Download The Origins of the Cold War

THE EARLY COLD WAR
Two
Superpowers
Clash: 19451963
WORLD WAR II DIPLOMACY
 Tehran Conference (1943) – D-Day plans, USSR
agreed to enter the war against Japan & claimed the
right to Eastern Europe; Britain demanded a free
Europe & unified Germany; US proposed the United
Nations
 Yalta Conference (1945) – United Nations plans;
division of Germany; USSR agreed to free elections in
Eastern Europe
 Potsdam Conference (1945) – Japanese surrender;
war-crimes tribunals; occupation of Germany
THE POTSDAM CONFERENCE
PRESIDENT HARRY TRUMAN
 Former Senator from
Missouri
 Chosen as VP to appease
conservative Democrats
who were concerned about
Roosevelt’s health
 Succeeded to the
presidency following FDR’s
sudden death on April 12,
1945
 Was uninformed about
major initiatives related to
the war, including the
Manhattan Project
US AIMS VS. SOVIET AIMS
The US Wanted To…
The Soviets Wanted to…
Create a new world order in which all
nations had the right of self
determination
Encourage communism in other
countries as part of the worldwide
struggle between workers & the wealthy
Gain access to raw materials for its
industries
Rebuild its war-ravaged economy using
Eastern Europe’s industrial equipment &
raw materials
Rebuild European governments to
ensure stability & to create new markets
for American goods
Control Eastern Europe to balance US
influence in Western Europe
Reunite Germany, believing that Europe
would be more secure if Germany was
productive
Keep Germany divided & weak as that it
would never again threaten the Soviet
Union
THE IRON CURTAIN
 Following World War II,
the USSR installed
communist
governments in Eastern
Europe
 These countries
became known as
satellite nations
 Winston Churchill
famously claimed that
an “iron curtain” had
fallen across Europe
Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech
CONTAINMENT DOCTRINE
 Proposed in 1946 by US
diplomat George
Kennan
 Intended as a way to
stop the spread of
communism & to
prevent a domino effect
 First implemented in
reaction to a communist
threat in Greece &
Turkey
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE (1947)
Announced in March 1947
Claimed that the US had a duty to support free
nations under communist threat
Persuaded Congress to send $400 million in
aid to Greece & Turkey
Signaled an end to US isolationism
The Truman Doctrine (PBS)
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE (1947)
THE MARSHALL PLAN (1947)
 Officially the European
Recovery Program (ERP)
 Proposed in June 1947
 Motivated by the fear that
war-torn Europe could fall
under the influence of
Communism
 Led to $13 billion in aid
to Western Europe
 Used to rebuild
infrastructure & industry &
to buy American goods
THE BERLIN AIRLIFT (1948-49)
THE BERLIN AIRLIFT (1948-49)
 In June 1948, Stalin
closed all highway &
rail routes into West
Berlin
 Truman ordered US
planes to fly supplies
of food, clothing, &
other goods into the
city
 By May 1949, the USSR
realized that it was
beaten & lifted the
blockade
Berlin Airlift Video
THE ARMS RACE
The USSR exploded
its first atomic bomb
in 1949
Prompted the US to
increase efforts to
create a more powerful
hydrogen bomb
The US succeeded in
November 1952
The USSR followed in
1953
THE ARMS RACE
THE NATO ALLIANCE (1949)
 Included the US,
Canada, & 10
Western European
nations
 Pledged military
support to one
another in case any
member was
attacked
 The USSR countered
with the Warsaw
Pact in 1955
THE CHINESE REVOLUTION (1949)
THE KOREAN WAR (1950-53)
 When World War II
ended, Japanese troops
north of the 38 th parallel
surrendered to the USSR
 On June 25, 1950, North
Korean troops crossed
the line & attacked the
South
 South Korea appealed to the
UN for help
 UN troops were sent under
the command of General
Douglas MacArthur
THE KOREAN WAR (1950-53)
 The early stages of the war
went poorly for the Americans
 In response, MacArthur
ordered a surprise amphibious
attack at Inchon
 Pushed the North to the Chinese
border
 Prompted Chinese intervention
 UN forces forced to retreat
across the 38 th parallel
 Led to a stalemate that dragged
on until a truce was signed in
1953
PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER
 Under President
Eisenhower, the US
promised to use all of it
force, including nuclear
weapons, against any
aggressor nation
 Known as brinkmanship
 Promoted by Secretary of
State John Foster Dulles
 Led to a constant fear of
nuclear attack
Duck & Cover Video
THE COLD WAR SPREADS
 Eisenhower relied on covert
operations by the CIA to
prevent communists from
taking power in strategic
countries
 Other Cold War issues
during the Eisenhower
administration included:
 Geneva Summit
 Suez Crisis
 Hungarian Uprising
SPUTNIK (1957)
In October 1957, the
USSR launched Sputnik
– the world’s first
artificial satellite
 Prompted Americans to
pour money into their own
space program
U-2 INCIDENT (1960)
 Beginning in 1955, the
CIA flew secret missions
over the USSR
 Relied on the U-2
 Took photographs of troops
movements & missile sites
 May 1960, pilot Francis
Gary Powers was shot
down over the USSR
 Sentenced to 10 years in
prison
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
 Elected in 1960
 Called for a flexible
response to the
communist threat
 Increased defense
spending in order to
boost nonnuclear forces
such as troops, ships, &
artillery
BAY OF PIGS INVASION (1961)
 In March 1960,
Eisenhower had given the
CIA permission to
secretly train Cuban
exiles for an invasion
 Carried out in April 1961
 Faced 25,000 Cuban troops
backed by Soviet tanks &
jets
 Many of the exiles were
killed or imprisoned
BERLIN WALL (1961)
 In the years after the Berlin
Airlift, almost 3 million East
Germans had fled into West
Berlin
 Led the USSR to build a wall
dividing the city
 First made of brick & barbed
wire, but later built with
cement & steel
 Reinforced with armed
guards, electric fences, &
vehicle traps
Ich Bin Ein Berliner Speech
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS (1962)
 In October 1962, US spy
planes photographed
Soviet missile bases in
Cuba
 US prepared for war
 Soviets moved more ships
toward the island
 Ended when the USSR
agreed to remove its
missiles & the US pledged
not to invade the island
Cuban Missile Crisis Speech
THE RED SCARE
The spread of
communism throughout
Eastern Europe and
China fueled fears at
home
 US Communist Party had
100,000 members
 Some feared that they
may be loyal to the Soviet
Union
LOYALT Y REVIEW BOARD
Truman was accused of being soft on
Communism
Established the Federal Employee Loyalty
Program to investigate employees in March 1947
 Ran initial reviews of 4.5 million
 Led to the dismissal of 212 people
THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES
COMMITTEE
 Established in 1945 to
investigate suspected
threats of subversion
 Famously investigated the
Communist influence on the
movie industry in 1947
 Hollywood Ten refused to
testify & were sentenced to 1year prison sentences
 Eventually, more than 300
artists were blacklisted by the
studios
ALGER HISS
 Accused in 1948 of
spying for the Soviet
Union
 Case was pursued by
Congressman Richard
Nixon
 Eventually convicted of
perjury & sentenced to 5
years in prison
 Served to increase fears
about Soviet infiltration of
the American government
THE ROSENBERGS
 In 1949, the Soviets tested
a their first atomic bomb –
sooner than the US
expected
 US physicist Klaus Fuchs
admitted to passing atomic
information to the Soviets
 Minor Communist Party activists
Ethel & Julius Rosenberg were
also implicated in the case
 Convicted of espionage &
sentenced to death
 Executed in 1953
THE MCCARREN ACT (1950)
Made it unlawful to promote the
establishment of a “totalitarian dictatorship”
Also required Communist organizations to
register with the US government
 Members were not permitted to become citizens & could
be prevented from entering or leaving the country
Passed over Truman’s veto
JOSEPH MCCARTHY
 US Senator from
Wisconsin who
became the most
visible public face
America’s pursuit of
Communists
 Announced in 1950 that he
had a list of 205 names of
Communists who had
infiltrated the US
government
 Won reelection in 1952
without ever revealing any
of the names
ARMY-MCCARTHY HEARING (1954)
 Began an investigation of the
US army in 1953
 Televised hearings were held in
1954
 Several key pieces of evidence were
shown to be doctored or faked
 Confronted by Army counsel Joseph
Welch in a series of heated
exchanges
 Led to McCarthy’s downfall & Senate
censure for improper conduct