Transcript Slide 1

YALTA CONFERENCE
• February 1945
• FDR, Churchill, & Stalin
• Discussed the fate of a
soon to be defeated
Germany
• Stalin wanted Germany to
be severely punished
• Churchill favored leniency
• FDR acted as mediator
because he hoped:
– Russia would join the war
against Japan
– Stalin would support FDR’s
idea for a new world peacekeeping organization (UN)
The Big Three
ZONES OF OCCUPATION – GERMANY 1945-1948
GROWING TENSIONS
• FDR never fully trusted the Russians
– they had at one time been allied with
Germany
– Stalin supported Allies only after he was
attacked by Germany
• Russia
– state controlled all property & economic
activity (aka communism)
– totalitarian government with no competing
political parties
• United States
– private citizens controlled almost all
economic activity (capitalism)
– people elect a president & congress from
competing political parties
• Stalin angry during the war because:
– Allies were slow to open up a second front
in Europe
– Americans tried to keep atomic bomb
secret
THE UNITED NATIONS
Idea grew out of the Atlantic
Charter of August 1941
• April 25, 1945
– representatives from 50
nations met in San Francisco
• June 26, 1945
– charter signed establishing the
UN
– maintain international peace
and promote cooperation in
solving economic, social, &
humanitarian problems
• Becomes a forum for the US
and Russia to spread their
influence over others
ORGANIZATION OF THE UN
• Currently has 193 members
• General Assembly
– composed of all member nations
– one state, one vote power structure requires 2/3 majority
– deals with all matters except peace & security
• Security Council
– charged with maintaining peace & security
– 15 nations, 5 of which are permanent members
• US, Great Britain, France, Russia, & China
• Victors in World War II
– permanent members hold veto power
– permanent members may, therefore, block any resolution
• Truman wanted:
– free elections in former Nazi-held
areas
– access to Eastern Europe’s raw
materials
– ability to sell U.S. goods to Eastern European
countries
• Stalin felt:
– justified in dominating Eastern
Europe due to heavy losses lives &
material) in WWII
– by dominating Eastern Europe they would block
further invasions from the west
CONTAINMENT of COMMUNISM
• Soviet Union established “satellite nations” in
eastern Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc)
• Stalin declared:
– communism and capitalism were incompatible
– another war was inevitable
• US adopted “policy of containment”
– taking measures to prevent spread of communism
• Iron Curtain
– From Churchill speech
– came to stand for the division of Europe
“A shadow has fallen upon the
scene so lately lighted by the
Allied victory. . . From Stettin in
the Baltic to Trieste in the
Adriatic, an iron curtain has
descended across the Continent.
Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states
of Central and Eastern Europe . . . All these famous
cities and the populations around them lie in . . . the
Soviet sphere, and are subject in one form or another,
not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and . . .
increasing measure of control from Moscow.”
Winston Churchill
March 1945
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE
• Britain had been giving economic & military aid
to Greece & Turkey to contain communism
• US accepted responsibility for Greece & Turkey
after Britain’s economy faltered
• “I believe that 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.”
-- Harry S Truman
THE MARSHALL PLAN
• June 1947
• Europe devastated by WWII –
economically, politically, & socially
• Sec. of State George C. Marshall
proposed:
– US would provide aid to all
European nations that needed it.
– Directed “. . . not against any
country or doctrine but against
hunger, poverty, desperation and
chaos.”
• Revived European hopes
• By 1950 16 countries had received
$13 billion in U.S. aid
• By 1952 western Europe was
flourishing and communism had lost
much of its appeal
STRUGGLE OVER GERMANY
• Reunification
• US, Britain & France combined their
zones into one nation
• Stalin tried to take over all of Berlin
– June 1945
– closed all highway & rail routes
• BERLIN AIRLIFT
– Allied attempt to break the blockade
– vital supplies flown in around the
clock
– lasted almost 1 year
– Results
•
•
•
•
Soviets lifted the blockade (May 1949)
West Berlin was saved
raised American prestige around world
creation of West Germany
NATO ALLIANCE
• Created out of Allied fear of Soviet
aggression (1949)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• Collective military defense
• U.S., Canada, & ten other allied nations
– 28 currently
CHINA FALLS TO COMMUNISM
• US supported nationalist gov’t
under Chiang Kai-Shek
– corrupt regime but they were
anti-communist
• Communists were led by Mao
Zedong
– supported by Soviets
– gained support of peasants
• Following civil war Chiang &
nationalist gov’t fled to Taiwan
(1949)
• Communists established
People’s Republic of China on
mainland
• Fueled American fear of
communism
Chiang
Mao
KOREAN WAR
• Japan conquered Korea in
1910 but at end of WW2 it
became divided at 38th parallel
• In the north Kim Il Sung
established communist gov’t
in Pyongyang (People’s
Republic of Korea)
• In the south Syngman Rhee
established democratic gov’t in
Seoul (Republic of
Korea/South Korea)
• By 1949 US had withdrawn
most troops from South Korea
leading Soviets to believe we
would not fight to defend it
Kim Il Sung
Syngman Rhee
• June 25, 1950: North Korea staged
surprise attack on South Korea
• North Koreans occupied much of
the South
• South Korea appealed to UN for
help
• Soviet Union was not present due
to their boycott over Taiwan
• Resolution was passed in their
absence
• Truman sent troops & the Navy to
Japan as show of support
• 16 nations sent troops to the aid of
South Korea (mostly US)
• General Douglas MacArthur placed
in overall allied command
• By Sept 150,000 Allied forces
trapped in Pusan
• MacArthur counterattacked with
surprise amphibious landing at
Inchon
• Half North Korean army
captured, other half fled north
• UN forces chased North
Koreans as far as Yalu River &
captured Pyongyang
• UN victory seemed certain
• Chinese joined the war on North
Korean side
• UN forces outnumbered 10 to 1
• North Koreans pushed south
and captured Seoul
MacARTHUR GOES NUTS
• Two years of bloody
stalemate
• MacArthur recommended
attacking China w/nuclear
weapons
• Truman rejected the plan
• Mutual assistance plan
w/Soviets could instigate
WW3
• UN ground forces attacked
again
• By April 1951 recaptured
Seoul and reached 38th
parallel
MacARTHUR vs TRUMAN
• MacArthur continued
urging an attack on China
• Went over Truman’s head
to the media
• Despite repeated
warnings MacArthur
continued his criticisms of
Truman
• April 1951 Truman fired
MacArthur
• Public opinion initially
heavily favored
MacArthur
SETTLING the STALEMATE
•
•
•
•
June 1951 Soviets suggested a cease-fire
Truce talks began in July 1951
Fighting continued
Armistice ending the war not signed until July 1953
AFTER EFFECTS
•
•
•
•
Stalemate
– North Korean invaders had
been pushed back, and . . .
– Communism had been
contained without the use of
nuclear weapons, but . . .
– Korea was still two separate
nations
Cost
– 54,000 US lives
– $67 billion
Increased fear of communist
aggression
Prompted a hunt for Americans who
might be blamed for the communist
gains
LINGERING FEARS
• LOYALTY REVIEW BOARD (’47)
– investigated gov’t employees &
dismissed anyone disloyal to the
U.S. gov’t
• HOUSE UN-AMERICAN
ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE (HUAC)
(’47)
– investigated Communist
influence in the movie industry
– believed Communists were
sneaking propaganda into films
– “Hollywood Ten”
• refused to cooperate and
went to prison
SPIES ARE EVERYWHERE
REAL SPIES
• ALGER HISS
– 1948
– State Department official accused
of spying & found guilty of perjury
– Richard Nixon made a name for
himself in his dogged pursuit of
Hiss
– Hiss claimed innocence but
proved guilty in the 1990s (???)
• ETHEL & JULIUS ROSENBERG
– 1950
– executed for passing information
on atomic bomb to the Soviets
– allowed Soviets to build a bomb 5
years early
– anti-Semitism?
– first US civilians executed for
espionage
McCARTHYISM
• Republican Senator Joseph
McCarthy from Wisconsin
• Used issue of Communists
taking over gov’t to get reelected (’52)
• Made unsupported accusations
• Claimed to have the names of
200+ Communists but never
released a single one
• Made accusations in Senate
where he was immune to being
sued for slander
• Downfall
– accused U.S. Army
– televised proceedings showed
citizens his bullying tactics
– died of alcoholism 3 years later
ON THE NUCLEAR BRINK
• Race between U.S. & Soviets
to develop a hydrogen bomb
• U.S. won the race in 1952,
Soviets followed in 1953
• BRINKMANSHIP
– Dulles proposed fighting
the spread of Communism
by promising to use all out
force against aggressor
nations (read: Soviets)
– U.S. reduced size of army
and navy and increased
air force
– Soviets followed suit
– RESULT: Thirty year fear
of nuclear war
BEGINNINGS OF THE CIA
• Iran’s prime minister
(Mossadegh) nationalized all
their oil fields (’51)
• British stopped buying oil in
protest
– Iranian economy faltered
• U.S. feared Iran might turn
toward the Soviets
– U.S. gave anti-Mossadegh
forces millions of U.S. aid (’53)
– U.S. supported Shah of Iran’s
returned to power
– Shah gave control of oil fields
back to Western companies
• Similar actions occurred in
Guatemala
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
(Shah of Iran)
• WARSAW PACT (’55)
– mutual assistance pact formed
by Soviets & 7 Eastern
European countries
– response to W. Germany
joining NATO
• SUEZ WAR (’56)
– Gamal Abdel-Nasser (Egypt)
played U.S. against Soviets
– Nasser nationalized the canal
which had been built/owned by
Britain & France
– Egypt denied Israel access to
the canal
– Britain, France & Israel
attacked and captured part of
canal
– UN stepped in to stop fighting
– Egypt retained control of the
canal
• HUNGARIAN UPRISING (’56)
– Hungarians revolted led by Imre
Nagy
– Renounced Warsaw Pact, called for
free elections & demanded Soviets
troops leave
– Soviets responded swiftly and
brutally
• 30,000 Hungarians killed
• 200,000 fled west
• Nagy executed
– Despite Truman Doctrine U.S. did
not respond
– UN passed resolutions that were
vetoed by Soviets
• EISENHOWER DOCTRINE (’57)
– Response to Soviet’s rise in
prestige following Suez Canal Crisis
– U.S. would defend the Middle East
against attack by any communist
country
THE SPACE RACE
• NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV
– replaced Joseph Stalin (’53)
– communism would take over
the world
– policy of peaceful coexistence
where powers would compete
economically & scientifically
• THE SPACE RACE
– Soviets launch first satellite
(Sputnik) in 1957
– Americans shocked at being
beaten
– U.S. raced to catch up
– U.S. launched first successful
satellite in 1958
U2 INCIDENT
• 1960
• Secret high altitude flights over
Soviet territory to take photos
• Pilot Francis Gary Powers was
shot down & captured
• Eisenhower denied U.S. was
spying
• Khrushchev demanded U.S.
acknowledge and apologize
• U.S. acknowledged but didn’t
apologize
• Eisenhower-Khrushchev
summit cancelled
• U.S.-Soviet tensions reached
their greatest level to date