Download Chapter 26 The Cold War Begins

Chapter 26
The Cold War Begins
Section 2
The Early Cold War Years
Containing Communism
• February 22, 1946,
diplomat George
Kennan wrote the
Long Telegram, a
5,540 word cable
message explaining his
views of Soviet goals.
The Long Telegram
• Kennan discussed Russian insecurity and
fear of the West and why it was impossible
to reach an agreement.
• Proposed long-term containment of
Russian expansion.
• This led to Truman’s policy of containment
– keeping communism within its present
territory through diplomatic, economic, and
military actions.
Crisis in Iran
• After WWII, Soviet troops remained in
Iran.
• Helped set up separate Communist gov’t
in northern Iran.
• U.S. demanded their withdrawal & sent a
battleship into the Mediterranean.
• Soviets withdrew from Iran.
The Truman Doctrine
• March 12, 1947 – Truman went before
Congress to request $400 million to fight
Soviet aggression in Greece and Turkey.
• Policy became known as the Truman
Doctrine.
• Purpose was to stabilize the Greek gov’t
and ease Soviet demands in Turkey.
• Our pledge to stop Communism.
The Marshall Plan
• June 1947, Sec of
State George C.
Marshall proposed
the European
Recovery Program
called the Marshall
Plan.
The Marshall Plan
• Plan would give European nations American aid
to rebuild.
• Effort to fight hunger, poverty, and chaos.
• Soviets rejected the offer and developed their
own economic program.
• Plan gave billions of dollars worth of supplies,
machinery, and food to Western Europe,
lessening the appeal of communism and
opening new trade markets.
The Berlin Crisis
The Berlin Crisis
• 1948 – U.S., Britain, France merged their
zones in Germany, and Berlin to create
West Germany in response to the Soviets
attempt to harm Germany’s economy.
• Soviet troops stopped all road and rail
traffic to West Berlin, hoping to force
Americans to renegotiate Germany’s
status or give up Berlin.
The Berlin Crisis
• Truman then sent long range bombers
with atomic weapons to bases in Britain.
• Also ordered the Berlin airlift.
• For 11 months, cargo planes supplied
Berliners with food, medicine, and coal.
• Stalin lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949.
NATO
• American public supported a military
alliance with Western Europe.
• April 1949, The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), a mutual defense
alliance, was created with initially 12
countries joining.
• 6 years later NATO allowed West
Germany to rearm and join
• Soviets countered with the Warsaw Pact in
Eastern Europe.
The Cold War Spreads to East Asia
• In China, Communist forces and
Nationalist forces had been battling since
the late 1920s.
• Stopped warring during WWII, to prevent
Japanese occupation.
• After WWII, the Nationalists were defeated
after poor leadership caused the U.S. to
stop sending aid.
• Oct. 1949 – Communists set up the
People’s Republic of China.
Mao Zedong
• Leader of the
Nationalist forces.
After the Fall
• China and the Soviet Union signed a
treaty of friendship and alliance.
• U.S. kept China out of the United Nations.
• U.S. adopted policies to encourage the
quick recovery of Japan’s economy.
• The U.S. saw Japan as its key in
defending Asia.
The Korean War
• At end of WWII, American & Soviet forces
entered Korea to disarm Japanese troops
stationed there.
• Allies divided Korea at the 38th parallel of
latitude.
• Soviets controlled the North.
• Americans controlled the South.
• June 25, 1950 – North invaded the South.
The UN Intervenes
• Truman asked the UN to act against the
invasion.
• American, UN, and South Korean troops
pushed back advancing North Korean
troops.
• Chinese gov’t saw this as a threat and
demanded withdrawal.
• UN refused and China began a massive
attack.
Truman & MacArthur
• MacArthur demanded
approval to expand the
war against China.
• Truman refused.
• MacArthur was fired for
publicly criticizing the
president.
• Truman was committed
to a limited war.
End of the Korean War
• By 1951 UN forces pushed back the
Chinese and an armistice was signed July
1953.
Changes in Policy
• Korean War was an important turning point
in the Cold War.
• The U.S. began a major military buildup.
• The Korean War expanded the Cold War
beyond Europe and into Asia.
End of Section 2
Next: Section 3
The Cold War and American
Society