The Cold War: A Global Struggle

Two Superpowers Emerge after WWII – United States – Soviet Union –

Superpower:

a country that is a world leader in many areas and has multiple influences throughout the world.

– The nation of Israel was also established after WWII.

After

Yalta Conference

, there was an agreement to govern Germany jointly.

– Divided Germany into four occupational zones France, Great Britain, United States, and Russia

The Cold War: Origins

The Cold War set the framework for 45 years after the end of World War II. Influenced American domestic politics, foreign affairs, and the role of the government in the economy after 1945

The Cold War:

A fight between democracy and communism –

American

: western nations’ belief in democracy, individual freedom and a market economy –

Soviet

: belief in a totalitarian state and socialism.

Totalitarian Government:

A highly centralized government that does not allow opposition and maintains total control.

High Tension Times

Europe and The United States

The end of World War II found Soviet forces occupying most of Eastern and Central Europe and the eastern portion of Germany.

Germany partitioned into East and West Germany.

– Caused a lack of political, social and economic unity

West Germany:

became democratic and resumed self-government after a few years of American, British, and French occupation.

East Germany:

remained under the domination of the Soviet Union and did not adopt democratic institutions.

Joseph Stalin

: believed that the people of Eastern Europe could have democracy, only after they had been taught the principles of socialism.

–

Socialism:

goal in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation.

Joseph McCarthy:

U.S. Senator from Wisconsin.

–

McCarthyism:

theory that many Americans were involved with the Communist Party – Used scare tactics to promote anti-communist ideas

The Red Scare McCarthyism-

Joseph McCarthy- and others charged conspiracy theories against people involved with the Communist party. (Red Scare) – Heightened fears of communist influence on American institutions and espionage by Soviet agents. – Thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers – Subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government Most investigations led by Joseph McCarthy – Primary targets---government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists.

McCarthyism Continued…..

McCarthyism was a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that affected all levels of society.

Sen. McCarthy

Source of a great deal of debate and conflict in the United States FBI Investigations led by

J. Edgar Hoover

: one of the nation's most fervent anti-communists

FBI Corruption

Used illegal undercover operations to harass and disrupt Communist and other dissident political groups.

Hoover Becomes Radical

– Hoover frustrated with Supreme Court – Formed “dirty tricks” program named COINTELPRO –

Program Actions include

: planting forged documents to create the suspicion that a key person was an FBI informer, spreading rumors through anonymous letters, leaking information to the press.

– COINTELPRO remained in effect until 1971

Soviet & Eastern Bloc Nations [“Iron Curtain”]

GOAL Ideas of Cold War:



spread world-wide Communism

 

The Ideological Struggle

Espionage [KGB vs. CIA] Arms Race [nuclear escalation]

US & the Western Democracies

GOAL

world.



“Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist [George Kennan]

 Competition for the minds and hearts of Third World peoples [Communist govt. & command economy vs. democratic govt. & capitalist economy]  “proxy wars”  Alliance Struggle [

NATO vs. Warsaw Pact

]

The “Iron Curtain”

From Stettin in the Balkans, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lies the ancient capitals of Central and Eastern Europe.

-- Sir Winston Churchill, 1946

Post-War Germany

Truman Doctrine

Civil War in Greece.

Turkey under pressure from the USSR for concessions in the Dardanelles.

“The U. S. should support free peoples throughout the world who were resisting takeovers by armed minorities or outside pressures…We must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way”.-----President Truman

The U.S. gave Greece & Turkey $400 million in aid.

The Marshall Plan

“European Recovery Program”

– After WWII, Europe was in shambles and in need of help.

“The U. S. should provide aid to all European nations that need it. This move is not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.”---Secretary of State, George Marshall

$12.5 billion of US aid to Western Europe extended to Eastern Europe & USSR, [but this was rejected].

– The Soviet Union and communist Eastern Europe decline U.S. aid, citing "dollar enslavement."

Berlin Blockade and Airlift Berlin Blockade-

1948 Soviets blockaded the East German border to all land and water traffic into Berlin from the West —June 1948

Berlin Airlifts-

These were provided to bring food to the people of West Berlin From June 1948 to May 1949, U.S. and British planes airlift 1.5 million tons of supplies to the residents of West Berlin. After 200,000 flights, the Soviet Union lifts the blockade.

The Nuclear Arms Race

} } The Soviet Union exploded its first A bomb in 1949.

Now there were two nuclear superpowers!

United Nations

United Nations:

was formed near the end of World War II to create a body for the nations of the world to try to

prevent future global wars.

UN would serve as peacekeepers, not war makers

Key Terms and Ideas of Cold War North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) -

1949 12 Members- If one nation was attacked the other nations would unite with action against the aggressor

Warsaw Pact-

- Communist agreement that ensured safety of members.

Market Economy-

Economy based on capitalism principles performed by democratic allies

Command Economy-

Economy based on government control performed by communistic allies

Welfare System-

A state in which the government undertakes primary responsibility for the social welfare of its citizens

European Economic Community-

Abolition of tariffs and import quotas- British was not in group

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1949)

       

United States Belgium Britain Canada Denmark France Iceland Italy

      

Luxemburg Netherlands Norway Portugal 1952: Greece & Turkey 1955: West Germany 1983: Spain

Warsaw Pact (1955)

} } } }

U. S. S. R.

Albania Bulgaria Czechoslovakia

} } } }

East Germany Hungary Poland Rumania

U.S. Involvement in Korea

The U.S. government’s anti-Communist strategy of

containment

in Asia led to America’s involvement in Korea.

North- Communist South- Democratic Containment:

foreign policy strategy of the United States in the early years of the Cold War. – Policy was to stop the “

domino effect

” of nations moving politically towards Soviet Union-based communism, rather than European-American-based capitalism. –

Communism:

ideology that promotes establishment of a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production

Korean War: 1950-1953

Korean War

:

North Korea

(Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK) vs.

South Korea

of Korea, ROK) (Republic

A Test of Containment Policy

– Goal of U.S.- avoid communist takeover of South Korea.

– U.S. pledged to protect the rights of South Koreans and stop communist invaders (North Korea) – South Korea remains democratic

Results of Korean War

: – North Korean invasion of South Korea ended – US–UN invasion of North Korea repelled – Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) established, little territorial change at the 38th parallel border – Technically war is still going on today