Chapter 25 the US and the Cold War (1945-1963)

Chapter 25 – The US and the Cold War (1945-1963)

Vocabulary –

iron curtain-barrier of secrecy and censorship that keeps a

country isolated from the rest of the world

satellite nation-nation that is dominated politically and

economically by a more powerful nation

containment-policy of trying to prevent the spread of Soviet

influence beyond where it already existed

airlift-emergency shipment of supplies sent via airplane
veto-to reject; like a President and a law
closed shop-workplace in which only union members can be

hired

productivity-rate at which workers produce goods
standard of living-index based on goods, services, and leisure time

people have

baby boom-large increase of the birthrate form the late 1940s

through the early 1960s

rock-and-roll-style of music derived from rhythm and blues and

country music

Elvis Presley-popular singer and teen idol known for his hip

shaking and gyrating; Elvis the Pelvis

inner city-center of an older city
stalemate-deadlock; situation in which neither side wins
demilitarized zone-(DMZ) area where military forces are prohibited
Joseph McCarthy-Wisconsin senator, whose career was focused on

“exposing Communists”

censure-to officially condemn
superpower-nation with the military, political, and economic

strength to influence events worldwide

arms race-contest in which nations compete to build more and

more powerful weapons

stockpile-to collect
John F. Kennedy-35th US President, proposed programs to build

friendships between America and other nations

suburb-residential area on the outskirts of the city
beatnik-1950s person who criticized American culture for

conformity and devotion to business

migrant worker-person who moved from one region to another in

search of work

bilingual-in two languages
Truman Doctrine-President Truman’s policy of giving US aid to

nations threatened by Communist expansion

Marshall Plan-American plan to help European nations rebuild

their economies after WWII

Berlin Airlift-American and British relief effort to airlift supplies

to West Berliners from 1948-1949

Berlin Wall-wall built by the communist East German

government in 1961 to seal off East Berlin from

West Berlin

North Atlantic Treaty Org.-(NATO) alliance formed in 1949 by the US and

Western European nations to fight Soviet aggression

Warsaw Pact-military alliance, established in 1955, of the Soviet

Union and other communist states in Europe

United Nations-world organization established in 1945 to provide

peaceful resolutions to international conflicts

38th Parallel-dividing line between South and North Korea
perjury-to lie under oath
exile-person who has been forced to leave his or her

own country

Bay of Pigs Invasion-failed invasion of Cuba in 1961, when a force of

1200 Cuban exiles, backed by the US, landed at

the Bay of Pigs

Cuban Missile Crisis-major Cold War confrontation in 1962
Alliance for Progress-economic aid program developed by President

Kennedy for Latin America

Peace Corps-government organization that sends American

volunteers to developing nations to teach or give

technical advice

Organization of American States-(OAS) international organization that promotes

peace and economic progress in the Americas

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration-(NASA) government agency that directs the

American Space Program

Chapter 25 – The US and The Cold War Era (1945 – 1963 )

Section 1 – Roots of the Cold War

Obj: to explain how the Cold War began; to describe how the US responded to Soviet expansion; to analyze how the crisis over Berlin led to the new Cold War alliances, and, the events during 1949 that increased Cold War tensions

US and Britain distrusted the Soviet Union
US and Britain disliked the communist rejection of religion and private property
Also angered at Soviet efforts to overthrow non-communist governments
Soviets distrusted Western powers
Feared US power and that it may try to rebuilt Germany to challenge them.
Stalin promised to hold free election after WWII, reneged on his promise
1948 – Communists controlled the government of every Eastern European country, except for Yugoslavia, all became satellite nations of Soviet Union.
Churchill warned against Soviet expansion – from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, the “iron curtain” cut off Soviet-run Eastern Europe from the democratic governments of the West.
President Harry S. Truman determined to keep Soviet influence contained within already existing boundaries.
His Cold War policy was known as containment.
March 1947 – Truman Doctrine – program encouraging nations to resist communist expansion. US gave military and economic aid in return.
June 1947 – Marshall Plan – Secretary of State, George Marshall– program provided aid to Western European countries to help rebuild after WWII.
1948 – After WWII, American, British, French and Soviet troops divided Germany into four zones, each occupying a zone.
Berlin, Germany’s largest city, was also divided among four Allies, even though it lay inside Soviet zone.
US, Britain and France wanted to unite their zones
Stalin opposed the plan, using blockade to cut off West Berlin from rest of the world.
Berlin Airlift – President Truman approved plan for US and Britain provide food, fuel and other supplies to West Berlin every day for a year via planes.
May 1949 – Stalin lifted blockade conceding that West would not abandon West Berlin.
US, Great Britain and France merged their zones, became West Germany
Germany and Berlin remained divided throughout the 1950s.
The Soviet zone became known as East Germany
1961 – East German government built a huge concrete wall topped with barbed wire which sealed off East Berlin from West Berlin, sealing the division of Germany.
New alliances –
1949 – the West -NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
1955 - the East – Warsaw Pact
October 1945 – 51 nations ratified the United Nations Charter
Under this charter, member nations agreed to bring disputes before the body for peaceful settlements.
Although the UN succeeded in helping in many forums, preserving peace has proven to be more difficult.
Some nations have rejected the UN resolutions
1949 – a Year of Shocks
September – US learns they are not the only country with nuclear weapons
Communist forces led by Mao Zedong, gained power in China
October – Mao set up the People’s Republic of China.
The fear of the spread of communism had Americans worried.

Chapter 25 – The US and the Cold War (1945-1963)

Section 2 – A Time of Prosperity

Obj: to identify the problems Americans experienced as they shifted from war to peace; the factors that contributed to the economic and baby booms of thee 1950s; and, to explain how American lifestyles changed in the 1950s

US experienced a boom like no other in its history
Population grew, economy prospered and Americans enjoyed the highest standard of living any people had ever known.
The GI Bill of Rights was passed by Congress to help returning veterans.
Inflation a problem – during the war the government controlled wages and prices, after the war the controls ended and the price of goods rose.
Workers demanded higher wages to pay for the price increases.
When employers refused, labor unions called strikes.
1948 – Republican Truman won a surprise victory over Democrat, governor of NY, Thomas Dewey in the presidential election.
Extending liberal policies of FDR, Truman proposed a reform called the Fair Deal.
Congress rejected most of Truman’s reforms, but did pass higher minimum wage, expanded Social Security benefits and loans for buying low-cost houses
1952 – Truman chose not to run for reelection.
1952 Presidential runners were Democrat Adlai Stevenson and Republican Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Eisenhower, known as “Ike”, beat Stevenson and promised to end conflict in Korea and lead Americans through the Cold War.
Ike’s “middle of the road” approach earned him a second Presidential term in 1956.
After WWII, many people put off having families, after the war a “baby boom” had occurred. The population from the 1940s to the 1950s jumped from 19 million to 29 million.
The economic boom was another addition to postwar US.
Economy expanded rapidly with federal projects increasing factory production, the government spending more money to build new roads, houses and schools.
New technology added to the economic boom by promoting a steady rise in productivity.
Americans had more leisure time.
The Economic boom raised Americans standard of living.
People were saving less and spending more, people were buying homes in the suburbs.
During the 1950s, suburbs grew 40 times faster than cities
As millions flocked to suburbs, central cities began a slow decline.
Suburbs and shopping centers drained cities of businesses and taxes.
Americans also flocked to the Sun Belt.
Cars also became more important to daily life in the 1950s, and by 1960 nine out of ten families living in the suburbs owned a car.
Few people bought foreign cars and American automobile companies profited greatly
The Federal-Aid Highway Act was passed by Congress, calling for a network of high-speed roads linking the nation.
Motels, fast-food and traveling for business and pleasure emerged.
Television was in at least 9 out of 10 households by 1960.
TV brought news, entertainment, sports and commercials, which encouraged spending and buying into peoples’ homes.
1950s TV made people want to look and act the same as everyone else.
Mid 1950s a new type of music appeared – Rock and Roll.
Teenagers had their “own” music.
Not all Americans were happy in the 1950s about the emphasis on getting and spending.
A small group of writers and artists criticized what they saw as a growing materialism of American society and its lack of individuality. These people were known as “Beatniks”.
Most Americans paid little attention to these signs of discontent. Soon, however, a growing outcry could not be ignored.

Chapter 25 – The US and the Cold War Era (1945-1963)

Section 3 – The Korean War Period

Obj: to explain why the US became involved in the conflict in Korea; to summarize how the fighting in Korea ended; and, the results of the hunt for communists at home.

Korea – a peninsula in East Asia
Russia and China border it to the north and west
Japan lies across the Sea of Japan to the east
These powerful neighbors often competed to control Korea
1910-1945 – Japan ruled Korea as a colony
After WWII, US and Soviet Union agreed to a temporary division of Korea at the 38th parallel of latitude. Both agreeing that Korea would soon be reunited.
Cold War deepened – Korea remained divided
US supported non-communist South Korea
Soviet Union supported communist North Korea.
No agreement on when or how to reunite Korea.
June 1950 – North Korean troops swept across 38th parallel into South Korea
Within days, North Korean forces occupied Seoul, capital of South Korea.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur called upon to take action against North Korea
US and 16 other nations joined (80% of troops were American)
MacArthur launched daring counterattack after Soviet tanks pushed southward and soon occupied almost all of South Korea.
Had US forces land behind North Korean lines in Inchon.
North Koreans caught by surprise were forced back across the 38th parallel
China warned they would not “sit back” if US invaded North Korea
China entered the war
March 1951 – war turned into bloody deadlock
MacArthur wanted to attack China
Truman feared attack might lead to a world war
MacArthur, frustrated, complained publicly, Truman fired him
1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower, popular WWII General, elected President
He pledged to personally go to Korea and work to get resume peace talks.
July 1953 – after bloodshed, both sides eager for a cease-fire, signed an armistice to end the fighting
Redrew the border between North and South Korea near the 38th parallel, where it had been before the war.
Along the border, it also set up a DMZ (demilitarized zone), but on either side of the DMZ were heavily armed troops, and they remain there today.
Korean War changed nothing, Korea remained divided.
Korean War increased worries about communism at home.
Between 1946 and 1950 – several people in the US, Canada and Britain were arrested as Soviet spied.
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg sentenced to death for passing atomic secrets to the Soviets.
They were both executed in 1953.
Alger Hiss and other high government officials were proven to be passing secrets to the Soviet Union.
1950 – Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, made a shocking announcement, he claimed to have a list of 205 State Department employees who were Communist party members, but was never able to prove his claims
1954 – The Senate held televised hearings to investigate a new McCarthy charge, insisting that there were Communists in the US Army.
Going too far, in December 1954, Senate passed a resolution to censure him.
He lost much of his support and died three years later, and the Communist scare was mostly over.

Chapter 25 – The US and the Cold War Era (1945-1963)

Section 4 – Global Concerns in the Cold War

Obj: to understand why the Cold War spread to Africa and Asia; to explain why Cuba became a crisis spot during the Cold War; to explain why the US intervened in Latin America during the Cold War; and, to describe how the Cold War led to an arms race

Stalin dies in 1953
Nikita Khrushchev took over
The Cold War had become global
US and Soviet Union now competed for allied and influence among the members of the United Nations
Africa and Asian colonies had demanded and won independence, through military and economic aid of Communists who often joined to fight with them against foreign control.
West still tried to prevent Soviets from expanding their influence
1946 – the US withdrew from the Philippines, who still struggles to preserve a democratic government. Many ups and downs over the years.
30 African nations gained freedom from European rule.
US and Soviets sought allies from these 30 or so nations
As a result, local conflicts within African nations now international crises because they were either supported by the US or the Soviet Union
Cold war intensified in the civil war in Angola
US backed Somalia, Soviets backed Ethiopia.
1947 – India won independence from Britain and subcontinent was divided into two nations – India and Pakistan
US and Soviets tried to win the support of these two nations
Pakistan became ally to US
India accepted both and remained neutral in the Cold War
Indochina was French-ruled, it included present-day Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The wars lasted 30 years and eventually drew the US in later on.
1960s – US and Soviet Union emerged at superpowers.
1959 – Fidel Castro led a revolution that set up a communist state in Cuba
Government took over private companies, including many owned by American businesses.
Thousands of Cubans exiled to the US, especially upper and middle class
Soviet Union began supplying Cuba with large amounts of aid.
Ties between Soviets and Castro worried American officials.
Cuba lies just 90 miles from Florida
1961 – President John F. Kennedy approved plan for Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro.
1200 Cuban exiles landed on the Bay of Pigs on Cuba’s south coast and were overtaken by Castro’s forces.
The Bay of Pigs Invasion strengthened Castro in Cuba and embarrassed the US.
After Bay of Pigs Invasion, Soviets gave Cuba more weapons.
October 1962 – President Kennedy learned that Soviets were secretly building missile bases on the island.
Kennedy announced that American warships would stop any Soviet ships carrying missiles.
Kennedy’s strong hand led the Soviets to compromise.
Khrushchev agreed to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba
US promised not to invade the island.
Cuban Missile Crisis had shaken both American and Soviet officials.
Cold War led the US to resume an active role of intervention in Latin America, again trying to contain communism.
The social and economic status of Latin America may have led them to believe that communism was a solution to their problems.
American leaders believed reform was needed.
American aid would help lead Latin American nations to a more democratic influence and lessen the communist influence
1961 – Kennedy created the Alliance for Progress program.
Kennedy also set up the Peace Corps and the Organization of American States.
To battle communism, the US also gave military aid to train and arm Latin American military forces.
Between 1950 and 1990, US intervened in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Grenada.
During the 1970s and 1980s, civil wars rages in several Central American countries.
Rebels in El Salvador and Guatemala fought to overthrow government
US backed government because they were strongly anti-communist.
Thousands of refugees fled to the US
Nicaragua – the Sandinistas overthrew longtime dictator in 1979 and set up socialist government
President Reagan, afraid Nicaragua would become another Cuba, aided a group opposed to the Sandinistas, known as the Contras.
1990 – Nicaragua held elections voting in new leaders
By 1950s US and Soviets had developed large stocks of nuclear bombs and missiles
1957 – Soviet Union launches “Sputnik” the world’s first artificial satellite
Americans stunned, but soon launched its own satellites
Superpowers raced to send larger satellites farther into space.
US set up National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
1970 – the two superpowers had stockpiles of weapons large enough to destroy each other many times over.