The Cold War: A War with no Battles

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The Cold War: A War with no BattlesThe Roots of the Cold WarFollowing World War II a Cold War broke out between the U.S. and the Soviet UnionCold war an era of high tension and bitter rivalry between the two nationsThere were several factors that led to the Cold WarThe Soviet Union was a communist, totalitarian, dictatorshipThe U.S. was a free-enterprise capitalist republicConflicts from World War IIThe Soviet Union did not live up to its promise of having free elections in Eastern EuropeThe U.S. made efforts to stop Soviet expansionThe tension caused by the U.S. development of the atomic bombThe Iron CurtainLeaders from the U.S. and Britain feared that Stalin aimed to gain power in Eastern Europe, with good reason.To achieve his goals, Stalin outlawed political parties or newspapers that opposed the Communists, jailed his political opponents, and rigged elections to make sure that Communists won throughout Eastern Europe.Soon most of Eastern Europe was under direct control of the Soviet UnionThe U.S. was also shocked by the harsh treatment of Germans living in Eastern Europe by the Soviets.

The Iron CurtainIn March 1946 Prime Minister Churchill travelled to the U.S. where he gave his famous iron curtain speech.Excerpt of Churchill's Iron Curtain SpeechThe term iron curtain reflected the belief that communism had created a sharp division in Europe.Stalin used Churchills words to persuade his people that the U.S. and Britain were enemies of the Soviet Union, which became the excuse for heavy military build up.

Containment and the Truman DoctrineContainment the policy, created by American George F. Kennan, to deal with the growing threat of the Soviet Union. Kennan believed that the U.S. should resist Soviet attempts to expand its power and try to influence areas that may be tempted to join the Soviets.The idea of containment became known as the Truman Doctrine providing economic aid to countries under the threat of Soviet control. The Truman Doctrine first took effect in 1947 when the U.S. sent aid to Greece and Turkey, two countries facing Soviet pressureThe Marshall PlanAcross Europe World War II had devastated cities and ruined farms.Many Americans supported giving aid to Europe to help rebuildIn June 1947, US Secretary of State George C. Marshall called for a huge program of aid to help Europe rebuild and grow its economyMarshall Plan between 1948 and 1951 the US spent over $13 billion in 17 different countries and helped rebuild factories, homes, and cities.The original plan even called for providing aid to the Soviet Union but Stalin refused.The Marshall Plan helped rebuild Western Europe and allowed those nations to buy products from American factories, which also helped the American economy.Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan

Crisis in BerlinAfter WWII Germany and Berlin were divided into 4 zonesThe British, French, and American zones all took steps to set up free democratic zones, while the Soviets planned to keep their zone under communist control.The Soviets were not pleased with the idea of a democratic section of Berlin in the middle of their communist zone.In June 1948 the Soviets announced they would block all roads, railroads, and rivers into West Berlin (the part controlled by the Allies).

Crisis in BerlinIn response the Allies planned to supply West Berlin by aircraft, a risky move since the Soviets might respond with force.Berlin airlift every day British and American planes flew in an average of 7000 tons of supplies into West Berlin.The airlift was an overwhelming (but expensive) success, and in May 1949 the Soviets ended their blockade.Shortly after the blockade ended Germany was officially divided into 2 new nations: West Germany (backed by the US and Britain) and East Germany (backed by the Soviets)NATOMany nations in Western Europe were concerned about war with the Soviets. In 1948 Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the U.K. joined together in a military alliance.After the crisis in Berlin the U.S. and 6 other nations, including Canada) joined the alliance creating NATONATO North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationThe NATO treaty declared that an attack against one nation in the group would be considered an attack against all

Life in America after WWIIMany Americans feared economic trouble for the US after WWIINo more orders for tanks, planes, ships, and weapons12 million soldiers coming home that need jobsWomen who had taken work during the war were often pressured to leave work so a male veteran could have their jobIn June 1944 FDR signed the GI BillProvided money for veterans to attend college or job trainingArranged for loans for veterans that wanted to buy a home or businessProvided unemployment benefits to veterans that could not find workThe GI Bill and the overall demand for consumer goods that were not available during the war led to economic growth for the nationThe two decades following WWII also saw a baby boom a large rise in the birthrate and helped keep the demand for goods up.Life in America after WWIIMany labor unions sought an end to the limits placed on them during WWIIHowever, in 1947 Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act that further reduced the power of labor unionsIn June 1948 President Truman issued Executive Order 9981 ended segregation in the armed forces

Politics in Postwar AmericaWhen FDR died in April 1945, Harry Truman had been vice-president for less than 3 months and had almost no knowledge of the issues facing the nationIn 1946 the Republicans gained a majority in Congress creating tension between Congress and the Democratic White HouseHowever, they agreed on the Marshall Plan and Trumans handling of the Berlin airlift

Politics in Postwar AmericaElection of 1948Democrat Harry TrumanProgressive Party (a breakaway group of Democrats) Henry WallaceDixiecrat (an anti-civil rights party) Strom ThurmondRepublican Thomas DeweyA few weeks before the election, in a poll of 50 political writers, every single one predicted that the Republican Dewey would winTruman campaigned hard and told the crowds about the do-nothing CongressIn one of the most surprising election outcomes in American history, Harry Truman won re-election.

Politics in Postwar AmericaHaving won the election, Truman was able to implement his own plan for the nationFair Deal similar to FDRs New Deal it expanded the role of the federal governmentA federal health insurance programFunding for educationHowever, Congress did not agree with Trumans plans and few of his Fair Deal ideas ever became law

Global CommunityIn June 1945 representatives from over 50 nations met to form the United Nations (UN).save succeeding generation from the scourge of warreaffirm faith in fundamental human rightsIn December 1948 the UN adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights included a variety of rights on the basis that all human beings are born free and equalNo slavery, torture, inhumane punishment, etc.Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt was the US Representative that helped write the UDHRGlobal CommunityWorld Bank (1944) organization for providing loans to countries in an attempt to reduce povertyInternational Monetary Fund (IMF, 1944) provided a system for orderly financial relationships between countries, designed to prevent economic crises and encourage trade and economic growthGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, 1946) member nations made agreements on rules for international trade, focused on reducing tariffs and other trade barriersTogether with the UN, these organizations helped to increase global participation and communication.Cold War ActivitiesSHEGRed dot gameGrowing Fear of CommunismIn 1949 two events occurred that greatly increased the concerns of American leaders over the spread of communism1) In August the Soviets tested their first atomic bombNo longer could the US rely only on its atomic weapons as a means of dealing with the Soviet threat2) Communist take over in ChinaCivil war in China between the Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists, led by Mao Zedong who ended up winningAmericans feared that the new communist government in China would support the Soviets and become a threat to the US

Fighting CommunismBased on the events of 1949 there was a growing concern of Communist influence in American governmentIn 1947 a group called HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) began investigating and exploring possible Communist influence in the American film industryHollywood Ten a group of writers and directors who were thought to hold radical views. They were called to testify before HUAC and refused to answer questions. Found guilty of contempt of Congress and sentenced to a year in jail.This case led to further fears in Hollywood of being labeled a Communist, and many began to provide names of possible Communists to HUAC.

Fighting CommunismPresident Truman did his part in the Communist hunt by investigating over 3 million government workers. Only 200 were judged disloyalIn 1949 the federal government charged several leaders of the Communist Party under the Smith Act which made it a crime to call for the overthrow of the government or belong to an organization that does so Fear of communist spies in the American government began to spreadAlger Hiss and the RosenbergsMcCarthyismIn 1950 a young Senator named Joseph McCarthy began making speeches telling Americans that he had a list of known Communists working in the US State departmentMcCarthys charges caused a sensation, even though McCarthy never produced the names supposedly on his listWith his new fame McCarthy began to make even more chargesWhen people complained or confronted McCarthy he suggested that perhaps they were a communist or had something to hideMcCarthyism the name given by a political cartoonist to the growing fear and hysteria around communism in America

McCarthyismThe public seemed to believe McCarthy which pushed him to make more accusations against people in other parts of governmentOfficials and employers were afraid that if they didnt take action when someone was accused that they would appear soft on communism, leading to thousands of people being fired from their jobs for political reasonsBy 1954 the public increasingly viewed McCarthys actions as unfair and his career faded, but the fear of communism did not.

Korean WarSHEGVideoIRElection of 1952Even though Truman had already served 8 years as President, he could have run again in 1952, but decided not to.The Democrats nominated Adlei Stevenson, while Republicans chose popular war General Dwight EisenhowerEisenhower was well on his way to winning the election when his Vice-Presidential candidate Richard Nixon was accused of taking money from political supporters (which was not illegal, but made him look dishonest)Nixon's "Checkers" SpeechDespite the bad publicity Eisenhower won the election

The Cold War ContinuesEisenhower did not believe that the policy of containment was enough.His Secretary of State John Dulles proposed a new ideaBrinkmanship the art of going to the brink of war without actually getting into war by making strong threats that would bring results without having to follow through on the threatsMassive retaliation if the US needed to it would use nuclear force against the Soviet UnionUnder the leadership of Dulles in 1947 the CIA was created and it grew in the 50s as it continued spying on other nations in secrecyChanges in the Soviet UnionIn March 1953 Joseph Stalin diedNikita Khrushchev became the new leader of the Soviet UnionIn 1955 Khrushchev and the Soviets created the Warsaw Pact a military alliance similar to NATO made with all the Soviet-dominated countries of Eastern EuropeIn countries like Poland and Hungary anti-Communists were killed and the Soviets used force to ensure that their satellite nations would not defect

US-Soviet RelationsIn 1955 the US and the Soviets met for a summit in Geneva, Switzerland where Eisenhower proposed an open skies treaty both nations could fly over each others territoryThe Soviets rejected the open skies treaty but the American citizens still approved of Eisenhower and re-elected him in 1956 when he defeated Adlei Stevenson (again)In the late 1950s and early 60s the US sent U-2 aircraft into Soviet airspace to inspect their military facilitiesIn 1960 the Soviets shot down American pilot Gary Powers and he was captured. The Soviets held Powers until 1962 when they released him in exchange for a Soviet spy held prisoner by the USTrouble in the Middle EastIn 1956 Egypt and Israel went to war over disputes dealing with access to the Suez Canal.England and France backed Israel, while the Soviets backed Egypt, and the US feared that further escalation could draw the US into the conflict.The Suez Crisis ended when the US intervened and told the Israelis to leave EgyptEisenhower Doctrine declared the right of the US to help, on request, any nation in the Middle East trying to resist armed Communist aggression.The Hydrogen BombDuring the Korean War US scientists were developing new weapons, including the hydrogen bomb used nuclear fusion instead of nuclear fission and was over 100 times more powerful than the atomic bombIt was so devastating that many scientists argued against ever building itIn 1952 the US tested the hydrogen bomb on a small uninhabited island. After the blast the island was gone.This test put the US ahead of the Soviets in weapons technology, but not for long as the Soviets tested their own hydrogen bomb in 1953.

Arms RaceThe testing of hydrogen bombs was the beginning of the stockpiling of weapons by both the US and the SovietsArms race the stockpiling of weapons and creation of new technology in order to get ahead of the other nationThe arms race led to many changes in military strategiesMore reliance on nuclear weapons, less on conventional weaponsNew long range airplanes that would be used to deliver nuclear weapons, such as the B-52ICBMs Intercontinental ballistic missiles, that could travel thousands of miles and strike very close to their intended target

Soviet AdvancementsIn 1957 the Soviets shocked the world when they launched the first ever artificial satellite named SputnikA month later Sputnik II took the first living creature into space (a dog named Laika)Americans responded with fear that the Soviets would use satellites to spy or attack the US and feared that it signaled that the Soviets had surpassed Americans in terms of technical skill and knowledgeIn response, the US government created NASA National Aeronautics Space Administration to keep pace with the Soviets.

American ReactionsAmericans began to fear the threat of nuclear warNuclear fallout the aftermath of nuclear weapons that could be as deadly as direct attack The Truman administration created the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) to educate and prepare the public for nuclear emergenciesAir raid sirensNuclear drillsDuck and Cover VideoEven with these tests, the American people realized that a nuclear attack in an urban area of the US would be catastrophicwar no longer presented the possibility of victory or defeat, but only the alternative of varying degrees of destructionAmerican ReactionsIn response to fear of nuclear attack many Americans began installing bomb shelters in their yardsThe 1950s also saw that President Eisenhower referred to as the military-industrial complex the idea that military needs, including weapons, were no longer a temporary wartime industry.

TelevisionThe 1950s saw the growth in popularity of the home television1950-5 million TVs1959-40 million TVsTV stars like Lucille Ball and Milton Berle became household namesLucy at the Chocolate FactoryThere were only 3 networks showing dramas, game shows, and comedy variety shows

TelevisionBesides programs, the TV became a very significant part of American culturePolitics American leaders realized the power of the TV early on. In fact, it was TV that brought down Senator McCarthy after his hearings were airedAdvertising early on advertisers sponsored an entire show (ex: The Colgate Comedy Hour). After that became too expensive companies began buying 1-2 minute segments of the show, thus giving birth to the TV commercial1950's Make up CommercialEven in the 1950s people were already concerned with violence on TVTechnologyIn the 1950s the first computers came into use. They were very expensive, large, and not as advanced as todayIn 1952 scientist Jonas Salk developed a polio vaccine, changing a disease that affected thousands to a disease that is essentially nonexistent today.

CultureThe 1950s were a time of economic growthAmerican workers and farmers produced about 1/3 of the worlds goods and servicesAmericans began purchasing automobiles on a more regular basisBill and Alfred Levitt created Levittown, NY one of the first examples of suburban developmentThese suburban homes were filled with the latest devices stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, and TVsPeople began moving away from northern areas to the sunbelt the warmer southern and western parts of the USCalifornias population grew by 5 million in the 1950s aloneCultureInterstate Highway SystemThe beginning of rebellionFilm stars like Marlon Brando and James DeanThe early stages of rock and rollElvis PresleyRock and roll music was a collaboration between jazz, blues, and a new invention electric guitars

Women in the 1950s SHEG