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The Cold War, 1946-1953
Libertyville HS
Cold War in Europe, 1948-53
• Marshall Plan had “saved”
Western Europe
• Contest shifted eastward
– Greeks won their civil war
– Italians defeated Communist
party in elections, 1948
– Soviet coup in
Czechoslovakia, 1948
– Berlin Blockade, 1948-49
The Berlin Blockade
• First major crisis of Cold War
• Berlin made up of four
sectors
• Allies merged theirs into
Western Berlin, started
redeveloping area
• Stalin instituted a 15 month
blockade of food, materials,
and supplies (1948-49)
• US, RAF airlifted 2.3 million
tons of food, supplies on
278,000 flights to Berlin
1 Flight Every
30 Seconds!!!
Formation of NATO, Warsaw Pact
• April 1949: North
Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO)
formed
– Defense pact among
western nations
• Soviets formed “Warsaw
Pact” in 1955, in reaction
to West Germany joining
NATO
The Soviets Get The Bomb
• Soviets had been working
on atomic weapons since
1930s
• Problem: getting enough
uranium, inefficiency of
leaders
• Post WW2, Stalin gave
program highest priority
• Exploded first bomb in
1949
– Espionage helped Soviets
avoid mistakes (Rosenbergs)
First Soviet test explosion, 1949
Julius & Ethel
Rosenberg,
post-conviction
Chinese Revolution and SEATO
• 1949: Mao Tse-Tung
defeated US backed
government, est.
Communist government
• Soviets recognized new
Chinese government
• US formed Southeast Asian
Treaty Organization
(SEATO) in response
• Containment thus
“Expanded” to include
Latin America, Asia. Africa
Founding members in purple
Korean War (1950-53)
• Korea divided at end of WWII
– North communist (Kim Il-Sung)
– South democratic (Syngman
Rhee)
– Each leader intent on bringing
whole peninsula under their
system
– North Capitol: Pyongyang
– South Capitol: Seoul
Korean War
• 6/25/50: North invaded
across 38th parallel
– UN condemned action
– US promised military support
– North advanced quickly;
South military disintegrated
– “Pusan Perimeter”
• Douglas MacArthur
appointed UN commander
– Based in Japan
– 19 nations contributed troops
Korean War
• Inchon Landing (9/15/50)
– “End Run” around North
– Surprise, successful –
threatened to trap North’s
army, in South
• UN forces pursued North
across 38th parallel
– Captured Pyongyang
– North’s army disintegrated
Korean War
• Chinese intervention
– Chinese concerned about
invasion by UN across Yalu
River
– 11/1/50: 250k Chinese
“volunteers” attacked UN
troops in North Korea
– Pushed UN troops across
38th Parallel
– Truman fired MacArthur!!!
• 1951-53: Stalemate
• July 27, 1953: armistice
signed, ending war, after
Stalin died – “DMZ”
Nuclear Weapons, 1950s
• Nuclear (fission) bomb (“Atomic
bomb”)
– Dropped on Hiroshima, Nagasaki
– Least “technical” bomb to build
– Yield = 500 kt (500,000 tons of TNT)
• Hydrogen (fission + fusion) bomb
– Thermonuclear device
– Developed 1952 in US, 1955 USSR
– Yield = sky’s the limit (largest detonated =
50 megatons, or 50 million tons of TNT)
1950s Cold War Nuclear Strategy
• US strategy
– Strategic in nature (massive
response, against Soviet cities)
– Based on jet propelled bomber
fleet (until 1960s)
• USSR strategy
– Limited strategic use b/c of
technical limitations (until
ICBMs developed, in 1957)
– Conventional war would follow
– Anticipated use of tactical
(battlefield) nuclear weapons
against enemy troops in Europe
Bomber tracks from USSR, 1951
US Reaction to Nuclear Weapons
• Public wanted to feel safe
• Fallout shelters
– Protection against “fallout”
(radioactive debris) in case of
nuclear attack
– Usually built underground or
of special materials (lead, etc)
• Education of kids
– Schools taught kids how to
survive an attack
– “Duck and Cover”