Post on 11-Jan-2016
Yalta ConferenceFebruary 1945
Temporary division of Germany into 4 zones
“Free & unfettered” elections
Join war against Japan
International conference
Tensions
U.S.: Upset that Stalin had been an ally of Germany and only sided with Allies after invasion in June 1941
Soviet Union: Resented the delay in opening of 2nd European front by Allies
Allies Clash
United States
Capitalism: Private citizens control almost all economic activity
Citizens vote to elect the President and Congress
Competing political parties
Soviet Union
Communism: State controlled all property and economic activity
Communist party established a totalitarian government
No opposing parties
Different agendasUnited States
New world order in which all nations have the right to self determinationGain access to raw materials and markets for its products Rebuild European governments to ensure stability & create new markets for American goods Reunite Germany because Europe would be more secure if Germany were productive
Soviet UnionEncourage Communism in other countriesRebuild its war-ravaged economy using Eastern Europe’s industrial equipment and raw materialsControl Eastern Europe to balance U.S. influence in Western EuropeKeep Germany divided and weak so that it would never again threaten the Soviet Union
“An iron curtain has descended across the continent” Winston Churchill
Satellite Nations: Countries dominated politically and economically by the Soviet Union
Iron Curtain: Phrase used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe an imaginary line that separated Communist countries in the Soviet bloc of Eastern Europe from other European countries.
Foreign policyCold War: Indirect but hostile conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from 1945-1991.
The Truman Doctrine: U.S. policy to provide economic and military aid to free nations threatened by internal or external opponents.
Primary goal was containment of communism$400 million in aid to Turkey & Greece
Economic policyGeorge C. Marshall proposed that the U.S. provide aid to all European nations that needed it. “Not directed against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos.”
The Marshall Plan – United States supplied economic aid to European nations to help them rebuild after WWII.
16 countries participated$13 billion in aid receivedStalin refused aid
Military PolicyNATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): A defensive military alliance formed in 1949 by various Western European countries, the U.S. and Canada. 1st time U.S. joined a military alliance during peacetime.
Similar to the League of Nations proposed after WWI.
Americans were now willing to give up sovereignty in order to avoid future worldwide conflicts.
Berlin Blockade
France, Britain & U.S. reunify Western Germany
West Berlin is located in Soviet occupied territory
Stalin cuts off highway & rail access
U.S. & Britain airlift vital supplies to West Berlin
Review
What was the primary objective of the Truman Doctrine?
What countries were supposed to benefit from the Marshall Plan?
What is the significance of NATO? How did the Allies respond to
Stalin’s Berlin blockade?
CHINA
Mao Zedong
Communist Leader Encouraged
peasants to learn to read
Helped improve food production
By 1945 much of northern China was under Communist control
Chiang Kai-shek
Nationalist Leader U.S. officials viewed
his government as inefficient & corrupt
Policies & tactics were highly questionable
CIVIL WAR ERUPTS
1944-1947: U.S. acts as a peacemaker
$2 billion in aid to Nationalists
May 1949: Chiang and his government fled to Taiwan (Formosa)
China falls to Communism. Containment policy fails.
Korea
Divided after WWII 38th parallel marked the
division between North & South Korea
North: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea led by Kim Il Sung
South: Republic of Korea led by Syngman Rhee
Stage 1
June 25, 1950: North Korean troops invade
June 27, 1950: Truman orders troops into Korea
16 nations sent troops (90% were American)
STAGE 2
North Korea drives south, captures Seoul.
UN & South Korean troops pushed to Pusan in the southeast corner of Korea.
STAGE 3
General MacArthur launches a counter attack
Surprise amphibious landing at Inchon
Troops also march north from Pusan
North Korean troops surrendered or fled across 38th parallel
STAGE 4
UN troops chase retreating North Korean troops across the 38th parallel
November 1950: UN troops reach the Yalu River
On the verge of victory in Korea
STAGE 5
China enters the fight UN troops forced back
across the 38th parallel
STAGE 6
Stalemate: Neither side is able to gain any ground
MacArthur recommends extending the war into China
Armistice ends the war in July 1953
Final Outcome
Communism had been contained, but Korea was still divided
54,000 American lives lost $67 billion spent Dwight D. Eisenhower elected 1952 Fear of Communism increased Prompted the hunt for
“Communist” in America
“In a free country, we punish men for the crimes they commit, but never for the opinions they have”
Harry S Truman
HUAC House Un-American
Activities Committee 1947: Began
investigating Communist influence in the movie industry
Accused people of sneaking propaganda into films
Hollywood ten 10 “Unfriendly”
witnesses refused to testify
Felt that hearings were unconstitutional
Sent to prison because they refused to testify
Anyone else who was suspected of being Communist was blacklisted
SPIES WITHIN Minor activists in American
Communist Party Accused of leaking
information about the atomic bomb to U.S.S.R.
Denied charges & pled the 5th. Claimed they were being persecuted because they were Jewish and had radical beliefs.
Found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death.
Julius & Ethel Rosenberg
SPIES WITHIN Alger Hiss, former
State Dept. official Accused of spying
for the U.S.S.R. Could not charge
with espionage because too much time had passed
Convicted of perjuryRichard Nixon gained fame
for pursuing charges against Hiss
McCarthyism Joseph McCarthy:
Republican Senator from Wisconsin
Used anti-Communist platform to get re-elected
Unsubstantiated attacks Accusations without proof
Claimed to have the names of 57, 81 and 205 Communists in the State Department
If you had lived in this period and had been accused of being a Communist, what would you have done?