The Cold War: A War with no Battles

The Cold War: A War with no

Battles

The 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 War

The Soviet Union was a communist, totalitarian, dictatorship

The 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

bomb

The 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 Union

The 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 Speech

The term iron curtain reflected the belief that communism had created a sharp division in Europe.

Stalin used Churchill’s 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 pressure

The Marshall PlanAcross Europe World War II had devastated cities and ruined

farms.Many Americans supported giving aid to Europe to help rebuild In June 1947, US Secretary of State George C. Marshall called

for a huge program of aid to help Europe rebuild and grow its economy

Marshall 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 NATO

NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The 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 WWII

No 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 Bill

Provided 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 nation

The 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 WWII

However, in 1947 Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act that further reduced the power of labor unions

In 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 nation

In 1946 the Republicans gained a majority in Congress creating tension between Congress and the Democratic White House

However, they agreed on the Marshall Plan and Truman’s handling of the Berlin airlift

Politics in Postwar AmericaElection of 1948

Democrat – Harry TrumanProgressive Party (a breakaway group of Democrats) –

Henry WallaceDixiecrat (an anti-civil rights party) – Strom ThurmondRepublican – Thomas Dewey

A few weeks before the election, in a poll of 50 political writers, every single one predicted that the Republican Dewey would win

Truman campaigned hard and told the crowds about the “do-nothing” Congress

In 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 nation

Fair Deal – similar to FDR’s New Deal it expanded the role of the federal governmentA federal health insurance

programFunding for education

However, Congress did not agree with Truman’s 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 war”“reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights”

In 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 UDHR

Global 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 growth

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, 1946) – member nations made agreements on rules for international trade, focused on reducing tariffs and other trade barriers

Together with the UN, these organizations helped to increase global participation and communication.

Cold War ActivitiesSHEGRed dot game

Growing Fear of Communism In 1949 two events occurred that greatly

increased the concerns of American leaders over the spread of communism

1) 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 threat

2) 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 winning

Americans 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 industry

Hollywood 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 “disloyal”

In 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 spread

Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs

McCarthyism In 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 department

McCarthy’s charges caused a sensation, even though McCarthy never produced the names supposedly on his list

With his new fame McCarthy began to make even more charges

When people complained or confronted McCarthy he suggested that perhaps they were a communist or had something to hide

McCarthyism – 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 government

Officials and employers were afraid that if they didn’t 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 reasons

By 1954 the public increasingly viewed McCarthy’s actions as unfair and his career faded, but the fear of communism did not.

Korean WarSHEGVideoIR

Election 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 Eisenhower

Eisenhower 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 threats

Massive retaliation – if the US needed to it would use nuclear force against the Soviet Union

Under the leadership of Dulles in 1947 the CIA was created and it grew in the 50’s as it continued spying on other nations in secrecy

Changes 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 Europe

In 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 other’s territory

The 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 1950’s and early 60’s the US sent U-2 aircraft into Soviet airspace to inspect their military facilities

In 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 US

Trouble 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 Egypt

Eisenhower 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 it In 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 Soviets

Arms race – the stockpiling of weapons and creation of new technology in order to get ahead of the other nation

The 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-52ICBM’s – 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 Sputnik

A 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 knowledge

In 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 Video

Even with these tests, the American people realized that a nuclear attack in an urban area of the US would be catastrophic“…war no longer presented the possibility of victory or defeat,

but only the alternative of varying degrees of destruction”

American ReactionsIn response to fear of

nuclear attack many Americans began installing bomb shelters in their yards

The 1950’s 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 1950’s saw the growth in

popularity of the home television1950-5 million TV’s1959-40 million TV’s

TV stars like Lucille Ball and Milton Berle became household namesLucy at the Chocolate Factory

There 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 aired

Advertising – 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 commercial

1950's Make up CommercialEven in the 1950’s people were already concerned

with violence on TV

TechnologyIn the 1950’s the first

computers came into use. They were very expensive, large, and not as advanced as today

In 1952 scientist Jonas Salk developed a polio vaccine, changing a disease that affected thousands to a disease that is essentially nonexistent today.

CultureThe 1950’s were a time of economic growth

American workers and farmers produced about 1/3 of the world’s goods and services

Americans began purchasing automobiles on a more regular basis

Bill and Alfred Levitt created Levittown, NY – one of the first examples of suburban development

These suburban homes were filled with the latest devices – stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, and TV’s

People began moving away from northern areas to the sunbelt – the warmer southern and western parts of the USCalifornia’s population grew by 5 million in the 1950’s alone

CultureInterstate Highway

SystemThe beginning of

rebellionFilm stars like

Marlon Brando and James Dean

The early stages of rock and roll

Elvis PresleyRock and roll music

was a collaboration between jazz, blues, and a new invention – electric guitars

Women in the 1950’s SHEG

Election of 1960 President Eisenhower’s Vice-President Richard Nixon

vs. Democrat John F. Kennedy This election is particularly significant because it included

the first televised presidential debates Kennedy/Nixon Debate Voters associated Nixon with the older Eisenhower and felt that he

opposed new ideas, while many were concerned about Kennedy being a Roman Catholic.

The election was incredibly close (less than 0.2%) but Kennedy won the electoral college vote 303-219, becoming the youngest elected President

Throughout Kennedy’s Presidency he focused on change and strongly anti-Communist

Kennedy also assembled a very young group of advisors and cabinet members, including his brother Bobby as Attorney General.

Bay of PigsDuring the 1960 election Kennedy

learned that President Eisenhower had authorized the CIA to secretly train a group of Cuban exiles in Central America to invade Cuba.

Eisenhower authorized this training in hopes of overthrowing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro

In 1959 Castro seized power, the next year signing a trade agreement with the Soviet Union and instituting a Communist government.

The CIA believed that the invasion would inspire other Cubans to rise up against Castro, a belief that Eisenhower did not share.

Bay of PigsKennedy had a difficult decision to make – he was strongly

against Castro and his Communist government and he was assured by the CIA that the operation was a guaranteed success.

The Bay of Pigs invasion was a disasterThe NY Times reported the plan a week before it was to take

placeThe air strike against Cuba’s air force failedA damaged bomber flew to Key West, Florida instead of back to

Nicaragua, making it impossible for the US to deny involvementWhen the land invasion occurred the Cubans were prepared

and were capturedKennedy decided not to invade Cuba and rescue the invasion

force because he feared how it would affect US-Soviet relations

Bay of PigsThe Bay of Pigs invasion was a

failure for several reasons1) Poor planning and lack of US air

cover2) The CIA underestimated the

support of the Cuban people for Castro

Instead of eliminating the threat of communism close to the US the Bay of Pigs incident only strengthened Castro’s ties to the Soviet Union.

“We shall render [the] Cuban government all necessary assistance” – Nikita Khrushchev

Berlin Crisis (Part 2)In 1961 President Kennedy met with Khrushchev in

Vienna, Austria to try to ease tensions between the 2 nations

Instead, Khrushchev saw the US as weak after the Bay of Pigs fiasco and demanded that the US recognize East Germany as an independent nation and that the US withdraw from West Berlin

Kennedy refused and instead began a troop buildup in West Germany.

Khrushchev responded to the troop buildup by closing the crossing points between East and West Berlin

Within hours there were 25,000 troops patrolling the border with a barb wire fence put up around West Berlin, which was soon replaced by a large concrete wall.

Berlin Crisis (Part 2)Kennedy was actually relieved by the wall,

because he had feared that the Soviets would invade West Berlin

Eventually the Berlin Wall would completely surround West Berlin, covering nearly 100 miles, dividing families, neighborhoods, streets, even cemeteries.

Two years after the wall went up President Kennedy visited Berlin to give his support to the people of West Berlin

Ich Bin Ein Berliner

SHEG: Cuban Missile Crisis

SHEG: Cuban Missile Crisis

Kennedy’s Foreign PolicyPeace Corps – trained and sent volunteers to Africa,

Asia, and Latin America to serve for two years as teachers, healthcare workers, agricultural advisors, or other jobs that aided the host country’s development.

Alliance for Progress – gave billions of dollars to Latin American nations for building schools, hospitals, roads, housing, and power plants.The purpose was to encourage these nations not to turn

to communism, but the program failed because most money went to anti-communist dictators

Flexible response – designed to strengthen American forces and give options besides nuclear weapons in a time of crisis.

Kennedy’s ImagePresident Kennedy knew

that in the world of television and media image was everything.

He was often photographed engaged in physical activities, even though he had numerous health problems and a bad back

His wife Jackie and children added to the image of perfection which came to be known as Camelot.

New FrontierKennedy’s plans for America became

known as the New FrontierReduce taxes to fight rising unemploymentFederal aid for educationHealth care for older Americans

However, like Truman’s Fair Deal, most of his ideas were shot down by the Republican controlled Congress (and Democrats who were still not fans of JFK).

Space ProgramIn April 1961 Yuri

Gagarin became the first person in space

Khrushchev claimed the Soviet lead in space showed the superiority of communism, leading JFK to make a bold statement

President Kennedy: We Choose to go to the Moon

The Warren CourtIn 1953 President

Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as the chief justice of the Supreme Court

In his 16 years the Supreme Court made several rulings that extended civil rights, voting rights, rights of the accused, and religious freedom

Brown v. Board of Education

Reynolds v. SimsGideon v. WainwrightMiranda v. ArizonaEngel v. VitaleEscobedo v. IllinoisMapp v. OhioGriswold v. Connecticut

The Kennedy AssassinationWith the 1964 election approaching JFK flew to Texas to try and

gain the support of Southern Democrats on November 22, 1963

News Reports of Kennedy AssassinationKennedy’s death shocked the nation and a time of mourning

overcame the nationWithin hours of Kennedy’s death Vice President Johnson was

sworn in as president aboard Air Force OneAssassin Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested, but he too was shot

before he could stand trial by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner with ties to organized crime

Warren Commission – a group led by Earl Warren that investigated the JFK assassination. Despite many conspiracy theories the commission reported that Oswald and Ruby acted alone.