C H A P T E R

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C H A P T E R
Cold War Conflicts
To understand the international and domestic
tensions resulting from the Cold War
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This chapter covers the beginnings of the Cold
War under the Truman presidency as it affected
both foreign and domestic policies. Peace after
World War II was marred by a return to the 1917
rivalry of the United States and the Soviet
Union. Truman and his advisors introduced the
basic Cold War policies of containment in the
Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization. With the victory
of the communists in Asia as well, the Cold War
prompted the U.S. to rebuild its World War II
enemies of Germany and Japan as counterweights to
the Soviets. At home, Americans wanted to
return to normal by bringing the troops back
home, spending for consumer goods and
re-establishing family life but many changing
social patterns brought anxieties. A second Red
Scare was caused by the Cold War rhetoric of a
bipartisan foreign policy and Trumans loyalty
program but Senator Joseph McCarthys tactics
symbolized the era. Defense spending increased
and the American economy became dependent on it
to maintain recovery. Truman tried to extend
elements of the New Deal in his Fair Deal but
with minimal success.
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Chronology

• 1941 Henry Luce forecasts the dawn of "the
  American Century"
• 1944 GI Bill of Rights authorizes educational
  benefits for WW II veterans
• International Monetary Fund and World Bank
  founded at Bretton Woods
• 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office Harry
  Truman becomes president
• United Nations charter signed World War II
  ends Strike wave begins
• Truman proposes program of economic reforms
• 1946 Employment Act creates Council of Economic
  Advisers
• Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech
• Atomic Energy Act establishes Atomic Energy
  Commission
• Republicans win control of Congress
• Benjamin Spock publishes Baby And Child Care
• 1947 Americans for Democratic Action founded
• Truman Doctrine Congress appropriates 400
  million for Greece/Turkey
• Federal Employees Loyalty and Security Program
  established and attorney general's list of
  subversive organizations authorized
• Taft-Harley Act restricts union activities
• National Security Act establishes Department of
  Defense, the National Security Council, and the
  Central Intelligence Agency
• House Un-American Activities Committee hearings
  in Hollywood

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1948 State of Israel founded Berlin blockade
begins Henry Wallace nominated for president on
Progressive Party ticket Trumans peacetime
draft desegregates armed forces civil service
Truman wins election Democrats sweep both
houses of Congress 1949 Trumans Fair Deal
North Atlantic Treaty Organization created
Communists led by Mao Zedong win in China
Berlin blockade ends Soviet Union explodes
atomic bomb 1950 Alger Hiss convicted of
perjury Senator Joseph McCarthy begins
anticommunist crusade Republic of China sign an
alliance Adoption of NSC-68 consolidates
presidential war powers Korean War begins
Internal Security (McCarran) Act requires
registration of communist organizations and
arrest of communist during national emergencies
1951 Truman dismisses General Douglas MacArthur
Armistice talks begin in Korea 1952
Immigration and Nationality Act retains quota
system, lifts ban on immigration of Asian
peoples, bans "subversives" homosexuals US
explodes first hydrogen bomb Eisenhower
presidency Nixon VP 1953 Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg executed for atomic espionage
Armistice ends fighting in Korea 1954
Army-McCarthy hearings end 1955 Warsaw Pact
created
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Concepts

• To err is Truman
• George Kennans containment policy, implosion
• Loyalty act
• Richard Hofstader, consensus historian
• Death of a Salesman Catcher in the Rye
• UFOs
• MASH screenwriter Ring Lardner, Jr.
• K1C2 Korea, communism, corruption
• Adlai Stevenson Bakersfields Walter Stiern
• Nixons "Checkers speech"

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• American Communities

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Un. of Washington, Seattle

• In 1948 philosophy professor Melvin Rader was
  falsely accused of being a Communist conspirator.
  
• During the cold war era, the federal government
  was providing substantial support for higher
  education through the GI Bill.
• The student population at the University of
  Washington grew rapidly and a strong sense of
  community among the students grew, led by older,
  former soldiers.
• The Cold War put a damper on this community.
• Wild charges of communist subversion led several
  states to require state employees to take loyalty
  oaths.
• In this repressed atmosphere, faculty were
  dismissed, students dropped out of school, and
  the free speech was restrained on the campuses.

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• Global Insecurities at Wars End

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Financing the Future

• During WWII, the United States and Soviet Union
  had temporarily put aside their differences in a
  common fight.
• Divergent interests made a continued alliance
  unlikely.
• Fears of the return of depression led the United
  States to take a much more active international
  stance.
• The Soviet Union interpreted the aggressive
  American economic moves as a threat.

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The Division of Europe

• FDRs realism allowed him to recognize that some
  kinds of spheres of influence were inevitable for
  the winning powers. Division of Poland and
  Europe at Yalta with link to Churchills
  proposals

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• The Policy of Containment

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The Truman Doctrine

• While FDR favored diplomacy and compromise,
  Truman was committed to a get-tough policy with
  the Soviets.
• When civil war threatened the governments in
  Turkey and Greece, the United States warned of a
  communist coup and provided 400 million to
  defeat the rebels.
• The Truman Doctrine committed the United States
  to a policy of trying to contain Communism.

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The Marshall Plan and the Berlin Crisis

• The Marshall Plan provided 13 billion to rebuild
  Europe.
• The plan had the long-term impact of revitalizing
  the European capitalist economy and driving a
  further wedge between the West and Soviet Union.
• The gap widened when the western zones of Germany
  merged.
• When the Soviets cut off land access to West
  Berlin, the United States airlifted supplies to
  the city.

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NATO and Atomic Diplomacy

• The United States also created an alliance of
  anti-Soviet nations, NATO, and the Soviets
  responded with the Warsaw Pact.
• The East/West split seemed permanent.
• The American policy of containing Communism
  rested on the ability to stop its expansion by
  military means.
• After the Soviets developed nuclear weapons, both
  sides amassed lethal stockpiles. The U.S. and
  Soviets could not come up with a plan to control
  them. Within a few years both sides had a
  stockpile of hydrogen bombs.

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• Cold War Liberalism

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To Err is Truman

• The early years of the Truman presidency were
  plagued by protests by Americans tired of
  war-time sacrifices.
• An inability to bring troops home quickly or end
  rationing hurt Trumans popularity. Inflation
  spread and strikes paralyzed the nation.
• Congress blocked Truman's plans for reconversion.
  
• In 1946, Republicans gained control of Congress
  and started to undo the New Deal. Over Trumans
  veto, Republicans passed the Taft-Hartley bill
  that curtailed the power of labor.

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The 1948 Election

• Going into the 1948 election the liberal
  community was divided.
• Liberals feuded with Truman over how to extend
  the New Deal and the extent of the Soviet threat.
  
• Henry Wallace challenged Truman by running on the
  Progressive ticket, a campaign effectively
  quashed by red-baiting.
• Truman repositioned himself to the left by
  warning voters that Republicans would make the
  United States an economic colony of Wall
  Street.
• He also offered a liberal legislative package
  that Congress defeated.
• The Democrats split again over civil rights when
  segregationists ran Strom Thurmond for president.

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Trumans Victory

• Truman managed to hold on to the New Deal
  coalition and won re-election.

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The Fair Deal

• In 1949 he proposed a package of reforms, the
  Fair Deal.
• Truman won some gains in public housing, minimum
  wage and Social Security increases, but little
  else.
• Truman helped to define Cold War liberalism as
  promoting economic growth through expanded
  foreign trade and federal expenditures, chiefly
  defense.

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• The Cold War at Home

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The National Security Act of 1947

• A climate of fear developed after the war that
  the United States was the target of or had
  already fallen prey to subversive influences.
• The Cold War triggered a massive reordering of
  governmental power.
• Established under the National Security Act of
  1947, the Defense Department became a huge and
  powerful bureaucracy.
• The Department of Defense and the National
  Science Foundation pursued scientific research,
  especially related to physics.
• New agencies like the CIA fed off the fear of
  communism.

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The Loyalty-Security Program

• Allegedly to combat subversive influences, Truman
  promoted a loyalty program.
• The Attorney General published a list of
  potentially subversive organizations.
• Many groups disbanded and prior membership in
  them destroyed individuals careers. A wide range
  of restrictions on alleged subversives passed
  Congress.

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The Red Scare in Hollywood

• The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
  launched investigations into Communist influence
  in Hollywood.
• A parade of friendly witnesses denounced
  Communists.
• Many people gave names of suspect former friends
  so that they themselves would be cleared and able
  to work again.
• A few witnesses (many blacklisted later) attacked
  HUAC and a handful went to prison for contempt of
  Congress.

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Spy Cases

• Public anxieties were heightened when former
  State Department advisor Alger Hiss was accused
  of being a Communist spy.
• Richard Nixon pursued the charges.
• Hiss went to jail for perjury.
• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed despite
  worldwide protests.

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McCarthyism

• Sen. Joseph McCarthy caused a sensation when he
  charged that 200 Communists worked for the State
  Department.
• His lack of evidence did not stop him from
  striking a chord with many Americans.
• He played into fears that Communism was a demonic
  force and that eastern elites had successfully
  manipulated the public.
• McCarthyism attacked Jews, blacks, womens
  organizations, and homosexuals. Effective use of
  the media made McCarthyism seem credible.
• McCarthys crusade was destroyed when he went on
  national TV and appeared deranged, making wild
  charges of Communist infiltration of the army.

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• Cold War Culture

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An Anxious Mood

• After World War II, millions of Americans
  achieved middle-class status.
• But prosperity did not dispel American anxiety
  over nuclear war and economic depression.
• Movies and plays reflected cold war anxieties and
  alienation as well as anti-communism.

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The Family as Bulwark

• The move to the suburbs, high levels of
  consumption, and even the rush towards marriage
  and parenthood illustrated these fears.
• The baby boom and high consumer spending changed
  the middle-class family.

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Income and Consumer Spending

• To sustain support of larger families and high
  rates of consumer spending, a growing number of
  married, middle-class women sought employment.

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The Family

• Commentators bemoaned the destruction of the
  traditional family that they linked to the threat
  of Communism.
• High-profile experts weighed in with popular
  books and articles about the dangers of women who
  abandoned their housewife roles.
• The conservative trend was also evident in
  declining numbers of woman college graduates.

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Military-Industrial Communities in the West

• The Cold War impacted the West more than other
  regions.
• New military-industrial communities arose,
  especially in California, and older communities
  also benefited form federal spending.
• To accommodate the burgeoning population, new
  highway systems were built that created housing
  sprawl, traffic congestion, air pollution and
  strains on local water supplies.

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Zeal for Democracy

• The revitalization of patriotism during World War
  II continued after the return of peace.
• The American Way became a popular theme of public
  celebrations and patriotic messages spread
  through public education.
• Voices of protest arose but had little impact.

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• End of the Democratic Era

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The Loss of China

• In Asia, American foreign policy yielded mixed
  results.
• The United States achieved its greatest Asian
  success in Japan where a host of reforms brought
  an unprecedented degree of democracy and where
  they received valuable military bases.
• In China, Mao Zedongs Communist revolution
  overthrew the corrupt, pro-American regime of
  Jiang Jeishi.
• The Truman Administration was saddled with the
  blame for having lost China.

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The Geography of the Korean War
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The Korean War

• When North Koreans attempted a forced
  reunification of the peninsula, Truman called it
  an act of Soviet aggression.
• Smarting from McCarthyite attacks, Truman felt
  compelled to act.
• With the Soviets boycotting the UN, the Security
  Council authorized sending in troops.
• American forces, commanded by Douglas MacArthur,
  first pushed North Koreans back to their side of
  the dividing line and then went further north.
• Chinese troops pushed the UN forces back until a
  costly stalemate settled in.

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The Price of National Security

• Criticized for bypassing Congress, Truman
  explained that his authority came from NSC-68, a
  National Security Council position paper that
• consolidated decision making
• advocated a massive buildup of military power
• The war left Korea devastated and greatly
  expanded the containment principle far beyond
  Europe.
• The military stalemate left many Americans
  disillusioned with the promise of easy victories.

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The Election of 1952

• The Korean War also effectively ruined Trumans
  presidency, particularly after he fired General
  MacArthur.
• After Truman said he would not run for
  re-election, the Democratic Party turned to Adlai
  Stevenson who offered no solutions to the key
  problems.
• Dwight Eisenhower was the Republican candidate
  and ran a moderate campaign short on specifics.
• His running mate, Richard Nixon, waged a
  relentless attack on Stevenson.
• Eisenhower effectively used the peace issue,
  pledging to go to Korea to settle the war.
• Republicans won control of the White House and
  Congress.

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Rules of George Bernard Shaw Diet (no steak,
coffee, or tea) Avoid all vain and unkind
criticism of others Keep financial log Devote
one evening a week for mediation and examination
of conscience Abstain from alcohol Practice
some self-denial each day 1/2 hour per day for
poetry, spiritual book, writing 1 1/2 hours per
week to refresh learning Don't make promises you
can't keep Some music for contemplation 1/2
hour yoga or exercise each day
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1. Describe the United States actions and the
Soviet actions that contributed most to the cold
war.
U.S. Actions
Soviet Actions
Refusal to allow free elections in Poland Control
of Eastern Europe Blockade of West Berlin
Marshall Plan Aid to Greece and
Turkey Containment Truman Doctrine Berlin Airlift
continued . . .
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2. People who had served as aides to President
Franklin Roosevelt worried that Truman was not
qualified to handle world leadership. Considering
what you learned in this section, evaluate Truman
as a world leader. Think About
his behavior toward Stalin
his economic support of European nations
his support of West Berlin
ANSWER

• POSSIBLE RESPONSES
• Truman was an effective leader who took firm
  actions to contain Soviet influence and support
  the Marshall Plan and Berlin Airlift.
• He overreacted and was too belligerent.

continued . . .
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3. Which of the two superpowers do you think was
more successful in achieving its aims during the
period 19451949?
ANSWER

• POSSIBLE RESPONSES
• The Soviets were most successful because they
  extended their influence into Eastern Europe.
• The United States was more successful because it
  broke the blockade of West Berlin and helped
  rebuild Europe.

continued . . .
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4. What were Stalins motives in supporting
Communist governments in Eastern Europe?
ANSWER
Stalin wanted Eastern Europe as a buffer zone to
protect the Soviet Union from an invasion on its
western front.
End of Section 1
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S E C T I O N
The Cold War Heats Up
1. List the major events of the Korean War.
June 1950 North Korea invades South Korea.
Sept. 1950 MacArthur launches a counterattack at
Inchon.
Nov. 1950 China enters the war.
1948 Korea is split into two nations.
June 1950 U.S. supports South Korea.
Sept.-Oct. 1950 The UN counterattack succeeds.
July 1953 The Armistice is signed.
continued . . .
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2. What might have happened if MacArthur had
convinced Truman to expand the fighting into
China? How might todays world be different?
ANSWER
A third world war might have broken out,
resulting in the obliteration of millions by
nuclear weapons.
continued . . .
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3. Many Americans have questioned whether
fighting the Korean War was worthwhile. What is
your opinion? Why? Think About
the loss of American lives
the fear of communism that enveloped the
country at the time
the stalemate that ended the war
ANSWER

• POSSIBLE RESPONSES
• The war was not worthwhile because Korea remained
  a divided nation.
• The war was worthwhile because, without it, all
  of Korea might have become Communist.

continued . . .
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4. At the end of Chinas civil war, the United
States refused to accept the communist Peoples
Republic of China as Chinas true government.
What were the advantages of such a policy? What
were the disadvantages?
ANSWER
AdvantagesThe United States remained committed
to its policy of containment of Communism.
DisadvantagesRefusal to recognize the Communist
government in China kept the United States from
influencing China and drove China into an
alliance with the Soviet Union.
End of Section 2
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HOME
1. Give four examples of how anti-Communist fear
gripped the country.
HUAC investigates un-American activities in
Hollywood.
Spy cases increase fears.
Anti-Communist fear gripped the country.
McCarthy arouses fear of a Communist conspiracy.
Congress passes the McCarran Act.
continued . . .
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2. If you had lived in this period and had been
accused of being a Communist, what would you have
done? Think About
the Hollywood Ten, who refused to answer
questions
the Rosenbergs, who pleaded the Fifth Amendment
ANSWER

• POSSIBLE RESPONSES
• I would have refused to name others because that
  would have been the honorable course to take.
• I would have shown loyalty to the United States
  by answering the committees questions.

continued . . .
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3. Choose one of the following roles Harry
Truman, a member of HUAC, Judge Irving Kaufman,
or Joseph McCarthy. As the person you have
chosen, explain your motivation for opposing
communism.
ANSWER
Truman He feared the spread of communism in Asia
and Europe. HUAC Its members believed that
communists were sneaking propaganda into
films. Irving Kaufman He believed that Communist
spies were responsible for the Korean War. Joseph
McCarthy He believed that communism was
infiltrating the country.
End of Section 3
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2. How might the Cold War have progressed if the
U-2 incident had never occurred? Think About
the mutual distrust between the Soviet Union
and the United States
the outcome of the incident
ANSWER
The U-2 incident greatly increased tension. Had
it not happened, the United States and the Soviet
Union might have taken steps to resolve their
differences.
continued . . .
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3. Which of the two superpowers do you think
contributed more to Cold War tensions during the
1950s?
ANSWER

• POSSIBLE RESPONSES
• The Soviets contributed more to Cold War tension
  because they took over Eastern Europe, crushed
  the Hungarian Uprising, and rejected Eisenhowers
  open skies proposal.
• The United States contributed more to Cold War
  tensions because of the U-2 incident, the
  Eisenhower Doctrine, and United States
  involvement in Guatemala and Iran.
• Both countries were equally at fault.

continued . . .
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4. Should one nation have the right to remove
another nations head of government from power?
If so, when? If not, why?
ANSWER
POSSIBLE RESPONSES Yes if the head of
government has policies that threaten the other
nations existence No Every country has the
right to determine its own government without
outside interference.
End of Section 4