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COLD WAR
CONFLICTS
U.S vs. U.S.S.R.
ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR
The Cold War would dominate
global affairs from 1945 until the
breakup of the USSR in 1991
After being Allies
during WWII, the U.S.
and U.S.S.R. soon
viewed each other
with increasing
suspicion
Their political
differences created a
climate of icy tension
that plunged the two
countries into an era of
bitter rivalry known as
the Cold War
POLITICAL DIFFERENCES
At the heart of the tension
was a fundamental
difference in political
systems
America is a democracy
that has a capitalist
economic system, free
elections and competing
political parties
In a capitalist economic
system private citizens
control economic activity.
In the U.S.S.R., the sole
political party – the
Communists – established
a totalitarian regime with
little or no rights for the
citizens
Soviets viewed Marx, Engels and
Lenin as founders of Communism
SUSPICIONS DEVELOPED
DURING THE WAR
ISSUES
Even during the war, the two nations
disagreed on many issues
The U.S. was furious that Soviet leader Joseph
Stalin had been an ally of Hitler for a time
Stalin was upset that the U.S. had kept its
development of the atomic bomb a secret
THE UNITED NATIONS
PROVIDES HOPE
The United Nations
today has 191 member
countries
Hopes for world peace were
high at the end of the war
The most visible symbol of these
hopes was the United Nations
(U.N.)
Formed in June of 1945, the U.N.
was composed of 50 nations
Both the United States and the
Soviet Union joined the United
Nations organization after World
War II.
Unfortunately, the U.N. soon
became a forum for competing
superpowers to spread their
influence over others
SOVIETS DOMINATE EASTERN
EUROPE
The Soviet Union
suffered an estimated
20 million WWII
deaths, half of whom
were civilian
As a result they felt
justified in their
claim to Eastern
Europe
Furthermore, they
felt they needed
Eastern Europe as a
buffer against future
German aggression
STALIN INSTALLS PUPPET
GOVERNMENTS
Stalin installed “satellite”
In a 1946 speech, Stalin said communism
and capitalism were incompatible – and
another war was inevitable
communist governments in
the Eastern European
countries of Albania,
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, Romania,
Yugoslavia and East
Germany
Satellite nations consisted
of Eastern European
nations that were
dominated by the Soviet
Union.
This after promising “free
elections” for Eastern
Europe at the Yalta
Conference
U.S. ESTABLISHES A POLICY
OF CONTAINMENT
Faced with the Soviet threat,
Truman decided it was time to
“stop babying the Soviets”
In February 1946, George
Kennan, an American diplomat in
Moscow, proposed a policy of
containment
Containment meant the U.S.
would prevent any further
extension of communist rule
The Cold War refers to the
indirect but hostile conflict
between the Unite States and the
Soviet Union that began at the
end of World War II.
Harry S. Truman believed that the
best way to avoid a third world
war was to create a new world
order in which all nations had the
right to self-determination.
CHURCHILL: “IRON CURTAIN”
ACROSS EUROPE
Churchill, right, in Fulton,
Missouri delivering his “iron
curtain” speech, 1946
Europe was now divided into
two political regions; a mostly
democratic Western Europe
and a communist Eastern
Europe
In a 1946 speech, Churchill
said, “An iron curtain has
descended across the
continent”
The phrase “iron curtain” came
to stand for the division of
Europe
With the “iron curtain” in
place, it set the stage for the
Cold War.
Iron Curtain
cartoon,
1946
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE
The American policy of
“containment” soon expanded into
a policy known as the Truman
Doctrine”
This doctrine, first used in Greece
and Turkey in the late 1940s,
vowed to provide aid (money &
military supplies) to support “free
peoples who are resisting outside
pressures”
The main goal of the Truman
Doctrine was to stop the spread of
communism.
Restrict the spread of communism
was the main goal of the Truman
Doctrine.
By 1950, the U.S. had given $400
million in aid to Greece and Turkey
Harry S. Truman arranged for
about 400 million dollars in aid to
be sent to postwar Turkey and
Greece.
THE MARSHALL PLAN
The Marshall Plan helped
Western Europe recover
economically
Post-war Europe was devastated
economically
In June 1947, Secretary of State
George Marshall proposed a U.S. aid
package to European nations
Western Europe accepted the help,
while Eastern Europe (read Stalin)
rejected the aid
The Marshall Plan aid program was
directed “not against any country or
doctrine but against hunger,
poverty, desperation, and chaos?”
Over the next four years 16
European countries received $13
billion in U.S. aid
Billions of dollars in economic aid
was provided too many foreign
nations as part of the Marshall Plan.
By 1952 Western Europe’s economy
was flourishing
Marshall
Plan aid
sent to
European
countries
Marshall
Aid
cartoon,
1947
SUPERPOWERS STRUGGLE
At the end of the war,
OVER GERMANY
Germany was divided among
the Allies into four zones for
the purpose of occupation
The U.S, France, and Great
Britain decided to combine
their 3 zones into one zone –
West Germany, or the federal
Republic of Germany
The U.S.S.R. controlled East
Germany, or the German
Democratic Republic
Now the superpowers were
occupying an area right next
to each other – problems
were bound to occur
BERLIN AIRLIFT – 1948
When the Soviets attempted
to block the three Western
powers from access to Berlin
in 1948, the 2.1 million
residents of West Berlin had
only enough food for five
weeks, resulting in a dire
situation
The Soviet blockade of West
Berlin was a response to
efforts by Western nations to
reunify Germany.
The Soviet Union set up the
Berlin blockade in response
to efforts from the West to
reunify Germany.
Like the whole of Germany, the
city of Berlin was divided into
four zones
AMERICA & BRITAIN AIRLIFT
SUPPLIES TO WEST
BERLIN
Not wanting to invade and start a
war with the Soviets, America
and Britain started the Berlin
airlift to fly supplies into West
Berlin
The Berlin airlift provided vital
supplies to a region blockaded by
the Soviet Union.
The Berlin airlift involved the use
of airplanes to bring food and
supplies to the people of West
Berlin.
For 327 days, planes took off and
landed every few minutes,
around the clock
In 277,000 flights, they brought
in 2.3 million tons of food, fuel
and medicine to the West
Berliners
SOVIETS LIFT BLOCKADE
Realizing they
were beaten and
suffering a public
relations
nightmare, the
Soviets lifted
their blockade in
May, 1949
On Christmas 1948, the plane crews
brought gifts to West Berlin
NATO FORMED
The NATO flag
The Berlin blockade
increased Western Europe’s
fear of Soviet aggression
As a result, ten West
European nations joined
the U.S and Canada on
April 4, 1949 to form a
defensive alliance known
as the North American
Treaty Organization
North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) is a
defensive military alliance
and was the first military
alliance that the United
States ever entered during
peacetime.
Section 1
Origins of the Cold War
United Nation (UN) – an international peacekeeping organization to which most nations in the
world belong, founded in 1945 to promote world peace, security, and economic
development.
Satellite nation – a country that is dominated politically and economically by another nation.
Containment – the blocking of another nation’s attempts to spread its influence—especially
the efforts of the United States to block the spread of Soviet influence during the late
1940s and early 1950s.
Iron curtain – a phrase used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe an imaginary line that
separated Communist countries in the Soviet bloc of Eastern Europe from countries in
Western Europe.
Cold War – the state of hostility, without direct military conflict, that developed between the
United States and the Soviet Union after World War II.
Truman Doctrine – a U.S. policy, announced by President Harry S. Truman in 1947, of
providing economic and military aid to free nations threatened by internal or external
opponents.
Marshall Plan – the program, proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947, under
which the United States supplied economic aid to European nations to help them rebuild
after World War II.
Berlin Airlift – a 327-day operation in which U.S. and British planes flew food and supplies
into West Berlin after the Soviets blockaded the city in 1948.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – a defensive military alliance formed in 1949 by
ten Western European countries, the United States, and Canada.
SECTION 2: THE COLD WAR
HEATS UP
CHINA:
For two decades, Chinese communists had
struggled against the nationalist
government of Chiang Kai-Shek
The U.S. supported Chiang and gave the
Nationalist Party $3 billion in aid
during WWII
Between 1944 and 1947, Chinese
nationalist ruled in the southern and
eastern regions of China.
However, Mao Zedong’s Communist Party
in China was strong, especially among
Chinese peasants
China’s Communist leader Mao Zedong
used strategic tactics to lure Chinese
peasants to the Communist Red Army
Mao Zedong was the leader of the
Communist in China.
Although Mao Zedong won the hearts of
the Chinese peasants, he failed to win
American support because he was a
communist.
CHINESE CIVIL WAR: 1944-1947
MAO
Kai-Shek
After Japan left China at the end
of the War, Chinese Nationalists
and Communists fought a bloody
civil war
Despite the U.S. sending
$
billions to the Nationalists, the
Communists under Mao won the
war and ruled China
The Nationalists were defeated in
the civil war in China despite 2
billion dollars in aid sent to them
from the United States.
Chiang and the Nationalists fled
China to neighboring Taiwan
(Formosa)
The Chinese Nationalists were
forced to retreat to Taiwan
(Formosa).
Mao established the People’s
Republic of China
AMERICA STUNNED
The failure of Chiang Kaishek’s forces in the Chinese
Civil War can largely be
blamed on his weak and
corrupt leadership.
The American public was
shocked that China had
fallen to the Communists
Many believed containment
had failed and communism
was expanding
American fear of
communism and communist
expansion was increasing
KOREAN WAR
Soviet
controlled
U.S.
controlled
Japan had taken over Korea
in 1910 and ruled it until
August 1945
As WWII ended, Japanese
troops north of the 38th
parallel surrendered to the
Soviets
Japanese soldiers south of
the 38th surrendered to the
Americans
As in Germany, two nations
developed, one communist
(North Korea) and one
democratic (South Korea)
The 38th parallel became an
important dividing line
between North and South
Korea
NORTH KOREA ATTACKS
SOUTH KOREA
On June 25, 1950, North Korean
forces swept across the 38th
parallel in a surprise attack on
South Korea
Troops from North Korea first
crossed the 38th parallel and
began the Korean War.
With only 500 U.S. troops in
South Korea, the Soviets figured
the Americans would not fight to
save South Korea
The Soviet Union did not vote to
defend South Korea at the UN
Security Council because the
Soviets were boycotting the UN
over the presence of Taiwan.
Instead, America sent troops,
planes and ships to South Korea
MACARTHUR’S
COUNTERATTACK
At first, North Korea
seemed unstoppable
General Douglas
MacArthur commanded
U.S. forces in Korea.
However, General
MacArthur launched a
counterattack with
tanks, heavy artillery,
and troops
Many North Koreans
surrendered; others
retreated across the
38th parallel
CHINA JOINS THE FIGHT
Just as it looked like the
Americans were going to
score a victory in the North,
300,000 Chinese soldiers
joined the war on the side of
the North Koreans
The South Koreans appeared
to be winning the Korean War
until China actively entered
the conflict.
China fought on the side of
the Communist during the
Korean War.
The fight between North and
South Korea had turned into a
war in which the main
opponents were Chinese
Communists vs. America
MACARTHUR RECOMMENDS
ATTACKING CHINA
To halt the bloody stalemate,
General MacArthur called for an
extension of the war into China
General Douglas MacArthur
argued that the Korean War
should be extended into a war
against China.
Furthermore, MacArthur called for
the U.S. to drop atomic bombs on
several Chinese cities
President Truman rejected the
General’s requests
MACARTHUR
VS.
TRUMAN
MacArthur continued to urge President Truman to attack China and
tried to go behind Truman’s back – Truman was furious with his
general
On April 1, 1951, Truman made the shocking announcement that he
had fired MacArthur
President Truman fired General MacArthur because of MacArthur’s
insistence that the United States should blockade and bomb China.
Americans were surprised and many still supported their fallen
general.
Macarthur
was given
a tickertape
parade
AN ARMISTICE IS SIGNED
Negotiators began
working on a
settlement
as
early as the summer
of 1951
Finally, in July 1953,
an agreement was
signed that ended the
war in a stalemate
(38th parallel)
When an armistice
was signed ending the
Korean War, North
and South Korea were
still divided along the
38th parallel.
America’s cost:
54,000 lives
and $67 billion
Korean War Memorial, Washington D.C.
Section 2
The Cold War Heats Up
Taiwan – An island in which May Chiang Kai-shek and
the remnants of his demoralized government fled to in
May 1949.
38th Parallel – As World War II ended, Japanese troops
north of the this surrendered to the Soviets and
Japanese troops south of the parallel surrendered to
it to the Americans. As in Germany, two nations
developed, one communist and one democratic.
Korean War – a conflict between North Korea and South
Korea, lasting from 1950 to 1953, in which the United
States, along with other UN countries, fought on the
side of the South Koreans and China fought on the
side of the North Koreans.
SECTION 3: THE COLD WAR AT
HOME
At the height of WWII,
about 80,000 Americans
claimed membership in
the Communist Party
Some feared that the first
loyalty of these American
Communists was to the
Soviet Union
Overall, Americans feared
communist ideology, a
world revolution and
Soviet expansion
Anti-Soviet cartoon
U.S. GOVERNMENT TAKES
ACTION
In March of 1947,
President Truman set up
the Loyalty Review Board
The board was created to
investigate federal
employees and dismiss
those disloyal to the U.S.
government
The U.S. Attorney General
also drew up a list of 91
“subversive”
organizations –
membership in any of
these was ground for
suspicion
THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN
ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
The HUAC was a government body
which first made headlines in 1947
when it began investigating
communist influence in the movie
industry
HUAC is best known for
investigating communism in the
film industry.
The committee believed that
Communists were sneaking
propaganda into films
The HUAC subpoenaed witnesses
from Hollywood to discuss their
involvement
In 1947, HUAC subpoenaed 43
witnesses from the Hollywood film
industry to give testimony on
whether Communists influenced the
American film industry.
THE BLACKLIST TEN
Ten witnesses refused to
cooperate because they
believed the proceedings
were unconstitutional –
they were jailed
The Hollywood Ten decided
not to cooperate with the
investigation into whether
the American film industry
had been influenced by
Communists.
Subsequently, the
committee blacklisted 500
actors, directors, writers
and producers whom they
believed had communist
connections
The “Blacklist Ten” (And
two lawyers)
SPY CASES STUN THE NATION
Nixon examines
microfilm in Hiss
case
Two spy cases added to the
fear gripping the nation
Alger Hiss was accused of
being a spy for the Soviets
A young Republican
congressman named Richard
Nixon gained fame by tirelessly
prosecuting Hiss
Alger Hiss was convicted of
perjury after being accused of
spying for the Soviet Union.
Alger Hiss could only be
charged with perjury, not
espionage, because too many
years had passed since the
spying had taken place.
Hiss was found guilty and
jailed – less than four years
later Nixon was VP
THE ROSENBERGS
Another high profile trial was the
Rosenberg spy case
Claiming to be persecuted for
being Jewish and holding radical
beliefs, Ethel and Julius
Rosenberg pleaded not guilty to
the crime of espionage.
The Rosenbergs were accused of
providing information to Soviets
which enabled them to produce
an atomic bomb in 1949
In pronouncing sentence on
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg,
Judge Irving Kaufman declared
the crime “worse than murder”
because it had put “into the
hands of the Russians the Abomb.”
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were
found guilty and executed
The Rosenbergs were the first U.S.
citizens executed for espionage
MCCARTHY LAUNCHES
The most famous anti-Communist
“WITCH HUNT”
activist was Senator Joseph
McCarthy, a Republican from
Wisconsin
McCarthy took advantage of
people’s concern about Communism
by making unsupported claims that
205 state department members
were Communists
At various times, Senator Joseph
McCarthy claimed to have personal
knowledge of 57, 81, or 205
Communists working in the State
Department.
Accusations that communism was
widely present in the U.S.
government and military were made
by Joseph McCarthy.
The technique of making
unsupported charges of disloyalty
without regard for the basic rights
of the accused was named after
Senator Joseph McCarthy.
AntiCommunist
propaganda
during
McCarthy
era
MCCARTHY’S DOWNFALL
To label someone’s activities as
McCarthyism would be to suggest
that the person is making
unsupported accusations.
Finally, in 1954 McCarthy went too
far
He accused high ranking Army
officers of being Communists
In general, McCarthyism is the unfair
tactic of accusing people of disloyalty
without providing evidence.
In the televised proceedings
McCarthy’s bullying of witnesses
alienated the national audience
The Senate eventually condemned
Senator Joseph McCarthy for
improper conduct that tended “to
bring the Senate into dispute.”
Three years later he died of
alcoholism at age 49
McCarthy’s attacking style and
utter lack of evidence led to his
downfall
THE AMERICAN
SHAME
Today, those Congressional
witch hunts and episodes of
“red-baiting" are
universally discredited as
abuse of official power
The history of the blacklist
era has come to stand for
demagoguery, censorship,
and political despotism;
and the blacklisting,
persecution, and jailing of
American citizens for their
political beliefs - or their
perceived political beliefs is regarded as a shameful
chapter in modern
American history
Section 3
The Cold War at Home
HUAC – a congressional committee that investigated
Communist influence inside and outside the U.S.
government in the years following World War II.
Hollywood Ten – ten witnesses from the film industry
who refused to cooperate with the HUAC’s
investigation of Communist influence in Hollywood.
Blacklist – a list of about 500 actors, writers, producers,
and directors who were not allowed to work on
Hollywood films because of their alleged Communist
connections.
McCarthyism – the attacks, often unsubstantiated, by
Senator Joseph McCarthy and others on people
suspected of being Communists in the early 1950s.
SECTION 4: TWO NATIONS
LIVE ON THE EDGE
An H-bomb test conducted by
America near Bikini Island in
Pacific Ocean, 1954
After World War II, the U.S. and
U.S.S.R. competed in developing
atomic and hydrogen bombs
The Soviets tested their first
atomic bomb in 1949
The U.S. began work on a bomb
67 times stronger than the
atomic bomb dropped on
Hiroshima – the hydrogen bomb
When the Soviet Union exploded
an atomic bomb, the United
States responded by intensifying
efforts to develop a hydrogen
bomb.
American interest in developing a
hydrogen bomb intensified when
the Soviet Union exploded an
atomic bomb.
BRINKMANSHIP
Dwight D. Eisenhower led the nation that
developed the first hydrogen bomb.
By the time both countries had the Hbomb (1953), President Dwight D.
Eisenhower and his Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles made it clear they
were willing to use all military force
(including nuclear weapons) to stop
aggression
As secretary of State, John Foster Dulles
proposed that the United States declare
its intention to use massive retaliation
against any aggression.
The Soviets followed suit
This willingness to go to the edge of allout war became known as brinkmanship
Brinkmanship was a U.S. policy required
greater dependence on nuclear weapons
and the airplanes that delivered them.
The policy of Brinkmanship threatened
Some Americans created shelters in
retaliation to the edge of all-out war
against acts of aggression toward the
their backyards in case of nuclear
United States.
attack
THE COLD WAR SPREADS
As the Cold War heated
up, the U.S. depended
more and more on
information compiled by
the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA)
The CIA began attempts
to weaken or overthrow
governments unfriendly
to the U.S.
COVERT ACTIONS IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
One of the first
covert operations
occurred in the
Middle East
In Iran the U.S.
orchestrated the
return of the proU.S. Shah of Iran
in 1953
The last Shah of Iran
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
THE WARSAW PACT
To counter the U.S. defense alliance (NATO), in 1955 the Soviets
formed their own mutual defense alliance known as the Warsaw
Pact
The satellite nations were members of the Warsaw Pact military
alliance.
Satellite nations of the Soviet Union joined the military alliance
known as the Warsaw Pact.
NATO
WARSAW
NEUTRAL
The Eisenhower
Doctrine
Soviet prestige in Middle East
rises because of support for Egypt
Eisenhower Doctrine—U.S. will
defend Middle East against
communists
The Eisenhower Doctrine was
intended to counterbalance the
Soviet Union’s growing prestige in
the Middle East.
The Eisenhower Doctrine was a
policy intended to defend the
Middle East from an attack by any
communist country.
The United States responded to
fear of Soviet military action in
the Middle East by issuing the
Eisenhower Doctrine.
The Eisenhower Doctrine was a
warning to the Soviet Union
against military intervention in
the Middle East.
COVERT OPS IN LATIN
AMERICA
In 1954, the CIA also took
covert actions in Guatemala
(a Central America country
just south of Mexico)
The U.S. believed
Guatemala was on the
verge of becoming
Communist, so the CIA
trained an army which
invaded the small country
The actions eventually
failed as a military dictator
rose to power
The CIA’s covert actions
helped to topple
governments in Iran and
Guatemala.
THE HUNGARIAN
UPRISING
The Soviets responded to the
Hungarian revolt with tanks
Dominated by the Soviet Union
since the end of WWII, the
Hungarian people rose up in
revolt in 1956
Led by Imre Nagy, the liberal
Communist leader of Hungary,
the people demanded free
elections and the end of Soviet
domination
The Soviets’
response was
swift and brutal –
30,000
Hungarians were
killed (including
Nagy) as the
Soviets
reasserted control
THE COLD WAR TAKES TO THE
SKIES
After Stalin’s death, several
leaders shared power in the
Soviet Union until Nikita
Khrushchev claimed
leadership for himself.
The Space Race was initially
dominated by the Soviets
On October 4, 1957, they
launched Sputnik, the world’s
first artificial satellite
Sputnik traveled around earth
at 18,000 miles an hour,
circling the globe every 96
minutes
U-2 PLANES SPY
ON SOVIETS
In the late 1950s,
the CIA began
secret high-altitude
spy missions over
Soviet territory
The U-2’s infra-red
cameras took
detailed pictures of
Soviet troop
movements &
missile sites
U-2 SPY PLANE SHOT
DOWN OVER USSR
Powers was released in 1962 in
exchange for convicted Soviet spy
Rudolph Abel
On May 1, 1960, Gary Power’s U-2 spy plane
was shot down over Soviet territory
The U-2 incident led Khrushchev to call off a
summit conference he and Eisenhower were
going to hold.
Dwight D. Eisenhower told an aide, “If one of
these (U-2’s) were lost when we were
engaged in apparently sincere deliberations, it
could …. Ruin my effectiveness.”
Powers parachuted into Soviet territory, was
captured and sentenced to 10-years in prison
Francis Gary Powers was a U-2 pilot that was
convicted of espionage after his plane was
shot down and he was forced to parachute into
Soviet-controlled territory.
Because of this incident, the 1960s opened
with tension between the two superpowers as
great as ever.
After the U-2 incident, Krushchev called off a
summit conference on the arms race,
Krushchev withdrew his invitation for
Eisenhower to visit the Soviet Union, and
Francis Gary Powers was released from prison
after 18 months.
Section 4
Two Nations Live on the Edge
H-bomb – the hydrogen bomb—a thermonuclear weapon much
more powerful than the atomic bomb.
Brinkmanship – the practice of threatening an enemy with
massive military retaliation for any aggression.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – the Central Intelligence
Agency—a U.S. agency created to gather secret information
about foreign governments.
Warsaw Pact – a military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet
Union and its Eastern European satellites.
Eisenhower Doctrine – a U.S. commitment to defend the Middle
East against attack by any communist country, announced by
President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957.
U-2 incident – the downing of a U.S. spy plane and capture of its
pilot by the Soviet Union in 1960.
SECTION 1: KENNEDY AND THE
COLD WAR
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Democratic nominee for
president in 1960 was a young
Massachusetts senator named John
Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, the Democratic
nominee for President in 1960, was a
senator from Massachusetts.
He promised to “get America moving
again”
Kennedy had a well-organized
campaign and was handsome and
charismatic
John F. Kennedy’s religious beliefs
were an important issue of the 1960
presidential campaign.
Age, religion, serious policy
difference with his opponent were
some factors working against
Kennedy in the 1960 election.
Senator Kennedy,
1958
REPUBLICAN OPPONENT:
RICHARD NIXON
• The Republicans
nominated Richard
Nixon, Ike’s VicePresident
• The candidates agreed
on many domestic and
foreign policy issues
• Two factors helped put
Kennedy over the top:
T.V. and Civil Rights
Nixon hoped to ride the
coattails of the popular
President
TELEVISED DEBATE AFFECTS
VOTE
• On September 26, 1960, Kennedy and Nixon took part in
the first televised debate between presidential candidates
• Kennedy looked and spoke better than Nixon
• Journalist Russell Baker said, “That night, image replaced
the printed word as the national language of politics”
JFK: CONFIDENT, AT EASE
DURING DEBATES
•
•
•
•
•
Television had become so
central to people's lives that
many observers blamed
Nixon's loss to John F.
Kennedy on his poor
appearance in the televised
presidential debates
JFK looked cool, collected,
presidential
Nixon, according to one
observer, resembled a "sinister
chipmunk"
A decisive factor in the election
of 1960 was television coverage
of the Kennedy-Nixon debates.
Richard M. Nixon lost the 1960
presidential election.
JFK’S OTHER EDGE: CIVIL
RIGHTS
Sit-Ins were non-violent protests
over the policy of whites-only
lunch counters in the South
• A second major event
of the campaign took
place in October, 1960
• Police arrested Martin
Luther King for
conducting a “Sit-In”
at a lunch counter in
Georgia
• King was sentenced to
hard labor
JFK, NIXON REACT
DIFFERENTLY TO KING ARREST
• While the Eisenhower
Administration refused
to intervene, JFK
phoned King’s wife
and his brother, Robert
Kennedy, worked for
King’s release
• The incident captured
the attention of the
African-American
community, whose
votes JFK would carry
in key states
King
Kennedy
KENNEDY WINS CLOSE ELECTION
CLOSEST ELECTION SINCE 1884
• Kennedy won the
election by fewer
than 119,000
votes
• Nixon dominated
the west, while
Kennedy won the
south and the
east coast
RMN
JFK
“ASK NOT . . .”
Delivered Friday, January 20, 1961
In his
inaugural
address,
JFK
uttered
this famous
challenge: “Ask
not what your
country can do
for you --- ask
what you can do
for your country”
THE CAMELOT YEARS
• During his term in office,
JFK and his beautiful
young wife, Jacqueline,
invited many artists and
celebrities to the White
House
• The press loved the
Kennedy charm and JFK
appeared frequently on
T.V.
• The Kennedys were
considered American
“Royalty” (hence
“Camelot” reference)
THE KENNEDY MYSTIQUE
• The first family
fascinated the
American public
• For example, after
learning that JFK could
read 1,600 words a
minute, thousands
enrolled in speedreading courses
• Jackie, too, captivated
the nation with her eye
for fashion and culture
THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST
•
•
•
JFK surrounded himself
with what one journalist
described as the “best and
the brightest” available
talent
Of all of his elite advisors
who filled Kennedy’s inner
circle, he relied most on
his 35-year-old brother
Robert, whom he
appointed attorney general
Kennedy appointed his
brother, Robert, to serve
as Attorney general.
RFK was John’s closest
friend and advisor
FOCUS ON THE
COLD WAR
•
Defining a Military Strategy
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
JFK believes must redefine nation’s nuclear
strategy
Flexible response—fight conventional wars,
keep nuclear arms balanced
The military strategy that was adopted during
the Kennedy presidency was called flexible
response
Concerned that reliance on nuclear weapons
limited U.S. military options, the Kennedy
administration developed the flexible
response policy.
Flexible response was intended to broaden
America’s range of options during
international crises by “strengthening and
modernizing the military’s ability to fight a
non-nuclear war?”
The main purpose of the flexible response
military strategy was to enable the United
States to fight limited wars around the world.
JFK increases defense spending in three
areas:
–
–
–
strengthens conventional forces
creates army Special Forces (Green Berets)
triples nuclear capabilities
CRISIS OVER CUBA
•
•
•
•
Just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, Cuba presented the
first big test of JFK’s foreign policy
Openly Communist, Cuba was led by revolutionary leader
Fidel Castro who welcomed aid from the USSR
Fidel Castro accepted Soviet aid for Cuba.
Relations between the U.S. and Cuba were deteriorating
BAY OF PIGS
•
•
“We looked like
fools to our
friends, rascals
to our enemies
and
incompetents to
the rest”
Quote from U.S.
Commentator
•
•
•
In March 1960, Eisenhower
gave the CIA permission to
secretly train Cuban exiles for
an invasion of Cuba
Kennedy learned of the plan
only nine days into his
presidency
JFK approved the mission
It turned out to be a disaster
when in April, 1961, 1,200
Cuban exiles met 25,000 Cuban
troops backed by Soviet tanks
and were soundly defeated
The Bay of Pigs involved an
invasion of Cuba.
THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
• Castro had a powerful ally in Moscow
• Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev promised to
defend Cuba with Soviet weapons
• During the summer of 1962 the flow of Soviet
weapons into Cuba – including nuclear –
increased greatly
KENNEDY RESPONDS
American president
John F Kennedy
making his dramatic
television broadcast
to announce the
Cuba blockade
during the Cuban
Missile Crisis
•
Kennedy made it clear
the U.S. would not
tolerate nuclear weapons
in Cuba
•
When surveillance
photos revealed nukes
ready to launch in Cuba,
JFK said the U.S. would
respond to any attack
from Cuba with an all-out
nuclear retaliation
against the Soviets
•
For several days, the Cuban
Missile Crisis brought the world
uncomfortably close to the
brink of nuclear war.
13 DAYS
•
•
•
•
When
more Soviet ships headed for
the U.S. with weapons, JFK
ordered a blockade
The first break in the crisis
occurred when the Soviets
ships turned back
Finally, Khrushchev agreed to
remove the nuclear weapons
from Cuba in exchange for a
U.S. promise NOT to invade
Cuba
America’s secret promise to
remove missiles from Turkey
contributed to the end of the
Cuban missile crisis.
For 13 days in October, 1962 the
world stood still as the threat of
nuclear war gripped the planet
CRISIS OVER
BERLIN
• In 1961, Berlin,
Germany was a city
in great turmoil
• In the 11 years since
the Berlin Airlift,
almost 3 million
East Germans
(Soviet side) had
fled into West Berlin
(U.S. controlled) to
flee communist rule
SOVIETS SEEK TO STOP
EXODUS
•
•
•
•
•
East Germany begins
construction on the Berlin
Wall, which becomes a
primary symbol of the Cold
War and Soviet oppression
•
The Soviets did not like the fact
that East Berliners were fleeing
their city for the democratic west
Their departure hurt the
economy and the prestige of the
USSR
Just after midnight on August 13,
1961 the Soviets began
construction of a 90-mile wall
separating East and West Berlin
The Berlin Wall separated East
Germany from West Germany.
The main reason for the
construction of the Berlin Wall to
stop East Germans from fleeing
to West Berlin.
Nikita Khrushchev squared off
against Kennedy during the
Berlin crisis.
EASING TENSIONS
•
•
•
•
•
•
Both Khrushchev and Kennedy
began searching for ways to ease
the enormous tension between
the two superpowers
In 1963 they established a hot line
between the White House and the
Kremlin
Hot line was the direct
communication link set up during
Kennedy’s presidency.
The hot line established in 1963
linked the White House and the
Kremlin, made communication in
a crisis easier, eased Cold War
tensions.
Later that year, the superpowers
signed a Limited Test Ban Treaty
that served to ban nuclear testing
in the atmosphere
Limited Test Ban Treaty barred
nuclear testing in the
atmosphere.
Chapter 28 - Section 1
Kennedy and the Cold War
Flexible response – a policy, developed during the Kennedy
administration, that involved preparing for a variety of
military responses to international crises rather than
focusing on the use of nuclear weapons.
Berlin Wall – a concrete wall that separated East Berlin and
West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, built by the Communist
East German government to prevent its citizens from
fleeing to the West.
Hot line – a communication link established in 1963 to allow
the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to
contact each other in times of crisis.
Limited Test Ban Treaty - the 1963 treaty in which the
United States and the Soviet Union agreed not to
conduct nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere.