Ch.14 Cold War

Post-War Efforts

• Following World War II, numerous countries united to promote peace and rebuild war-torn nations in Europe and Asia.
• The U.S. held a prominent position due to its strong economy, which had not suffered extensive wartime damage.
• Countries that had been occupied or bombed during the war experienced loss of economic power and damage to basic infrastructure.
• There were mass deaths and homelessness, as well as non-functioning governments.
• The U.S. took the lead in international involvement.

The Crumbling Alliance

• The alliance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union began to deteriorate as the U.S. collaborated with other nations in global recovery efforts.
• The Soviet Union was a communist state, believing in the elimination of social classes and private property.
• The Soviet Union was governed by Joseph Stalin, who was cruel to his people.
• Some Americans opposed the alliance with the Soviet Union due to its communism.

Communist Expansion

• Communism includes the belief that communist ideology should spread to other countries.
• The prospect of communism spreading caused the Red Scare in the 1920s
• The Soviet Union took advantage of weakened Eastern European countries post-WWII.
• The Soviet Union installed communist satellite governments under its control in Eastern Europe.
• Western Europe was given aid to strengthen their countries against the threat of Soviet expansion.

The Cold War

• The U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in the Cold War due to rising tensions which lasted from 1947-1991.
• A direct war never broke out between the nations.
• There had been 2 deadly world wars in 30 years, and people were tired of war.
• Fear arose from the atomic bombing of Japan.
• An arms race began as a result of more countries wanting atomic weapons.
• The Soviet Union achieved its goal of creating atomic weapons by 1949, resulting in each side racing for more powerful bombs.
• Fear of devastation prevented a declaration of war between the two countries.

Containment

• The two countries were hostile towards each other and also scrambled for control of smaller countries
• Containment became a US foreign policy at this time
• Containment: the action of keeping something harmful under control or within limits
• Supporting anti-communist forces in foreign countries was seen as the best way to prevent the Soviet Union from gaining control.

Proxy War

• Korea was a country America looked to prevent communism from
• It was under Japanese control for a few decades
• After Japan's surrender in 1945, American administrators divided Korea.
  • The US troops occupied the southern part
  • The North was occupied by Soviet troops, and was quickly placed under a communist government
• Occupation is when a military is stationed in a former enemy's land to maintain order
• On Jun 25 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea, and the United Nations (UN) came to South Korea's aid
• China, which had recently shifted to communism, got involved once the UN came and forced North Korea out
• Proxy War is when two or more major powers are fighting each other through a third party

The United Nations

• Americans were tired of war
• It was agreed that the US, as a part of the UN, could intervene to prevent communist expansion.
• United Nations: an international governing body formed in 1945 to increase political and economic cooperation among its member countries.
• America had high casualties, with thousands of servicemen killed and over 100,000 wounded.
• The Korean War made Truman unpopular.
• Truman had a bitter fight with General Douglas MacArthur
  • MacArthur believed the war should've extended against communist China
  • Truman feared that it would prompt another world war
  • MacArthur was vocal about his disagreements with the president, which caused Truman to replace him.
  • This replacement angered Americans because MacArthur was a well-known war hero
  • Truman did not seek re-election in 1952 as the war dragged on

A New President

• Dwight D. Eisenhower, another war hero, was elected as president that year
  • He was the leading general of the Allied army in Europe and oversaw the D-Day invasions
• Eisenhower supported the policy of containment and promised an end to the Korean war.
• An armistice was signed months after Eisenhower's inauguration
  • It was not an official peace treaty, but it ended the fighting in July 1953
  • Korea was to remain divided, with a communist north and a non-communist south

Space Race

• The Soviet Union and the US were competing in ways beyond battling for control of satellite states
• The 1950s also marked the beginning of the space race
• The two countries competed to launch a man-made satellite into space first.
• The Soviets launched Sputnik 1 in Jan 1958, winning the space race.
• Americans grew more aware of global issues due to the Korean War which created a new underlying fear.

Post WWII, nations united to rebuild, with the U.S. playing a key economic role. The U.S.-Soviet alliance deteriorated due to communism. The Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin, faced opposition from some Americans.