Download 1 Chapter 25 The Cold War Begins Section 1 The Iron Curtain Falls

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Chapter 25 The Cold War Begins
Section 1 The Iron Curtain Falls on Europe
The Roots of the Cold War
 Cold War began when tensions have increased between the United States and the
Soviet Union (stems from previous notions that the Soviet Union were enemies
because of the ideas of communism and fear of its spread in the United States
 So how did this begin?
 There are several reasons as pointed out in your textbook in a handy chart on Page
817. One is there were conflicts between the Soviets, the British and Americans
over expansion in Europe and also the US secretly developing the atomic bomb
 The U.S. put aside their fear of communism and joined the Soviet Union as allies
against Nazi Germany during WWII
 There were arguments over military strategy
 The creation of the atomic bomb by the United States also created mistrust
- Soviets sent spies to steal the plans and the Soviet scientists attempted to
create their own atomic bomb since they viewed the weapon as a threat
The Iron Curtain Descends
 The U.S. and Britain were worried about what the Soviet Union might do after
WWII because they wanted to gain control of Eastern Europe
 Stalin had no intention of giving up political and economic control over Eastern
Europe
 Stalin felt that he had the right to Eastern Europe because of the German advances
in the past and wanted to increase the security of his country by creating a line of
Soviet-friendly nations between the Soviet Union and its former enemies in
Western Europe
 To achieve this, Stalin used any means necessary, such as getting rid of political
parties or newspapers that opposed the Communists
 United States and Britain were not happy to see the Eastern European countries
fall under the control of a dictator
 In 1946 former British prime minister Winston Churchill traveled to the United
States to make a speech in Fulton, Missouri, where he attacked the Soviet Union
for creating an Iron Curtain – his belief that communism had created a sharp
division in Europe
 Stalin used the excuse that the United States and Great Britain were enemies of
the Soviet Union to rebuild the Soviet Union’s military strength
The United States Responds
 Adopted policy in the late 1940s known as containment created by American
diplomat and Soviet Union expert named George F. Kennan
- Believed United States should resist Soviet attempts to expand its power and
influence wherever those attempts occurred
- Containment not limited to military force since it also provided economic aid
to other countries to strengthen them against the Soviet Union
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Put to test in 1947 when Truman sent emergency economic and military aid
was given to Greece and Turkey to help resist Soviet expansion
At the same time, Truman issued what was known as the Truman Doctrine –
President Truman’s pledge in 1947 to provide economic and military aid to
countries threatened by communism
In June 1947, George C. Marshall, a former WWII military leader and secretary
of state gave a speech urging for an American program to aid Europe to rebuild
and get back on track economically – known as the Marshall Plan
- Between 1948 and 1951, the U.S. government spent over 13 billion dollars in
17 different countries which bought food and farm equipment
The Crisis in Berlin
 Allies divided Germany into 4 zones of occupation – British, French, and
American in the west, and Soviet in the east
 Berlin lay within the Soviet zone was divided into four zones as well
 Soviets planned to keep their section under Communist control, while the British
and Americans were setting up free, democratic governments within their zones,
later joined by the French
 The western zone became the Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany
 Soviets blocked every road, rail or river traffic going into West Berlin – which
mean that 2.1 million residents of West Berlin had been cut off from gaining
resources such as food, coal, and other necessities
 The airstrips in the city helped to get their supplies by air, which was risky
 Berlin airlift was when the British and American airplanes made deliveries of
supplies to the people of West Berlin
 Soviets lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949 after the American, British, and
French planes had made about 280,000 flights into Berlin
 The conflict with the Soviet Union made Western Europeans uneasy so in order to
maintain a measure a security, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
and the United Kingdom joined together in a system of common defense in 1948
 In April 1949 the U.S. and 6 other nations joined the original 5 to create a new
military alliance – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. (The other
six nations were Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Norway, and Portugal)
- According to the North Atlantic Treaty, an armed attack against one of the
member nations would be considered an attack against all (It was supposed to
be a tem effort. Compare this to an attack within a group of friends where if
there is a fight against 2 people, then it would affect the rest of the group and
they would feel the same attack in return)
- In mid-1950s, Greece, Turkey, and West Germany joined NATO. Today 26
countries, including former Communist nations, are NATO members
Section 2 Healing the Wounds of War
 The return home for veteran soldiers was not as happy as one would think
 The men and women who had served in the military returned home to their
civilian life, but found that many of the jobs were no longer available
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To help the veterans make the transition back into civilian life, Roosevelt signed
the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944, which later became known as the GI
Bill (GI stands for “government issue,” the nickname for members of armed
forces)
The GI Bill would provide money for college or job training or buying a home,
farm, or business, and to find a job
After the war, demand for consumer goods increased
Americans began having families which became known as the beginning of the
baby boom which would last for the next decades
Government also wanted to prevent labor disputes that would affect wartime
production, since many labor unions wanted higher wages which caused an
increase in labor strikes in 1946
In 1947 Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act over President Truman’s veto
which would reduce the power of labor unions. For example, it empowered the
president to stop strikes when the national interest was at stake
Opportunities expanded for racial minorities, and in 1948 President Truman
ordered the desegregation of the armed forces
Politics in Postwar America
 Truman did not have it easy after Roosevelt died suddenly in April 1945
 Truman had to lead the Allies through the end of the war while also leading the
nation to peace
 During the 1946 Congress elections, Republicans gained seats in Congress
making them the majority, which they used to their advantage to fight against
Truman
 During the 1948 presidential elections, Truman’s popularity was low, even among
Democrats
 Most everyone believed that his Republican opponent Thomas Dewey would win
 Truman campaigned across the country, eventually winning over the voters by
winning the election
 Truman developed his own plan called the Fair Deal which included programs
similar to the New Deal, such as a federal health insurance program and new
funding for education – Congress did not support this new program
Trying to Build a Better World
 WWII gave rise in desire to prevent another war
 The establishment of the United Nations (UN), which started in the final days of
the war
 The representatives of 50 nations met in June 1945 to create the UN Charter
which would outline their principles and was ratified October 1945
- Purpose was to protect future generations from the coming of war and to
believe in human rights
- Wanted members to respect treaties and agreements and to promote the
progress and freedom of all people
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After UN was created, the Commission on Human Rights was established where
former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt became the chairperson, helping to soothe
tensions between members from different countries
In December 1948, the commission presented the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, which declared a belief that all human beings are born free and
equal. It would also demand a variety of civil rights, and called for an end to
torture, slavery, and inhumane punishment
Financial programs were also created to help resolve conflicts between nations
over economic issues
One was the World Bank which would help poor countries build their economies,
by providing grants of money and loans to help with projects that could provide
jobs and wealth
The International Monetary Fund or IMF, was designed to encourage economic
policies that promoted international trade
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was another international
organization created to promote economic cooperation in 1948, was designed to
reduce barriers to trade
Chapter 25, sections 3 and 4
Section 3 The Second Red Scare
*Ask: Do you remember when we talked about the first red scare after world war I and
how it scared the United States? What was the first red scare? Why do you think there is
a second one? What is happening at the beginning of the Cold War to cause another red
scare? Why do they occur after wars end?
Growing Fear of Communism
 Post-WWII, American leaders were worried about the spread of communism in
Europe because of the 1948 crisis over Berlin
 Two events added to the anxiety in 1949: The discovery that the Soviet Union
had an atomic weapon and Communists had gained control of China
 U.S. aircraft flying over the North Pacific Ocean in late August 1949 picked up
signs of unusual radioactivity in the atmosphere and figured that the Soviet Union
had detonated (to cause an explosion) an atomic bomb
 President Truman issued a statement stating that it had been confirmed that the
Soviets had in their possession, an atomic bomb
 After the announcement, the United States learned that Communists in China had
gained nearly full control of the country
 Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist government in China, stated that
the Nationalist party represented the one true government of all China.
- the Nationalist government went to Taiwan since they no longer had power in
China since it was now controlled by the Communist Party – A new People’s
Republic of China had been born
 Part of the Communist takeover of China, was led by Mao Zedong at the end of
WWII
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- Mao’s Communists were able to gain power in China by defeating the
Nationalist government
- United States were worried about Chinese communism and that it would
increase the Communist threat to the United States
Fighting the Spread of Communism at Home
 There were efforts made to decrease the spread of communism
 Since the 1930s, the House of Representatives had had a House Un-American
Activities Committee, or HUAC: original purpose was to investigate the full
range of radical groups in the United Sates, including Fascists and Communists
until it changed to just communism
 Most famous HUAC investigation was in 1947 on the Communist influence in the
American film industry where they gathered names of Hollywood writers and
directors that held radical political views.
- Ten were called before HUAC and refused to answer questions about their
beliefs or of others
- known as the Hollywood Ten and were found guilty of contempt of Congress
and were sentenced to a year in jail
 Also accused atomic bomb scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer of Communist ideals
and took away his top-secret security clearance
 Smith Act of 1949: made it a crime to call for the overthrow of the U.S.
government or belong to an organization that did so
 McCarran Act of 1950 required Communist organizations to register with the
government and established a special board to investigate Communist
involvement
 Spy Cases: There were several spy cases because of the fear of communism.
- one case involved a former government official named Alger Hiss, who was
presented to the HUAC in 1948 for being a spy for the Soviets, and denied
chargers. Later evidence showed he had lied to HUAC and in 1950, he was
convicted of perjury, or lying under oath, and sentenced to prison
- another case was Klaus Fuchs, a German nuclear physicist, who worked on the
Manhattan Project, was tried for giving American atomic secrets to the Soviet
Union and was sentenced to 14 years in prison
- Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were convicted of passing military secrets to the
Soviets, including information from Ethel’s brother, an employee on the
Manhattan Project. The received the death sentence and were executed in 1953
Senator Joseph McCarthy
 Senator Joseph McCarthy is most known for his speeches on the dangers of
communism. In one particular speech, he stated there were 205 known
Communists working for the U.S. Department of State and had a list of 57 names
of Communists in the State Department
 The notion of McCarthy’s tactic of spreading fear and making charges without
proof, McCarthyism
 McCarthy continued to spread his mistrust and fear of communism – eventually
his career and McCarthyism faded away
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Section 4 The Korean War
Korea before the War
 Korean peninsula is 600 miles long between China and Japan.
 At Yalta Conference in February 1945, Allies agreed that Korea should be free
following the war from the Japanese
 Allies divided Korea into northern and southern parts at the parallel at 38 degrees
north latitude
 Soviet Union controlled Korea north of the 38th parallel and the South would be
controlled by the Americans
 In North Korea called itself the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and its
first leader was Kim Il Sung, who wanted to reunify North and South Korea under
Communist control
 South Korea was supported by the United States and gained a democratic system
and named it the Republic of Korea, led by Syngman Rhee. He hoped the two
halves of Korea would be reunified
 Both the North and South had goal of bringing the two Korean halves into one
whole, but they had different ideas of how to reunify the country
The Start of the Korean War
 Started June 25, 1950, more than 100,000 North Korean troops crossed the 38th
parallel and invaded South Korea
 Kim Il Sung called for this invasion, hoping to reunify all of Korea under his rule
 American troops in South Korea were surprised and did not anticipate fighting
there
 President Truman ordered American naval and air forces to support South Korean
ground troops
 It would cause the United States to have a bad reputation if they were not able to
help defend a small country against communism
 The UN stepped in to help and voted in favor of use of force
- there were 5 countries that held veto power in UN Security Council decisions
- One country is the Soviet Union
 Military force sent to Korea would be a United Nations force, known as UN
police action.
 U.S. never declared war and its commander was Douglas MacArthur
Key Battles of the Korean War
 American soldiers entered battle in South Korea and were outnumbered by North
Korean troops
 The UN forces formed a line around the port city of Pusan, where soldiers were
told to stay
 MacArthur had a plan for UN forces to make a landing behind North Korean lines
at the port city of Inchon, on South Korea’s western coast – a very risky task
being on the sea
- the invasion worked and were able to secure a solid landing
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MacArthur was fired because Truman did not support MacArthur’s plans of
widening the war and disobeying the president to make his own policy
- many were upset by this since MacArthur was seen as a hero of World War II
Fighting Ends in Korea
 U.S. entered peace talks in 1951 to end the fighting. Both sides had lost an
incredible amount of soldiers
 Negotiations continued
 In 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower became President who promised to end the
Korean War
 Negotiators at Panmunjom worked toward agreement
 Though the end of conflict was coming, the fighting remained deadly
 On July 27, negotiators reached an armistice agreement
 The map of Korea looked as it had in early 1950 before the war. It is still divided
today