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America: Pathways to the Present
Chapter 26
The Cold War
(1945–1960)
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. All rights reserved.
THE COLD WAR: 1945-1991
• WHO: Conflict Between The United States and the
Soviet Union.
• WHAT: Indirect fighting between the two nations,
causing tension around the world.
• WHY: Struggle over the spread of ideologies. The U.S.
wanted to see Democracy/Capitalism spread, while
the Soviets wanted to spread Communism.
• WHEN: Begins at the end of World War II (1945), and
continues until collapse of the Soviet Union (1991).
• WHERE: Takes place around the globe, with direct
fighting (Hot Wars) in places like Korea, Vietnam, the
Middle East, and South America.
1945—A Critical Year
Chapter 26, Section 1
• As the end of World War II approached, relations between the
Communist Soviet Union and its wartime allies, the United
States and Great Britain, grew increasingly tense.
• At a meeting at Yalta in February, Roosevelt, Churchill, and
Stalin agreed on the postwar division of Germany but
disagreed on the future of Poland.
• In April, representatives of 50 countries, including the United
States, adopted the charter for the United Nations, an
organization dedicated to cooperation in solving international
problems.
• On April 12, Roosevelt died unexpectedly, making Vice
President Truman the new President. Truman continued
Roosevelt’s negotiations with Stalin at the Potsdam
Conference in July.
Conflicting Postwar Goals
American and Soviet Goals
Chapter 26, Section 1
American Goals
• Wanted conquered
European nations to
experience the democracy
and economic opportunity
that the United States had
fought for during the war
• Wanted to develop strong
capitalist economies,
which would provide good
markets for American
products
Soviet Goals
•
•
•
Wanted to rebuild Europe in
ways that would help the
Soviet Union recover from
the huge losses it suffered
during the war
Wanted to establish Soviet
satellite nations, countries
subject to Soviet
domination and sympathetic
to Soviet goals
Wanted to promote the
spread of communism
throughout the world
Soviets Tighten Their Hold
Chapter 26, Section 1
•
•
•
•
•
Communist Expansion in Eastern Europe
Albania and Bulgaria: Communists secure control by silencing
opposition in Albania; Soviet troops seize Bulgaria.
Czechoslovakia: Although it desperately tried to remain democratic,
Czechoslovakia became a Soviet satellite nation in 1948.
Hungary and Romania: By arresting anti-Communist leaders in
Hungary and forcing the appointment of a Communist prime minister
in Romania, Communists achieved power in both nations.
East Germany: To make sure Germany could not threaten his nation
again, Stalin established a totalitarian government, naming the state
the German Democratic Republic.
Finland and Yugoslavia: Both countries maintained their
independence from Soviet control - Finland, by signing a treaty of
cooperation, and Yugoslavia, by following the leadership of Tito.
The Iron Curtain
Chapter 26, Section 1
Churchill coined the
phrase iron curtain
to describe the
geographic and
political divisions
between Communist
and capitalist
nations in Europe.
Containment and the Truman Doctrine
Chapter 26, Section 1
• The American policy of containment accepted the fact
that Eastern Europe was under Communist control,
but sought to prevent Communist governments from
spreading around the world.
• The Truman Doctrine, which applied the principles of
containment, stated that the United States would
support free peoples who resist attempted conquest.
The Truman Doctrine was first applied in the cases of
Greece and Turkey.
• Greece and Turkey would receive $400 million in
economic aid to help support democracy in the
region.
The Marshall Plan
Chapter 26, Section 2
• The United States wanted to help European nations
recover from the war and become economically strong
democracies. It also wanted to prevent Communists
from continuing to gain power in Europe.
• The Marshall Plan was created in 1947 by U.S. Secretary
of State George C. Marshall as a means to achieve these
goals. According to the Marshall Plan, participating
nations would design recovery programs and would
receive financial aid from the United States.
• Seventeen Western European nations joined the plan,
receiving a total of $13 billion in aid.
The Berlin Airlift
Chapter 26, Section 2
• As part of the postwar division of Germany, the city of
Berlin, located in Communist East Germany, was
divided into West Berlin (capitalist) and East Berlin
(Communist).
• In June 1948, Stalin banned all shipments to West
Berlin through East Germany, creating a blockade
which threatened to cut off supplies to the city.
• In response, Allied nations began the Berlin airlift,
which delivered thousands of tons of food and other
supplies to West Berlin via air.
• Although the Soviet blockade ended in May 1949,
Berlin remained a focal point of Cold War conflict.
NATO
Chapter 26, Section 2
Why create a treaty organization?
• Soviet vetoes prevented the
United Nations from resolving a
number of postwar problems.
•
The United States sought to
avoid the problems of post–
World War I isolationism.
•
The United States did not want to
be the only nation in the Western
Hemisphere committed to
fighting communism. A Canadian
role in the treaty organization
would be vital.
•
What was NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) was formed
in April 1949.
•
In joining NATO, the United
States, Canada, and ten Western
European nations pledged to
support one another against
attack, a principle known as
collective security.
•
In response, the Soviet Union
created the Warsaw Pact, a
military alliance between the
Soviet Union and its satellite
nations.
Communist Advances
Chapter 26, Section 2
•
•
•
The Soviet Atomic Threat
In September 1949, Truman
announced that the Soviet Union
had successfully tested an
atomic bomb.
In response, the United States
began developing the even more
powerful hydrogen bomb,
reestablishing itself as the
world’s leading nuclear power.
The newly formed Federal Civil
Defense Administration
distributed information on how to
survive a nuclear attack; this
information was ridiculed by
experts.
•
•
•
China Falls to the Communists
During World War II, competing
factions in China had cooperated,
but fighting between them
resumed towards the end of the
war.
At first, the United States
supported Nationalist leader
Jiang Jieshi against Communist
Mao Zedong. However, the United
States later decided to focus on
Western Europe instead.
Many Americans viewed Mao
Zedong’s creation of a
Communist state in China as a
failure of Truman’s policies.
The Cold War at Home
Chapter 26, Section 2
•
•
•
•
During the late 1940s, fear of Communist spies created a climate
of suspicion in the United States.
Truman established a federal employee loyalty program in 1947,
checking the backgrounds of all new and existing federal
employees.
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began
investigating Hollywood personalities who the committee claimed,
had Communist leanings. When one group, known as the
Hollywood Ten, refused to answer HUAC’s questions, they were
cited for contempt of Congress and imprisoned.
Hollywood studios compiled a blacklist, a list circulated to
employers naming persons who should not be hired. Blacklisted
individuals came from all sections of the industry and included
anyone who seemed subversive.
The Cold War at Home
Chapter 26, Section 2
• Fueled by fears of disloyal immigrants from
Communist countries, the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act
reestablished the immigration quota system from
1924. This act discriminated against potential
immigrants from Asia and Southern and Central
Europe.
• Two famous spy cases reinforced fears that Soviet
spies in the United States were sharing American
secrets with foreign Communists. These were the
cases of Alger Hiss and of Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg.
Communist Expansion in Asia
Chapter 26, Section 3
The Chinese Civil War
• Civil war began in the mid-1920s
and intensified after World War II.
• Mao Zedong won support for the
Communists by redistributing
land and offering schooling and
healthcare.
• Jiang Jieshi’s Nationalist Party
lost support because of harsh
treatment of the population, high
taxes, and corruption.
• When the Communists took
power in 1949, the Nationalists
fled to Taiwan.
The Division of Korea
• World War II ended before a plan
could be made for Korean
independence from Japan.
• Korea was temporarily divided at
the thirty-eighth parallel, the
latitude line running through
approximately the midpoint of the
peninsula.
• A pro-American government
formed in South Korea, while a
Communist government formed
in North Korea.
The Korean Conflict
Chapter 26, Section 3
•
•
•
•
In June 1950, the Korean War broke out when North Korean troops
invaded South Korea, aiming to reunite the nation by force.
A UN resolution, which passed because the Soviets were not there
to veto it, called on member states to defend South Korea and
restore peace. Roughly 80 percent of the troops who served in
the resulting UN police action were American.
By attacking North Korean supply lines, General Douglas
MacArthur was able to gain an advantage and push north.
However, a stalemate developed after China helped the North
Koreans push the UN forces back into South Korea.
A truce signed in 1953 left Korea again divided near the thirty
eighth parallel.
The Effects of the Korean War
Chapter 26, Section 3
•
•
•
•
Post-Korean War Changes in America
Warfare — Limited war, limited victory
Integration of the Military — First war in which white
Americans and African Americans served in the same
units
Increased Power of the Military — A military-industrial
complex developed as the military established links
with the corporate and scientific communities.
Foreign Policy in Asia — September 1951 peace treaty
signed with Japan; relations worsen with Communist
China
The McCarthy Era
Chapter 26, Section 4
McCarthy’s Rise to Power
• Wisconsin Senator Joseph
McCarthy, up for reelection
raised the specter of Communist
conspiracies within the United
States.
• McCarthy produced a list of 205
names of presumed Communistsupporting government
employees. Later, when
scrutinized, this list was reduced
to 57.
• Although McCarthy’s accusations
were usually baseless and
unprovable, few were willing to
risk their reputations by speaking
out against him.
McCarthy’s Fall
• In early 1954, McCarthyism, the
name given to McCarthy’s
crusade, reached the army.
• Democrats asked that the
hearings between McCarthy and
the army be televised, hoping to
swing popular opinion against
McCarthy.
• By mid-June 1954, McCarthy
had lost even his strongest
supporters. The Senate formally
condemned him for his actions.
The Cold War in the 1950s
Chapter 26, Section 4
•
•
•
•
United States involvement around the world, 1947–1956
Eastern Europe — Wary of war with the Soviets, America
did not support uprisings in East Germany, Poland, and
Hungary.
Southeast Asia — Korean War ends; former French colony
of Vietnam is divided into Communist North and antiCommunist South.
Middle East — United States supports Israel, backs groups
that restore a pro-American Shah in Iran; the Suez Crisis in
Egypt erupts.
Latin America — Organization of American States (OAS) is
created; American aid helps anti-Communist leaders gain
and retain power.
The Arms Race
Chapter 26, Section 4
• Throughout the 1950s, the United States and the
Soviet Union competed in an arms race, a struggle to
gain weapons superiority.
• Deterrence, the policy of maintaining a military
arsenal so strong that no enemy will attack for fear of
retaliation, resulted in the escalating development of
powerful nuclear weapons.
• The American policy of brinkmanship involved
bringing the United States to the brink of war without
actually entering into war.
The Arms Race in the Skies
Chapter 26, Section 4
• To carry bombs to their targets, the Soviet Union
developed long-range rockets known as
intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.
• In 1957, one of these rockets was used to launch the
Soviet satellite Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to
orbit Earth.
• When a Soviet guided missile shot down an American
U-2 spy plane, the resulting U-2 incident shattered
American confidence and prompted a desire to
match—and surpass—Soviet weapons technology.