Cold War (1945-1991)We will be exploring the Cold War (1945-1991) from an international socio-economic and military perspective. In a few weeks, we will learn about the same time period from a domestic perspective, including Civil Rights, Camelot & Watergate.

Cold War OverviewFormer allies clash:

US: Capitalist• Private economy• Competition• Leaders elected by the people

USSR: Communist• State controlled economy• No competition• Totalitarian government

(no elections)

Cold War OverviewPotsdam Conference: US, USSR & UK met in 1945 to settle post-WWII challenges.• US wanted free elections in Poland, USSR refused• USSR wanted reparations from Germany, US refused• Agreed to Yalta Conference plan to separate Germany into 4 zones

USSR Goals:• USSR lost 20 million people during WWII, needed PEOPLE• Created “satellite” communist nations – Albania, Bulgaria,

Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, PolandUS Goals:• “Containment” proposed by George F Kennan• Prevent extension of communism to other countries

Iron CurtainEurope was divided – Communism to the East, Capitalism to the West• Iron Curtain introduced by Winston Churchill in a speech in

Missouri: “…from the Baltic to the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.”

• Iron Curtain: The metaphor for the physical and political differences between the east and the west in the years following WWII.

• Homework: determine the Cold War boundaries on a the map (library)

The Cold War was a series of conflicts between the USSR and USA, but no shots were fired directly at each other on our own soil.

Cold War Geography• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, 1949): world alliance set up to help

keep the peace achieved by WWII• Warsaw Pact (1955): mutual defense treaty between communist states of Eastern

Europe established by the Soviet Union

Cold War Geography

US Containment Strategy: Truman DoctrineTruman Doctrine:• President Truman’s policy (1947): “It must be the policy of the US

to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures.”

• US wanted to contain Soviet influence in Greece & Turkey (b/c of proximity to US interests in the Middle East)

• US sent $400 million in aid to help keep Greece & Turkey from turning to the USSR for help

US Containment Strategy: Marshall PlanMarshall Plan• Western Europe was struggling to recover after the war (economic

depression, rebuilding, unseasonably cold winters)• Secretary of State George Marshall (1947) proposed helping all

European nations needing aid• US spent $13 billion in 4 years• Communism was not appealing to European voters when their

economies recovered

What to do about Germany?Should Germany remain 4 zones? Be reunified? And what about Berlin?• Berlin Airlift

A Red Scare: An era of communist fears• Federal Employee Loyalty Program (1947)• Investigated potential federal employee communist activities• 3.2 million “communist activities” investigated• Individuals accused were NEVER shown the evidence against them

• House of Un-American Activities Committee (1947)• Investigated Hollywood films for sneaking communist propaganda

and created a “blacklist” of actors, producers and writers

A Red Scare: An era of communist fears• Spies• Agler Hiss supposedly gave US government documents to the USSR

(prosecuted by Richard Nixon); files sealed until 2026• Julius & Ethel Rosenberg accused of giving A-Bomb secrets to the

USSR; only 2 American civilians to be executed for espionage activity during the Cold War (1953)

• Joseph McCarthy• Publicly accused people of disloyalty without providing evidence

The Red Scare• There are communists in our town!

• Communist’s Goal: remove members of the town and send them to the USSR for re-education.• Towns People Goal: remove all communists from town

• How we play…• At night, the communists will be asked to wake up and silently identify 1 person to send to the

USSR – especially the McCarthy’s• At night, the McCarthy’s will be asked to wake up and silently identify 1 person that they believe is

a communist – I will either confirm or deny their accusation. If the person is a communist, the McCarthy’s should accuse that person during the day without giving away their own identity.

• During the day, all towns people will have a chance to accuse fellow townspeople of communist behaviors. You must have a reason to suspect someone and confront them in front of the entire town. The town will vote and if agreed to, up to 2 people will be kicked out of town each day.

• End of Game: The game ends when either the communists have been completely removed from the town or the communists have completely removed the town.

• Rules• Be as quiet as humanly possible• No peeking and NO CHEATING

Cold War – Let’s Review• USSR strategy of “satellite” countries• US strategy of “containment”• Truman Doctrine• Marshall Plan

• Germany tensions keep rising…• Germany & Berlin divided• Berlin airlift

• At home…• The Red Scare - Federal Employee Loyalty Program, HUAC, spies &

McCarthy• But the war is still cold… No shots have been fired.

Nuclear Weapons• The nuclear arms race began…• 1945 US has 1st atomic bomb• 1949 USSR detonates their 1st atomic bomb• 1954 US develops the hydrogen bomb (hydrogen bomb=500 atomic bombs)• 1955 USSR creates the hydrogen bomb• US & USSR competing to build the best, newest weapon

Korean War • aka Truman’s War• Post WWII, Korea split in

half at the 38th parallel:• Soviet & China

support North Korea• US and NATO support

South Korea• DMZ: strip of land

dividing North and South Korea at the 38th parallel; most heavily militarized border in the world

• After years of border skirmishes, war broke out 1950-1953

Why does the US care so much about Korea?

Korean War Results• Many soldiers and civilians were injured:• US – 36,000 soldiers killed• South Korea – 1 million soldiers and civilians killed• North Korea & China (combined) – 1.8 million soldiers and civilians

wounded or killed• DMZ• Most heavily militarized zone in the world• US troops are still stationed in South Korea

• In 1953, 60% of the federal budget went to defense

Bay of Pigs• Who? CIA trained Cuban exiles (yes, the US government trained them)• What? Unsuccessful invasion of Cuba• Where? Cuba• When? April 17-19, 1961• Why? Try to overthrow the Cuban government (Fidel Castro – new

communist Cuban dictator)• So What?• Approximately 100 exiles killed, remaining were held hostage• After 20 months of negotiations, hostages were released in

exchange for $53 million in food and medicine• Failed invasion a huge embarrassment to the new president - JFK