Period 8: 1945-1980

List as many pieces of SFI as you can from 1945-1980.

What major challenges will Americans face during this time period?

Thematic Predictions America in the World Peopling Work, Exchange, &

Technology (Economy) Belief Systems &

Culture Identity Geography &

Environment Politics and Power

Cold War Foreign Policy

Period: 1945-1980 “The American Century”

“Who the hell is Harry Truman?”

McCullough Reading Discussion

After World War II, the United States sought to stem

the growth of Communist military power and ideological influence, create a stable global economy, and build an international security system. The United States developed a foreign policy based on

collective security and a multilateral economic framework that bolstered non-Communist nations.

The United States sought to “contain” Soviet-dominated communism through a variety of measures, including military engagements in Korea and Vietnam.

The Cold War fluctuated between periods of direct and indirect military confrontation and periods of mutual coexistence (or détente).

Key Concept 8.1: The United States responded to an uncertain and unstable postwar world by asserting

and attempting to defend a position of global leadership, with far-reaching domestic and

international consequences.

Truman’s Policies

Marshall Plan George C. Marshall

United Nations NATO “The Truman

Doctrine” George Kennan Containment

HAPP each document

Summarize the main points of American foreign policy under Truman and chose one time period to analyze the continuity and change over time of foreign policy

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

N. Korea Invades S. Korea

HTS: Causation Generate a list of as

many SFI that would have a causal role in this hypothetical event from time period 8.

Chinese Civil War

Chiang Kai-shek vs. Mao Zedong

1949—Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan—only Chinese gov’t recognized by US for 30 years

US “lost China”

A-bomb to H-bomb

Soviet tests A-bomb 1949

40 years of weapons build up Over 100,000 nuclear

weapons Convince the other

that they “have the balls to push the button”

NSC-68

Korean War

Japanese occupied Korean peninsula since 1910.

Indication of fragile relationship b/w US and Soviet Union during WWII

38th parallel 1950—N. Korea attacks S

(encouraged by Stalin and Mao)

War declared via UN Security Council…how?

No Congressional declaration

Initially losing to N. Korea MacArthur’s strategy turns

tide Purpose shifts: S invades N.

(containment?) China attacks MacArthur asks for 34 A-

bombs, naval blockade, & air raids

Truman vs. MacArthur (“Mr. Prima Donna”)

Truce in 1953, 136,000 US deaths, 1 mil S. Korean, 1.5 mil N. Korean & Chinese

Red Scare/McCarthyism

1947—loyalty oath 1949, 11 top leaders of

US Communists Party convicted— “clear and present danger”

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg = spies for Soviet Union

HUAC Joseph McCarthy (R

Senator from WI)

Red Scare/McCarthyism

McCarran Internal Security Act 1950

“combine, conspire, or agree with any person to perform any act which would substantially contribute to…the establishment of a totalitarian dictatorship”

Truman veto—”government shouldn’t be in the business of mind control”

Congress overrides

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Document Analysis

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

H. Context: Audience: Point of View: Purpose:

SFI connections?

Implications for US?

Lippmann, “A Critique of Containment”

Long-term consequences

Cold War & Eisenhower

1953-1961

Eisenhower—1952 Election

Supreme commander of the Allied forces WWII

President of Columbia U. Supreme commander of NATO

forces in Paris “I like Ike” VP = Nixon Platform: domestic = “we’re

not communist” Foreign policy = “roll back

Communism” Adlai Stevenson “egghead” Republicans carried parts of

the South—why?

Domestic Policy

“Dynamic Conservatism” Economically

conservative socially liberal

Kept parts of New Deal in tact Expanded SS

Federal-Aid Highway Act (1956)

Decline of McCarthy Red Scare

Foreign Policy—Korea

Peace in Korea—1953 Stalin dies “world’s weirdest

dictatorships” S.

Korea=democratic success story

Last of US troops to die in combat during both terms

“Roll Back” & “massive retaliation”

John Foster Dulles (Sec of State) “dull, duller, Dulles” Fired Kennan Containment=passive “roll back” = liberation “every peaceful means

but only peaceful means”

Maximum deterrent at a good price

“brinksmanship”

Reality…

E. Germans—1953 Hungary—1956

No US assistance 200,000 Soviet troops +

4,000 tanks 40,000 ‘freedom fighters’

killed Nagy excecuted Heavy rhetoric with little

follow through Covert Operations

CIA (created 1947) Head=Allen Dulles Decolonization= awkward

foreign policy for the US

Foreign Interventions

Operation Ajax—Iran (1951) CIA engineered

coup At request of the

British overthrew Mossadegh (propaganda, arrests, etc…)

Supported the Shah

CIA cont…

Guatemala (1954) Arbenz Guzman took over

US owned property and industry

Dulles argued he had fallen to international communism

150 Guatemalans + CIA war planes forced Arbenz Guzman into exile

Dictator established created a police state and eliminated political opposition

Indochina…

Ho Chi Minh French colonial

history US bolstered French

control w/ money but no troops

Ngo Dinh Diem (South)

Viet Cong (1957)

The Suez War

Egypt—Nasser (1952) Destruction of Israel Played Cold War game Nasser seized Suez

Canal British, Israeli, and

French troops invaded Nasser sinks all forty

international ships in canal

Eisenhower instrumental in negotiating peace Why so problematic?

Khrushchev & Eisenhower

American National Exhibition in Moscow (1959) “kitchen debates”

Krushchev & Nixon U-2 Summit (1960)

Being nice, spying, lying about it, exchange spies…

Negative impact on personal relationship

And then there is Cuba…

Fidel Castro (1959) US supported dictator Communism = ‘anti-

American’ Soviet Union

supported Castro after took power and warned US to stay out

Ended diplomatic relations w/ US

Plots to overthrow…

Military Industrial Complex

Eisenhower’s Farewell Address What specific changes

in American society led to Eisenhower’s speech?

What was Eisenhower warning American’s about? Was he right?

How has additional information changed the analysis of this speech?

Cold War & Kennedy

1960-1963

“New Frontier”—opportunity of the

unknown Kennedy vs. Nixon

Roman Catholic, charismatic

Televised debates Civil Rights Extremely close

election LBJ=VP Electoral college goes

rogue in Mississippi & Alabama (vote for Byrd)

Foreign Policy

Special Forces “Green Berets” for co-op missions

Bay of Pigs (1961) Why such a big deal? Krushchev thinks

Kennedy is an idiot Berlin Wall (1961) Arms race

McNamara (Sec of Defense)

Cuban Missile Crisis

Krushchev puts missiles with nuclear war heads in Cuba Why? Bay of Pigs Missiles in Turkey Accusations from

China for being too nice to US

‘surgical airstrikes’ Naval blockades October 22, 1962…everyone

thought they were going to get nuked

Agreement made to remove missiles from Cuba in exchange for promise not to attack

US sells SU excess wheat Gov ‘hotline’ established Limited Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Krushchev gets booted a year

later Détente approaching

Kennedy and Vietnam

Situation deteriorating Diem extremely

repressive Murdered by S.

Vietnamese generals Kennedy dispatched

‘military advisors’ 1961=2,000 troops 1963=16,000 Planned to

withdrawal by 1965

Who was right? Lippmann

or Kennan? HTS: Cold War Causation—

How did the Cold War effect domestic society?

LEQ Analysis--

Debate