Transcript The Cold War 1945-1989

The Cold War
1945-1989
What is the Cold War
It was an intense rivalry between
the United States and Russia –
between West and East and
between capitalism and
communism that dominated the
years following WW II.
Words of Wisdom
Winston Churchill;
“Germany is finished.
The real problem is
Russia. I can’t get
Americans to see it.”
-- 1945
Churchill and the Bomb:
Addressing MIT
Cold vs. Hot
It is called the
“Cold” War
because there
was never any
direct attacks
made by the U.S.
or Soviet Union
on each other.
Yalta Conference
The Big Three meet –
Churchill, Roosevelt
and Stalin
Divided Germany into
four zones
Problem: Poland!
Roosevelt wanted a
guarantee of free
elections and Stalin
wanted complete
control of Poland
The issue of Poland
would not go away
The United Nations
The Big Three all
agreed on
establishing this
international peace
keeping organization.
Goal: to promote
justice and
cooperation
First official meeting
held in London in
1946
Permanent
headquarters
established in New
York in 1953.
FDR dies; Truman Takes
Command
Roosevelt never
saw his dream of
the UN come to life
FDR died on April
12, 1945
Truman, his Vice
President for only a
few months,
became the leader
of our country
Who is Harry S. Truman?
Political unknown when
chosen as V.P.
Born in Missouri
A Southern Baptist
Never went to college
Failed businessman
Served in World War I as
captain of an artillery
battery
In Response to FDR’s Death
“ I don’t know whether
you fellows ever had
a load of hay fall on
you, but when they
told me yesterday
what had happened, I
felt the moon, the
stars and the planets
had fallen on me.”
Baby boom
Post war through 1960s – huge
increase in population fueled both by
soldiers returning home and the
prosperity of the 1950s
Truman as President
Truman began a massive demobilization of the
armed forces.
During the war = 12 million
1947= 1.5 million; 1950= 600,000
Congress cuts taxes over his veto! (Keynes
weakness)
Atomic Energy Commission (1946)- created by
Congress to deal with controversy over atomic
weapons- the president alone was given power to
order the use of atomic weapons in warfare
International Tension: Greece
and Turkey
Civil War breaks out in
Greece (between democratic
and communist forces),
1946
Russia wants Turkish
territory
U.S. sends aid to both –
communism does not
spread
Also helpful – Tito in
Yugoslavia – he broke away
from Russia in 1948 and
stopped sending aid to
communists
Israel 1947
1947 – UN General Assembly voted to partition
Palestine into Jewish and Arab states
Met with fierce opposition from Arabs
When British mandate expired on May 14, 1948
(established at end of WW I – Britain promised national
homeland for Jews – huge influx during 1930s due to
Nazis), Jewish leaders proclaimed independence and
Truman (who had been in close contact with Jewish
leaders) rushed to be first country to recognize Israeli
independence
Arab states go to war with Israel; Israel holds its own –
but warfare has festered ever since
National Security Act 1947
In response to report from Pearl Harbor about
military miscommunication, Truman wrote the
NSA creating the National Security Council,
made permanent the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
established the CIA to coordinate intelligencegathering activities.
Chairman of JCS- Chairman JCS Functions
Principal military advisor to National Security Council
Provide strategic directions for Armed Forces
Prepare strategic plans for Armed Forces
Direct preparations of contingency plans
Advise on programs, requirements, and budgeting
Develop joint doctrine, training, and education
Conflicting Postwar
Goals
Americans: wanted democracy and economic
opportunities for the countries of Europe and
Asia
Soviets: Wanted to rebuild their nation in
order to protect their own interests. They
wanted to establish satellite nations,
countries controlled by the Soviets along the
western boundaries of the Soviet Union.
Following Communist doctrine, Stalin wanted
to overthrow capitalism around the world and
install Communist governments.
Satellite Nations
Like dominoes, one
by one countries in
Eastern Europe fell
to Stalin and
communism
Poland, Romania,
Bulgaria, East
Germany,
Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, Albania.
The Iron Curtain
A phrase coined by
Winston Churchill in
1946 it refers to the
division between
Communist and
non-Communist
nations
Became symbol of
division between
East and West
Containment
This became the dominant
U.S. policy during the Cold
War
Developed by George
Kennan, it stated that the
U.S. could not do anything
in Eastern Europe where
Russia already took over,
but that it should attempt
to stop the formation of
Communist governments
any where else in the
world.
The Truman Doctrine
“I believe that it must be
the policy of the U.S. to
support free peoples
who are resisting
(conquest) by armed
minorities or by outside
pressures.” –President
Truman, 1947
American declaration of
willingness to use any
means, including force
if necessary, to prevent
the spread of Soviet
influence
The Marshall Plan
U.S. wanted to help
war-torn nations
recover so they could
create stable
democracies.
This Plan called on
the nations of Europe
to draw up a program
for economic
recovery. The U.S.
would support this
plan with financial aid.
Seventeen nations
applied for aid. Total
aid given from 19481952 = $13 billion
Truman and Civil Rights
July 1948 – Truman
banned racial
discrimination in
hiring federal
employees and in the
military
Korea was the first
war fought without
segregation
Election of 1948
Civil rights plank alienated many in South
Dixiecrat/States’ Rights Party formed with Strom
Thurmond, governor of South Carolina, as the
candidate
Truman ran an exhausting 31,000 mile campaign
Biggest upset in American history: Truman 303
to Dewey (Rep) 189. (Thurmond received 39
votes)
Truman stand on Berlin was partly responsible
for his victory
NSC - 68
Top secret document
Called for rebuilding conventional military
forces to provide options other than nuclear
war
Departure from aversion to large standing
armies in peacetime (think: Boston Massacre)
Actions in Korea in 1950 cemented support
Oh yeah, and in 1949 we had proof that the
Soviets had the bomb
Berlin Airlift
Many Eastern Europeans who did not like
living under Soviet communist rule fled their
homes and escaped to West Berlin.
Stalin wanted to stop this escape route by
forcing the Western Powers to abandon West
Berlin.
Stalin blockaded all Allied shipments to West
Berlin through East Germany.
This threatened severe shortages of food and
other needed supplies in West Berlin.
Truman did not want a war
with the Soviets, nor did he
want to give up West Berlin.
During the next 15 months
both British and U.S. aircraft
delivered food, fuel, etc. by
plane to the city.
The Soviets finally gave up
in 1949 and ended the
blockade.
West Germany fully
sovereign in 1955
Berlin Airlift Map
NATO- North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
Because the Soviet Union used its veto
power to block any action that stopped
communism in the United Nations, the West
needed another way to deal with Soviet
aggression.
In 1949 12 nations formed NATO. The
guiding principle of NATO is; “an armed
attack against one or more…shall be
considered an attack against them all.”
This is an example of collective securitymutual military assistance among nations.
Current Members of
NATO
NATO was the most
successful military
alliances in history
Effectively checked
Soviet expansion in
Europe and
maintained an easy
peace until 1991
China Falls To
Communism
A civil war had existed between the Nationalists
and Communists in China since the 1920s.
In 1949, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the
Communists won and established the People’s
Republic of China.
The Nationalists fled to Taiwan and claimed to be
the legitimate government of China, establishing
the Republic of China. The U.S. and UN
recognized this Republic as the true government
of China.
Many Americans wanted Truman and the
government to focus not only on Europe but also
on Asia in their policy of containment.
U.S. Policy
Congress will Nationalists government $400
million, but 80% ended up with communists –
corruption
The U.S. continued to support Chiang and
refused to recognize communist regime until
30 years later (1979)
1950 Soviets and Chinese sign a Sino-Soviet
pact – proof of a worldwide communists
conspiracy
Chairman Mao Zedong
Chinese Revolution
Poster: 1949
Korean War
After WW II Japan was forced to give up
control of Korea.
The Soviets accepted the surrender
above the 38th parallel and the U.S.
accepted it below that line.
Division was never the goal but became
a reality: a communist controlled north
and a democratically controlled south.
Map of Korea
Conflict in Korea
American defense in
Korea weak
Stalin encouraged
North Koreans to
use force to unify
the country
Soviets had plans to
seize all of Korea in
one week
Citizens on both
sides of the parallel
wanted to reunite
their country.
War breaks out
when North Korean
troops came across
the 38th parallel to
try to unite the
country by force.
The Forgotten War
The UN (mostly
American) sent troops
to Korea
The UN troops do well
initially but are driven
back close to the
original 38th parallel.
The war becomes a
stalemate and in 1953
an armistice is signed
agreeing to keep Korea
divided.
Chinese Spring Offensive
Korean War Memorial, Washington D.C.
McCarthyism: The Height of Cold War
Hysteria
Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin
made himself famous by accusing hundreds
of people inside the government and
Hollywood of having ties with communists.
His list included many top officials.
He set off a second period of anti-communist
hysteria
He had little to no evidence to support his
accusations
Joseph McCarthy
The Arms Race
The greatest area
where the Soviet
Union and the U.S.
compete for world
domination was in
the arms race - the
struggle to gain
weapons superiority.
Eisenhower’s
Administration
Sec of State – John
Dulles
Talked of liberating
“captive nations”
Claimed if U.S.
pushed the “Reds”
to the brink of war
they would break
down brinkmanship
Cold War and Space
In 1957 the Soviet Union proved that they
were ahead of the U.S. in the technology war
when they launched Sputnik into space.
Sputnik was the first artificial satellite to orbit
the earth.
Problem: The rocket used to launch Sputnik
could just as easily carry a nuclear bomb to
America’s shores!
In response the U.S. created NASA in 1958
and increased spending on science and math
in America’s school.
Sputnik
Cold War and Cuba
In October of 1962 U.S. spy
photography revealed that the Soviet
Union was building missile bases on
Cuba.
What followed, the Cuban Missile Crisis,
is the closest the world ever came to
nuclear war.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets placed
these missiles in
Cuba, 90 miles from
the U.S., to counter
the missiles the U.S.
had in Turkey – very
close to the
U.S.S.R.
These missiles in
Turkey were old and
probably wouldn’t
work – but the
U.S.S.R., under
Nikita Khruschev,
did not care about
that detail.
Kennedy Decides
After much
deliberation,
president Kennedy
decided to use a
U.S. naval
quarantine of Cuba
to prevent any
Soviet ships
carrying weapons
into Cuba
Disaster Avoided
After some secret negotiations, in the final
hour, the U.S. agreed to remove its missiles
from Turkey while Russia would remove their
missiles from Cuba.
It appeared that if Russia either broke the
quarantine or refused to remove their
missiles, Kennedy would have used nuclear
weapons on Cuba and maybe the Soviet
Union directly!!!
Detente
Better relations with Soviet Union under
Brezhnev and president Ford in 1970s
by limiting nuclear weapons
Called for an equivalence in numbers of
offensive strategic weapons (2,400 a
piece!)
Conclusion
The Cold War was a tense time and a time of
great uncertainty and fear
No one knew if the Soviets or the U.S. would
use one of their many weapons of mass
destruction -- they came close but never did!
The Cold War ended when the U.S.S.R.
collapsed (between 1989-1991) and
communism failed to make the people happy
or meet their basic needs.
Foreign Policy in the
Middle East
Eisenhower Administration
Suez Crisis – nationalizing the Suez Canal
threatened Western Europe’s supply line to
Middle Eastern Oil
 Eisenhower Doctrine – U.S. pledged
economic and military aid to any Middle
Eastern country threatened by communism

IRAN
1953 CIA role in overthrowing gov’t
Shah gained control
Oil prices favorable
 Arms purchases from U.S.

NIXON
1973 Six Day War
U.S. support of Israel
OPEC placed an oil embargo on Israel’s
supporters
 Economy went into downward spiral
 55 speed limit
 More fuel efficient cars

Carter
Iran Hostage crisis
1979 Islamic fundamentalists overthrow
Shah
 Oil production ground to a halt
 Iranian militants seize U.S. embassy

REAGAN
Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
Reaction
Embargo on grain exports and technology
to Soviet Union
 Boycott the Olympics in 1988

IRAN Contra Affair
Selling missiles to Iran’s government in
exchange for freeing American
hostages
Profits from sale to aid contras in
Nicaragua