Chapter 15

JFK, Stalin, Truman

Post World War Tensions• Cold War- era of high

tension and bitter rivalry between US and USSR

• Iron Curtain- belief that communism had created a sharp division in Europe

Causes of Cold War

• Philosophical Differences- Democracy vs. Communism

• WWII Conflicts- Soviet front damages, US atomic bomb

• Postwar Conflicts- USSR refused to live up to wartime promises, US resists Soviet expansion

• Containment- late 1940’s, US should resist Soviet attempts to expand its power and influence over others. Not just military force but aid to countries to defend them against Soviets. Put to test in 1947 in Greece

• George F. Kennan- American diplomat and expert on USSR. Created containment policy

• Truman Doctrine- Policy of US to support free people who are resisting forced control by armed minorities or outside pressures

• Marshall Plan- June 1947, called for massive American aid to help Europe rebuild and get economy back. Stalin refused to help. Led to European economic upswing and USSR’s economy stalling

Berlin Airlift

NATO• North Atlantic Treaty Organization- April

1949 US and 6 other nations (Portugal, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Italy).

• New military alliance

• Attack against 1 is an attack against all

• (questions)

Post-War America• GI Bill- Servicemen’s Readjustment Act

“Government Issue”. June 1944-

• provided money for college or receive job training,

• gave loans for homes, farms, businesses

• Helped find work, provided unemployment

Baby Boom• Two decades following WWII, dramatic rise in birthrate

• Fair Deal- Truman, in tradition of New Deal, reform programs, health insurance and education funding.

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights- UN General Assembly 1948, set high goals for all member nations- all humans are free and equal

• (questions)

Fear of Communism!• House Un-American

Activities Committee (HUAC)- Original purpose was to investigate the full range of radical groups in the US, including fascist and communists- eventually came to only investigate Communism.

• Hollywood Ten- 1947, Hollywood writers, directors. 10 refused to answer questions about beliefs or those of their colleagues. Found guilty of contempt and blacklisted.

• Sen. Joseph McCarthy- Senator, fought against communism. Headed the HUAC

• McCarthyism- Sen. McCarthy’s tactic of making baseless charges and spreading fear of communism – tried to reveal communists in government agencies, brought them to committee

• (questions)

Korean WarAfter WWII, US and USSR divided Korea between the two, Korea had previously been

part of the Japanese Empire. 38th Parallel- the

dividing line between North Korea and South Korea as established by US and USSR. US control South of 38th, USSR controlled north of 38th

• Kim Il Sung- First leader of North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea). Sought to unify North and South under Communist control

• Police Action- Military force, sent to Korea under United Nations. US never declared war

• Panmunjom- 1952, Negotiators met and argued over peace details while small-scale fighting claimed thousands.