POST WAR ERAThe Cold War and Civil Rights

THE BIG QUESTIONS:Why did the United States and Soviet Union enter into the Cold War?

Why did the Cold War last so long?

How did Civil Rights leaders change American Society?

THE COLD WAR• The SUPERPOWERS, the U.S.

and Soviet Union were the big rivals after WWII

• Called the “Cold” war because both sides had nuclear weapons but never confronted each other directly in open warfare

ROOTS OF THE COLD WAR Competing ideological systems

(democracy/free enterprise vs. communism) The U.S. wanted to spread democracy and

free enterprise The Soviets wanted to spread Communism.

Stalin was supposed to be creating a classless society that helped all workers, but actually established a brutal dictatorship under his absolute control.

Suspected critics and opponents were arrested and sent to gulags (forced labor camps) in Siberia

Category

Organizations

Political System

Economic System

Religion

Individual Rights

Soviet Communism

American Democracy

THE SOVIET UNION’S IDEOLOGY One political party – Communism All labor groups and associations are run

by the Communist Party Industries and farms are owned by the

state, central planners determine economic needs for the nation, private property was limited, education and health care provided by the state

Religion was discouraged Secret police arrested opponents,

censorship was common, people could not exercise beliefs freely

AMERICAN IDEOLOGY A multi-party democracy Unions and other organizations negotiated

openly with employers Free enterprise, private ownership of

property, supply and demand determined prices, people met their own needs with some limited government involvement

Freedom of religion Freedom of the press and expression

USE THE NOTES ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDES TO COMPLETE THE GRAPHIC ORGANIZER BELOW.

Category Soviet Communism American Democracy

Political System

Organizations

Economic System

Religion

Individual Rights

THE YALTA AND POSTDAM CONFERENCES In Feb. 1945, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin

met at Yalta to plan the reorganization of Europe at the end of the war

Agree on the formation of the United Nations Agreed that Germany would be divided into 4

occupation zones Agreed to allow free elections in the countries

they liberated (including Poland) 6 months later, when Truman and Stalin met

at the Potsdam Conference in Germany, serious differences began to emerge

THE COLD WAR BEGINS After the war, the Soviets saw a growing

threat from capitalist governments Stalin distrusted the West He created a wall of satellite countries as

a buffer against future invasions Refused to allow free elections in Poland

and other countries it occupied in Eastern Europe

Cut off trade between Eastern and Western Europe (closed the East to the West)

The U.S. refused to share the secrets behind the atom bomb

ORIGINS OF THE U.S. CONTAINMENT POLICYAmerican leaders responded to

the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe by developing a policy of containment.

Under this policy, they did not attempt to overturn Communism where it already existed, but resolved to prevent it from spreading further

APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED: Speaking on a visit to Missouri, Winston

Churchill told Americans in 1946 that “from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”

What did Churchill mean by the phrase “iron curtain”?

TRUMAN DOCTRINEWhen Communist rebels

threatened Greece and Stalin pressured Turkey, Truman offered them military aid

He believed that economic and financial aid should be used first

Did not want to make the mistake of “appeasement” that had failed against Hitler

THE MARSHALL PLAN (1948) After 6 years of war, much of Europe faced

famine due to decreased farm production Whole cities had to be rebuilt Truman believed miserable and desperate

people were more likely to turn to Communism

George C. Marshall (Sec. of State) proposed that massive aid be given to war-torn European countries to help rebuild their economies

Unlike WWI, it included aid to Germany and Italy

Created strong allies and trading partners for the U.S.

SUCCESS OF THE MARSHALL PLANGreatly benefited the American

economy in helping to rebuild war-torn Europe

Speeded the economic recovery of Western Europe (from 1948 to 1952, European economies grew at an unprecedented rate)

Created good will towards the U.S.

A DIVIDED GERMANYIn 1948, the French, British, &

Americans merged their German zones of occupation into a single state, West Germany

Berlin, the old capital, was located in the Soviet zone

The Soviets reacted to the merging of the Western zones by announcing a blockade of West Berlin, closing all highway and railroad links to the West

THE BERLIN AIRLIFTWestern Allies refused to abandon

West BerlinThey began a massive airlift to feed

and supply the cityWithin a year, Stalin lifted the

Soviet blockadeThe U.S. and its allies had shown

that they would not retreat when faced with aggressive behavior by the Soviet Union

ASSIGNMENT: Using the previous slides on the

powerpoint, complete the first three boxes on your graphic organizer “Roots of The Cold War”.

Soviet vs. American Systems:

Truman Doctrine Marshall Plan:

Berlin Airlift: Formation of NATO: Communism in China:

ROOTS OF THE COLD WAR

FORMATION OF NATO AND THE WARSAW PACT

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was made up of the U.S., Canada, and 10 Western European countries (1949)Based on the concept of collective

securityEach member pledged to defend every

other member if attackedThe U.S. extended its umbrella of

protection from nuclear weapons to Western Europe

The Soviets responded by creating the Warsaw Pact with its Eastern European satellites in 1955

FRICTION BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN Although Americans condemned Soviet

acts of force, the U.S. never directly intervened behind the Iron Curtain

Soviet leaders successfully suppressed an anti-Communist revolution that broke out in Hungary in 1956

They erected the Berlin Wall in 1961 to prevent East Germans from escaping to the West

invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 to overthrow a Czech reform government

CONTAINMENT IN ASIA Just when Americans believed their

containment policy had stopped the spread of Communism in Europe, the world’s most populous country became Communist in Asia

The question was raised: could American leaders check the spread of Communism, not only in Europe, but around the world?

CHINA FALLS TO COMMUNISM, 1949 Communists had tried to overthrow the

Nationalist government in China since the 1920s

After 1945, they were helped by the Soviets Communists led by Mao Zedong defeated the

Nationalists in 1949 Nationalist leaders fled to the island of

Taiwan Mao created the world’s largest Communist

state

U.S. REACTION TO COMMUNIST CHINAConsidered a crushing blow to the U.S.Truman refused to extend diplomatic

recognition to Communist ChinaUsing its veto power in the United

Nations, the U.S. also prevented “Red China” from being admitted to the U.N.

Also pledged to protect the Nationalist government on Taiwan against any Communist attacks

ASSIGNMENT: Using the previous slides on the

powerpoint, complete the graphic organizer “Roots of The Cold War”.

THE KOREAN WARMany Americans criticized U.S.

foreign policy, because they believed the government had not done enough to prevent the fall of China to Communism

After WWII, Korea (a former Japanese colony) was divided into two zones

The South was a non-communist state with an elected government

The North was under communist rule

CONTINUED… In 1950, North Korean forces invaded

South Korea to try to unify the country under Communist rule

Reminded of Nazi aggression before WWII, President Truman decided to oppose the North Koreans

The U.S. was able to get the United Nations to pass a resolution to send U.N. troops to Korea

This was the first time an international peace keeping force was used to force a halt to aggression

CONTINUED… General Douglas MacArthur commanded

U.N. forces The U.N. forces were able to push the

North Koreans back to their border and liberate Seoul

MacArthur then attacked North Korea and advanced toward the North Korean border with China

This brought a large Chinese army into the war, forcing MacArthur to retreat

CONTINUED… Truman and MacArthur openly disagreed

about tactics of the war MacArthur was relieved of his command

(an unpopular step in the U.S.) In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower was elected

President and pledged to end the war An armistice was signed in 1953 It provided for a demilitarized zone

between North and South Korea and a transfer of prisoners of war (Korea was divided exactly as it had been before the war)

COMPLETE THE FLOW CHART USING INFORMATION FROM THE POWERPOINT ABOUT THE KOREAN WAR:

In 1950, NorthKorean forces invaded SouthKorea

An armistice was signed in 1953 – Korea is divided as it was before the war

KOREAN WAR FLOW CHART

THE ARMS RACE By 1949, the Soviets had developed the

atomic bomb leading to a nuclear “arms race”

In 1952, the U.S. developed the hydrogen bomb, which was immensely more powerful than the original atom bomb

The Soviet Union exploded their first hydrogen bomb a year later

In the 1950s, U.S. military leaders used nuclear weapons as a deterrent rather than rely on a large military force

HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=IUNCBZHFKBQ

THE SPACE RACE In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the

first man-made satellite into space Sputnik was a little larger than a

basketball, weighed 184 pounds, and orbited the earth once every 98 minutes and was tracked by transmitting radio signals

This began a space race, since Americans were afraid the Soviets would use missiles to launch bombs and felt the U.S. was falling behind

The U.S. government started new programs in science education and also launched its own satellite in 1958

ADVANCES IN MEDICINE The post-war period saw many advances in

medicineAntibiotics treated infections and gave

new hopes for curesJonas Salk developed the first vaccine for

polio (paralyzed thousands of American children each year). He used a dead virus as the basis for the vaccine

Measles vaccineFirst heart transplantDiscovery of streptomycin, an antibiotic

to treat tuberculosis

THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

Truman established Loyalty Review Boards to investigate individual “un-American” activities (such as participation in the American Communist Party)

Many Americans were accused of actions on very little evidence and had no way to defend themselves (this violated their constitutional rights)

Congress established the House Un-American Activities Committee to conduct its own loyalty checks

The committee questions actors, directors, writers, and others about possible Communist sympathies

Those identified with ties to Communism were frequently “Blacklisted” and lost their jobs

Some, like Alger Hiss, were later prosecuted for perjury

Those that cooperated, were often asked to inform on others

CONTINUED…

THE ROSENBERG TRIALS In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were

charged with selling national secrets to the Soviet Union about making the atomic bomb

They were found guilty and executed for spying

Some people doubted their guilt (they were reminded of the Sacco & Venzetti case in the 20s)

However, the Verona Papers (released in 1997) revealed the identities of several Americans who had spied for the Soviets, and Julius Rosenberg was on it

THE MCCARTHY HEARINGS The fall of China increased fears of

internal subversion (people wanting to break up our democracy)

Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he knew the names of hundreds of Communists who had influenced the State Department and other government agencies

Like the Red Scare, McCarthy’s allegations created fear

Three years of hearings never provided concrete evidence or proof of his charges

“McCarthyism” is making harsh accusations without evidence

THE ARMS RACE: THE SPACE RACE: ADVANCES IN MEDICINE:

HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE:

ROSENBERG TRIAL/VENONA PAPERS:

“McCARTHYISM:

THE COLD WAR AT HOME

THE EISENHOWER PRESIDENCY (1953-1960) Foreign Policy:

Gave control of foreign policy to John Foster Dulles, his Secretary of State

Sought to contain the spread of Communism by preventing the Soviets from gaining additional influence

In 1957, Eisenhower announced he would send U.S. forces to any Middle Eastern nation that requested help in defending against Communism (Eisenhower Doctrine)

Signed a series of treaties around the world to contain Communism

CONTINUED…Domestic Policy:

The 1950s was a period of recovery and economic growth

Veterans received special benefits like low interest rates and educational grants

Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act (1956) creating a system of federal highways

Defense spending remained high because of the Cold War

A time of prosperity and growth of the middle class

Housing Boom. This was a time of high birth rates, known as the “baby boom.” This boom and the G.I. Bill (Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944) helping veterans led developers to build cheaper, mass-produced housing. Home ownership increased by 50%. The movement of middle-income families to the suburbs led to a declining urban tax base and decaying inner cities.

Economic Prosperity. The demand for consumer goods reached all-time highs. Millions of autos and TV sets were sold. The use of refrigerators and other appliances became widespread. The gross domestic product doubled between 1945 and 1960. America dominated world trade.

Conformity. In the 1950s, there was a greater emphasis on conformity. Unusual ideas were regarded with suspicion. Fear of Communism strengthened the dislike of non-conformist attitudes.

DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS DURING THE EISENHOWER PRESIDENCY