Download Cold War

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Europe:
o physically destroyed
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America:
o Economically dominant
o Militarily dominant
o Fear spread of communism in Europe
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Soviet Union:
o Liberated/controlled Eastern Europe
o Fear spread of capitalism into “buffer zone”
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What about former European colonies? communist or
capitalist?
 Goal:
prevent further conflicts
 Roosevelt’s dream
 Approved by Senate
 Stalin insisted on equal power
 Security council
o 15 members
o 10 rotate
o 5 permanent
• The victors: U.S., Britain, U.S.S.R.,
France, and China
• All have veto power
 Why
is it called the “Cold
War”?
 Began at Potsdam
 Truman doesn’t like Stalin
 Successful atomic test; a
bargaining chip?
 Truman upset: No free
elections (E. Europe)
Views on Germany
 America, Britain, and France
= strong Germany
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o help revive the European
economy
o provide a buffer from Soviet
communism
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Soviet Union = weak
Germany
o want Germany to pay
o invaded twice already (1914,
1941); didn’t want a third
 leads
to two Germanys
o Communist East
o Democratic West
 East
Berlin communist
 West Berlin (inside of East
Germany) non-communist
West (German Federal Republic) East (German Democratic Republic)
 Division:
“Iron Curtain”
 Atomic bomb creates tension
 Originally to be under United
Nations control
o Soviets refused UN inspections
o Soviets develop bomb in 1949
o U.S. begins development of
other weapons
 Containment
o Stop expansion of Soviet Union
o Must show strength (NOT
appeasement)
 George
Kennan
 Led to three actions
o foreign policy for next 40 years
o massive military buildup
o less focus on other foreign
policy issues
 Greek
Civil War
 February 1947: “Torch” is
passed
 Truman asks Congress for
aid (March 12)
 Truman Doctrine
o “support free peoples who are
resisting attempted
subjugation by armed
minorities or by outside
pressures”
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U.S. supports Greece and Turkey to stop communists
o $300 million for Greece
o $100 million for Turkey
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Truman WILL NOT appease Stalin!
National Security Act
o All branches of military under Department of Defense
o Created National Security Council and CIA
o Intelligence under the executive branch
 Proposed
by Secretary of
State George Marshall
(1947)
 Economic relief for Europe
 Goals
o Rebuild European economies
o Prevent communists from
taking advantage
o Keep American economy from
reverting back to Depression
 Congress
votes in 1948
 Republicans didn’t want it
o Election year
o international “New Deal”
 What
changes?
o Political coup by Communists
in Czechoslovakia
o assassination of noncommunist leaders
 Aid
for all of Europe
o Included Eastern Europe
o Included Soviet Union
 Stalin
forbade Eastern
European nations to accept
it. Why?
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Aid by country
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Britain = $3.2 billion
France = $2.2 billion
West Germany = $1.4 billion
Italy/Trieste = $1.2 billion
The Netherlands = $1.1 billion
Belgium/Luxembourg = $777 million
Austria = $468 million
Denmark = $385 million
Greece = $376 million
Norway = $372 million
Sweden = $342 million
Switzerland = $ 250 million
Turkey = $ 137 million
Ireland = $ 133 million
Portugal = $ 70 million
Iceland = $ 43 million
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Total Marshall Aid
(1947-1951)
$13 billion
 1948
West Berlin created
 New currency more
valuable, recovering faster
 Stalin wanted west out
 Imposed blockade
o Cut off highway, railroad,
and water traffic to West
Berlin
o Only access was air
 Blockade
imposed June 28, 1948
 British and American pilots (most World War
II vets) flew all supplies (food, fuel, etc.) to
West Berlin
o 2.5 million tons of supplies
 Stalin
lifted blockade May 12, 1949
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GoIL9g
VonQ
North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (1949)
 First ever American military
alliance during peacetime
 “An attack on one is an attack
on all”
 Original member nations

o United States, Canada, Iceland,
France, Italy, Belgium, the
“Collective Security”: working
Netherlands, Luxembourg,
Denmark, Norway, and Portugal with other nations for the
security of all
o West Germany joined in 1955
NATO will be the first . . .
 1949
o Creates government in East
Germany
o Own version of Marshall Plan
• Council for Mutual Economic
Assistance (COMECON)
 1955
o Own version of NATO
• Warsaw Pact
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U.S. sole occupiers/rebuilders
 General MacArthur – military
governor
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o Create constitution & government
o Parliament and Prime Minister
o Emperor is figurehead
o Had to admit not a god
o Free market economy (not
military-industrial)
o No military (gets U.S. protection)
 Civil
War began in 1920’s
 Mao Zedong (Tse-tung)
o Led communists (mostly peasants)
o Had Soviet support
 Jiang
Jiesei (Chiang Kai-shek)
o Led nationalists (mostly
middle/upper class)
o Had American support
o Regime corrupt
 Truce
in 1930’s to fight Japanese
Civil War again in 1946
 Mao: more support from peasants
 Chiang: more corrupt
 U.S.: over $2 billion to help Chiang
 Truman withdrew support in 1949
 Communists won (1949): People’s
Republic of China
 Chiang: fled to Taiwan establishing
the Republic of China
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 Truman
o blamed for “losing” China
o “soft” on communism
 U.S.:
Taiwan as
“legitimate” China
 Starts second Red Scare
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1945-1949: U.S. has atomic superiority
National Security Council: arms buildup
Hydrogen bomb (1000 times more powerful than atomic
bombs)
o U.S. detonates in 1952
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkvfcAlujZ0
o Soviet Union detonates in 1953
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Military buildup part of containment policy
U.S. on permanent military buildup
End of WWII: Soviets occupy
north, Americans occupy south
 Split at 38th parallel
 Countries created in 1948
 North Korea
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o Communist
o Led by Kim Il Sung
o Supported by Soviet Union
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South Korea
o Non-communist
o Led by Syngman Rhee
o Supported by the United States
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North invaded South
Truman went to U.N. for authorization of force
No Congressional authority (executor of U.N. treaty)
Soviet Union boycotting; force authorized
Fourteen nations sent troops
o U.S. = 85% of the fighting force
o General MacArthur commander
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Korean War
Began June, 1950
 September, 1950 U.N. forces
confined to Pusan
 MacArthur launches surprise
attack at Inchon
 End of October U.N. forces on
Yalu River (Chinese border)
 Chinese counterattack with
300,000 troops
 U.N. forces pushed back past
38th parallel
 February 1951 U.N. forces push
back to 38th parallel
 Stalemate . . .
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MacArthur
o VERY arrogant
o Wanted to nuke China
o Refused to meet with Truman
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Truman
o Doesn’t want wider war
o Disrespected by MacArthur
o Fires him on April 11
o Replaces with General Matthew
Ridgeway
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MacArthur: hero’s welcome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=Tuagi9kZe8A
Truman’s approval ratings decline
War for two more years
 Armistice signed at Panmunjom,
1953
 demilitarized zone
 American military presence since
 54,200 American soldiers died
 103,000 wounded
 $54 billion spent
 Becomes known as “forgotten war”
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J
CI6eoe1UV0
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