Pre-Cold War Conferences• Yalta

– February 1945– Stalin, FDR, and Churchill– Germany into 4 zones– Partition of Berlin– Stalin promises free elections in E. Europe– Soviets would join war in Pacific

• Potsdam– July 1945– Truman, Stalin, and Atlee– Trials for top Nazis– Atomic Bomb announced to Soviets– Differences on Eastern Europe

The Cold War [1945-1991]: An Ideological Struggle

Soviet & Eastern Bloc

Nations[“Iron

Curtain”]

US & the Western

Democracies

GOAL spread world-wide Communism

GOAL “Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist world.[George Kennan]

METHODOLOGIES:

1. Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]

2. Arms Race [nuclear escalation]

3. Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts of Third World peoples [Communist govt. & command economy vs. democratic govt. & capitalist economy] “proxy wars”

4. Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]

The Bipolarization of Europe

George Kennan [“X Article”]: CONTAINMENT

Goals Means Actual Application1.Restoration

of the balance of power

2.Reduction of Soviet ability to project outside power.

Encouragement of self-confidence in nations threatened by Soviet expansion.

Exploitation of tensions in international communism.

Long-term program of U.S. economic assistance [Marshall Plan]

Cooperation with communist regimes; [supporting Yugoslavia]

The Marshall Plan

3.Modification of the Soviet concept of international relations.

Negotiating settlement of outstanding differences.

Using “carrots & sticks’; containing Germany with an embrace and Russia at arms length.

George Kennan [“X Article”]: CONTAINMENT

Goals Means Actual Application

Truman Doctrine - 1947

• “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid, which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes.” (Greece and Turkey)

The Division of Berlin

Berlin Airlift

• -map.svg

Berlin Airlift StatisticsDuration: 462 days; June 26, 1948-Sept. 30, 1949.Flights: 278,228 189,963 U.S., 87,841 British, 424 French.Miles flown: 134 million (nearly 1 1/2 times distance to sun).Deaths from crashes: 31 Americans, 39 British, at least 9 Germans.Busiest 24 hours: April 15-16, 1949; 1,398 flights (one landing almost every minute), 12,940 tons of cargo (equal to 22 trains with 50 railcars each).Cargo delivered: 2,326,406 tons, two-thirds of it coal.Candy parachuted: 23 tons.

Berlin Wall – 1961 - 1990

National Defense Budget [1940-1964]

Korean War

[1950-1953]

“Dean, we’ve got to stop the sons-of-bitches no matter what.” - Harry Truman

Korean War[1950-1953]

Syngman Rhee

Kim Il-Sung

“Domino Theory” – Fear that if one country fell to Communism, others around it would

as well.

The Shifting Map of Korea[1950-1953]

The Cold War at HomeThe Cold War at Home

HUACHouse Committee on Un-American Activities

• House Un-American Activities Committee

• Investigate possible communist activity– 1947 : movie industry – Hollywood had a number of communists

• Wanted to rid Hollywood of Communist influence

The Hollywood Ten

• What were they accused of??– Disloyalty – Being Communist – Exposing moviegoers to Communist

propaganda

• How were they affected??– Prison– Blacklisted (approx 500 people)

Alger Hiss

• Accused of??– Spying for the Soviet

Union – Passing government

documents to the SU– Perjury

• How was he affected? – Convicted of perjury

and jailed

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg

• What were they accused of?– Spying for the Soviet

Union – Passing information

about the atomic bomb

• How were they affected? – Convicted and executed

“McCarthyism”

• Senator Joseph McCarthy • Needed a winning issue for reelection

– Communists in the government

• During a speech he claimed to hold a list of 205 Communists in State Dept.– Kept changing number

• When challenged he responded with another accusation

McCarthy Telegram to Truman