Cold war conflicts
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Transcript Cold war conflicts
Chapter 18
What was the Cold War?
State of hostility
between the US and
Soviets without a direct
war between them.
• From 1945 – until
breakup of Soviet Union
in 1991
United States
Soviet Union
Capitalism – private
Communism state –
citizens controlled most
economic activity
Voters elected president
& congress from
competing parties
controlled all property
and economic activity
Communist party
established a totalitarian
govt. with no opposing
parties
Soviets request for $20
billion for reparations
was denied
United Nations is formed 1945
50 nations met in San Francisco to establish
peacekeeping body
Intended to promote peace
The two “superpowers” used the UN to spread their
influence over others
President Truman
Becomes President two weeks before UN meeting
Many Americans doubted his ability to serve as president
Potsdam Conference
Final Wartime conference
The Big Three – United States, Great Britain, & Soviet Union
Same as Yalta, Truman replaced FDR, Attlee replaced
Churchill, Stalin remained.
Stalin's broken promise...
Stalin would not allow free elections in Eastern Europe
Different political and
economic systems
Soviet had been an ally of
Germany
Stalin resented Allies
delay in attacking
Germans in Europe
Atomic bomb secret
Stalin REFUSED to allow
free elections
At Potsdam, Truman
objected Stalin’s request
for reparations
United States –
Economic Goals
Soviets –
Protection Goals
New World Order
Eastern Europe countries
Democratic Governments
Self-determination
Rebuild Europe
Access to raw materials &
new markets
Thriving economically
Free/New Markets
Productive Germany
Avoid totalitarianism
Reunify Germany
to serve as protective buffer
– satellite nations
Spread communism &
workers unite against
wealthy business owners
Rebuild its ravaged
economy, using East
European raw materials
Keep Germany divided &
weak
Satellite nations
Albania
Bulgaria
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
Romania
Poland
Establish Soviet domination
Albania – Communist leaders
Bulgaria – Communist leaders
Czechoslovakia – free elections, but Communists take
over
Hungary – Communists lose election, take out
competition
Romania – Communist Prime Minister forced on King
East Germany – Brutal totalitarian government
Yugoslavia – Dictator keeps Soviets out
George F. Kennan – American diplomat in Moscow
proposed policy of containment
Meant to prevent extension of communist rule to other
countries – contain it
Truman's goal: Stop the spread of Soviet influence
Winston Churchill
Fulton, Missouri – 1946
Makes clear statement
describing the situation
in Europe
“From Stettin in the
Baltic to Trieste in the
Adriatic, an iron curtain
has descended across the
Continent” - Churchill
March 12, 1947
US tried to contain Soviet
influence in Greece &
Turkey
Truman requested
economic & military aid
for Greece & Turkey
Asked congress for $400
million for both
countries
Successful effort –
congress agrees
Becomes US policy
“It must be the policy of the
United States to support free
peoples who are resisting
attempted subjugation by
armed minorities or by
outside pressures.”
June 5, 1947 – US Secretary
of State George Marshall
Proposed the US provide
aid to all European nations
needing it
Designed to fight hunger,
poverty, desperation, and
chaos
Nearly $13 Billion sent
within 4 years, helping 16
countries
Stalin would not accept aid
Marshall Plan
Credited with rebuilding
Europe
Eliminated conditions that
might’ve been helpful to
spread of communism
Communist party loses
appeal
Council for Mutual Economic
Assistance
Soviet response to Marshall
Plan
Established in 1949
Britain, France, & US
decided to combine their 3
zones into one nation –
West Germany
Soviets are upset about
combining into 1 nation
Stalin takes this opportunity
to take all of Berlin
Soviets block all roads &
trains into Berlin – want to
take over West Berlin
No supplies, food, medicine
This was an attempt to
break the blockage by
American and British
officials
From June 18, 1948 to May
1949, US and British planes
airlift 2.3 million tons of
supplies to residents of
West Berlin
Planes were landing every
few minutes
After 327 days, and 277,000
flights, the Soviet Union
lifts the blockade
1st Peacetime Alliance US
had ever joined – April 4,
1949
12 members of NATO
formed a defensive
military alliance
pledged military
support to one another
in case any member was
attacked
12 members of NATO
United States
Belgium
Britain
Canada
Denmark
France
Iceland
Italy
Luxemburg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Communists struggle for
20 years against
nationalists government of
Chiang Kai-shek
US supported Chiang
sending $3 billion in aid
Impressed by his
resistance to Japanese
Chiang Kai-shek
Government inefficient
Corrupt
Exploited farmers – shot
civilians for protesting
Communist leader Mao Zedong
Gained strength throughout country
Strong leadership
Worked to win peasant support
Encouraged peasants to learn to read
Helped improve food production
More recruits flocked to the Communists’ Red Army
1945, most of North China under Communist control
Nationalists & Communists during WWII, but go back
to Civil War when it ends
May 1949, Chiang & govt. flee to Taiwan
Mao established the People’s Republic of China
Americans stunned another country had become
Communist
“Containment” failed
Truman administration attacked for supplying only
limited aid to Chiang
State department responds that China takeover was
result of internal forces
Chiang’s inability to retain support of people
June 25th, 1950 N. Korean
communist troops cross
the 38th parallel.
38° North latitude
Surprise attack on S. Korea
South Korea calls upon
United Nations
June 27th Truman ordered
troops to support S.
Koreans
General Douglas
MacArthur commanded
the troops from total of 16
nations, totaling over 1
million troops
When troops reach Yalu
River, “victory &
reunification” in sight
Chinese get involved
Send over 300,000 Chinese
troops to help N. Korea &
push UN troops backs to
38th parallel
Neither side made
advances
Armistice brings war to
end by 1953
End up in the same place
as started
MacArthur wants war with China
Calls for use of nuclear weapons
Truman rejects the request
MacArthur keeps insisting on war…
MacArthur goes over presidents head…
Spoke to newspapers, magazines, etc
Felt his views were correct about war
Warned he had no authority to make decisions
Continued to criticize the president
President Truman
Refuses to stand for this
kind of behavior
Couldn’t tolerate a
commander sabotaging
his policy
April 11, 1951 – fired
MacArthur
Parade in NYC
“Old soldiers never die,
they just fade away”
July 1953, both sides of Korea
signed an armistice ending
war
54,000 American soldiers died
$67 billion spent
Caused rejection of
Democratic Party in 1952
election
Eisenhower Elected
Increased fear of communism
“Forgotten War” – right in
between WWII & Vietnam
Anti-communist
republicans accuse
Truman of being “soft of
communism”
Truman, 1947 issued
executive order for Federal
Employee Loyalty
Program
Loyalty Review Board
3.2 million employees
investigated
Dismissed 212 as risks
2,900 resigned – felt it
violated their
constitutional rights
Not allowed to see
evidence against them
HUAC – House Un-
American Activities
Committee
Investigated communist
influence in movie
industry
Sneaking propaganda into
films
43 witnesses subpoenaed
Hollywood Ten
10 “unfriendly” witnesses
Refused to testify
Unconstitutional
Refused to answer questions
Sent to prison
Blacklist created in response to
hearings
List of people who were condemned
for having a Communist background
Approx. 500 actors, writers,
producers, and directors
Careers ruined
Alger Hiss
Found guilty of spying for
the Soviets
Denied accusations
Prosecuted by Richard
Nixon
Rosenbergs
Ethel & Julius Rosenberg
Activists in American
Communist Party
Plead the 5th when asked
if they were Communists
Found guilty of espionage
Sentenced to death
Senator Joseph McCarthy – most famous anti
Communists activist
Continually made unsupported accusations on
suspected Communists
These attacks became known as McCarthyism
Refers to unfair accusation of disloyalty,
without the evidence
“Witch Hunt”
Claimed to have “list” of names of
Communists
Never actually gave names…
Made accusations against US Army
Senate condemns him “tended to bring
Senate into dishonor & disrepute”
Today – when people make unsupported
accusations, it’s called “McCarthyism”
Nuclear arms race began during Truman’s presidency
Soviet Union exploded first atomic bomb in 1949
Decision to develop an even more horrifying weapon
H-bomb: hydrogen bomb, 1 million tons of TNT
The US entered into deadly race with Soviet Union to see
which country would be first to produce an H-bomb
November 1952 – US exploded the first H-
bomb
August 1953 – Soviets exploded their own
weapon
Dwight D Eisenhower becomes
president
Brinkmanship – proposal that US
could prevent the spread of
communism, go to the edge of war if
necessary
CIA – Central Intelligence Agency
Used spies to gather information abroad, carried out
secret operations to weaken governments unfriendly to
US
Took action in Iran 1951 & Guatemala 1954
Soviet grew fearful when West
Germany joined NATO
Soviet formed its own
military alliance in response
to NATO
7 Eastern European countries
East Germany
Poland
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
Romania
Bulgaria
Albania
Soviet Union
Soviet Union was becoming prestigious in the middle
east
President Eisenhower issued warning that the United
States would defend the Middle East against an attack
by any Communist country
Hungary was dominated by Soviet Union since end
of WWII
Hungarian people revolt and call for a democratic
government
Imre Nagy, Hungarian Prime Minister
Promised free elections
Denounced Warsaw Pact
Demanded Soviets leave Hungary
Soviets response…
send troops killing 30,000 Hungarians
Overthrow Nagy government and replace with Soviet
leaders
United States did nothing to help Hungary break
free
Became Soviet Unions leader a few years after Stalin’s
death
Believed Communism would take over the world
Thought it could be done peacefully
October 4, 1957, Soviets
launched Sputnik
Worlds first artificial
satellite
Traveled around Earth
at 18,000 mph, circling
globe every 96 minutes
Americans shocked
Respond with creating
National Aeronautics
and Space
Administration (NASA)
Space Race in full gear
CIA began making secret high-altitude flights over
Soviet territory
Planes used for these missions was the U-2
May 1, 1960, a U-2 spy plane is shot down on a
mission over Soviet Union
Pilot Francis Gary Powers was captured and
sentenced to prison
Eisenhower denied it was a spy plane
Later admitted
This opened new tensions
Soviets pull out of Paris Sumit