Transcript Chapter 21: The Cold War

THE COLD WAR
Chapters 18 and 20
COLD WAR CONFLICTS
Ch. 18
ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR
pp. 602-608
FORMER ALLIES CLASH
Tensions between the United States and Soviet Union began during World War II,
with each side becoming increasingly suspicious of each other.
The creation of the United Nations (UN) seemed to indicate peace, although both
sides would use the UN to spread their influence.
The Potsdam Conference was the first test for Truman as a diplomat, as it was
proven that Stalin reneged on his promise to allow democratic, free elections in
Poland, now occupied by the Soviets.
TENSION MOUNTS
Stalin had decided to tighten his grip on Eastern Europe by imposing Communist
regimes in several Eastern European countries that became known as satellite
nations, or countries dominated by the Soviet Union.
 Communist governments were put into place in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania,
and Poland.
Truman’s foreign policy at this time became known as containment, meaning that the
US and its allies were to stop Communism from spreading even further. Meanwhile,
Winston Churchill had declared an “iron curtain” had divided Europe into the
democratic west and the communist east.
Adding to his policy of containment, Truman issued what became known as the
Truman Doctrine.
 “It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting subjugation by
armed minorities or by outside pressure.”
THE COLD WAR IN EUROPE
Truman put the Truman Doctrine and containment policy to the test by sending $400
million in aid to the governments of Turkey and Greece to stop a communist takeover.
This foreign aid as a whole became known as the Marshall Plan, in which the US
aided Western European countries that were torn by war and had their economies
ruined.
 The Marshall Plan helped stop the spread of hunger and poverty while revitalizing the collective
economy of Western Europe.
SUPERPOWERS STRUGGLE OVER GERMANY
Germany was divided into four military zones after the war, occupied by the US, Great Britain,
France, and the Soviet Union.
In 1948, Great Britain, the US, and France combined their zones into one, though their portion of
Berlin was surrounded by Soviet occupied territory, causing Stalin to attempt a takeover.
Stalin cut off trade and transportation to West Berlin in an attempt to starve the territory into
submission for the Soviets.
 As a result, the US and Great Britain began the Berlin Airlift to fly food and supplies into West Berlin
 The Berlin Airlift was a victory for the US and Britain as Stalin lifted the blockade.
As a result of the Berlin Airlift, Germany was divided into the democratic West Germany and the
communist East Germany.
Finally, two military alliances were formed as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was
led by the US, encompassing Western Europe, West Germany, Greece, and Turkey while the
Warsaw Pact was led by the Soviet Union and contained their satellite nations.
 If a member nation of either side was attacked, the remaining members would come to its defense.
18.2 THE COLD WAR HEATS UP
pp. 609-615
CHINA BECOMES A COMMUNIST COUNTRY
For nearly twenty years China was locked in a battle between the nationalists led by
Chiang Kai-shek and the communists led by Mao Zedong.
 Americans supported the nationalists and Kai-shek, though those in positions of power viewed the
nationalist government as corrupt and inefficient.
Eventually Kai-shek and the nationalists were exiled to Taiwan and the communists
under Mao took over.
 Americans were stunned and realized that containment had failed.
THE KOREAN WAR
Japan had occupied Korea since the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century, though the
end of World War II saw Korea divided between the Soviet Union and the US.
 The border was placed at the 38th parallel, with the communist north being controlled by the Soviets
and the democratic south controlled by the Americans.
 When the US began drawing back troops, however, the Soviets saw an opportunity to invade South
Korea to control the entire peninsula.
A surprise ambush by North Korea on South Korea on June 25, 1950 began the
Korean War.
 A U.N. resolution was passed offering joint military action between the US and other allied countries,
though 90% of troops were Americans.
THE UNITED STATES FIGHTS IN KOREA
The US troops were led by General Douglas MacArthur and were engaged in a bloody
stalemate in which neither side gained a significant advantage.
 As a result of this, MacArthur was convinced that China, who had sided with North Korea, needed to be
attacked with nuclear weapons.
 Truman, however, was opposed to this since he felt it would only increase the likelihood of World War III.
MacArthur was eventually fired for speaking out against Truman, which greatly angered the
American public since MacArthur was a hugely respected war hero.
 Eventually public opinion began to agree with Truman’s conservative approach to not engaging in full-scale
war with China.
A ceasefire was eventually signed that set up a demilitarized zone between North and South
Korea at the 38th parallel.
 The war was viewed as costly and unsuccessful, leading to the rejection of the Democratic Party in 1952 in
favor of Eisenhower and the Republicans.
 The war increased fears of communist aggression amongst the American public.
18.3 THE COLD WAR AT HOME
pp. 616-621
FEAR OF COMMUNIST INFLUENCE
The fear of communism resulted in several government agencies designed to
investigate Communist influence in government.
 The House Un-American Activities Committee was a house committee that made headlines when it
accused Hollywood of inserting Communist propaganda into films.
The Hollywood Ten were a group of ten uncooperative members of the film industry
who refused to testify in front of the HUAC and were sent to prison.
 As a result, Hollywood film executives began to blacklist people they feared of having Communist
influences, expanding the list to approximately 500 actors, writers, directors, and producers.
The McCarran Act made it illegal to set up a totalitarian dictatorship in the US.
 The vague language of the bill resulted in a veto by Truman, who felt that it could possibly be abused,
though Congress overrode the veto.
SPY CASES STUN THE NATION
Alger Hiss was a high ranking government official accused of spying for the Soviet
Union and was sent to jail for perjury, or lying under oath.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were members of the American Communist Party that
were given the death penalty for espionage, or spying.
 The Rosenbergs were accused of giving information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union, who
successfully detonated one of their own in September 1949.
 The two claimed they were being unfairly targeted for their Jewish faith and their radical beliefs, but
were still executed in June 1953.
 Many in the public tended to side with the Rosenbergs and felt the evidence was too weak to warrant
a conviction let alone an execution.
 The couple became the first Americans in the history of the nation to be executed for espionage.
MCCARTHY LAUNCHES HIS “WITCH HUNT”
Joseph McCarthy was a Republican senator from Wisconsin who began a “witch
hunt” of accusing several members of the State Department to be Soviet spies.
There was little to no evidence to suggest any of the accused were spies and
McCarthy was never able to name a single person, instead referring to a list he held
in his hand.
McCarthy was condemned after alienating the public on a hearing targeting the
Army.
McCarthy was disgraced and died three years later from alcoholism.
McCarthyism, therefore, refers to unjustly targeting people for disloyalty despite a
lack of evidence.
18.4 TWO NATIONS LIVE ON THE EDGE
pp. 622-627
BRINKMANSHIP RULES U.S. POLICY
The atomic bomb was only the start of the nuclear arms race, in which both the US
and Soviet Union attempted to one-up each other in developing a nuclear arsenal.
Eventually the US was able to develop a hydrogen bomb also known as an h-bomb
which was 67 times as powerful as the atomic bomb, though the Soviet Union was
able to develop an h-bomb of their own a year later.
John Foster Dulles, Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, was able to convince Eisenhower
to adopt the foreign policy of brinkmanship, in which the United States promised to
aggressively oppose Communism and using all necessary force including nuclear
weapons.
 Brinkmanship resulted in the trimming of the Army and Navy while expanding the Air Force to deliver
potential weapons.
THE COLD WAR SPREADS AROUND THE WORLD
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began to collect information on Communists
and carry out secret, covert operations to overthrow weak governments against the
United States.
 The CIA trained armies to overthrow governments in Iran and Guatemala.
The Egyptian government nationalized the Suez Canal which was owned by France
and Britain. The ensuing Suez War in 1955 was the result of the Egyptian
government trying to play the US and Soviet Union against each other.
 The Eisenhower Doctrine stated that the US would aid the Middle East and defend them against an
attack from a communist country.
A revolt in Hungary was crushed by the Soviet Union.
 The Hungarians were disappointed in the lack of adherence to the Truman Doctrine and containment,
as the US did not aid Hungary.
THE COLD WAR TAKES TO THE SKIES
The death of Stalin resulted in Nikita Khrushchev taking control of the Soviet
government.
 Khrushchev believed that the two countries could compete peacefully in economics and science.
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial space satellite in 1957.
 The US was shocked by this and raced to get a satellite of their own by 1958.
The U-2 Incident resulted in a U-2 spy plane being shot down over the Soviet Union.
 The incident was a disaster for the US as Eisenhower was against the flights to begin with.
 Khrushchev called off a summit with Eisenhower and withdrew an invitation to visit the Soviet Union.