Postwar America

Cold War Rising

Results of the War•The United States suffered about 300,000 causalities

•Potsdam Conference: Germany was split into four zones occupied by the Allies and Truman first learned of Manhattan Project

•1945-1952, US occupied Japan restructuring their gov, military, and economy

•Nuremburg Trials: Sentenced 11 Nazi leaders to death (Eichmann, Mengele fled to Latin America)

•United Nations: New international delegation made up of allied nations

•Baruch Plan: Principle that only the United States should have access to nuclear technology

Postwar Politics•Committee on Civil Rights: 1946, Truman started gov. committee dedicated to equal rights for all citizens

•Executive Order 9981: Desegregated military in 1948

•1948 Election: Truman defeats Republican candidate Dewey

•Fair Deal: Truman’s continuation of the New Deal which promoted higher minimum wages, health insurance, and welfare

History of Communism•Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848 predicting a workers revolution over the wealthy and the creation of a classless society

•Proletariat: Working Class•Bourgeois: Upper Class

•Communists call for an end to the capitalist system and structure

•Vladimir Lenin led the Russian Revolution in 1917 that overthrew the Russian Monarchy

•USSR: Established in 1922 as the first communist state

Life Under Communism

•Communism is supposed to eliminate the class system

•Communist Party members became the new elite

•Russification: Adopting Russian culture

•Religion was denounced and those were punished by practicing

•Free or reduced public transportation, health care, housing, and low unemployment were all benefits

•USSR ‘s self-reliance led to shortages in essential goods

•Black Market: Illegal trade of goods and services

•Nearly all literate and emphasized math and science

•Male students began military training starting in 9th grade

•Propaganda taught Marxism and the “evils of capitalism”

•Marriages occurred at government offices

•Urbanization led to smaller families and a declining birth rate

•Women replaced men in the work force following WWII

•Women were given equal treatment in the work place

Social Economic Education Family

Cold War Era Begins•Satellite Nations: Countries under Soviet control (ex. Lith., Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Manchuria, parts of Poland/Germany)

•Churchill, “An Iron Curtain has descended across the continent”

•Containment: Theory to restrict Soviet expansion at all costs

•Truman Doctrine: Policy stating that we would support any nation resisting communism. Used to support Greece/Turkey.

•Marshall Plan: Proposed by Sec. of State George C.Marshall, US provided Europe with $12 billion in aid to help struggling economy

Cold War Heating Up•Molotov Plan: USSR’s answer to the Marshall Plan. Created economic alliances among Soviet satellites

•Berlin Airlift: (1948) Soviets blocked all access to/from Berlin and Allies dropped off food and supplies for to city

•Brinksmanship: Coming to the “brink” of war

•This led to Soviet embarrassment and the formation of East & West Germany

•NATO: (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Allied Nations agreeing to support/defend each other in war

•Warsaw Pact: USSR and satellites agreement to protect each other

Second Red Scare•CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)= US

vs.•KGB (Committee on State Security)= USSR

•House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC): Originally created to prevent Fascism, it quickly became anti-communist

•Hollywood Ten: 10 directors who refused to answer HUAC’s questions and were jailed and blacklisted

•Rosenberg Case: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of selling the Soviets nuclear secrets and were executed

Cold War World•Israel: Created in 1948 as a Jewish state that was unrecognized by Arabs

•Zionism: Movement for Jews back to holy land

•China: Mao Zedong led CCP to power in 1949 establishing a communist dictatorship

•Taiwan: UN supported Chinese Nationalists flee to Taiwan where they still reside today

Tension in Korea•Japan occupied Korea from 1910-1945

•After WWII, USSR occupied north of the 38th parallel supporting communism while the US occupied the south of it supporting democracy

•In June of 1950, the Soviet-backed North Koreans invaded the South

•15 UN member nations assembled a military unit to create a “unified, and independent democratic Korea”

•The UN chose Douglas MacArthur to lead the troops and classified this as a “UN Police Action” since war was not declared

Korean War•UN forces pushed the North back all the way to the Chinese border along the Yalu River

•In response, the Chinese sent over 400,000 soldiers to push the UN forces back across the 38th parallel

•MacArthur wanted to expand the war with China which led to his eventual dismissal by Truman

•In 1953, an armistice was declared and a permanent DMZ border was established along the 38th parallel

OUTCOMES3.5 million Koreans diedNorth= Communist/IsolatedSouth= Democratic/Allies with WestUS = 54,000 deaths and first “unsuccessful” major conflict