The Cold War Begins

1
The Cold War Begins

• Chapter 36

2
Post War Economic Anxiety

• After war many Americans worried that economy
  would slip back into depression.
• At first these predictions seemed to be coming
  true
• GNP dropped in 46 and 47
• Prices rose by 33 in 46-47.
• Strikes swept key industries.
• In retrospect, these were simply rebound effects

3
Taft-Hartley

• Republicans controlled Congress for first time in
  14 years.
• Passed the Taft-Hartley Act over Trumans veto.
• Labor hated this law. Why?
• Unions attempts to grow into new areas and
  industries were frustrated.
• South was resistant to unions. Why?
• Workers in rapidly growing service sector were
  hard to organize. Why?

4
Early Economic Moves

• Sold War factories and other government
  installations at very low prices.
• How does this benefit business?
• Employment Act (1946) creates Council of Economic
  advisors. Purpose?
• GI Bill Servicemens Readjustment Act of 1944.
• Provisions?
• Helps to expand the middle class and absorb
  returning GIs

5
The Long Economic Boom, 1950-1970

• The Economic Boom between 1950 and 1970 was the
  longest and biggest in the nations history.
• It transformed the country.
• National income doubled in the 1950s and doubled
  again in the 1960s.
• Americans 6 of the population but 40 of the
  wealth.
• Size of the middle class rose to 60-double that
  prior to the depression.
• Americans became consume-aholics. Owning a car
  became standard, and two was better.
• Is like the roaring 20s, but tinged with optimism.

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New World for Women

• Women reaped huge benefits from the post-war
  boom.
• New employment.
• Source of income and independence to women.
• Effect of growth of service sector
• Culture glorified women as home-makers and
  mothers.
• Women react against gap between stereotype and
  reality with womens movement of the 1960s.

8
Causes of economic expansion

• The war itself
• Continued military spending
• Cheap Energy
• Increase in productivity
• Education
• New Tech
• Shift in the nations basic economic structure

9
The Smiling Sunbelt

• For 30 years after the war 30 Mil. people changed
  residences every year.
• How does this change society?
• Growth of the SunbeltSouth, Southwest and
  California grow at a rate nearly double that of
  the old northwest.
• Grow of Sunbelt fueled by federal spending.

10
The Rush To The Suburbs

• Starting in the 1950s white middle-class fled the
  cities to the suburbs.
• Reasons
• Federal loan guarantees made it more economically
  attractive to own a home in the suburbs than to
  rent in the city.
• Tax deductions for mortgage interest, but not
  rent.
• New highways and car-ownership made it easier.
• Desire for the peace and prosperity of the new
  suburbs.
• By 1960 one-in-four Americans lived in the
  suburbs, by 1990 half the population lives in
  suburbs.

11
Consequences of Growth of Suburbia

• Construction industry boomsLevitt
  brothers/Levitt Town
• Changes the pattern of life
• Changes the nature of commerce.
• White Flight/impoverishment of inner-cities

12
The Postwar Baby Boom

• Baby Boom is the huge surge in births in the 15
  years after WWII.
• Why it happened.
• 50 Million new babies over 15 years.
• Peaks in 1957
• Baby boom has lasting consequences
• Created a secondary baby-boom.
• One of the prime targets of advertisers thus
  impact on popular culture.
• Many of those in the rebellious generations in
  the 60s and 1970s were baby-boomers.

13
Truman

• Shock of having a new president.
• Truman much different from FDR.
• Compromise VP choice, only a middling Senator.
• FDR had left him largely out of the loop
• Truman bio and personality

14
Yalta Bargain Or Betrayal

• February, 1945, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt
  meet in Yalta.
• Issues
• How to finish the war
• What to do with Germany and Japan
• How to handle rebuilding of nations ravaged by
  the war.

15
Yalta Agreements

• What is agreed regarding Eastern Europe and
  Poland?
• Agree to a multi-power summit in San Francisco to
  work on a successor to the League of Nations
  (What becomes the United Nations)

16
Far East Agreements

• ProblemsAtomic Bomb not yet perfected and looks
  like will be a very bloody invasion of Japan.
• US wants Soviet help to pin down Japanese troops
  in Manchuria and Korea.
• Stalin unwilling
• What does Stalin agree to do?
• What does he get in return
• How does this affect A-bomb decision?

17
Yalta Assessed

• Yalta has been criticized
• Sold out Poland and Eastern Europe
• Gave the Soviets too much in China.
• Russian help not needed in Japan
• Soviets would have entered the war anyway
• FDR was feeble and therefore was hoodwinked by
  Stalin.
• Response
• Yalta was not a treatyit was a statement of
  intents and common purposes.
• USSR already had effective control of Eastern
  Europe and we couldnt stop them from entering.
• Yalta was an attempt to get all three allied
  powers on the same page as the war reached its
  conclusion.

18
Reasons for Clash with Soviets

• Two preeminent military powers in the world.
  Each had half of Europe.
• Each distrusted the others system
• Soviets were skeptical of US and GB
• Different visions of the post-war world and each
  other
• Soviets and Americans had many similarities that
  contributed to clash

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Shaping The Postwar World

• Bretton Woods, NH, 1944International Monetary
  Fund.
• International Bank for Reconstruction and
  Development (World Bank)
• United Nations Conference, 4/45
• UN Charter signed by 50 nations.
• Security Council dominated by the Big Five (US,
  USSR, China, GB, France). Each had veto power
  over any resolution.
• Assembly made up of all countries.
• US Senate overwhelmingly ratifies US
  participation

20
The Problem Of Germany

• Nuremberg war-crimes trials.
• Germany divided into four military occupation
  zones.
• Berlin itself been divided into four parts.
• Is a debate about what to do with Germany.
• Soviet proposal.
• Americans want German economically strong. Why?

21
Germany Divided

• Soviets exert strong political and economic
  control over their section of Germany.
• Soviets resist reunification of Germany.
• What is Soviet motivation and fear?
• American, British and French zones united to form
  West Germany.
• Soviet zone becomes East Germany

22
Berlin Blockade

• Soviets blockade Berlin in 1948 ending all rail
  and highway access to West Berlin. Why?
• First show-down between USSR and US.
• US airlift. Lasts for nearly a year.
• Airlift important symbol.
• Soviets forced to lift the blockade in 1949
• 1949 the two Governments of Germany are formally
  established.

23
Crystallizing The Cold War

• Iran
• From 1945-47 Communist governments installed
  throughout Eastern Europe
• US perception of these moves
• Churchills Iron Curtain Speech
• 1947Containment DoctrineGeorge Kennan

24
Cold War Europe
25
Truman Doctrine

• Truman formally embraces containment in 1947.
• Crisis in Greece. Effect if it falls to
  communism.
• Truman goes before a joint session of Congress
  and announces the Truman Doctrine. What is it?
• Asks for 400 Mill. in aid to Greece.
• Containment/Truman doctrine drive foreign policy
  for the next 40 years.
• Problem with doctrine as basis for foreign policy

26
Marshall Plan

• US fears spread of communism in Western Europe.
  Why?
• US responds with the Marshall Plan
• US would provide substantial financial
  assistance.
• Europeans enthusiastically agree.
• Eastern Europe is offered aid, too, but Soviets
  force them to reject. Why?
• Ends up being 35.3 Billion over 11 years.
• Huge Success.

27
Recognition of Israel

• Truman goes against advice of State Department
  and recognizes the state of Israel in 1948.
• Arabs were adamantly against it and threatened to
  push Jews into the sea.
• Arabs were important to US strategic interests
  because of Oil and as bulwark against Soviets.
• Truman recognized Israel because
• Lots of Jewish voters in the US
• Sympathy for plight of Jews during the holocaust.
• Recognition of Israel vastly complicated US
  foreign policy.

28
America Begins To Rearm

• Cold War leads America to arm itself in an
  unprecedented fashion for peace time.
• US Defense establishment overhauled
• National Security Act (1947)
• Pentagon
• Sec. of Defense has cabinet status.
• Joint Chiefs of Staff
• National Security Act established the National
  Security Council and CIA.
• 1948 Draft is reestablished. First peace-time
  draft.

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National Defense Budget 1940-1964
30
NATO

• Soviet threat drives Western European countries
  together.
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization 1948. Britain,
  France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and
  US.
• West Germany and others join later.
• End to Isolation
• Obligates each country to defend others
• Epochal unification of Europe,.

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Reconstructing Japan

• Why is reconstructing Japan easier?
• MacArthur.
• War crimes trials as in Japan.
• Japanese cooperate with US reconstruction to an
  astonishing degree. Why?
• Japanese Constitution.
• Defense of Japan will be handled by US.
• Economic consequence?

32
China Goes Red

• China was a mess. Weak and divided
• Nationalist led by Chang Ki Cheke (Jiang Jieshi).
  
• Communists are led by Mao Tse-tung.
• Chang is corrupt and repressive and ultimately
  Mao and communists take control.
• Nationalists flee to Formosa (Taiwan).
• US recognition of China.

33
Who Lost China?

• The loss of China was a huge blow to American
  Psyche.
• Who lost China?
• Many Republicans blame Truman.
• Allege that the State Department is riddled with
  secret Communists.
• Fuels the growing Red Scare.
• America now sees two largest countries aligned
  against the US.
• Myth of Communist unity.

34
Bigger Bombs

• Feb. 1949 Soviets explode an Atomic bomb three
  years sooner than predicted.
• Americans shocked monopoly gone
• America had counted on the bomb to keep Soviets
  in check for a few more years.
• Truman orders the development of the H-bomb.
  Beginning of the arms race.
• H-Bomb is exploded in 1952.
• Soviets explode their own H-bomb in 1953.

35
Ferreting Out Alleged Communists

• Red Scare hit US.
• Whiff of truth gives validity to paranoia.
• Many believed there were home-grown Soviet spies
  in the US government
• 1947 Truman launched loyalty program.
• 3000 federal employees dismissed based on
  suspicion of disloyalty or communist sympathies.
• communist sympathizer

36
Communist Witch Hunts

• 1938 House Un-American Activities Committee
  formed to investigate subversion.
• Richard M. Nixon goes after Alger Hiss.
• 1950 Joe McCarthy chairs committee and bursts on
  the national scene.

37
Black Lists

• McCarren Internal Security Bill. What does it
  allow?
• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
• Witch-hunts are occurring in universities and in
  Hollywood.
• Black Lists

38
Truman Limps into 1948

• Truman popularity low. Reasons
• Economic readjustment after war
• Twangy and blunt
• Democrats in control for 16 years
• Republicans get majority in Congress in 1946
• Most assume he cant win.
• Democrats nominate him after Ike refuses to be
  drafted.
• Nomination splits the party
• Why are southern Democrats so opposed to him.

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Democratic Divisions

• Strom Thurmond. Dixiecrats
• Former Vice President Henry Wallace runs as a
  liberal/progressive.
• Republicans nominate Thomas Dewey, Gov. on New
  York
• Assumed Truman will lose.
• Dewey runs safe campaign.

40
Give em Hell Harry

• Trumans whistle-stop tour throughout the
  country.
• Rails against the do-nothing Congress.
• Trumans program/platform.
• Crowds get more and more enthusiastic.
• Dewey still thinks he is winning. Polling is
  still not very good.

41
Dewey Wins! (or not)

• Truman wins handily and stuns about everyone.
• Democrats win House keep it for the next 44
  years.
• Why did Truman win?.
• Truman makes the Fair Deal the corner-stone of
  his second term.
• Congress guts most of it.

42
The Korean Volcano Erupts

• History of Korea after WWII
• Acheson sends mixed messages
• June 25, 1950, North Korean army rolls over the
  S. Korean army. Are pushed back to a narrow area
  around Pusan.
• Truman sees this as Soviet aggression Commits
  US troops to a UN force to support S. Korea.
• Does this without consulting Congress or a
  declaration of war.
• American forces are vast majority of UN forces
  and MacArthur is appointed U.N. Commander.

43
NSC-68

• Korean crisis provides excuse for massive
  increase in military spending. This proposal had
  been set out in National Security Council 68
  (NSC-68).
• NSC-68 was a major turning point in the Cold War
• Committed America to massive military spending.

44
See-Saw in Korea

• Inchon Landing
• Nervous Chinese
• MacArthur over-confident
• Chinese pour in
• MacArthur defies Truman MacArthur fired
• Nasty stalemate support for war erodes.