Download UNIT 15: The Cold War and America in the 1950s A Brief Overview

UNIT 15: The Cold War and America in the 1950s
A Brief Overview of the Cold War
Ideological differences
In 1917 Lenin leads a revolution in Russia. The world watches as the new Communist government takes
power. For most of the Soviet Union's early history she remains a weak neighbor to the other European
powers. The nation must rebuild. The Communists plan is to remove the concept of private ownership of
property. Their philosophy, Marxism, states that eventually the entire world would turn to Communism.
Americans look on with fear. Would this be us? Would Communism come to the United States and destroy
our way of life? As more and more immigrants come to America fears are heightened. American fears of
Communism and its elimination of private wealth and ownership continue through the depression and
World War II.
An uneasy alliance: U.S. - Soviet Relations during World War II.
As the World War II rages on Soviet casualties mount. The Soviet strategy has been one called "scorched
earth," which meant that as they retreated from the Nazi's they would burn everything so that the Nazi's
would gain nothing but a wrecked nation. Now as the Red Army stems the tide at Stalingrad the Soviets
begin to push the Germans back. It is a typical cold Russian winter, millions are dying and Stalin can only
wonder when the United States will commit its forces to attack Germany in mass and take some of the heat
off the Red Army. Two years go by before America truly opens up a second front by invading in July of
1944 in Normandy, France. During this time a number if things happen:
1) The US ends the Lend Lease program that was providing needed supplies to the Soviet people.
2) Roosevelt and Churchill agree at the Yalta Conference to allow a Communist government in Poland.
Stalin promises to allow "free and unfettered" elections in Eastern Europe
3) At the Potsdam Conference Stalin reneges on his promise to have free elections in Eastern Europe.
The west is informed that Eastern Europe will be turned into Satellite states, creating a buffer zone,
against future attack toward the USSR.
In August of 1945 the United States drops the atomic bomb on Japan. The Soviets knew nothing of this
weapon.
The United States follows a policy of containment
The Soviet Union emerged from World War II a very different nation than when she entered it. The Soviet
Union now was the second strongest nation in the world and controlled all of Eastern Europe. This type of
power and control prompted Winston Churchill to declare that "an iron curtain had descended upon
Europe. Stalin was a powerful dictator who had eliminated his opposition. This was the kind of mentality
and drive that faced the United States. Stalin was committed to the Marxist philosophy that stated that
eventually the entire world would turn to Communism. To achieve that goal Stalin created the Comintern, a
government organization designed to help Communist revolutions around the world. As far as America was
concerned this is clearly a grave threat to our way of life. The United States response to the Comintern was
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UNIT 15: The Cold War and America in the 1950s
the policy known as containment. Simply put, containment meant that the spread of communism had to be
contained, held where it was. Over the years the policy of containment would take many forms. The first
was called the Truman Doctrine (1947) named after the President at that time. The Truman Doctrine said
that America would give vast financial aid any nations in danger of falling to Communism. In 1947 the
United States gave $400 million to Greece and Turkey to fend off Communist revolutions. Then, later
in 1947, the United States announced the Marshall Plan. Under the Marshall Plan Congress approved
spending $12 billion dollars to rebuild Europe. Stalin, who could not afford to offer this type of aid to nations
he controlled saw this as threat even though any nation could apply for Marshall Plan funds. The Eastern
European nations never took Marshall Plan monies.
In 1949, with the Cold War becoming a more clearly defined diplomatic conflict the United States formed
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Eleven nations joined NATO which was stated that "an
armed attack against one shall be considered an armed attack against all." Clearly the purpose of the
NATO was to deter the Soviet Union from aggression.
The Cold War becomes hot.
After the United States began to actively pursue its policy of containment, Stalin began to move more
aggressively. In response to the creation of NATO the Soviet Union organized the Warsaw Pact, a military
alliance of Eastern European nations. Later in 1949 Stalin decided to test American resolve. Overnight a
wall appeared that surrounded West Berlin. Stalin had decided that the capitalist influence had to be
eliminated. The blockade of Berlin was an act of war but Truman responded creatively. Instead of seeking
a military solution he announced to the world that the United States would not abandon Berlin. The United
States began the Berlin Airlift and dropped supplies in by parachute on a daily basis. Stalin would be
unable to starve out the Berliners. Eventually the blockade ended. That same year (1949) the Soviet
Union tested its first atomic bomb. In 1952 the United States announced it had a Hydrogen Bomb, many
time more powerful. A year later the Soviets detonated their first H-bomb. Now there were two nuclear
powers in direct competition and the world would never be the same.
In response to the presence of Soviet atomic weapons the new American President, Dwight Eisenhower,
announced his policy on nuclear weapons. This policy known as the "Eisenhower Doctrine," called for
massive retaliation to any aggressive act by the Soviet Union. What was massive retaliation? It clearly
meant that the United States was willing to use nuclear weapons if the Soviets used force in Europe.
Luckily that never happened.
The United States proved its willingness to use force to contain the spread of Communism during the
Korean War which lasted for 1950 to 1953. In the Korean war the US backed the South Koreans against
the North Korean who were supported by the Communist Chinese government.
Ever since 1945 the US had been secure that it held an edge in technology. That illusion was shattered in
1957 when the Soviets launched the first satellite known as Sputnik. Perhaps now the Soviets would be
able to spy on the US or launch long range missiles with nuclear warheads? The space race had begun!
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UNIT 15: The Cold War and America in the 1950s
By the late 1950's Stalin had died and a new Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, was the leader of the Soviet
Union. Khrushchev did not rule as strongly as Stalin did but he was still a dictator. In 1960 a U.S. spy plan,
the U-2, was shot down over the Soviet Union. This incident further increased tensions.
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