WWII
 Soviets
detonated their own atomic bomb
in September of 1949
 NSC-68- report recommended stepping
up America’s number of atomic bombs
and creating a hydrogen bomb to
maintain nuclear superiority
• U.S. hydrogen bomb in 1952, Soviets in 1953
 The
U.S. had given $2 billion to the
Chinese Nationalists, so their defeat was
more personal
• “China Lobby” blamed U.S. for the Nationalists’
defeat
• U.S. refused to recognize “Red China”
• Blocked Chinese admission to U.N.


U.S. and Soviets occupied
post-war Korea jointly,
dividing sectors at 38th
parallel
June 25, 1950 North
Korea launched surprise
attack across 38th parallel
• U.N. approves
“peacekeeping force” and
Truman sends U.S. troops to
Korea
• U.N. army overwhelmingly
American, MacArthur in
charge
 Americans drive North Koreans behind
38th parallel, nearly to Chinese border
 China
gets involved, drives U.N. troops
back down, led to stalemate
 Support for war in U.S. waned, Truman
wanted to negotiate peace, MacArthur
opposed
• MacArthur fired for insubordination, war wages
for two more years, ending in an armistice in
1953
 Unions
stronger than before, led strikes
to make up for wartime sacrifices
 Truman responded erratically, sometimes
siding with the unions, sometimes siding
with the companies
 Taft-Hartley Act (1947)- overhaul of
National Labor Relations Act of 1935,
designed to curb union power
• Allowed “right-to-work” laws prohibiting unions
• Truman vetoed, Congress overrode it
 Fair
Deal
• Inspired by Keynes, social welfare programs
• Although Truman had lofty plans, many of his
programs were struck down with only a few
significant achievements
 Raising minimum wage
 Expanding social security
 The National Housing Act of 1949

HUAC
• Blacklists

McCarthyism
• Senator Joseph McCarthy
played on American fears of
communism by recklessly
accusing many American
governmental officials and
citizens of being
communists based on flimsy
or no evidence.

Alger Hiss,
Rosenberg’s
 “Korea, Communism, and
Corruption”
 Hidden Hand Presidency- appearing above
the fray in public, but in the trenches behind
the scenes
 Implemented social welfare programs
• Veteran’s benefits, housing, social security increased
• Raised minimum wage, created Depts of Health,
Education, and Welfare
• National Interstate Highway and Defense Act
• NASA
“New Look” defense
policy stepped up
production of
hydrogen bomb and
increased other
military defense
expenditures, led to
Soviet build-up and
arms race
 MAD (Mutually
Assured Destruction)
 U-2 Incident

 NATO
vs. Warsaw Pact
 Vietnam
• Domino Theory
• Geneva Accords rejected and undermined by
U.S.
 Middle East
• Israel vs. Palestine
• Egypt builds Aswan High Dam with Soviet
support
• Eisenhower Doctrine (like Truman Doctrine for
Middle East)
 Warned
against “military-industrial
complex”
• Employed 3.5 million Americans
• Feared people would support wars and conflicts
because it was their livelihood