Chapter 25The Cold War Era

The Cold WarThe United States and the Soviet Union were allies during World War. However, after the war these two countries were in complete opposition and conflict politically, economically and socially. These distinct differences created a global atmosphere of tension which never developed into direct military confrontation but created a “warlike” relationship between the two nations.

Expansion of Communism

After World War II, the nations of Eastern Europe fell under Soviet rule. The “iron curtain” fell across Europe separating democratic nations and communist dominated nations. The United States would not tolerate any further Communist expansion.

Truman Doctrine

When the Soviet Union wished to expand into Greece and Turkey, President Truman addressed the situation with what became known as the Truman Doctrine.

Truman DoctrineTruman thought to promote democracy in Greece and Turkey. He put forth containment in order to obstruct Communism and to stimulate a free and just government that will protect the basic human rights. The Truman Doctrine was an approach which combines political, economic, and strategic elements. Truman strived to strengthen the non-Soviet world by encouraging political liberty and economic prosperity; he also made freedom the centerpiece of the American postwar foreign policy.

The Marshall PlanGiving billions of dollars in aid to Western Europe according to the Marshall Plan in 1948. This aid improved the tattered economies of Western Europe and quieted communist movements. The plan also ensured that Western Europe would spend much of its aid money buying American goods.

Secretary of State George Marshall

The Berlin Airlift

The blockade of Berlin began on June 24, 1948.When Stalin cut off western access to Berlin, Truman refused to back down. He ordered the Air Force to drop thousands of pounds of food, clothing, and other goods to West Berlin in the Berlin Airlift.After 200,000 flights, the Soviet Union lifts the blockade May 12, 1949.

The Berlin Airlift

International Organizations

1.The United Nations (UN)

2. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

3. Warsaw Alliance

The United Nations

The main goals of the UN were to maintain peace and settle international disputes. Every nation would have a seat in the organization's General Assembly, but the real power would reside with Security Council. The UN’s greatest successes have been fighting in hunger and disease and improving education. Through relief programs, the UN has provided tons of goods, clothing, and medicine to victims of disaster.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

President Truman signing the NATO Alliance Pact before members of Congress, 1949

NATO allied the U.S. with Canada, France, Great Britain and other countries in Western Europe. Each NATO member pledged to support the others in the event of a Soviet invasion.

Warsaw Pact 1955

In 1955, when West Germany was allowed to rearm and join NATO, the Soviet Union formed its own military alliance. The Warsaw Pact linked the Soviet Union with seven Eastern European countries.

Election of 1948

In one of the greatest political upsets in American history, Harry Truman defeated N.Y. Governor Thomas Dewey for the presidency. Truman won by over 2 million in the popular vote and beat Dewey 303 to 189 in the electoral vote.

The Cold War Continues

In 1949, the Republic of China led by Mao Zedong becomes Communist China.

The Cold War Continues

In 1949, the Soviet Union detonates their first atomic bomb. The arms race begins.

What is the arms race?

In 1950, Communist North Korea invades free, democratic South Korea. The United States sends troops to assist the South Korean army.

Why?

McCarthyismIn the early 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy, the junior senator from Wisconsin, rode the wave of fear generated by communism and the Cold War in order to further his own political ambitions. He raised charges that the U.S. Army was infiltrated with communists.

H.U.A.C.McCarthy headed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) which, at first, investigated communist infiltration into the Army and then into many other walks of American life particularly the entertainment industry.

H.U.A.C

Hundreds of writers and actors from movies and television were asked to appear before the committee and explain their association with communist organizations or to “name names”. Many careers were ruined and some people never worked again.

RosenburgsIn 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenburg were convicted of selling atomic secrets to the Soviet Union . They were executed in the electric chair in 1953.

Truman and MacArthurGeneral Douglas MacArthur wished to expand the Korean War into China using nuclear weapons. This contradicted the orders of the Truman administration to limit the war, not expand it. Despite repeated warnings from President Truman, MacArthur continued to argue for his strategy in the press and to the American public.

Truman fires MacArthur

In a move that was very unpopular at the time, President Truman fired General MacArthur. A large majority of the American public was outraged. However, after all the facts came out, it was clear that Truman did the right thing.

The 1950’sThe decade of the 1950’s, in which Dwight Eisenhower served two terms as president, was a time notable for four key themes: an escalation of the Cold War, the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, a booming ,prosperous economy and the growth of mass culture fed by that prosperous economy.

Postwar ProsperityThe federal government was not going to make the same economical mistakes that occurred after World War I. The American economy would be prepared to make a smooth transition back to a peacetime economy. The cornerstone of the tremendous economic prosperity that took place after the war was the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 or better known as the GI Bill of Rights.

GI Bill of RightsReturning veterans of war would find a world of opportunity awaiting them as they got home.

- While looking for work, veterans could collect unemployment insurance for six months

- The federal government would provide loans for education, business or homes.

Postwar Baby BoomBetween 1945 and 1964, the birth rate in the United States steadily increased, for the most part, year after year. These newborns became known as the Baby Boom Generation.

HousingThe cornerstone of American prosperity after the war was the housing industry. According to the GI Bill of Rights, every returning serviceman was eligible for a home mortgage offered by the federal government. In the early 1950’s, William Levitt, a pioneer in home construction built entire communities of identical, affordable homes marketed primarily to service veterans. Hundreds of thousands of Levitt homes were sold which created new communities in the suburbs and a booming economy.

Related Industries

Automobile

CommunityServices

CommunityDevelopment

Housing Industry

Elections of 1952 and 1956

The elections of 1952 and 1956 were virtually identical. Dwight Eisenhower and his running mate, Richard Nixon, easily defeated Illinois governor and Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson. The financial prosperity of the 1950’s translated into Eisenhower’s success.

Interstate Highway Act (1956)

In a public works project larger than anything created by the New Deal, President Eisenhower backed the Interstate Highway Act of 1956, a $27 billion plan to build 42,000 miles of multilane roadways throughout the United States. This project would create countless jobs and speed the suburbanization of America.This construction was also motivated by the Cold War. The roadways needed to be strong enough and the bridges above them high enough to allow the transport of missiles on flatbed trucks.

Hungarian Uprising 1956

Dominated by the Soviet Union since the end of WW II, the Hungarian people revolted in 1956 demanding a democratic government, free elections and that all Soviet troops leave. The Soviet response was quick and brutal. In November 1956, Soviet tanks entered Hungary killing 30,000 Hungarians. Neither the United States or NATO countries did anything to help Hungary. Why?

SputnikOn October 4, 1957, the first man made satellite was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union. This fueled even greater fear communism.

U-2 IncidentBeginning in 1955, the CIA conducted secret flights over the Soviet Union to photograph military installations. The planes which accomplished these flights at incredibly high altitudes were called the U-2.

U-2 IncidentIn May 1960, the Soviet Union shot down a U-2 plane and captured the pilot, Francis Gary Powers. The Soviet Union accused the United States of spying and invading Soviet air space which the U.S. denied publicly. Upon revealing the plane’s wreckage and the captured pilot, the U.S. government admitted their existence and President Eisenhower agreed to halt further U-2 flights.Because of the U-2 incident, Cold War tension between the two countries was as great as ever as the 1960’s began.

Cuban Missile Crisis

In October 1962, the Soviet Union was placing missiles with nuclear warheads on Cuba which were capable of destroying the United States. The Cuban Missile crisis was the height of Cold War tension and almost resulted in World War III.

Cuban Missile CrisisPresident Kennedy kept the nation informed through television that the U.S. was seeking as peaceful solution and wished to avoid a nuclear confrontation. After 13 very tense days, a settlement was reached where the Soviets would remove the missiles from Cuba and the U.S. would remove missiles in Turkey that were targeting the Soviet Union.