The Cold War, Part I: The

Origins of the Cold War:

U.S.—Soviet Relations During and After WWII

What’s So Bad About Communism, Anyway?

1) Ideology• Lenin overthrew the czar in 1917

gov’t based on:• Atheism (anti-religion)• No private property• Expansive in nature

2) Methodology • Seemed to have inspired dictatorship/poverty/oppression• Under Stalin, Soviet Union followed policy of aggression

• Took half of Poland in 1939• Took land from Finland prior to WWII• Moved into Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia during WWII• Promised elections in occupied regions, but . . . would

never truly happen

For these reasons, U.S. was generally opposed/fearful of Communism before and after WWII

Wartime Tensions

Teheran—Nov. 1943 The “Big Three” (FDR, Churchill, Stalin) met for the first time.

– Agreed:• U.S. would open a 2nd front in the Spring of 1944 (doesn’t happen

until Junetension)

• USSR would invade Germany, then join war against Japan later . . . which we’d rather avoid (see “Why is Communism so bad, anyway?”)

The Yalta Conference—Feb. 1945 Second meeting of the “Big Three”

Meeting was meant to try and reach an agreements on what to do with the conquered Germany

The Big Three agreed to: – divide the country into four sectors– free elections would be held in E. Europe (Soviet-

held)– USSR would enter

war vs. Japan--& we’d owe t them for it (luckily we won’t need them after all!)

– the creation of a new world peace organization

(United Nations)

Potsdam—July 1945 Truman, Atlee, and

Stalin. Agreed to:

– give Japan a warning re: unconditional surrender (successful A-bomb test during this meeting)

– hold war-crime trials of Nazis post-war (Nuremberg)

– Tensions increasingly evident . . . Truman not nice to Stalin.

Behind the Historic Meeting at the Elbe

• 1941 alliance between the U.S. and U.S.S. R. was a marriage of convenience –Hitler was our common enemy.

• Tensions rose as the promised Western front was delayed until 1944

• Nonetheless, England, France, the U.S., and the Soviet Union had the right, as victors, to decide what post-War Europe would look like . . .

U.S.A vs. USSR Aims in Rebuilding Europe

USA• Encourage democracy

• Rebuild Europe to ensure economic stability

• Wanted free elections and a new world order with self-determination

• Open up new friendly economic markets to the US.

• Reunite Germany; it would be more secure, less bitter, and more productive

USSR• Encourage communism

• Wanted to control Eastern Europe to create a balance of power.

• Keep Germany divided and weak; trouble always starts with German unification

• Create “friendly communist neighbors” under Soviet “spheres of influence” known as satellite nations

Planning the Post-War World—The United Nations = Uneasy Partners

• Formed in San Francisco, April, 1945—Congress quickly accepted the charter

• Soviets insisted each of the permanent members (GB, US, USSR, China, and France) of the 15 member Security Council have veto power for any major UN decision

• Soviets refused membership in the new World Bank—saw it as an instrument of capitalism.

• Meanwhile, the USSR was NOT leaving Eastern Europe, nor were fair elections taking place . . .

In this climate, U.S. leaders and policy advisors had to decide what U.S. foreign policy would be in this post-war world . . . a policy that would be largely based upon our relationship with the Soviet Union as the other major world power emerging from WWII . . .

How should the U.S. proceed in this tense atmosphere? How should we handle the Soviets??

Truman’s options:

1. Impose an American Peace

2. Contain Soviet Communism

3. Co-exist and Compromise

Truman, with advice from George Kennan in his “Long Telegram” (AKA “Sources of

Soviet Conduct) CONTAINMENT

• “Communism” was a cover for despotism/crimes

• Must meet this with “unalterable counter-force at every point where they show signs of encroaching upon the interests of a peaceful and stable world.”

• Called for a “long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.”

And so it began . . .

• Cold War (1946—1991): the intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between the U.S. and Soviet Union after WWII, hostility usually stopped just short of military conflict.

Churchill’s Iron Curtain SpeechMarch 1946

• “From Stettin in the Balkans, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”

The Cold War [1945-1991]: An Ideological Struggle

Soviet & Eastern Bloc

Nations[“Iron

Curtain”]

US & the Western

Democracies

GOAL spread world-wide Communism

GOAL “Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist world.[George Kennan] METHODOLOGIES:

1. Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]

2. Arms Race [nuclear escalation]

3. Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts of Third World “proxy wars” or “hot spots”

4. Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]

Containment in Action--$$The Truman

Doctrine (1947)

• Weak gov’ts in post-war Greece and Turkey were facing Soviet pressure.

• The U.S. gave Greece & Turkey $400 million in aid to stabilize gov’t and fight Soviet influence—and was successful.

Marshall Plan (March 1947)

• “European Recovery Program” designed by Secretary of State, George Marshall.

• The U. S. should provide aid to all European nations that need it. This move “is not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.”

• $12.5 billion of US aid to Western Europe secured post-war recovery... Soviet Union refused the offer of aid.

First Military/Political Issue Connected to Containment: Post-War Germany

• Post-WWII, German occupation zones were meant to be temporary

• US, UK, and France occupied W. Germany, USSR occupied E. Ger.

• All four powers occupied Berlin, the German capital in the Eastern zone.

• Soviets would gradually tighten their grip on East Germany-demanding huge reparations—whereas the U.S. did NOT want to subject West Germany to reparations . . . Tensions continued to rise.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift (June 1948—May 1949)

• U.S. and allies had established the democratic “Federal Republic of Germany” in West Germany, and struggled to maintain democratic gov’t in West Berlin

• Soviets uncomfortable with Western-style gov’t in the middle of their zone.

• June 1948, Soviets blocked all road, river, and rail access to West Berlin, with the intent to starve them out and force U.S. and allies to abandon the city (needed food, coal, etc,)

• Risking war with the Soviets, British and American planes flew 7,000 tons of supplies to Berlin week after week for nearly a year before Soviets lifted to blockade on May 12, 1949.

1949: A Pivotal Year1. The Soviet Union exploded

its first A-bomb

Now there were two nuclear superpowers!

2. China (under Mao) became communist!despite U.S. efforts to fund the nationalist cause.

Less than 5 years after the end of WWII, the world was divided into two camps…and the first “hot spot” in the Cold War was about to ignite . . .

The Movement Toward “Common Defense”

United States

Belgium

Britain

Canada

Denmark

France

Iceland

Italy

Luxemburg

Netherlands

Norway

Portugal

1952: Greece & Turkey

1955: West Germany

1983: Spain

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was created in 1949. An attack against one was an attack against all.

• The Soviets responded with the Warsaw Pact in 1955.

} U. S. S. R.

} Albania

} Bulgaria

} Czechoslovakia

} East Germany

} Hungary

} Poland

} Rumania

The Cold War:Part II

Tensions Heat Up Around the World

Korean War[1950-1953]

The Korean WarThe US Responds

• Truman believed this was where the US needed to take a stand against communism to prove containment worked.

• Truman called for a military response, but called upon the UN for action.

• UN agreed and appointed General Douglas MacArthur as leader of the military action.

The Korean War:Results

• Peace Talks – Long & Drawn out because of:– Disputes over boundary lines– Issues of POWS– Unsettled Cold War disputes

• Armistice not signed until July 1953 (Eisenhower)

• Results:– Creation of a demilitarized zone– 38th parallel remains in effect– 37,000 American lives lost; 60,000 UN troops

The Domestic Polices of the Truman Era (Post-War era)

• Democrats had split between Truman & Dixiecrats (Strom Thurmond)

“Give ‘em hell, Harry!”

Truman’s Fair Deal• Outlined in the State of the Union Address in 1949.

• An extension of New Deal liberalism

• Designed to enlarge federal responsibility for economic and social welfare for Americans

• Gave immediate attention to:– Civil Rights– the importance of African-Americans to the democracy of America (and

to the Democratic Party)Desegregated the military in 1948!!– Creating a higher standard of living and other benefits to the common

American

• Congress only passed– A higher minimum wage– An increase and extension of social security– The National Housing Act of 1949 Federal $$ for public housing, low-

interest loans, and urban renewal.)

The Cold War Part III:

The Cold War at Home & The Second Red Scare

Growing Fear of Communism

• Communism takes control in China

• Korean Conflict & the 38th parallel

• Soviets Develop Atomic Weapons!!!!

• Families built fallout shelters in their backyards and students practiced “duck and cover” drills at school.

Two big concerns: Nuclear Annihilation Communist Conspiracy in the U.S.

Fighting the Spread at Home• HUAC- House Un-American Activities Committee

– a congressional committee formed to search out communists and disloyal citizens.

– Involved Congressional hearings – Major case was that of the Hollywood Ten—

entertainers whose work criticized “American values”

• Hollywood Ten– 10 “unfriendly” witnesses testified with reluctance to

Congress—and refused to answer most questions. – Led to a “blacklist” in Hollywood of actors, writers,

and directors—this was tantalizing news!– All 10 were sentenced to 6—12 months in jail.

• Similar activities in state/local gov’t, esp. loyalty oaths

Fighting the Spread at Home:The Spy Cases

Alger Hiss--FDR golden boy, at Yalta, Carnegie Peace Initiative– 1948 Whittaker Chambers accused Alger Hiss of spying for the

USSR.– A microfilm was produced with government documents and was

linked to Hiss’s typewriter.– Could not prove espionage or treason, but convicted him on perjury.– Richard Nixon led this charge.– If HISS could be a spy . . . Who else in the State Department might

be!?

Fighting the Spread at Home:The Spy Cases

The Rosenbergs• 9/23/1949 – Soviets explode

Atomic bomb - - How???

• 1950 British physicist Klaus Fuch admitted giving USSR info on the Atomic Bomb.

• Fuchs points to Ethel & Julius Rosenberg (Julius’ brother worked on the Manhattan Project).

• Rosenbergs pleaded the 5th.

• They were arrested, tried, found guilty executed via the electric chair in 1953.

Fighting the Spread at Home:McCarthyism

Joseph McCarthy• Widely known as the “worst senator” in Congress.• Up for re-election & looking for a “hot topic”• Chose communism & stated that “communists were taking over the

government”.• Blind accusations caused panic.• Public Senate hearings.• Mistake & Downfall :

– Communists in the army

The Cold War: Part IV

The Eisenhower Era/Living on the Edge

1952-1960

The Eisenhower Era1952-1960

Election of 1952• “Ike” defeats Adalai

Stevenson

• Promised to end the war in Korea

• Well-loved war hero

• Truman seen as “wishy-washy,” in comparision

Introducing Richard Nixon …--Claimed fame during Hiss senate hearings.

--Whispers of scandal briefly disrupted Election 1952—until Nixon took to the airwaves . . .

Eisenhower, “Modern Republicanism” & the Hidden-Hand Presidency

• Worked most of his presidency behind the scenes.

• Effective at accomplishing things, just not always in the public eye.

• Wanted to create a balance from the FDR/Truman Era.

• Hoped to decrease the need for federal intervention in social & economic issues, but avoid harsh conservative New Deal rollbacks—increased Soc. Sec. & min. wage.

• Created such institutions as:• Department of Health• Dept. of Education• Dept. of Welfare• Highway Act of 1956

Eisenhower & the Cold War 1952-1960Soviet Aggression

• Warsaw Pact--1955

• Nikita Khrushchev—took the reigns in 1956

• New Soviet leader – “peaceful coexistence”

Rolled the tanks into Hungary!

• Sputnik• 1957 – Soviets launch the first

unmanned satelliteNASA

• Panic strikes America

“Brinksmanship” & “Massive Retaliation”

• W/ advice from Sec. of State John Foster Dulles, Ike embraces a “New Look” in our Cold War strategy:

fewer conventional forces, MORE A-BOMBS and HYDROGEN BOMBS!!

Ideally, the thought of “MAD” would prevent war…

“Peaceful Coexistence:” Another Near Miss . . .

• As nuclear arsenals expand, Ike & Khrushchev began arms reduction negotiations in 1960 . . . Then the USSR shot down a US spy plane over the Soviet Union . . . Oops!

U-2 Incident

• Spy plane (U-2) flying missions over Soviet Union

• Suppose to fly high enough to be undetected by radar

• Ike wanted these stopped – fear if caught it could hurt USA & USSR relationship of “peaceful coexistence”

• Pilot Francis Gary Powers shot down 1,300 miles into Russian territory

• Ike denies – weather balloon; Khrushchev calls him out

Truman vs. Eisenhower Truman vs. Eisenhower

1. Marshall Plan

2. Truman Doctrine

3. Berlin Airlift

4. NATO

5. Korean War

1. Marshall Plan

2. Truman Doctrine

3. Berlin Airlift

4. NATO

5. Korean War

1. Massive retaliation/ “New Look”.

2. M. A. D.

3. “Domino Theory” early involvement in/aid to Vietnam

4. CIA & covert operations—Iran, Suez, Guatemala, Lebanon

5. Eisenhower DoctrineBrinksmanship

1. Massive retaliation/ “New Look”.

2. M. A. D.

3. “Domino Theory” early involvement in/aid to Vietnam

4. CIA & covert operations—Iran, Suez, Guatemala, Lebanon

5. Eisenhower DoctrineBrinksmanship

“Containment”[George Kennan]

“Brinksmanship”[John Foster Dulles]

DBQ

Analyze the responses of FDR’s administration to the problems of the Great Depression. How effective were these responses? How did they change the role of the federal government?

The Cold War:Social Changes in America:

“Conservatism, Conformity, and Contentment”

“Anxiety, Alienation, and Social Unrest” ??

OROR

Baby BoomBaby BoomIt seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant. -- British visitor to America, 1958

1957 1 baby born every 7 seconds

Suburban LivingSuburban Living

$7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.

Levittown, L. I.: “The American Dream”1949 William Levitt produced 150 houses per week.

Suburban Living:Suburban Living:k 1 story high

k 12’x19’ living room

k 2 bedrooms

k tiled bathroom

k garage

k small backyard

k front lawn

By 1960 1/3 of the U. S. population in the suburbs.

Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban

Families

Suburban Living:The Typical TV Suburban

Families

The Donna Reed Show1958-1966

Leave It to Beaver1957-1963

Father Knows Best

1954-1958The Ozzie & Harriet

Show1952-1966

ConsumerismConsumerism

A Changing WorkplaceA Changing Workplace Automation: 1947-1957 factory workers decreased by 4.3%, eliminating 1.5 million blue-collar jobs.

By 1956 more white-collar than blue-collar

jobs in the U. S.

Computers Mark I (1944). First IBM mainframe computer (1951).

Corporate Consolidation: By 1960 600 corporations (1/2% of all U. S. companies) accounted for 53% of total corporate income.

WHY?? Cold War military buildup.

New Corporate Culture:

“The Company Man”

The Culture of the CarThe Culture of the Car

Car registrations: 1945 25,000,000 1960 60,000,000

2-car families doubles from 1951-1958

1959 Chevy Corvette

1958 Pink Cadillac

The Culture of the CarThe Culture of the Car

First McDonald’s (1955)

America became a more (seemingly) homogeneous nation because of the automobile.

Drive-In Movies

Howard Johnson’s

1955 Disneyland opened in Southern California. (40% of the guests came from outside California, most by car.)

TelevisionTelevision

1946 7,000 TV sets in the U. S.1950 50,000,000 TV sets in the U. S.

Mass Audience TV celebrated traditionalAmerican values.

Truth, Justice, and the American way!

Television – The WesternTelevision – The Western

Davy CrockettKing of the Wild

Frontier

The Lone Ranger(and his faithfulsidekick, Tonto): Who is that masked man??

Teen CultureTeen CultureIn the 1950s the word “teenager”

entered the American language.

By 1956 13 mil. teens with $7 bil. to spend a year.1951 “race music” “ROCK ‘N ROLL”

Elvis Presley “The King”

Teen CultureTeen Culture

“Juvenile Delinquency” ???

Marlon Brando in

The Wild One (1953)

James Dean inRebel Without a

Cause (1955)

1951 J. D. Salinger’s A Catcher in the Rye

Teen CultureTeen Culture

Behavioral Rules of the 1950s:U Obey Authority.

U Control Your Emotions.

U Don’t Make Waves Fit in

with the Group.

U Don’t Even Think About Sex!!!

Well-Defined Gender Roles

Well-Defined Gender Roles

Changing Sexual Behavior: Alfred Kinsey: 1948 Sexual Behavior in the Human Male 1953 Sexual Behavior in the Human Female

v Premarital sex was common!

v Extramarital affairs were frequent among married couples!

Kinsey’s results are an assault on the family as a basic unit of society, a negation of moral law, and a celebration of licentiousness. -- Life magazine, early 1950s

Contradictions in Women’s Lives

• Baby boom women expected to follow rigid social gender roles.

• Men were breadwinners, women belonged in the home

• Betty Friedan & the Feminine Mystique encouraged a break in stereotypes which stated:

– “the highest value and the only commitment for women is the fulfillment of their own femininity”

The Urban Crisis:White Flight

• New highway systems made travel to and from work easier

• Whites began to settle in the suburbs and the cities felt the effect

• Tax revenues in cities shrank, there was a decay in infrastructure, and growing racial fears developed

• White Flight left the cities to the poor blacks and the middle class whites moved to the suburbs.

• Two separate America’s developed1) White suburb society2) Inner city populated by blacks, Latino, immigrant