Cold War: 1945-1991

SSUSH20-25

https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHwIkOv6Rc4

Pray For France.

Bell Work 11-16

Read the sentence from the section
"French President Vows Revenge."
World leaders rushed to condemn the Paris
attacks, and French President Franois
Hollande vowed revenge.
Which of the following answer choices
could replace the word "condemn" in
the sentence WITHOUT changing the
meaning of the sentence?

Yalta Conference (Feb. 1945)

Big Three (Roosevelt, Churchill, & Stalin)
Yalta (city in the Soviet Union)
Purpose: Discuss Germanys fate & the end of the
war
Meeting Discussions:
Stalin: Divide Germany into occupation zones controlled by
the Allied military forces (would lessen Germanys strength)
Churchill: Disagreed w/ Stalinsaying this would anger
Germany & possibly lead to another war
Roosevelt: Wanted Soviet Union to join in the war against
Japan in the Pacific & wanted Stalins support to join a new
peace-keeping organization: United Nations

Compromises & Conclusions:

Roosevelt convinced Churchill to agree to the
occupation zones on Germany (U.S., Great Britain,
Soviet Union, & France)assuming that in the future
Germany would eventually become united
Stalin promised
Free elections (democracy) in Poland & other Sovietoccupied Eastern European countries (yeah rightnever
going to happen)
Join the war in the Pacific against Japan
Participate in the United Nations

United Nations
Near the end of WWII, the
United Nations was formed
April 25, 1945 reps of 50
nations met in San Francisco to
establish this new peacekeeping
organization
After 2 months of debateon
June 26, 1945UN was
established
Organization was founded to
promote world peace, however it
soon became a place where the 2
superpowers (U.S. & Soviet
Union) would compete

After WWII, the U.S. & Soviet

Union had very different
ambitions & plans for the
future

Post-WWII Europe
Problems:
Destruction (millions of homes, factories,
roads, bridges)
Starvation
Many countries faced the problem of rebuilding
(financially, physically, emotionally)traditional
power countries (Britain & France)

Soviet Union controlled the eastern half of

Europe
showed no desire to allow free elections
(democracy) in the areas they controlled (even
though they promised)
Soviets had not withdrawn their military from
eastern Europe
U.S. viewed this as a threat

Tensions between the Soviet Union & the

U.S. became known as the Cold War

Goals for Europe: U.S. vs. Soviet Union

The United States

1. All nations had the right of
self-government (democracy)
2. Access to raw materials &
places to sell goods
3. Rebuild European gov'ts
(political stability)
4. Create new markets for
American goods to be sold
5. Reunite Germanybelieving
that Europe would be more
secure if Germany were
productive

The Soviet Union

1. Encourage communism
2. Rebuild its economy using
Eastern Europes industrial
equipment & raw materials
3. Control Eastern Europe to
balance U.S. influence in
Western Europe
4. Keep Germany divided &
weak so that it would never
again threaten the Soviet Union

Policy of Containment
Pres. Truman & George F.
Kennan (American diplomat in
Moscow) proposed this policy
in Feb. 1946
Containment wanting to stop
the spread of communism
Iron CurtainWinston
Churchill made a speech in
March 1946 where he said an
iron curtain had descended
upon Europe
What did he mean??
Division of Europedemocratic vs.
communist countries

Truman Doctrine
March 12, 1947
Pres. Truman asked
Congress for money for
economic & military aid
for Greece & Turkey
*Only 2 democratic countries
left in eastern Europe

Between 1947 1950

U.S. sent $400 million in
aid to Greece & Turkey
Greatly reduce
communist takeover in
Greece & Turkey

Marshall Plan
Western Europe was a mess!
Most of its factories had been bombed/destroyed
Millions of people were living in refugee camps
(European govts tried to figure out where to
resettle them)
Winter of 1946-47 was the worst in several
centuriesseverely damaging crops & freezing
riverscutting off water transportation &
causing a fuel shortage

June 1947 George C. Marshall (Sec. of

State)proposed that the U.S. provide aid
to all European nations that needed it
Over the next 4 yrs16 countries received
almost $13 billion in aid
By 1952Western Europe was flourishing
and the Communist party had lost much
power

Berlin Airlift
As Europe began to get back on its
feet, the U.S. & its allies clashed with
the Soviet Union over the issue of
German reunification
At the end of WWII, Germany was
divided into 4 zones (U.S., Britain, &
France in the West; Soviet Union in the
East)
1948 Britain, U.S., & France decided
to combine their 3 zones into 1
country (West Germany)
Berlin (capital of Germany) was in Eastern
Germany (occupied by the Soviets)
Western part of Berlinwhich had been
occupied by the Allieswas surrounded by
Soviet-occupied Germany

 Problem: No written agreement w/ the Soviets

guaranteeing free access to Berlin by road or railroad
June 1948 Stalin closed all highway & railroad lines
into West Berlin
No food or fuel could reach that part of the city
2.1 million residents living in West Berlin had only
enough food to last for approx. 5 weeks
Berlin airlift was an attempt to break the blockade!
American & British officials started the Berlin airlift to
fly food & supplies into West Berlin
For 327 days, planes took off & landed every few
minutes24/7
277,000 flights brought 2.3 million tons of supplies
food, fuel, & medicineeven Christmas presents!
(crews bought with their own money!)
West Berlin survived b/c of the airlift
By May 1949the Soviet Union realized it was beaten
& lifted the blockade!
Berlin airlift was a success!
http://
www.capmembers.com/media/cms/Uncle_Wiggly_Halvorsen_
Story_LR_E5143D25300A3.pdf

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Berlin blockade increased Western European
fear of Soviet aggression
April 4, 1949 10 Western European nations
joined w/ the U.S. & Canada to form a defensive
military alliance called the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO)
Members pledged military support in case any
member was attacked
1st time in history the U.S. joined into a military
alliance during peacetime!
Cold War had ended any hope of U.S. returning to
isolationism

Eventually more countries joined NATO by 1955

NATO kept a standing military force of more
than 500,000 troops, as well as thousands of
planes, tanks, & other equipment in case of war

China Becomes Communist

For 20 yrs (1920s-1940s)Chinese
Communists had struggled against the
nationalist govt of Chiang Kai-shek
U.S. supported Chiang
Between 1945-49 U.S. govt sent $3
billion

Communistsled by Mao Zedong

gained strength throughout China
Communists worked to win peasant support
Encouraged peasants to learn to read
Helped improve food production

Led to more recruits joining the

Communists Red Army
By 1945, much of northern China was under
communist control

 After WWII, fighting between the

Nationalists & Communists in China
increased
From 1944-47 U.S. played peacemaker
between the 2 groups while still
supporting the Nationalists
However, U.S. officials repeatedly failed to
negotiate peace
Truman refused to commit American soldiers to
back up the Nationalistsalthough the U.S. did
send $2 billion worth of military supplies &
equipment
The aid wasnt enough to save the Nationalists

May 1949 Chiang fled to the island of

Taiwan & the Communists (Mao Zedong)
took over
Chinas new name Peoples Republic
of China (U.S. refused to accept as
Chinas true govt)

American Reaction to Communist

Takeover in China
Americans were stunned that China had
become Communist
Containment had failed!
In Congress, conservative Republicans &
Democrats attacked the Truman
administration for supplying only limited aid
to Chiang Kai-Shek
If containing communism was important in Europe,
why was it not equally important in Asia?!
Response: takeover was a result of internal forces;
trying to do more would have started a war in Asia
which the U.S. wasnt prepared to fight

Americans fear of communism began to

spread

Korean War
1910 Japan had taken over Korea (until August 1945)
As WWII ended, Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel
(north line of latitude) surrendered to the Soviets
Japanese troops south of the 38th parallel surrendered to
the Americans
Just like in Germany, 2 nations developed
1 communist (North Korea)
1 democratic (South Korea)

1948
Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Democratic Peoples Republic (North Korea)
Govt headed by Kim Il Sung

After WWII, the U.S. had cut back its military in South
Korea
By June 1949 only 500 American troops were in South
Korea

Soviets thought that the U.S. didnt care to defend South

Korea anymore
Sent tanks, airplanes, & money to North Korea in
preparation to take over the entire peninsula of Korea
(make it all communist)

 June 25, 1950 North Korean troops crossed the

38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea
Within a few days, North Korean troops had invaded
far into South Korea

South Korea called upon the United Nations (UN)

for help in stopping the North Korean invasion
June 27, 1950 Pres. Truman ordered U.S. troops
already stationed in Japan to support the South
Koreans
Also sent an American fleet into the waters between
Taiwan & China

In all, 16 nations sent 520,000 troops to aid South

Korea
Over 90% of these soldiers were Americans
South Korean troops numbered an additional 590,000
Combined forces were placed under the control of
General Douglas MacArthurformer WWII hero in the
Pacific

After 3 years of fighting (1950-1953)the U.S. & http://

www.history.com/topi
U.N. forces stabilized Korea at the 38 th parallel
No peace treaty has been signedjust an armisticecs/korean-war/videos
/sherman-pratt-survi
(agreement to stop fighting)and hostilities
ves-the-korean-war
between the 2 sides (north & south) continue
today