The Cold War

US vs. USSR

Never any “hot” military combat between countries, more of a

political (cold) stand-off.

Differences in US and USSR United States:

Harry S. Truman Democracy

Free elections Freedom of religion

Capitalism Private property

Soviet Union: Joseph Stalin Dictatorship

No freedom No opposition (fear)

Communism Government made all economic,

political and military decisions

Iron Curtain term coined by British

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

invisible line separating Europe: East - Soviet Union

setting up communists states

West – US and other democracies needed to stand firm to be safe

Communist under Stalin

Non-Communist with help of GB and US

The Truman Doctrine

promise to help aid nations struggling against communists movements used containment in

which communism would be contained where it already existed

Set a new trend in American foreign policy…no longer neutrality or isolation

Marshall Plan help create economic

stability in Western Europe

establish political stability: provide food, fuel and

money to jump start economic growth

helped combat the spread of communism with money not bullets…kept the Cold War “cold”

Divided Germany and Divided Berlin

East (communism) West (democracy)

A Divided Berlin

city of Berlin in East Germany (Soviet occupied)

the city itself was divided into: East Berlin (Soviet) West Berlin (Allies)

West Berlin Cut-off Stalin cut off traffic to West

Berlin US and British response

Berlin Airlift – fly in supplies to West Berlin for over a year

Showed how far the US would go to CONTAIN communism

Later a wall is constructed to divide East and West Berlin called the Berlin Wall

N.A.T.O vs. Warsaw Pact

N.A.T.O. North Atlantic Treaty

Organization Non-communists military

alliance to contain Soviets Attack on one is an attack

on them all

Warsaw Pact: Communist military alliance rival to N.A.T.O. Attack on one is an attack

on them all

Truman in Office War production helped get US out of

the Great Depression America still in a war (Cold War) still struggling with domestic

problems Fair Deal: strengthened the New

Deal and created new programs Taft-Hartley Act: outlawed closed

shops reversed worker gains made during

the New Deal led to the American Federation of

Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization to unite in their efforts

United Nations April 1945 50 nations met to create peace organization

(to replace the League of Nations) 2 divisions:

General Assembly – every nation has an equal voice and could raise any concerns for discussion

Security Council – 5 permanent members (US, GB, USSR, France, China) and 10 rotating members Address military and political problems throughout

world, even nations w/o members in the UN

The People’s Republic of China Mao Zedong successful in creating a

Communists China Communism controlled

a large population and large land mass

The New Red Scare

1st Red Scare was after WWI, now America “fighting” Communism

fear revived in America Big Concern: communists working in

top government positions spying for Soviet’s

Congress created the House Un-American Activities Committee investigate activities of suspected

anarchists, Nazis, fascists, or communists

investigated the government, armed forces, unions, education

The Red Scare

freedom of speech severely limited

unsubstantiated accusations of communists connections or being spies

Alger Hiss accused for being a Soviet spy even though there was little evidence

Jews Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of sending secret information about the atomic bomb to the Soviets Executed…Anti-Semitic?