The Cold WarIn a Nutshell!

Hip Hughes review links

http://www.schooltube.com/video/22997c831d648c476045/

http://www.schooltube.com/video/f24e54bad67a4ae94cc5/The%20Cold%20War%20in%20Forty%20Minutes%20(2/4)

http://www.schooltube.com/video/a6cd4546a850aae8127d/The%20Cold%20War%20in%20Forty%20Minutes%20(3/4)

The Beginning

Stalin absorbs most of Eastern Europe into Soviet Union

Churchill gives ‘Iron Curtain’ speech in 1946 Fears Stalin wants to spread into Western Europe and East Asia,

Democratic nations must stand firm

Greece and Turkey struggling between Democracy and Communism Truman asks Congress for $$ - struggle of all free peoples Can’t become isolationist again ‘to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation

by armed minorities or by outside pressures’

The Strategies

Promises to aid nations struggling against communism – with money or military support

George Kennan – ‘Sources of Soviet Conduct’ – policy of Containment

Keep communism contained within existing borders Would require full commitment – economic, political, and

military power The Marshall Plan – recovery plan for Europe (Western Europe suffering – shortages of food, fuel, medical supplies) says without economic health there can’t be stability – economic or political

U.S. gives $13 billion in grants and loans Aid offered to Eastern Europe, Stalin refuses to allow them to

accept

West vs. East Berlin

West Berlin sees economic prosperity; East Berlin not so hot June 1948 – Stalin stops all highway, railway, and waterway

traffic from Western Germany into West Berlin – fear that West Berlin would fall to communism without aid

For year U.S. and Britain supply West Berlin with supplies from the sky – known as the Berlin Airlift – concept of containment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ30Rgc5Prc

The Treaties North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – 1949 – military

alliance to counter Soviet expansion – and attack against one is an attack against all

Collective security (sound like alliance issue of WWI? What is different?) Warsaw Pact – Soviet response to NATO; all satellites (except

Yugoslavia) of Soviet Union are members

China Goes Red

China falls to communism – Chiang Kai-Shek (Nationalist leader) fighting civil war against communist leader Mao Zedong

Soviets support Mao; U.S. Chiang Kai-Shek Corruption in Chiang Kai-Shek’s regime meant aid from U.S.

was not given to the poor; Mao promised to feed the people, winning support

Chiang Kai-Shek asked for military support, but U.S. not willing to commit 1/3 of world’s population was now under communism

Korean War

Korea had been divided by U.S. and Soviets after WWII – 38th parallel Soviets support North Korea; U.S. provides aid to South Korea June 1950 – North Korea attacks across 38th parallel

Truman doesn’t want to follow policy disaster of appeasement – announces we will aid South Korea

UN Security Council unanimously votes to follow Truman’s lead Soviet Union was absent – boycotting because UN refuses to seat

Mao’s People’s Republic of China

Truman sends in peacetime troops who were in Japan – unprepared for task at hand

Douglas MacArthur makes plan – attack, now that we have reinforcements, since North Korea most likely used up most resources on initial attack

South Korea retreats to 38th parallel, moves into North Korea even though China had warned us not to – China, even though MacArthur didn’t think it would happen, counter attacks – China now in war

Truman stresses policy of ‘Limited War’ – achieve only specific goals (1st Gulf War?)

MacArthur sends letter to House Rep. leader against it – leaks, MacArthur fired

War at stalemate – issue in election of 1952 Republican candidate Eisenhower promised to end war if elected

After he is elected becomes convinced he must take strong action to end stalemate – threatens use of nuclear weapons if necessary

That threat and Stalin’s death settle the conflict Although no ‘winner’ – long term effects

Set precedent of ‘military action’; increased military spending; new alliances in Asia – SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) – Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, France, Britain, U.S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGyRgYJKEY

Arms Race

1949 – Soviets test a nuclear weapon setting off the arms race, the cold war

Truman calls for gov’t to develop a stronger bomb – the H-bomb Einstein and Oppenheimer warn against developing it 1952 – we test an H-bomb; within a year Soviets have also Over the next 40 years both countries play the one-ups-manship

game – building planes, ships, etc to ‘deliver’ the nuclear weapons

Hope that this ‘mutually assured destruction’ would prevent either country from actually using them

Eisenhower’s Policy

Sec. of State – John Foster Dulles was an experienced diplomat who helped organize the UN, endorsed Truman’s ideas of containing communism

Disagreed with how to achieve it – believed Truman had led U.S. into many unnecessary conflicts – believe nuclear build up would deter communism

Conservatives felt downgrading conventional forces would weaken the U.S.; liberals feared that preparing for nuclear war would make nuclear war more likely

1954 Dulles announces policy of ‘massive retaliation’ Go to the brink of war to protect allies against communism

and communist aggression will prevent war – known as brinksmanship

Problems in the Soviet Union

Upon Stalin’s death, a resulting struggle for leadership leads to Nikita Khrushchev taking over

Meets with Eisenhower at a conference in Geneva in 1955, wants to move toward a ‘peaceful co-existence’ between the two countries

Leads to hope among some Soviet satellite countries that they may get their freedom (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary)

Workers in Poland riot against Soviet rule and gain greater control of their gov’t – but they do not pull out of Warsaw Pact

Hungarians see their chance and students and workers organize demonstrations – demand pro-Soviet Hungarian officials be replaced, that Soviet troops withdraw and that noncommunist political parties be organized

Response by Soviets is strong – sent soldiers and tanks to to crush revolution; execute leaders, kill hundreds of others, and restores hard line communism

Suez Crisis

Egypt’s leader, Nasser, decides to try to take advantage of Cold War rivalry

Nasser wants to construct a dam on the Nile River at Aswan U.S. initially offers to fund project, but Egypt recognizes

communist China and opens talks with Soviets, so we repeal the offer

Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal placing it under gov’t control

Action threatens Europe’s access to Middle Eastern oil France and Britain take action with consulting

Eisenhower – join forces with Israel to seize control of Suez Canal

Eisenhower outraged – nations had counted on support of U.S. and when it didn’t come, they had to pull out

Eisenhower Doctrine

1957 – Eisenhower makes a statement in response to Soviet influence in Middle East

U.S. would use force to help any Middle Eastern nation threatened by communism

Uses it as reason to put down revolt against pro-American gov’t in Lebanon

Uses CIA (Central Intelligence Agency – had been est. in 1947) to protect American interests using covert ops

1953 – CIA aided coup in Iran to put a pro-American gov’t in place

1954 – CIA places a similar gov’t in place in Guatemala

Sputnik

October 1957 – Soviets launch a 184-pound steel ball containing a small transmitter into an orbit of Earth – named Sputnik; later send dog up to see how living thing reacts

Scares Americans, who had thought they were superior to Soviets Congress quickly passes a $1 billion program intended to

produce more scientists and science teachers – National Defense Education Act

Establish NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) – coordinates the space-related efforts of American scientists and the military

Red Scare

Fear of communists both in and out of U.S. leads to Red Scare – Americans worried that as communism spread, some American communists had infiltrated our gov’t and were working for the Soviets

Truman creates Federal Employee Loyalty Program in 1947 – gives FBI and other gov’t security agencies to screen fed. Employees for signs of political disloyalty ; gave Attorney General power to compile a list of organizations that were deemed ‘totalitarian, fascist, or subversive’

1940 Smith Act (unlawful to teach or advocate the violent overthrow of U.S. Gov’t) used to cripple Communist Party in U.S.

HUAC and the Hollywood Ten

1938 Congress forms the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to investigate possible subversive activities

1947 – target movie industry Group of left-wing writers, directors, and producers known as

the Hollywood Ten refused to answer questions when called before Congress invoking their 5th Amendment rights

Creates a blacklist in Hollywood people who should not be hired

Case of Wallace v. United States in 1957 says that witnesses called before HUAC could not be forced to name names

Leads to an unwillingness in Hollywood to make movies about controversial and/or social issues Investigations seen as a hit to our Freedom of Speech, but efforts to

root out communists enter all areas of American life – universities, labor unions, scientists, and city halls

Oppenheimer denied security clearance due to family members belong to ‘the party’

Hiss and the Rosenbergs

Alger Hiss had worked on New Deal programs and helped organize the UN, but he had associated himself with Whittaker Chambers

Chambers had become a communist espionage agent – testified in 1948 naming Hiss as one of his contacts

Richard Nixon was a young congressman who convinced the committee to move forward against Hiss

Hiss found guilty and Nixon is brought to spotlight and becomes Eisenhower’s running mate in 1952

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were charged with conspiring to pass secret information about nuclear science to the Soviets

Case based on word of one spy; many felt they were targeted because they were Jewish and communists

Found guilty and sentenced to death New evidence in the 1990s proves guilt of Julius, but Ethel was

most likely innocent

McCarthysim

1950 – little known Congressman from Wisconsin claims to have list of communist agents within the State Department

Never actually produces list, but it grabs the attention of the American public who is in the midst of the Red Scare and spread of communism elsewhere in the world

For four years, McCarthy tries to make accusations So extreme the term ‘McCarthyism’ has come to mean ‘extreme,

reckless charges’ made against someone or a group McCarthy becomes chair of committee to make investigations –

being accused by McCarthy led to people losing jobs and destroying reputations

Senate decides to televise the hearings to sort things out America gets a taste of McCarthy’s bullying tactics – by the

time hearings end, McCarthy is censured (condemned) by the Senate and America sees him as a fool – the Red Scare is over

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAur_I077NA