The Nation faces a cold war How did the Soviet Union expand its power after WWII? How did the...

The Nation faces a cold war

How did the Soviet Union expand its power after WWII?

How did the Marshall Plan help to prevent the spread of communism?

A new era

“A new era is upon us. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last

chance.”

– General Douglas MacArthur

• Another world war must be avoided

• American’s shared the same sentiments as MacArthur

Roots of conflict

• Churchill’s warning of an “iron curtain”

• Soviet expansion

• Spread of communism

What is communism?

• A form of government characterized by a classless and stateless society

• Defined by equal distribution of economic goods

• Command economy: the economy is mostly controlled by the government• The government tells you what to

produce, how to produce it, and to whom to sell

Goals & Outcomes of communism

GOALS

• Equality for all citizens

• No unemployment

• Share the wealth

• No poverty

• No social classes (no rich, no poor)

OUTCOMES

• Abuse of power

• Restrictions in society

• Censorship

• Class system still exists

What is capitalism?

• An economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained by private individuals and corporations

• Democratic governments

• Market economy: major decisions about production are made by individual households and businesses following their own self-interest

CHECKPOINT

• With your group, complete “CAPITALISM & COMMUNISM: POSTIVES AND NEGATIVES” sheet

• Everyone should record/have their own copy

• Be prepared to discuss your points

POST-WWII

• The end of WWII shaped the postwar world by laying the foundations for the Cold War

• At the end of WWII, the Allies essentially split the world between them

• The Allies split the European and Asian world between themselves.

• In Asia, the Soviet Union was allowed to keep the northern part of Korea

• Germany was split at first in four sections but France and England gave their territory to the United States as they attempted to rebuild their war torn homeland

• The Soviet Union was allowed to dominate the eastern part of Germany and the countries of Eastern Europe

• Countries throughout the world had to then choose their ally either the United States or the Soviet Union

• This split between the US and SU was spread throughout the globe

• By setting up this situation where the world was split up between communist and non-communist countries, the end of WWII set the stage for the Cold War

US Fears following wwii

• Spread of Communism

• Return of the Great Depression

Truman doctrine

“The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger

the world–and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own nation”

– President Truman, 1947

• Show of strength to halt Soviet expansion

• US pledged to aid nations threatened by communist uprising and expansion

Soviet/Communist threat to us & western Europe post-wwii

Western Europe conditions

• HUNGER

• POVERTY

• DESPAIR

1. May cause Western Europeans to vote their own leaders into office who would align their country with the Soviet Union

2. May cause the spread of communism

Marshall plan

“The modern system of the division of labor upon which the exchange of products is based

is in danger of breaking down. The truth of the matter is that Europe's requirements for the next three or four years of foreign food and other essential products -- principally

from America -- are so much greater than her present ability to pay that she must have

substantial additional help or face economic, social, and political deterioration of a very

grave character.”

– Secretary of State George C. Marshall describing the goals of the Marshall Plan, June

5, 1947

Marshall plan

• Financial aid and support for European countries left devastated in the aftermath of WWII

• Proposed by Secretary of State, George Marshall, 1947

• Large-scale plan to help rebuild Europe’s economy• $13 billion in aid

• Decreased chances of communist expansion and take over in Western Europe

marshall plan

PURPOSES:

• Provide Europeans with an attractive alternative option to communism

• Make the US look good by giving Europeans hope by providing for immediate needs of the people

• Provide financial opportunities for the US to later trade with the European nations

EFFECTS:

• Cause Stalin (Soviet Union leader at time) to put up a “wall” dividing Europe which aided containment of communism

• Cause friction between Stalin and satellite countries by forbidding acceptance of US aide

• Tell me what you know:

1. Evaluate the political cartoon• What does each

item/person/symbol represent?

• At what audience is the political cartoon aimed?

• What did the artist want you to understand?

2. How did the Western European people or nations benefit from the Marshall Plan?

Soviet blockade

• United States, France, and Britain to join zones of Germany to form “German Federal Republic”, or West Germany• Soviet zone late becomes known as the “German

Democratic Republic”, or East Germany

• Stalin closes roads, railways, and river routes connecting Berlin with West Germany

• Blockade cuts off West Berlin with the rest of the world

• Truman’s response: Berlin Airlift• Airlift: An act of transporting supplies by aircraft, typically

in a blockade or other emergency.

Berlin airlift

“By now the planes are passing overhead hundreds of times a day. In the crowded lunchroom at Tempelhof quiet, tired American pilots grab a coffee and a sandwich…Outside, on the edge of the field, a ragged German crowd gathers…and German boys squint through holes in the field fence with the

open-mouthed fascination of American kids watching a ball game.”

– Article from Life magazine

Keeping the peace

• The United Nations

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

• Warsaw Pact

Nato & warsaw pact

• NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization• Military alliance of democratic states in Europe

and North America

• Warsaw Pact• A military treaty, which bound its members to

come to the aid of the others, should any one of them be the victim of foreign aggression

• Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union)\

Cold war turns hot

“For me it was a typical Sunday night in Japan. It rained all day. My wife was giving

the kids a bath prior to putting them to bed, and I was reading a book…when the

call came for me to report at once to headquarters. The wife wanted to know

what the call was about. ‘Something must be wrong with next week’s training

schedule,’ I answered. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’”

– Sergeant First Class Bill Menninger, United States Army stationed in Japan

after WWII, June 1950

Hunting communists at home

• Cold War tensions feed American fears

• Detection of radiation in Soviet Union proves Americans are no longer the only country with atomic power

• Rosenberg trial

• Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin