1.Cold War the Period of Increased Tensions Between the US and the USSR (1945-1990); The

1945-1960 Terms

1.Cold War—the period of increased tensions between the US and the USSR (1945-1990); the US and USSR never directly fought each other, but each supported opposing sides in countries all over the world (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, etc.)

2.Harry S Truman—Vice President for FDR for 81 days (1945); became President of the US when FDR died; President from 1945-1953; was US President at the beginning of the Cold War; fired Gen. MacArthur for insubordination during the Korean War; his middle name was the letter “S”.

3.Joseph Stalin—totalitarian dictator of the USSR from Lenin’s death in 1924 until his own death in 1953; his expansionist policies and distrust of the US helped to cause the Cold War.

4.George Marshall—Army Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during WWII; after WWII he became Secretary of State for Pres. Truman; he came up with the plan to aid the countries of Western Europe to keep the communists from taking them over after WWII (later called the Marshall Plan).

5.George Kennan—US diplomat at the US Embassy in Moscow after WWII and expert on the USSR; he was the creator of the US response to Soviet expansion during the Cold War (the Containment Policy).

6.“Long Telegram”—message sent by George Kennan to the US Gov’t advising how the US should respond to the actions of the USSR during the Cold War; this message formed the foundation of what became the Containment Policy

7.Containment Policy—this was the US policy to attempt to stop the spread of Soviet influence or control all over the world; the idea was to avoid direct conflict with the USSR while aiding countries all over the world to keep them from turning to the USSR for help (or to keep them from being taken over by the USSR; the US was trying to “contain” or stop the spread of communism all over the world.

8.Truman Doctrine—(1947) this was Pres. Truman’s policy to help any country where a group was attempting to overthrow the existing government; it was aimed at helping countries where the communists were attempting a takeover of the existing gov’t; it was first used to help the gov’ts of both Greece and Turkey and the US provided Greece and Turkey with $400 million in economic and military aid; as a result, the communists never took over Greece or Turkey.

9.Marshall Plan—(1947-1951) Secretary of State George Marshall’s plan to send large amounts of economic aid to the democratic countries of Western Europe in order to strengthen their economies and make it less likely the people of Western Europe would turn to the communists for help; the plan gave the countries of Western Europe between $12.5 and $13 billion in economic aid; none of the countries that received aid were ever controlled by the communists.

10.NATO—(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) created in 1949 as a mutual defense agreement between the US, Canada, and most of the democratic Western European countries to oppose the spread of Soviet influence/communism in Western Europe

11.Warsaw Pact—a mutual defense agreement between the USSR and the Soviet-dominated communist countries of Eastern Europe; was created in 1955 in response to West Germany being allowed to re-arm and join NATO.

12.Satellite Nations—the Soviet-dominated communist countries of Eastern Europe; the countries in “orbit” around, or controlled by, the “gravity” of the Soviet Union (USSR).

13.Iron Curtain—the border between the democratic countries of Western Europe and the Soviet-dominated communist countries of Eastern Europe.

14.Division of Germany (Occupation Zones)—Germany was divided into four occupation zones after WW2: US, British, French, and USSR. Berlin, which was in the Soviet Zone, was also divided into US, British, French, and USSR zones. The US, British, and French began to rebuild German cities, industry, and agriculture in their zones after WW2, but the USSR stripped their occupation zone of anything that could be moved (even whole factories).

15.West Germany—created in 1948 when the US, British, and French combined their occupation zones and allowed a new democratic German government to be formed (Federal Republic of Germany). The capital of West Germany was Bonn.

16.East Germany—created by the USSR in 1949 as a response to the creation of West Germany. The new country (the German Democratic Republic) was led by German communists, but dominated and controlled by the USSR. The capital of East Germany was East Berlin.

17.Berlin Blockade—(June 1948 to May 1949) when the USSR cut-of all ground access to democratic West Berlin, which was inside the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. This was done in response to the combining of the US, British, and French occupation zones to form West Germany and West Berlin.

18.Berlin Airlift—(June 1948-May 1949) the joint US/British/French response to the Berlin Blockade. Since all ground access (river, road, and rail) to West Berlin had been closed by the USSR, the US led a massive effort to supply the people of West Berlin, by air, to keep the people from freezing or starving. The airlift lasted eleven months and ended when the USSR finally re-opened access due to international condemnation.

19.Dixiecrat Revolt—in 1948, due to Pres. Harry Truman’s (a Democrat) support of Civil Rights, Southern conservative Democrats broke away from the national Democratic Party and formed a new political party (the States’ Rights or “Dixiecrat” Party). The Dixiecrats nominated Representative Strom Thurmond (SC) for President in 1948. This split in the Democratic Party almost cost Harry Truman the 1948 Election.

20.Strom Thurmond—Democratic US Representative from South Carolina. He, like many other white Southern Democrats, opposed Civil Rights. He led many Southern Democrats to break away from the Democratic Party; as a result, he was nominated by the Dixiecrats for President in 1948.

21.Thomas Dewey—Republican; former Governor of New York that ran against Harry Truman for President in 1948. He was so confident that he would win that he began announcing members of his cabinet before the election.

22.1948 Election—

Candidates:

(Democrat):Harry Truman

(Republican):Thomas Dewey

(States’ Rights or Dixiecrat):Strom Thurmond

Issues: spread of communism, the economy, and Civil Rights

Outcome: Truman won a very close election despite the split in the Democratic Party

23.CIA—(Central Intelligence Agency) created in 1947 to gather information about our enemies (mainly the USSR). This is the main spy agency of the US. The CIA used assassinations, gov’t overthrows, and involved itself in foreign elections to achieve its goal of stopping the spread of communism.

24.KGB—(Komityet Gosudarstvyennoy Bezopasnosti or Committee for State Security)the spy agency of the USSR and main competitor of the CIA. The KGB used assassinations, gov’t overthrows, and involved itself in foreign elections to achieve its goal of expanding communism and Soviet influence around the world.

25.Mao tse-Tung (Mao Zedong)—led the Chinese Communist Revolution from the 1920s to their victory in 1949. From 1949 to 1976, Mao was the totalitarian dictator of the Peoples’ Republic of China (Communist China). He was heavily supported by the USSR until the mid-1950s.

26.Chiang kai-Shek (Jiang Jeishi)—was the Nationalist President of the Republic of China (ROC) from the 1920s until the Nationalists were defeated in the Chinese Civil War (Revolution) and forced to flee to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) in 1949. After 1949, Chiang and the Nationalists set-up the ROC gov’t in Taiwan, thus creating two Chinas.

27.Chinese Civil War/Revolution—started in the 1920s when Mao and the Communists began fighting, the very corrupt, Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist Gov’t in China. They paused their fighting each other in 1937 (when Japan invaded China) in order to fight their common enemy, the Japanese. After WW2, they began fighting each other again. Mao and the Communists easily gained the support of rural Chinese peasants by punishing landlords and redistributing land to the peasants. Chiang Kai-shek lost support because (1) his gov’t was very corrupt, (2) his gov’t supported the landlords, (3) he increased the rice tax which effectively raised the price of rice by 10,000%, and (4) he increased the housing tax in cities which greatly increased rents. The USSR trained and equipped the Communists, while the US gave the Nationalists over $2 billion in military aid. Due to the lack of popular support, the Nationalists lost the Civil War in 1949 and were forced to flee to the island of Formosa (Taiwan).

28.Senator Joseph McCarthy—the junior Senator from Wisconsin. Elected to the US Senate in 1946, McCarthy looked to be headed for defeat as he planned to run for re-election in 1952. In 1950, McCarthy began making unsubstantiated charges that the US Gov’t was being taken-over by Communists. As a result, he easily won re-election in 1952. McCarthy was always careful to only make specific claims about specific people while he was on the floor of the US Senate (where he had complete immunity from being sued for slander) He continued his crusade until 1954, when he claimed that the US Army was controlled by communist agents. The Senate “Army-McCarthy Hearings” were televised and the American people were able to see how McCarthy bullied those that he questioned. As a result, McCarthy quickly lost popular support and was censured by the US Senate. He died an alcoholic in 1957.

29.McCarthyism—this was the tactic (used by McCarthy and others) of damaging peoples’ reputations by making vague and unfounded accusations about them. He would badger witnesses, during Senate hearings, and refuse to let them answer his questions or ridicule their answers. His tactics led many to believe those he questioned were guilty. Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” was written as a commentary on McCarthyism…Miller was quickly labeled a communist as a result.

30.McCarran Act—basically made it illegal to be a member of the Communist Party in the US. It placed major restrictions on Communist Party members in the US (had to register with the Gov’t, couldn’t get a passport, etc.). Pres. Truman vetoed the bill, but Congress voted to override the veto and it became law. The Supreme Court slowly weakened the law by declaring parts of it to be unconstitutional over the years, but never outright ruled it to be unconstitutional.

31.HUAC—(House Un-American Activities Committee) created in 1938 to investigate communist and fascist activity in the US before WW2. Representative Richard Nixon became famous for his investigation of Alger Hiss while on the committee. HUAC also investigated the movie industry, teachers, librarians, and unions for communist activity.

32.“Hollywood Ten”—a group of ten people, associated with the movie industry, who were accused of being communists. When questioned by HUAC, they refused to answer and were sent to prison for “Contempt of Congress.” Their lives and careers were effectively ruined and they were never employed in the movie industry again.

33.Blacklisting—a method used by unions and movie studios in which people suspected of being communists were put on a list which was then circulated to potential employers. The companies, unions, and/or movie studios would not hire people on the lists. This led to many lives/careers being ruined.

34.Rep./Sen. Richard Nixon—elected to the US House of Representatives from CA in 1946 by claiming his Democratic opponent was “soft” on communism, he quickly rose to national prominence during the HUAC investigation of Alger Hiss. He was elected to the US Senate from CA in 1950, again hinting that his Democratic opponent was a communist sympathizer. Because of his fame as a devout anti-communist, he was chosen by Eisenhower as his Vice Presidential running-mate in 1952. Nixon served as VP from 1953-61 under Pres. Eisenhower.

35.Alger Hiss—was a mid-level State Department official during the 1930s and 1940s under FDR. The HUAC investigated him as a suspected communist after Whittaker Chambers, an admitted former communist, alleged that Hiss had passed US Gov’t secrets to the USSR. Hiss lied, under oath, to the HUAC, saying (1) he didn’t know Chambers, (2) he had never been a communist, and (3) he had never passed secrets to the USSR. Chambers later produced documents that only Hiss could have given him. Hiss was convicted of perjury (lying under oath). Liberal Democrats, who had rallied around Hiss, hated Nixon and never forgave him for going after Hiss. After the USSR broke apart in 1991, the KGB archives revealed that Hiss had indeed spied for the USSR.

36.Division of Korea—after the Japanese were defeated in WW2, they were forced to leave the Korean peninsula. US troops occupied southern Korea and set up a pro-American/anti-communist gov’t there, led by Syngman Rhee. Soviet troops occupied northern Korea (which bordered the USSR) and created a communist gov’t under the leadership of Kim Il-Sung. Korea was temporarily divided at the 38th Parallel. US and Soviet troops were pulled out of Korea in 1949. Talks to unify Korea, under one gov’t, broke down as the Cold War started. North Korea (Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea or DPRK) based its capital in Pyongyang. South Korea (Republic of Korea or ROK) based its capital in Seoul. Kim Il-Sung asked Stalin for permission to invade South Korea (in 1949) and unify the country under communist control. Stalin, however, was dealing with the Berlin Blockade/Airlift and did not give his permission until 1950.

37.Korean War (1950-53)—on June 25, 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea and quickly pushed all the way to Pusan. The United Nations condemned the invasion a voted to send UN troops to aid South Korea. Gen. Douglas MacArthur led an invasion at Inchon, South Korea which surprised and cut-off the North Korean Army in South Korea. US, UN, and ROK troops quickly pushed into North Korea and all the way to the border with China. The Chinese Red Army then invaded Korea and pushed the UN forces all the way back across the 38th Parallel. From Jan. 1951 to July 1953, the war was fought back and forth across the 38th Parallel. MacArthur asked Truman to use atomic bombs against China to stop their troops from helping North Korea. Truman refused to use atomic bombs (wanted to avoid war with the USSR, which now had atomic bombs of their own) and ordered MacArthur to fight a limited war. MacArthur openly criticized Truman’s decision and was fired by Truman for insubordination. Peace talks stalled over the issue of prisoner exchanges (ask me about this), but eventually an armistice (cease-fire) was agreed to on July 27, 1953. Korea is still divided today and a state of war still exists between North and South Korea. A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separates the two Koreas.

38.United Nations—founded in 1945, to replace the old League of Nations, as a way to settle disputes diplomatically and avoid future wars. There are two main bodies within the UN: the General Assembly and the Security Council. All member countries have an equal vote in the General Assembly, but all important work is first agreed upon in the Security Council. There are five permanent members of the Security Council (with veto power): the US, Great Britain, France, the USSR, and China (from 1949 to 1972 the Chinese seat in the Security Council was controlled by Taiwan, not Communist China). When the UN Security Council voted to send troops to help South Korea in 1950, the Soviet delegate was boycotting the Security Council to protest against Taiwan having China’s seat on the Security Council. The USSR could have vetoed sending UN troops, but they were not present to vote due to their boycott.

39.Gen. Douglas MacArthur—presided over the occupation of Post-WW2 Japan. He created the new Japanese Constitution and directed the rebuilding of Japan after WW2. When the Korean War started, MacArthur was chosen to lead the UN forces in Korea. He called for the use of atomic bombs on North Korea and China in order to win the war. When Truman refused, wanting to limit the war to the KoreanPeninsula, MacArthur openly criticized Truman. Truman fired MacArthur, who returned to the US a hero. MacArthur planned to run for Pres., as a Republican, in 1952, but Eisenhower announced before MacArthur and stole his thunder (MacArthur never ran for Pres.).

40.Kim Il Sung—the Communist dictator of North Korea from 1948 until he died in 1994. He planned and directed the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950. His son, Kim Jong-Il, was the dictator of North Korea from 1994-2012. His grandson, Kim Jong-Un is now the dictator of North Korea.

41.Syngman Rhee—the pro-American, anti-Communist leader of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. He led South Korea during the Korean War.

42.Dwight D. Eisenhower—Republican; elected Pres. in 1952; served as Pres. from 1953-1961; he was President when the Korean War “ended.” He proposed a smaller military with a greater reliance on nuclear weapons. He also pushed Congress to create the Interstate Highway System in 1956.