James A.

Henretta David Brody

America: A Concise History

Fourth Edition
CHAPTER 26 Cold War America 19451960

Copyright 2010 by Bedford/St. Martins

Introduction
Truman Warns Japs To Give Up 1945/06/07 In 1945, defense plants were shutting down, war workers were being laid off and 12 million job-seeking veterans were on the way home. Home building picked up. The economy was heading into the strongest boom in American history. They had exchanged the fear of economic hard times for the fear of communism.
(p.766)

Introduction
The conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States inaugurated a long twilight era of international tension called a Cold War during which either side, armed with nuclear weapons might have tipped the world into oblivion. At home the Cold War fostered a climate of suspicion of subversives in government, edacation, and the media.
(p.766)

 The Perils of the Cold War

In this detail of a 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoon, Rube Goldberg depicts the perilous nature of America's postwar peace one that was based largely on atomic supremacy and the threat of nuclear annihilation. University of California at Berkeley, Bancroft Library.

The Cold War Descent into Cold War, 19451946 The Containment Strategy Containment in Asia

The Cold War

The Cold War began in 1946. It ended in 1989. 45 years later with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Both the Soviet Union and the United States were partly to blame for starting the Cold War.

(p.768)

Descent into Cold War, 19451946

WWII set the conditions for the Cold War. Germany and Japan were defeated. Britain and France were exhausted. This left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the only remaining superpowers. The U.S. and the Soviet Union were divided by Ideology.
(p.768)

Yalta (1.14)
The main problem was Eastern Europe. At Yalta, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to allow Poland and its neighbors fall under the Soviet sphere of influence. Yalta called for free and unfettered elections The principle of self determination. Yalta also called for an international forum to discuss issues of mutual importance. And permanent seats with veto rights for the United States and Soviet Union on the Security Council.
(p.768)

Poland
Poland would not consent. 1939, Stalin agreed with Hitler to divide Poland. Stalin ordered the execution of the entire Polish officer corps in Katyn Forest.
http://youtu.be/J4Nl_Q-EjbA Stalin betrayed the Poles of Warsaw late in the war. When they rose against the Germans, the Red Army halted on the outskirts to give the Germans time to kill off any anti-communist leadership. (p.769)

Harry Truman and Potsdam

Truman was the new President and was inexperienced in foreign policy. His instinct was to stand up to Stalin. Truman used what he called tough methods at the Potsdam conference in July. With the threat of nuclear weapons, Truman bossed the mtgs and told Stalin where to get off.
(p.769)

The Containment Strategy

1946, George F. Kennan warned that the Soviet Union was embarked on a trajectory of expansionism. The only recourse, according to Kennan, was to meet the Soviets with unalterable counterforce at every point where they show signs of encroaching upon the interests of a peaceful and stable world. Kennan called for long term containment.
(p.770)

The Truman Doctrine

Britain was exhausted and informed the U.S. that it could no longer afford to support the anti-communists in Greece. March 12, 1946, Truman announced in a speech that the U.S. would support free peoples who are resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. Congress approved 300 million for aid to Greece and 100 million of aid to Turkey.
(p.771)

The Marshall Plan

1947, Europe slid into economic chaos with people starving. Secretary of State, George C. Marshall developed a plan to help get the European economy back on its feet. June 1947, Marshall gave a speech at Harvard encouraging Europe to work out an economic plan and promising American aid. The Marshall Plan was criticized by Republicans in Congress.
(p.771)

The Marshall Plan

Feb. 25, 1948, the Communists took over in Czechoslovakia. The coup rallied support for the Plan in Congress. March 1948, Congress voted overwhelmingly to pass the Marshall Plan (6min 40sec). The Soviets were invited to participate but withdrew, receiving the blame for dividing Europe. Germany was the flashpoint for conflict.
(p.771)

Occupied Germany
It was agreed at Yalta that Germany would be permanently demilitarized and pay reparations. Germany was divided into four zones of occupation controlled by the Soviet Union, Great Britain, the United States and France. The three allies consolidated their zones and prepared to form an independent federal German republic.
(p.772)

The Berlin Crisis

June 1948, Stalin halted all Allied traffic to West Berlin. Truman and the British surprised Stalin by taking quick action to develop an airlift.
Berlin Airlift - The Story Of A Great Achievement (1949)

For almost one year, American and British pilots flew in 2.5 million tons of food and fuel. The Berlin crisis was the closest the two sides came to actual war and the closest the U.S. came to using the atomic bomb against the Soviet Union.
(p.774)

Formation of NATO
May 12, 1949, Stalin back down. April 1949, The U.S. joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) composed of 12 nations: U.S., Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Iceland. May 1949, NATO agreed to the formation of West Germany which joined NATO in 1955. In response, the Soviets formed the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
(p.774)

Balance of Terror
September, 1949, the final stage in the process came when American military intelligence detected a rise in the radioactivity of the atmosphere. The Soviet Union had detonated its own atomic bomb. Truman turned to the National Security Council (NSC). April 1950, NSC-68 full of alarming rhetoric. Urged a crash program to maintain nuclear superiority. (p.774)

Testing the Bomb

November 1,1951. The development of nuclear weapons went on, requiring frequent testing This photograph shows members of the 11th Airborne Division watching the mushroom cloud from one A-bomb test at the Atomic Energy missions proving grounds at Yucca Flats in Nevada

Thermonuclear Bomb
Nov. 1952, The Americans developed the first hydrogen bomb, a 1000 times more destructive than the atomic bombs. 1953, the Soviets tested their first hydrogen bomb. Truman accepted NCS-68 but with misgivings. He turned control of nuclear weapons over to civilians, not military. The Balance of Terror now prevailed.
(p.775)

Containment in Asia
tensions began to build in Asia. A civil war was raging in China since the 1930s. The communist forces under Mao Zedong triumphed in 1949. The remnants of the opposition fled to Taiwan. Mao aligned himself with the Soviet Union, partly out of fear of the U.S. Korea was the next trouble spot.
(p.778)

War in Korea
In Korea as in Germany, confrontation grew out of interim postwar arrangements. Both the U.S. and the Soviets had troops in Korea. The line of demarcation was the 38th parallel. The line hardened into a permanent division. June 25, 1950, the North Koreans launched a surprise attack across the 38th parallel. Truman immediately asked UN security council to authorize a police action Animated map of Korea
(p.778)

MacArthur counterattacks.
14 nations provided troops commanded by General Douglas MacArthur. North Koreans occupied the entire peninsula accept the southeast corner. Sept. 15, MacArthur launched a surprise amphibious attack at Inchon behind N. Korean lines. In two weeks the U.N. forces controlled Seoul and land up to the (p.778) 38th parallel.

China and MacArthur

Truman And The Korean War (clip) MacArthur ignored Chinese warnings and crossed the 38th parallel and reached the Chinese border on Oct. 9. There was a massive Chinese counterattack with 300,000 Chinese volunteers which recaptured Seoul in Jan. 1951. American forces again counterattacked and gained the 38th parallel where a stalemate set in. MacArthur denounced the stalemate and wanted total victory.
(p.778)

Insubordination
MacArthur wrote a highly critical letter to the Republican House minority leader. On April 11, 1951, Truman relieved MacArthur of command for insubordination.
Douglas MacArthur Farewell Speech to Congress

MacArthur failed to win the Republican presidential nomination in 1952 and faded from public view. The war dragged on for 2 more years and an armistice was signed in July 1953.
(p.778)

The Truman Era

Reconversion The Fair Deal The Great Fear

The Truman Era

Sept. 16, 1945, 14 days after Japanese surrender, Truman called for an expansion of the New Deal. Truman affirmed Roosevelt's 1944 Economic Bill of Rights. The right to a useful job, Good housing Adequate medical care Old age pension and A good education.
Harry S. Truman: President of the United States

(p.779)

Reconversion
Truman was beset by the problems over converting the wartime economy to peacetime. Truman was worried by runaway inflation. Organized labor was stronger than ever. General strikes brought life to a halt in 1946. Trumans response was erratic. Sometimes he gave in, but often he got tough. .
(p.780)

Taft-Hartley
Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress in 1946. In alliance with Southern Democrats they passed the Taft-Hartley Act (1947) which limited legal protections of labors right to organize and engage in collective bargaining through a a sweeping overhaul of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act. Although Truman attempted to veto the bill, Congress overrode his veto. Truman became very unpopular.
(p.780)

1948 Presidential elections

The left wing of the Democratic split and supported Henry A. Wallace an avid New Dealer. The right-wing Democrats supported Governor Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. The Republicans nominated Thomas E. Dewey, a political moderate governor of New York. Truman surprised everyone. At his rallies listeners shouted, Give em hell, Harry! Truman won 49.6 % of the vote to Deweys 45.1%. (p.780)

 President Truman 1949 Inauguration Harry S. Truman: President of the United States - Color Footage (Part 1) 10 mins.

President Truman's farewell address

The Fair Deal

1949 State of the Union, Truman called his program the Fair Deal. National health insurance. Aid to Education. Housing program. Expansion of Social Security Higher minimum wage. Civil rights for African Americans.
(p.781)

Socialized Medicine
The idea of national health insurance was strongly supported by organized labor but was denounced as socialized medicine by the American Medical Association and the insurance industry. Despite Democratic majorities, Congress was a stumbling block. The Korean War in 1950 diverted national attention from the Fair Deal.
(p.782)

The Great Fear

Was there any significant Soviet penetration of the American government? Recent intelligence files reveal that there was. FDRs Assistant secretary of the Treasury FDRs administrative aide A midlevel group in the State department (Alger Hiss) And several hundred more identified by code name.
(p.782)

Communist subversion
Alger Hiss was serving as the head of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace when he was accused by Whittaker Chambers of spying. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was launched in 1938. A group of 10 writers and directors went to jail for refusing to disclose the past associations. A blacklist was developed for the movie industry.
(p.783)

Sen. Joseph McCarthy

Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin rose to a position of influence near the end of the Great Fear. Feb. 1950, McCarthy delivered a bombshell saying that he had a list of had a list of Communists in the State Department. 1954, McCarthy launched an investigation into subversion in the U.S. army. He was censured by the Senate and died an alcoholic. Edward R. Murrow, March 9 1954
(p.783)

The Great Fear

(p.783)

Modern Republicanism
The Liked Ike The Hidden-Hand Presidency Eisenhower and the Cold War Containment in the Postcolonial World Eisenhowers Farewell Address

Modern Republicanism
Election Day 1952: America was ready for change. Dwight D. Eisenhower moderated but did not attempt to dismantle the New Deal. Like Truman, Eisenhower saw the world in Cold War polarities. His admin embraced defense buildup.
(p.785)

They Liked Ike

The Republicans were the minority party after 20 years of Democratic rule. Only 1/3 of registered voters were Republican Sen. Robert A. Taft of Ohio was popular with Repubs but more conservative. Eisenhower was popular with the general public and independent voters. The Truman admin was discredited due to Korea and corruption.
(p.786)

1952 Elections
The Democrats nominated Gov. Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. Stevenson advocated New Deal-Fair Deal policies with literary eloquence. Eisenhower gave simple and unpretentious speeches that were effective with the voters. Eisenhower attacked democrats with Korea, Communism, and Corruption. He picked anti-communist Richard Nixon as his V.P. running mate.
(p.786)

The Hidden-Hand Presidency

Eisenhower was confident as an international leader but was a novice on domestic affairs. He did not like confrontation and avoided speaking out against Joe McCarthy. He practiced hidden hand presidency by working behind the scenes. Although he sometimes seemed inarticulate, he ran a tight ship and was in full control.
(p.787)

Accomplishments
Eisenhower allowed Congress to promote social welfare, including the creation of the Department of Health Education and Welfare. He cautiously used deficit spending to boost employment. He initiated the Federal Highway system. He formed NASA to catch up in the space race. He invested funds in college scholarships and education.
(p.787)

Eisenhower and the Cold War

Eisenhower appointed John Foster Dulles Secretary of State. Stalin died in March 1953 and was replaced by Nikita S. Khrushchev who called for peaceful coexistence. 1956, Hungary rose in revolt, in part encouraged by Dulles empty talk about rolling back the Iron Curtain. Despite Khrushchev's tolerant rhetoric, Soviet tanks brutally crushed the Hungarians.
(p.788)

Nuclear proliferation
There was no end in sight to the Cold War. Eisenhower focused on limiting the costs of containment. He hoped to economize by relying on the nuclear arsenal. Eisenhower accelerated the construction of nuclear bombs, developed the Strategic Air Command and the Distant Early Warning line of radar. The Soviets matched the U.S. bomb for bomb.

(p.788)

MAD
The reigning strategic policy was called Mutually Assured Destruction or MAD. MAD was based on the premise that the threat of mutual annihilation would prevent the use of nuclear weapons. Eisenhower had second thoughts about MAD and proposed an arms limitation agreement. Negotiations were ended on May 5, 1960 when an American U-2 plane was shot down.
(p.788)

the Postcolonial World

Between 1947 and 1962, British, French, Dutch and Belgian colonial empires began to disintegrate. Both Truman and Eisenhower failed to recognize that that indigenous nationalist or socialist movements of the Third World had their own goals and were not necessarily pawns of the Soviet Union. The U.S. believed that these emerging nations must choose sides.
(p.789)

the Postcolonial World

The Eisenhower admin was less concerned about democracy than stability. The U.S. supported governments that were anti-communist. Some were dictatorships. Dulles often resorted to covert operations. 1953, CIA helped to topple the leader of Iran. 1954, CIA engineered a coup in Guatemala. 1945, the Vietminh, led by Ho Chi Minh, seized control from the Japanese.
(p.789)

Vietnam
The next year, France moved in to restore its control over Vietnam. Eisenhower rejected Hos plea for American support against the French because he was a communist. The domino theory that one communist takeover would lead to others. 1954, the French were defeated at Dienbienphu. The Geneva accords called for elections in Vietnam.
(p.789)

The Eisenhower Doctrine

1956, Britain and France in alliance with Israel invaded Egypt in order to regain control of the Suez Canal. Eisenhower opposed them. 1957, The president announced the Eisenhower Doctrine which stated that American forces would assist any nation in the middle east that required aid aqainst armed aggression by communists. Eisenhower sent the U.S. Sixth Fleet to help King Hussein of Jordan.
(p.789)

Eisenhowers Farewell Address

In his final address to the nation, Eisenhower spoke about the power of the militaryindustrial complex (2.31) which employed 3.5 million Americans. Even though Eisenhower contributed to the growth of this complex, he feared its implication for a democratic people. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic process.
(p.792)

Summary

(p.792)

Chapter 26 Cold War America 19451960

Map 26.1 Cold War in Europe, 1955 (p. 773) Map 26.2 The Korean War, 19501953 (p. 777) Map 26.3 American Global Defense Treaties in the Cold War Era (p. 790) The Korean War (p. 779)