Chapter 18 Cold War Conflicts

Objectives:

• To examine the problems of the growing threat of communism.

• To help students recognize the fear of Communism led to violations of American freedoms.

• The US and the Soviet Union emerged from World War II as 2 “superpowers” with different political and economic systems.

• Democracy (capitalism) vs. Communism (state controlled, totalitarianism)

• Differences led to a Cold War that lasted until the 21st Century. It was a bitter rivalry in which the 2 countries fought each other in every way except direct confrontation on the battlefield.

• See table page 604

United Nations

• Apr. 25, 1945 – repres. of 50 nations met in San Francisco to est. the peacekeeping UN.

• 5 founding members – US, USSR, Fr., Gr. Br. and China

• It soon became a battleground for the 2 superpowers.

• 5 members of the Security Council have veto power.

• Truman became Pres. at the death of FDR in Apr. 1945.

Last meeting of Allied leaders before the end of WWII: – Potsdam Conference – Stalin was the only

one of the Big Three who had experience. Atlee replaced Churchill. Truman replaced FDR. Stalin took advantage.

– Stalin did not allow free elections in the countries he liberated.

• Communists est. gov’ts in Albania, Bulgaria, Czech., Hungary, Romania, and Poland. They became known as satellite nations.

• Soviet leader Stalin made a speech saying communism and capitalism were incompatible and that war was inevitable.

• 1946, George Kennan, Am. diplomat, proposed policy of containment to stop the spread of communism in areas not already controlled.

• Containment became Truman’s policy.

• "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. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow"

• Sinews of Peace Winston Churchill March 5 1946

Map in book page 605)

• Truman Doctrine – US would support free people who resist subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.

• US gave monetary aid to keep Communists out of countries.

• Marshall Plan – Post WWII, W. Europe was in chaos. Sec. of State Marshall proposed we give aid ($) to help rebuild European countries. We hoped if we gave aid, it would keep out the Communists.

• see table page 606

• Struggle over Germany

• Stalin sought to take all of Berlin. 1948, he closed the roads into West Berlin. No food or fuel could reach the city.

• Berlin airlift – Airplanes flew in supplies 24 hours a day for 327 days…raised our prestige around the world.

• Western Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany and the Eastern part became the German Democratic Republic.

NATO• North Atlantic Treaty Organization 1949,

formed to defend democracies against Communist Soviet Union. NATO had its own military.

• Soviet response was to organize the Warsaw Pact of Communist countries.

Problems in China:

• Chinese Communists and Nationalists had fought each other for years.

• Nat’lists - led by Chiang Kai-shek

• Mao Zedong - led Communists, won peasant support by teaching them to read, helping improve food production, and promising land reform.

Result - civil war

• US aided the Nationalists.

• May, 1949, Chiang fled to the island of Taiwan (Formosa). US helped set up the Taiwan as the real “China”.

COMMUNISTS NOW RULED THE MAINLAND OF CHINA – PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - MAO ZEDONG

• Containment had failed.

• Fear of Communist Revolution rose.

• Paranoia led Pres. Truman to set up the Federal Employee Loyalty Review Board.

• Attorney Gen. drew up a list of “subversive groups”.

• A witch hunt followed…..another “red scare”…

• Individuals under investigation were not allowed to see evidence against them.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

• first investigated the movie industry

• believed Communist propaganda in movies

• Hollywood Ten (directors, stars, etc.) – refused to answer ?’s; went to jail

• Blacklist of people associated with Communism, couldn’t get jobs

Spy Cases:

• Alger Hiss – accused of spying for the SU.

• sent to jail for perjury, not enough evidence to convict.

• Richard Nixon helped convict Alger Hiss as a spy.

• K. Fuchs, 1950, admitted giving info to Russians about the atomic bomb

• Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union.

• Both executed,

• first civilians

executed for

treason…..

• page 620-621

• Joseph McCarthy – Republican, led the attacks on Communists.

• McCarthyism – witch hunt for Communists.

• Accused Democratic Party of allowing Communist infiltration of the gov’t.

• 1954, accused US Army officials, led to televised Sen. investigation.

• McCarthy’s behavior alienated people and led to his downfall.

Race for the H-Bomb

• Hydrogen bomb – would be the most destructive weapon ever produced. 67 times more destructive than the bombs dropped on Japan.

• SU also sought to develop this bomb.

• We won, Nov. 1952. The Soviets followed in 1953.

• Dwight D. Eisenhower became Pres. in 1953.

• John F. Dulles was his Sec. of State.• Eisenhower’s policy of Brinkmanship – the

willingness of the US to go to war to stop Communism caused the US to begin an arms buildup.

• The H Bomb terrified people.

• People begin building fall-out shelters and drills for air-raid procedures.

• Some families built underground shelters.

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) stepped up its activities; it began covert operations to weaken and overthrow unfriendly gov;ts.

• The Soviet KGB operated in much the same fashion.

• For example, in 1953, we helped the Shah of Iran to regain power in Iran.

• Eisenhower met Stalin in Switzerland in 1955 to try to start an “open skies” policy. Stalin refused, but the “spirit of Geneva” showed signs of peace

• Eisenhower Doctrine – US would defend the Middle East against any attack by a communist country.

• Hungarians revolted against Communist control, but US did not get involved.

• Soviet veto kept the UN from getting involved.

• Hungarians were bitterly disappointed that we didn’t help them kick out the Soviets.

Cold War took another turn:• 1953, Nikita Khrushchev took over power

in SU. ; favored a policy of “peaceful co-existence” with the West. He sought to compete scientifically and economically.

• Space Race – 1957, SU launched Sputnik, first artificial satellite that traveled around the earth.

• 1958, US launched its first satellite.

• U-2 Incident – Francis Gary Powers’ plane was shot down over SU. He was sentenced to 10 years in Soviet prison for spying. (only served 18 months, prisoner exchange)

• This incident aggravated tension between the superpowers because Eisenhower refused to apologize.