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Chapter 25
The Cold War Era
The Cold War
The United States and the Soviet Union were
allies during World War. However, after the
war these two countries were in complete
opposition and conflict politically, economically
and socially.
These distinct differences created a global
atmosphere of tension which never developed
into direct military confrontation but created
a “warlike” relationship between the two
nations.
Expansion of Communism
After World War II, the nations of Eastern Europe fell under Soviet
rule. The “iron curtain” fell across Europe separating democratic
nations and communist dominated nations. The United States would not
tolerate any further Communist expansion.
Truman Doctrine
When the Soviet
Union wished to
expand into Greece
and Turkey,
President Truman
addressed the
situation with what
became known as the
Truman Doctrine.
Truman Doctrine
Truman thought to promote democracy in
Greece and Turkey. He put forth containment
in order to obstruct Communism and to
stimulate a free and just government that will
protect the basic human rights.
The Truman Doctrine was an approach which
combines political, economic, and strategic
elements. Truman strived to strengthen the
non-Soviet world by encouraging political
liberty and economic prosperity; he also made
freedom the centerpiece of the American
postwar foreign policy.
The Marshall Plan
Giving billions of dollars
in aid to Western
Europe according to the
Marshall Plan in 1948.
This aid improved the
tattered economies of
Western Europe and
quieted communist
movements.
The plan also ensured
that Western Europe
would spend much of its
aid money buying
American goods.
Secretary of State George Marshall
The Berlin Airlift
The blockade of Berlin
began on June 24, 1948.
When Stalin cut off
western access to Berlin,
Truman refused to back
down. He ordered the Air
Force to drop thousands
of pounds of food,
clothing, and other goods
to West Berlin in the
Berlin Airlift.
After 200,000 flights, the
Soviet Union lifts the
blockade May 12, 1949.
The Berlin Airlift
International Organizations
1. The United Nations (UN)
2. North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO)
3. Warsaw Alliance
The United Nations
The main goals of the UN were to maintain
peace and settle international disputes.
Every nation would have a seat in the
organization's General Assembly, but the real
power would reside with Security Council.
The UN’s greatest successes have been
fighting in hunger and disease and improving
education. Through relief programs, the UN
has provided tons of goods, clothing, and
medicine to victims of disaster.
North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
President Truman signing the NATO Alliance
Pact before members of Congress, 1949
NATO allied the
U.S. with Canada,
France, Great
Britain and other
countries in Western
Europe.
Each NATO member
pledged to support
the others in the
event of a Soviet
invasion.
Warsaw Pact 1955
In 1955, when West Germany was allowed to rearm
and join NATO, the Soviet Union formed its own
military alliance. The Warsaw Pact linked the Soviet
Union with seven Eastern European countries.
Election of 1948
In one of the greatest political upsets in American
history, Harry Truman defeated N.Y. Governor
Thomas Dewey for the presidency. Truman won by
over 2 million in the popular vote and beat Dewey 303
to 189 in the electoral vote.
The Cold War Continues
In 1949, the Republic of China led by Mao
Zedong becomes Communist China.
The Cold War Continues
In 1949, the Soviet Union detonates their
first atomic bomb. The arms race begins.
What is the arms race?
In 1950, Communist North Korea invades
free, democratic South Korea. The United
States sends troops to assist the South
Korean army.
Why?
McCarthyism
In the early 1950’s,
Joseph McCarthy, the
junior senator from
Wisconsin, rode the
wave of fear generated
by communism and the
Cold War in order to
further his own political
ambitions.
He raised charges that
the U.S. Army was
infiltrated with
communists.
H.U.A.C.
McCarthy headed the
House Un-American
Activities Committee
(HUAC) which, at first,
investigated communist
infiltration into the
Army and then into
many other walks of
American life
particularly the
entertainment industry.
H.U.A.C
Hundreds of writers and actors from movies and television were
asked to appear before the committee and explain their
association with communist organizations or to “name names”.
Many careers were ruined and some people never worked again.
Rosenburgs
In 1951, Julius and
Ethel Rosenburg
were convicted of
selling atomic
secrets to the
Soviet Union .
They were executed
in the electric chair
in 1953.
Truman and MacArthur
General Douglas
MacArthur wished to
expand the Korean War
into China using nuclear
weapons. This
contradicted the orders
of the Truman
administration to limit
the war, not expand it.
Despite repeated
warnings from President
Truman, MacArthur
continued to argue for
his strategy in the press
and to the American
public.
Truman fires MacArthur
In a move that was
very unpopular at
the time, President
Truman fired
General MacArthur.
A large majority of
the American public
was outraged.
However, after all
the facts came out,
it was clear that
Truman did the right
thing.
The 1950’s
The decade of the 1950’s, in which
Dwight Eisenhower served two terms as
president, was a time notable for four
key themes: an escalation of the Cold
War, the beginning of the Civil Rights
movement, a booming ,prosperous
economy and the growth of mass culture
fed by that prosperous economy.
Postwar
Prosperity
The federal government
was not going to make
the same economical
mistakes that occurred
after World War I.
The American economy
would be prepared to
make a smooth
transition back to a
peacetime economy.
The cornerstone of the
tremendous economic
prosperity that took
place after the war was
the Servicemen’s
Readjustment Act of
1944 or better known as
the GI Bill of Rights.
GI Bill of Rights
Returning veterans of war would find a
world of opportunity awaiting them as
they got home.
- While looking for work, veterans could
collect unemployment insurance for six
months
- The federal government would provide
loans for education, business or homes.
Postwar Baby Boom
Between 1945 and
1964, the birth rate
in the United States
steadily increased,
for the most part,
year after year.
These newborns
became known as the
Baby Boom
Generation.
Housing
The cornerstone of American prosperity
after the war was the housing industry.
According to the GI Bill of Rights, every
returning serviceman was eligible for a home
mortgage offered by the federal government.
In the early 1950’s, William Levitt, a pioneer
in home construction built entire communities
of identical, affordable homes marketed
primarily to service veterans. Hundreds of
thousands of Levitt homes were sold which
created new communities in the suburbs and a
booming economy.
Community
Development
Related Housing Community
IndustriesIndustry Services
Automobile
Elections of 1952 and 1956
The elections of 1952 and 1956 were virtually identical. Dwight
Eisenhower and his running mate, Richard Nixon, easily defeated
Illinois governor and Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson. The
financial prosperity of the 1950’s translated into Eisenhower’s
success.
Interstate Highway Act (1956)
In a public works project larger than anything
created by the New Deal, President
Eisenhower backed the Interstate Highway
Act of 1956, a $27 billion plan to build 42,000
miles of multilane roadways throughout the
United States. This project would create
countless jobs and speed the suburbanization
of America.
This construction was also motivated by the
Cold War. The roadways needed to be strong
enough and the bridges above them high
enough to allow the transport of missiles on
flatbed trucks.
Hungarian Uprising 1956
Dominated by the Soviet
Union since the end of WW
II, the Hungarian people
revolted in 1956 demanding a
democratic government, free
elections and that all Soviet
troops leave.
The Soviet response was
quick and brutal. In
November 1956, Soviet tanks
entered Hungary killing
30,000 Hungarians.
Neither the United States
or NATO countries did
anything to help Hungary.
Why?
Sputnik
On October 4, 1957,
the first man made
satellite was
launched into orbit
by the Soviet Union.
This fueled even
greater fear
communism.
U-2 Incident
Beginning in 1955,
the CIA conducted
secret flights over
the Soviet Union to
photograph military
installations. The
planes which
accomplished these
flights at incredibly
high altitudes were
called the U-2.
U-2 Incident
In May 1960, the Soviet Union
shot down a U-2 plane and
captured the pilot, Francis Gary
Powers.
The Soviet Union accused the
United States of spying and
invading Soviet air space which
the U.S. denied publicly. Upon
revealing the plane’s wreckage and
the captured pilot, the U.S.
government admitted their
existence and President
Eisenhower agreed to halt further
U-2 flights.
Because of the U-2 incident, Cold
War tension between the two
countries was as great as ever as
the 1960’s began.
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 1962, the Soviet Union was placing
missiles with nuclear warheads on Cuba which were
capable of destroying the United States. The Cuban
Missile crisis was the height of Cold War tension and
almost resulted in World War III.
Cuban Missile Crisis
President Kennedy kept
the nation informed
through television that
the U.S. was seeking as
peaceful solution and
wished to avoid a
nuclear confrontation.
After 13 very tense
days, a settlement was
reached where the
Soviets would remove
the missiles from Cuba
and the U.S. would
remove missiles in
Turkey that were
targeting the Soviet
Union.