Post WWII Developments

Foundations of the Cold WarKorean War

McCarthyism

Effects of WWII

• 60 million dead – 2/3 Europe– 2/3 Civilian

• 50 million uprooted

• August, 1945 - Berlin, 4,000/day were dying

Direct War Costs

Military Killed Civilians Killed

United States

$288 billion 292,131 X

Great Britain $117 billion 271,311 60,595

France $113 billion 205,707 173,260

U.S.S.R. $93 billion 13,600,000 7,720,000

Germany $212.3 billion 3,300,000 2,893,000

Japan $41.3 billion 1,140,429 953,000

The Cold War

• Definition: The state of diplomatic hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union in the decades following WWII

Tensions Before End of WWII

• U.S. upset that Stalin signed nonaggression pact with Hitler

• Stalin upset that Allies did not invade German-controlled France earlier

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Deutschland_Besatzungszonen_1945_1946.png

Effects of WWII were very different

United States: 400,000 Americans died, but cities and factories in U.S. remained intact

Soviet Union: death toll more like 20,000,000 (20 MILLION!, or

50 times more deaths)

-1 in 4 Soviets killed or wounded - Many cities were demolished

United States and Soviet Union had different goals following WWII

U.S. goals:1) Encourage democracy in other countries to

prevent the rise of communist governments2) Gain access to raw materials and markets to fuel

booming industries3) Rebuild European governments to promote

stability and create new markets for American goods

4) Reunite Germany to stabilize it and increase the security of Europe

Soviet Union goals:

1) Encourage communism in other countries2) Rebuild its war-ravaged economy3) Control Eastern Europe to protect Soviet

borders 4) Keep Germany divided to prevent it from

waging war again

Tensions Mount• Soviet Blockade of Berlin and Airlift (1948-49)

• Soviets test bomb 1949

• “Loss” of China 1949

• Korean War (1950-53)

Soviets built a wall of satellite nations on their western border to serve as a buffer, or wall of protection.

Stalin installed or secured Communist governments in Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, and Yugoslavia

The iron curtain divides Eastern and Western Europe

Germany was split into two sections- Soviets controlled East

- Allies controlled West

Containment

To offset Soviet threat, President Truman adopted foreign policy called containment

Policy directed at blocking Soviet influence and the expansion of communism

The U.S. would create alliances and help weak nations resist Soviet advances

Truman Doctrine

Truman’s support for countries that rejected communism

(1947) Congress authorized over $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece

February, 1948

Much of Europe was still in ruins

Marshall Plan:U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall

proposed that America give aid to any European country that needed it.

Berlin, just like Germany, was also divided into “zones of occupation”

In 1948, France/Britain/U.S. withdrew forces and allowed their zones to form one nation

Soviet Union responded by holding West Berlin hostage

Cut off highway, water, and rail traffic

Berlin Airlift

American and British officials flew food and supplies into West Berlin for 11 months

Planes took off and landed every 3 mins

277,000 flights brought in 2.3 million tons of supplies (food, medicine, fuel)

Soviets lifted blockade in May, 1949

Rival Alliances

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - U.S., Canada, and ten Western European nations

formed a defensive military alliance in 1949

Warsaw Pact 1955 - Alliance system that Soviets developed in response

to NATO. Included the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania.

Korean War

Korean

Since the early 1900s, Korea was a Japanese colony

After WWII, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel

Japanese troops surrendered to Soviets in the north and to the U.S. in the south

On June 25, 1950, the North Koreans launched a surprise attack on South Korea

They managed to conquer much of the Korean peninsula within weeks

President Truman wanted to help South Korea resist Communist influence (containment)

South Korea asked the United Nations to intervene, which they did under the command of General Douglass MacArthur

Meanwhile, the North Koreans continued to advance

September, 1950: MacArthur launched a surprise attack and the North Koreans retreated

UN troops pushed the North Koreans almost to the Chinese border in the north (Yalu River)

October, 1950: China sent 300,000 troops to aid North Korea

Now, the fight in Korea is between U.S. and China

Chinese outnumbered UN forces and drove them southward

General MacArthur calls for nuclear attack on Chinese cities

Truman refuses out of fear of starting WWIII

Over the next 2yrs, UN forces clashed with the North Koreans

Cease fire agreement signed in July, 1953

5 million soldiers and civilians had died in 3yrs

After the War, Korea remained divided into two countries

North Korea led by Communist dictator Kim Il Sung.

- established collective farms - developed heavy industry - built up countries military power

His son, Kim Jong Il, is the leader of North Korea today. Under him, North Korea has developed nuclear weapons