Communism & the beginning of the Cold War 1945-1991

Communism & the beginning of the Cold War

1945-1991

Background on communism

• Founded by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels in 1848 when they wrote the Communist Manifesto

• Marx & Engles believed that “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”

• Marxist/communist view of history: hunter-gatherers agriculture feudalismcapitalismsocialism

communism (last stage of history)

Communism (continued)• Communism pitted the bourgeoisie

(middle class) against the proletariat (working class)

• Marx & communists argued for greater control of property & money by the state; this would be a precursor to the ultimate goal of communism: a stateless, classless society

• Communists wanted a complete abolishment of private property eventually

Some things to remember:

• Since 1848, communism has meant different things to different people

• If you ask 1000 Christian what Christianity is, you’ll get 1000 different answers; same with communism

• Usually, Marxism = communism• Socialism does not always equal

communism

Russian Revolution of 1917• During WWI, the Russian army,

economy, & government collapsed• Communists led by V.I. Lenin took

control of the government, thus establishing the first communist state in the world

• Lenin had his own version of Marxism, believing a revolutionary party was needed to establish socialism and then communism by force, and to establish a dictatorship of the proletariat

How did this help start the Cold War?

• Lenin, Stalin, & the USSR did not sit idly by and wait for the proletariat to revolt, as Marx seemed to; instead they promoted & agitated for communist revolution

OPVL Practice:

• Origin: who? Where? Date?• Purpose: why? Is it trying to

persuade? Who is the intended audience?

• Value: what does it say about the author and/or event being described?

• Limitations: any biases or omissions?

Speech by President Truman, March 12, 1947

Truman Doctrine & Containment

• Truman Doctrine: U.S. would support Greece & Turkey economically & militarily against communist aggression

• Containment: U.S. policy “containing” communism where it already exists, but actively intervening in certain cases to stop its spread

Speech by Winston Churchill @ Westminster College in Missouri,

March 5, 1946

The “iron curtain”

• Iron curtain: symbolic term given to the division of Europe between capitalist/democratic areas and communist/Soviet areas

Divided Europe

Blue/democratic countries alligned w/ U.S.: Spain, Portugal, France, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, West Germany, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Turkey; Pink/communist countries: East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, USSRGreen/non-Soviet communist: Yugoslavia; Gray: Ireland, Switzerland, Austria

Divided Germany & Berlin

Original NATO Members:

HUAC: House Un-American Activities Committee

Marshall Plan: Propping up Europe

Korean War breaks out in 1950

The Korean War: 1950-1953

The 1950s• Eisenhower

administration• Consumer culture &

economic prosperity• The baby boom• Rock n Roll• Beginning of the Civil

Rights Movement

Launch of Sputnik: Oct 1957

American Reaction to Sputnik

Sputnik I