CHAPTER 18

COLD WAR CONFLICTS

The United States and the Soviet Union werewartime allies. But there had been trouble between them for some time. A major reason was that they had opposing political and economic systems. In addition, the Soviets were angry that the United States had taken so long to launch an attack against Hitler in Europe. Stalin also did not like that the United States had kept the development of the atomic bomb a secret. Americans were upset that Stalin had signed a treaty with Hitler before World War II. Still, at the end of the war, people hoped that the United Nations (UN) would help bring a time of peace. Instead, the UN became a place where the two superpowers competed and tried to influence other nations.

International peacekeeping

organization formed in 1945.

Ans—United Nations

Truman and Stalin disagreed over the future ofEurope. Truman wanted strong democratic nations. He wanted the United States to be able to buy raw materials in Eastern Europe. He also wanted Eastern European markets for American products. Stalin wished to spread communism. He also wanted to control Eastern Europe to prevent another invasion of Soviet territory. He wanted to use the resources of Germany and Eastern Europe to rebuildhis war-torn nation.

Stalin set up Communist governments in theEuropean nations occupied by Soviet troops. They became satellite nations, countries that depended on and were dominated by the Soviet Union. The United States answered with a policy of containment. This was an effort to block Soviet influence by making alliances and supporting weaker nations. In 1946, Winston Churchill described “an ironcurtain” coming down across Europe. It separated the nations in the “Soviet sphere” from the capitalist democracies of the West.

A country dominated politically &

economically by another nation.

Ans—Satellite Nation

Policy of US to block the spread of Soviet influence during late

1940’s/1950’s.

Ans-Containment

A phrase used by Winston Churchill to describe

division of Europe into West and East.

Ans—Iron Curtain

The conflicting aims of the United States and the Soviet Union led to the Cold War. This was a state of hostility between these superpowers, but onewithout military action. Each tried to spread its political and economic influence worldwide.

State of Hostility between US & USSR after WWII without

direct military conflict.

Ans—Cold War

Truman’s first test of containment was when Greece and Turkey needed economic and military aid in 1947. In the Truman Doctrine, the president argued that aid should be sent to any nation trying to stop Communists from taking over. Congress agreed. Aid was sent to Turkey and Greece. Western Europe was also in terrible economic shape. Secretary of State George Marshall wanted to send aid to nations that cooperated with American economic goals. When Soviet troops took over Czechoslovakia in 1949. Congress saw the need for strong, stable governments to resist communism. It approved the Marshall Plan. The plan was a great success in rebuilding Western Europe and halting the spread of communism.

Policy of providing economic & military aid

to free nations threatened by

internal/external opponents.

Ans—Truman Doctrine

US supplies economic aid to European

nations to help them rebuild after WWII.

Ans—Marshall

Plan

East and West also disagreed over Germany. Stalinwanted to keep it weak and divided. The Western allies thought Europe would be more stable if Germany were united and productive. Berlin was also divided into four occupied zones. But it was located in Soviet-controlled East Germany. The Soviets cut off all transportation to West Berlin. West Berlin was the name given the zones occupied by Britain, France, and the United States. The Soviets said they would hold the city hostage until the West gave up the idea of German reunification. Instead, the United States and Britain started the Berlin Airlift. For 327 days, planes brought food and supplies to West Berlin. Finally, the Soviets gave up the blockade. The blockade made the West worry about Soviet aggression. The United States and Canada joined with ten European nations in a defensive military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Members agreed that an attack on one was an attack on all.

Operation in which US planes flew in food/fuel to German capital when Soviets blockaded city.

Ans—Berlin Airlift

A defensive military alliance formed by US and 10 Western

European Countries.

Ans—North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

For two decades the Chinese Communists struggled against the Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai-shek. The United States supported Chiang because he opposed communism. However, Chiang’s government was inefficient and corrupt. He overtaxed the Chinese people even during times of famine, and did not have their support. Mao Zedong led the Communist forces in the North. He won the support of many Chinese peasants. Mao distributed land to them and reduced rents. He had an experienced army with high morale. In 1949, Chiang and his forces had to flee to Taiwan, an island off the coast of China. China was now Communist. Containment in China had failed.

Leader of Nationalist forces in China.

Ans—Chiang Kai-Shek

Island off China’s Coast

Ans--Taiwan

Leader of Communist forces in China

Ans—Mao Zedong

Japan had ruled Korea since 1910. At the end of World War II, Japanese forces in the north surrendered to the Soviets. In the south, the Japanese surrendered to the Americans. Two nations then developed. They were separated by the 38th parallel, an imaginary line that divides Korea at 38 degrees north latitude. In 1948, South Korea became an independent nation. North Korea became a Communist nation. Each claimed the right to rule all of Korea. In June 1950, North Korea started the Korean War by invading South Korea. The United Nations agreed to help South Korea. Troops from 16 nations - most of them American - were sent to South Korea. They were led by General Douglas MacArthur.

Imaginary line that divides Korea.

Ans—38th Parallel

War begun when Northern Communists invaded Southern part

of country in 1950.

Ans—Korean War

For two years, fighting continued. But neither side advanced. MacArthur wanted to extend the war into China. He even suggested dropping atomic bombs on China. Truman was against this strategy. The Soviets were allies of the Chinese. Truman felt bombing China would start World War III. MacArthur continued to argue for his plan. He spoke to the press and to Republican leaders. Truman felt that he could no longer allow MacArthur’s insubordination. He fired MacArthur as commander. A cease-fire went into effect in June 1951. Both sides agreed on a demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel. An armistice was signed in July 1953. The agreement was a stalemate. Korea was still divided between Communist North Korea and non-Communist South Korea. Many people felt that American lives had been lost for little gain. Americans also became even more worried about Communist expansion abroad and Communist spies at home.

Many Americans felt threatened by the rise of Communist governments in Europe and Asia. Some even felt that Communists could threaten the U.S. government from within. These fears increased when people found out about some spies selling U.S. government secrets to the Soviets. In 1947, Congress set up the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). Its purpose was to look for Communists both inside and outside government. HUAC concentratedon the movie industry because of suspected Communistinfluences in Hollywood. Ten people called before HUAC refused to testify. They said the hearings were unconstitutional. The Hollywood Ten, as they were called, were sent to prison for their refusal. In response to the HUAC hearings, Hollywood executives created a list of some 500 people they thought were Communist-influenced. They refused to hire the people on this blacklist. Many people’s careers were ruined.

Congressional committee that looked for communist spies

Ans—HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee).

People called before HUAC who refused to testify and were jailed

Ans—Hollywood 10

People in Hollywood who were refused jobs because they

didn’t cooperate with HUAC.

Ans--Blacklist

Two spy cases added to the fear of communismsweeping the nation. One involved an official of the State Department named Alger Hiss. A former Soviet spy accused Hiss of spying for the Soviet Union. Hiss was convicted of perjury for lying, and went to jail. In 1949, the Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb. A British scientist admitted giving the Soviets secret information about the American bomb. He also implicated two Americans: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. The Rosenbergs were members of the American Communist Party. They denied the charges of spying. But they were convicted and sentenced to death. The Rosenbergs were executed in 1953.

Former State Department official accused of spying

for Soviets

Ans—Alger Hiss

Tried and executed for selling Atomic bomb secrets to USSR

Ans—Julius & Ethel Rosenberg

In the early 1950s, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy made headlines. He claimed thatCommunists were taking over the government. He also said the Democrats were guilty of treason forallowing this Communist infiltration. McCarthy never produced any evidence to support his charges. These unsupported attacks on suspected Communists became known as McCarthyism. Later, McCarthyism also came to mean the unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty without producing evidence. Some complained that McCarthy was violating people’s constitutional rights. In 1954, McCarthy made accusations against the U.S. Army. The Senate hearings were broadcast on national television. The American people watched McCarthy bully witnesses but produce no evidence. McCarthy lost public favor. The Senate voted to condemn him.

Republican Senator from Wisconsin who claimed the Communists were

taking over the US Government

Ans—Joseph McCarthy

Term used to refer to tactic of accusing

people of disloyalty without producing

evidence

Ans--McCarthyism

The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949. American leaders wanted to develop a more powerful weapon. In 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, or H-bomb. But the Soviets tested their own H-bomb in 1953. Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. His secretary of state, John Foster Dulles, was very anti-Communist. He said America must not compromise. The United States must be prepared to use all of its nuclear weapons against any aggressor.This willingness to go to the edge, or brink, of war was called brinkmanship.

Republican President after Truman in 1950’s

Ans—Dwight D. Eisenhower

Type of bomb 500x more powerful than the

atomic bomb

Ans—Hydrogen Bomb

Willingness to go to the edge of war

Ans--Brinkmanship

The United States began making more nuclearweapons. So did the Soviet Union. This was called the arms race. Many Americans feared a nuclear attack at any time. They had air-raid drills and fallout shelters to prepare for these attacks. The United States was in competition with the Soviet Union all over the world. President Eisenhower began to rely on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA used spies to get information abroad. It also carried out covert actions, or secret operations, to weaken or overthrowgovernments unfriendly to the United States.

Spy Agency of US

Ans—CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)

Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died in 1953. At first, tensions eased between the superpowers. People called it a thaw in the Cold War. But when West Germany joined NATO, the Soviet Union formed a military alliance with its satellite nations in 1955.This alliance was called the Warsaw Pact. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, came to power in the years after Stalin’s death. Unlike Stalin, he believed communism could triumph through peaceful means.

Military Alliance of USSR and eastern European satellite

nations

Ans—Warsaw

Pact

Soviet Leader

after Joseph Stalin died.

Ans—Nikita Khrushchev

In 1956, a crisis developed in the Middle East.Egypt seized control of the Suez Canal. The Canal was located in Egypt but owned by Britain and France, who had built it. Egypt was an ally of the Soviet Union. Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt to take the Canal back. The Soviets threatened to bomb Britain and France. The United States threatened to retaliate. During the crisis,Eisenhower issued a warning, known as theEisenhower Doctrine. It said the United Stateswould defend the Middle East against Communist attack.

Policy stated that US would defend the

Middle East against Communist Attack.

Ans—Eisenhower Doctrine

On October 4, 1957, the Soviets shocked theworld by launching Sputnik I. It was the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. American scientists also worked hard to catch up. The United States had been flying spy missions over the Soviet Union. The CIA used U-2 aircraft that flew so high they could not be shot down. However, on May 1, 1960, a U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured and convicted of spying. This U-2 incident happened right before a meeting between Eisenhower and Khrushchev. At the meeting, Khrushchev criticized the United States and walked out. The U-2 incident hurt Eisenhower’s ability to deal with the Soviets.

Spy Plane shot down and pilot captured in 1960

                                                              

                         

Ans—U2 Incident

                                                     

                                                          

Pilot of U2 spy plane shot down over Soviet Union in May 1960

Ans—Francis Gary Powers

Chapter 18Visual Reflection

Visual Reflection

• Directions: On your sheet, write down your immediate thoughts on each image that you see on the screen. Ask yourself, who is involved, what are people doing, what might they be experiencing, what kind of emotion are they expressing.

Visual Reflection Ch. 18• 1.• 2.• 3.• 4.• 5.• 6.• 7.• 8.• 9.• 10

#1: Which 2 superpowers emerge AFTER WWII by looking at the images

below?

#2: What does this map tell us #2: What does this map tell us about geography of Germany about geography of Germany

AFTER WWII?AFTER WWII?

#3: What does Stalin look like he’s doing in this political cartoon?

#4: Which countries received the most #4: Which countries received the most $$ in assistance from the U.S. after $$ in assistance from the U.S. after

WWII?WWII?

#5: What is Stalin trying to block #5: What is Stalin trying to block from European Recovery?from European Recovery?

#6: What do the Soviet Union and China have in common by looking

at the images below? They are both___________

#7: What does this map tell us about the political #7: What does this map tell us about the political situation of Korea? situation of Korea?

8. What are Americans fearful of in the image below?

9. What kind of “race” are the U.S. 9. What kind of “race” are the U.S. and Soviet Union in with one another?and Soviet Union in with one another?

#10: What kind of “race” will now push the U.S. and Soviet Union into further

competition w/one another?