Download The Nation faces a cold war How did the Soviet Union expand its

The Nation faces a
cold war
How did the Soviet Union expand its power after WWII?
How did the Marshall Plan help to prevent the spread of communism?
A new era
“A new era is upon us. The utter destructiveness of war
now blots out this alternative. We have had our last
chance.”
– General Douglas MacArthur
• Another world war must be avoided
• American’s shared the same sentiments as MacArthur
Roots of
conflict
• Churchill’s warning of
an “iron curtain”
• Soviet expansion
• Spread of communism
What is communism?
• A form of government characterized by a
classless and stateless society
• Defined by equal distribution of economic
goods
• Command economy: the economy is mostly
controlled by the government
• The government tells you what to produce,
how to produce it, and to whom to sell
Goals & Outcomes of
communism
GOALS
• Equality for all
citizens
OUTCOMES
• Abuse of power
• No unemployment
• Restrictions in
society
• Share the wealth
• Censorship
• No poverty
• No social classes (no
rich, no poor)
• Class system still
exists
What is capitalism?
•
An economic system in which investment in and
ownership of the means of production, distribution,
and exchange of wealth is made and maintained by
private individuals and corporations
•
Democratic governments
•
Market economy: major decisions about production
are made by individual households and businesses
following their own self-interest
CHECKPOINT
• With your group, complete “CAPITALISM &
COMMUNISM: POSTIVES AND NEGATIVES”
sheet
• Everyone should record/have their own copy
• Be prepared to discuss your points
POST-WWII
•
The end of WWII shaped the postwar world by laying the foundations for the Cold
War
•
At the end of WWII, the Allies essentially split the world between them
• The Allies split the European and Asian world between themselves.
• In Asia, the Soviet Union was allowed to keep the northern part of Korea
• Germany was split at first in four sections but France and England gave their
territory to the United States as they attempted to rebuild their war torn
homeland
• The Soviet Union was allowed to dominate the eastern part of Germany and
the countries of Eastern Europe
•
Countries throughout the world had to then choose their ally either the United States
or the Soviet Union
• This split between the US and SU was spread throughout the globe
•
By setting up this situation where the world was split up between communist and
non-communist countries, the end of WWII set the stage for the Cold War
US Fears following
wwii
• Spread of Communism
• Return of the Great Depression
Truman doctrine
“The free peoples of the world look to us for support in
maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we
may endanger the world–and we shall surely endanger the
welfare of our own nation”
– President Truman, 1947
• Show of strength to halt Soviet expansion
• US pledged to aid nations threatened by communist
uprising and expansion
Soviet/Communist threat to us &
western Europe post-wwii
Western Europe conditions
• HUNGER
• POVERTY
• DESPAIR
1. May cause Western
Europeans to vote
their own leaders into
office who would
align their country
with the Soviet Union
2. May cause the spread
of communism
Marshall plan
“The modern system of the division of labor upon which the
exchange of products is based is in danger of breaking down. The
truth of the matter is that Europe's requirements for the next three
or four years of foreign food and other essential products -principally from America -- are so much greater than her present
ability to pay that she must have substantial additional help or
face economic, social, and political deterioration of a very grave
character.”
– Secretary of State George C. Marshall describing the goals
of the Marshall Plan, June 5, 1947
Marshall plan
• Financial aid and support for European countries left
devastated in the aftermath of WWII
• Proposed by Secretary of State, George Marshall, 1947
• Large-scale plan to help rebuild Europe’s economy
• $13 billion in aid
• Decreased chances of communist expansion and take
over in Western Europe
marshall plan
PURPOSES:
• Provide Europeans with an attractive alternative option to
communism
• Make the US look good by giving Europeans hope by providing for
immediate needs of the people
• Provide financial opportunities for the US to later trade with the
European nations
EFFECTS:
• Cause Stalin (Soviet Union leader at time) to put up a “wall” dividing
Europe which aided containment of communism
• Cause friction between Stalin and satellite countries by forbidding
acceptance of US aide
• Tell me what you
know:
1. Evaluate the political
cartoon
•
•
•
What does each
item/person/symbol
represent?
At what audience is
the political cartoon
aimed?
What did the artist
want you to
understand?
2. How did the Western
European people or
nations benefit from
the Marshall Plan?
Soviet blockade
• United States, France, and Britain to join zones of Germany
to form “German Federal Republic”, or West Germany
• Soviet zone late becomes known as the “German Democratic
Republic”, or East Germany
• Stalin closes roads, railways, and river routes connecting
Berlin with West Germany
• Blockade cuts off West Berlin with the rest of the world
• Truman’s response: Berlin Airlift
• Airlift: An act of transporting supplies by aircraft, typically in a
blockade or other emergency.
Berlin airlift
“By now the planes are passing overhead hundreds of times a day. In the crowded
lunchroom at Tempelhof quiet, tired American pilots grab a coffee and a
sandwich…Outside, on the edge of the field, a ragged German crowd gathers…and
German boys squint through holes in the field fence with the open-mouthed fascination
of American kids watching a ball game.”
– Article from Life magazine
Keeping the
peace
• The United Nations
• North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO)
• Warsaw Pact
Nato & warsaw pact
• NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• Military alliance of democratic states in Europe and
North America
• Warsaw Pact
• A military treaty, which bound its members to come to
the aid of the others, should any one of them be the
victim of foreign aggression
• Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany,
Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union)\
Cold war turns hot
“For me it was a typical Sunday night in Japan. It
rained all day. My wife was giving the kids a bath prior
to putting them to bed, and I was reading a
book…when the call came for me to report at once to
headquarters. The wife wanted to know what the call
was about. ‘Something must be wrong with next
week’s training schedule,’ I answered. ‘I’ll be back as
soon as I can.’”
– Sergeant First Class Bill Menninger, United States
Army stationed in Japan after WWII, June 1950
Hunting communists
at home
• Cold War tensions feed American fears
• Detection of radiation in Soviet Union proves
Americans are no longer the only country with atomic
power
• Rosenberg trial
• Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin