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Some Origins of the Cold War
HOW DID U.S. FOREIGN POLICY TOWARD
THE
U.S.S.R. IMPACT THE LIVES OF AMERICANS?
Presentation created Michael Quiñones
The Marshall Plan
 Former World War II army general, George
Marshall, became Truman’s Secretary of
State after WWII.
 The Secretary of State designed the
Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe.
 The Marshall Plan was a highly ambitious
and extremely expensive reconstruction
plan designed to offer money, equipment,
food, machines [mechanical, manufacturing
equipment], engineers and skilled workers.
 What was its purpose?
 Fix extensive damage to Europe caused
by WWII. Also it was intended to spread
goodwill to European countries so they
might believe the U.S. wanted to repair not
destroy Europe.
Truman Doctrine
 President F.D.R. died in 1945.
 Vice President Harry Truman
succeeded F.D.R. in office and
decided “stop babying” the
Soviets and take a “hard line”
with the Soviets.
 Truman began of policy of
containment.
 This policy meant keeping the
Soviets from spreading communism
to other countries in Europe but
especially in Asian nations such as
Korea and then later in Vietnam.
An Iron Curtain Has Descended…
 The Allied Powers of WWII
split up resulting Russia
becoming an “enemy” of the
United States.
 Germany was split into two
separate countries. In 1961
the Berlin Wall was
constructed to symbolized
this rift.
 In a speech at an American
College Winston Churchill
described the spread by
saying “it appears an iron
curtain has descended over
Eastern Europe.”
 Japan was occupied by the
United States and was not
allowed to have a military.
Tension between the Superpowers
 The blockade of Berlin by the Soviets heightened the fear of
Western Europe.
 Within months countries including France, England, Italy,
Canada and the U.S. formed NATO.
 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
 Purpose?
 To counter the threat of Soviet aggression.
Soviet response to NATO
 The Soviet Union developed its own alliance in 1955 forming the
Warsaw Pact.
 Purpose(s)?
 [a] The counter the growing influence of NATO.
 [b] Increase the power of the Soviet Union.
The United Nations
 A group of fifty (50) countries
“came together” in June 1945.
 Even though the Yalta
Conference left the U.S. and
Soviet Union at odds they also
joined.
 The mission of the U.N. was to
keep world peace.
 Each member nation has a vote
[members are called
diplomats].
 The real power rests with the
large countries which
constitute the security council.
Berlin Airlift

The Soviets challenged Truman’s containment and occasionally tested the
United States. Truman was essentially forced by the U.S.S.R. to play a
high stakes game of “chicken.” Truman, in response to the U.S.S.R.
probed the U.S.S.R.’s willingness to risk war without directly attacking
them. Truman to put the U.S.S.R. to the test.

An example of this was Stalin’s blockade of West Berlin in 1948.

Truman was forced to fly in food, fuel and supplies for West Germans
because they were cut off by the Soviets.

More than 277,000 flights dropped off 2 million tons of supplies.
C.I.A. [Central Intelligence Agency]
 In 1947 the C.I.A. [Central
Intelligence Agency] was created
with funding from the National
Security Act.
 The mission of the C.I.A. was
and remains to acquire
intelligence in order to detect
foreign threats against the U.S.
 Intelligence [valuable information of
foreign threats]is generally acquired
via clandestine [secret] means using
espionage [spying].
U.S.-U.S.S.R. Relations: U-2 incident
 To gain information on the
other side espionage was
practiced.
 The U.S. sent countless
aerial spy missions using
U-2 spy planes.
 In 1960 an American U-2
was shot down over Soviet
territory.
 The U.S. pilot, Gary
Powers, was jailed for
nearly 2 years.
U.S.-U.S.S.R. Relations
 Threats of war from both sides were
constant.
 Both sides tested each other
occasionally with minor challenges to
see what the other would do.
 At other times the challenges were
great.
 In the face of challenges important
decisions had to occur.
 Should we use nuclear force?
 These type of “battles” were called
brinkmanship.
 Forcing the other side to the “brink” of
war.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
In April of 1961 a secret C.I.A.
sponsored mission to overthrow Cuban
Communist leader Fidel Castro was
defeated by Cuban forces.
Castro soon after sought the protection
of the Soviet Union.