The Cold War Post WWII and the 1950s

The Cold War Post WWII and the 1950’s

After WWII Marshall Plan • George C. Marshall’s plan to provide Europe with massive economic aid to help rebuild their economies and to prevent the spread of Communism (Containment)

Post War Germany and Japan Post war Japan Post War Germany • America stayed in Japan • Germany was for 7 years to re-build partitioned into West and East Germany • Japan was demilitarized, adopted a democratic • West Germany became government, and Democratic and returned to self rule • East Germany became • Japan soon became an ally to the United States Communist and stayed under Soviet control

United Nations • First United Nations (UN) meeting in 1946 in California – 50 nations attended and agreed to settle disputes peacefully in hopes of preventing future global wars

US Economy U. S. Economy US Workforce • Men were able to • Switched from return to work since making war economy was materials to booming consumer goods • Most women returned • The economy was to caring for the home strong and children full time. • Increase in wages • Labor Unions became more powerful and buying on credit

Life in post war USA Baby Boom G. I. Bill of Rights • There was an • Gave educational, explosion of baby housing, and births following employment WWII. benefits to WWII • 1946 -1964 79 million veterans. babies were born

Technology in the USA • Explosion of technology • The airline industry grew with the use of the Jet engine • Eisenhower created the interstate highway system

http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=ggt. H 05 LFF 3 k

USA Vs. USSR THE COLD WAR

Cold War • The state of tension and intimidation between the USA and the Soviet Union. There was no actual fighting, but the rest of the world took sides.

Cold War Origins • Differences in goals and ideologies between the U. S. and the U. S. S. R (Soviet Union) • US= Democratic and Capitalist • USSR = Dictatorship and Communist

Cold war components • Arms Race - Competition for military supremacy (nuclear weapons) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=IKq. Xu-5 jw 60&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active • Space Race – Competition for space exploration • Soviets launched first satellite into space (Sputnik) • US was first to land on the moon • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=o. Dt. Wn. CSs. BSQ&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

US Fights the spread of Communism • During the Cold War, The United States pledged to help any country threatened by Communism. This became our primary foreign policy: – containment- to stop the spread of Communism

Berlin Wall v. First serious Cold War Conflict v. Soviet Union blocked cars and trains in and out of West Berlin. This was an attempt to rid West Berlin of Democracy v. US responded by airlifting food and supplies to the people of West Berlin v. Berlin Wall : built by Soviets in 1961 and stood until November 1989

The Red Scare Red = Communism • Senator Joe Mc. Carthy began a Communist witch hunt in the early 1950’s. He identified US citizens he believed to be supporters of Communism. (Mc. Carthyism) • Thousands of people were accused of espionage, ruining their lives and careers.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of spying for the Soviets and were executed

NATO Vs. Warsaw Pact (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) • U. S. and other free countries signed a pact (NATO) to defend each other against an attack by a Communist nation (to attack 1 is to attack all) • In response to NATO, Communist countries signed a similar agreement called the Warsaw Pact. The USSR was the leader. • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=k. HD 5 nd 3 QLTg&feature=related

Korean War 1950 -1953 • The United States entered to help South Korea resist the spread of Communism from North Korea and China. • The war eventually ended in a stalemate • The 38 th parallel is the location of the DMZ (demilitarized zone) and the dividing line between North and South Korea

v. Communism had spread through Asia and Eastern Europe

Communism takes Cuba (remember Cuba is 90 miles from Florida coast!) • Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) – was a failed US sponsored invasion of Cuba to take down the Communist government led by Fidel Castro, he took over in 1959 • Cuban Missile Crises(1962) – “The closest the world ever came to nuclear war” was a confrontation between US and USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles placed in Cuba. President Kennedy ordered a Naval blockade of Cuba.

• More Cuban Missile crisis – Us agreed to never again invade Cuba and the Soviets agreed to remove all nuclear weapons from Cuba The Crisis ends http: //video. google. com/videoplay? docid=-1728938498976684215#

April 26, 1986 Chernobyl Disaster (27 years ago)

Vietnam War 1955 -1975 • By 1965 US was actively fighting with the South Vietnamese to stop the spread of Communism • Remember the Domino Theory: If one country falls to Communism, all the surrounding countries are at risk to fall too!

Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem

Rise of Anti-war protestors http: //www. besthistorysites. net/index. php/american-history/1900/vietnam

Kent State Massacre May 1970

The photo that haunted the country

War ends in Vietnam • Americans were sharply divided over our involvement in the war • The war finally ended with a cease fire agreement and the U. S. troops withdrew in 1973 • By 1975 North Vietnam took Saigon and South Vietnam surrendered

Vietnam Wall dedicated in 1982

1980 at the Height of Communism

The end of the Cold War

1987 - U. S. President Ronald Reagan tells Mr. Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall” • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Yt. Ydjbp. Bk 6 A&feature=related&safety_mode=true &persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

The end of the Cold War Cont. • November 1989 – Collapse of the Berlin Wall • By December 25 th, 1991 the Communist government of the USSR Collapses, creating 15 different countries. The final leader of the USSR was Mikhail Gorbachev • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=wn. YXb. J_bc. Lc&feature=related

Communist countries today (5) Cuba, china, Laos, Vietnam & North Korea