Cold War PP

Cold War Ch. 18

• WWII Civilians killed totaled from 40 to 52

million, including 13 to 20 million from
war-related disease and famine.

• Total military dead: from 22 to 25 million
• US & Soviet Union now the two

“Super-powers” distrusted & grew
suspicious of each other during the war

• June 26, 1945 50 Nations form the United

Nations

Cold War Map

• Potsdam Conference July 1945– Meeting

of Britain, US, & Soviets after the war
Stalin promises Truman free elections in
Eastern Europe. He lied.

• They agree to rebuild the zone each

country occupies

• US becomes the economic leader of the

world

• Stalin establishes Communist “puppet” or

satellite nations in Albania, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary,
Romania & Poland

East Germany

• Containment – Policy of stopping the

spread of communism to other nations

• Truman Doctrine – policy of protecting

nations from being controlled by military
force

• Churchill calls Stalins control of Eastern

Europe the “iron curtain”

• Cold War – Conflict & competition between

US & Russia without directly fighting each
other

• Marshall Plan - $13 billion in aid to rebuild

Europe

Iron Curtain & Truman Doctrine

• Germany was split into 4 zones: US, Britain,

France in the West & Soviets in the east

• Berlin was split that way too only it was in E.

Germany and food was cut off

• Berlin airlift – 327 days food & supplies were

airlifted into Berlin

• NATO Alliance – April 4 1949 Military alliance

between US & Western Europe countries to
defend each other from invasion

• Mao Zedong wins Chinese Civil war and

makes China a communist country

• Truman didn’t send soldiers to support the

Nationalists (fought the Chinese communists)

Chairman Mao

• Americans shocked by communism in China

leads to strong fear of Communism in America

• Loyalty Review Board – Truman, accused of

being soft on Communism, set up a review
board to question government employees loyalty
to the US in 1947

• HUAC – House Un-American Activities

Commission – Agency that investigated outside
of government any communist activity

• Hollywood ten & Blacklist – HUAC believed

Hollywood was sneaking propaganda into films.
Ten refused to testify before Congress in protest
and were sent to prison

HUAC

• Hollywood executives instituted a “blacklist”. A

list of 500 people (actors, writers, & producers)
they condemned for having a Communist
background and never worked in Hollywood
again.

• McCarran Act – Congress passes bill making it

illegal to plan any action for a totalitarian
government in the US. Truman vetoed by
Congress overruled him.

• Alger Hiss – Man accused of spying by

Whittaker Chambers and Richard Nixon. He was
convicted of perjury and evidence in the 1990s
proves he did spy for Soviets

• Rosenbergs – On Sep. 3 1949 Soviets exploded

their own A bomb. America, shocked, suspected
spies. Ethel & Julius Rosenberg were tried and
executed for their treason.

Red Fear

• McCarthyism – Senator Joseph McCarthy made

famous for accusing many of Communism
throughout the nation

• Korean War – June 1950 North Korean

Communists attack South Korea & this time
America sends in troops

• MacArthur pushes Communists all the way back

to China until Chinese invade & push it back to
38th Parallel (where they started)

• MacArthur wants to invade China & Truman

disagrees & relieves him of Command

• Cease fire on June 23rd 1951 ends the War

Korean War

• H-bomb – Scientist create an even more

destructive bomb then the Atomic Bomb, the
Hydrogen bomb on Nov. 1, 1952

• Equal to 1,000,000 tons of TNT (67 times more

powerful then the A-bomb). Soviets explode their
own H-bomb in Aug. 1953

• Brinkmanship – Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected

President who was willing to go to the “brink” of all
out war with the Soviets

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is formed and

using espionage (spying) to gather information
and carry out secret operations to overthrow
governments

• Warsaw Pact – Linked Soviet Union with 7

Eastern European Countries in response to NATO

H Bomb

• Geneva Summit – July 1955 Eisenhower

suggests “open skies” Soviets reject. First
talks between US & Soviets since WWII

• Suez War – Suez canal is nationalized by

Egypt. Britain, France, & Israel fight back for
control but UN steps in and brokers peace

• Eisenhower Doctrine – With Soviets backing

of Egypt. Eisenhower says the US will defend
the Middle East from any attack from a
communist country

• Hungarian uprising – Hungary revolts against

communist government in 1956. Soviet tanks
roll in and kill 30,000 protesters. 200,000
Hungarians flee to West Europe

Suez War 1956

• Space Race – Russians launch first

satelitte into space, Sputnik in 1957.
US sends it’s first satellite in Jan.
1958.

• U-2 Spyplane shot down – 1960 CIA

makes secret flights above Soviet
Union to take pictures. It gets shot
down and the Pilot Powers is
sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Tension between US and Soviets is
stronger then ever

U-2 Spyplane Incident