Truman Eisenhower Beginnings of the Cold War Yalta

Truman & Eisenhower Beginnings of the Cold War

Yalta Conference – February 1945 • A. The Big 3 • 1. Winston Churchill – Great Britain • 2. Franklin D. Roosevelt – United States of America • 3. Joseph Stalin – Soviet Union (USSR)

• 1. Polish Elections • a. Soviet Union wants a buffer or satellite nations to protect its borders and prevent from invasion from Western Europe. • b. United States and Britain want free open and Democratic elections. • 2. How to handle post war Europe • a. Soviet Union wants to punish Germany for the loss of 1. 2 million Soviets loss due to Germany’s invasion. • b. Potsdam Conference, July 1945 • • • 1. Harry S. Truman (now President) meets with Stalin 2. Stalin wants war reparations from Germany 3. Truman pushing for open and free elections in Poland

• c. Marshall Plan • 1. Economic plan / support to help rebuild (reconstruct) Europe and Japan after the war. • • a. Make allies not enemies b. $12 billion in economic aid and assistance c. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-torn regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, improve European prosperity, and prevent the spread of Communism.

• d. United Nations • 1. Agreed upon at the Yalta Conference • a. 50 nations meet in San Francisco • b. mutual security: protection of each other / member groups • c. 2 parts (1) General Assembly (2) Security Council

Cold War Begins • 1. The “Iron Curtain” • a. Term used by Winston Churchill • b. Only the U. S. could prevent Stalin’s “iron curtain” from falling on the rest of Europe • c. creates the idea of “containment”

• 2. Defining Containment • a. Containing or keeping communism from spreading. Keep communism in the USSR and the Eastern European nations (Eastern Block) from spreading to other parts of the world.

• 3. Truman Doctrine • a. Declares that the U. S. would help countries threatened by communism • 4. Eisenhower Doctrine • a. 1947, political measure to help safeguard countries of the Middle East b. Israel is formed in 1947 from the UN and the US is the nation supporting and promoting a homeland for Jews.

• Domino Theory • a. Thought that if one country falls to communism, all surrounding countries will fall to it as well. • b. Poland gets its elections but it’s too late. USSR has already “infiltrated” Poland • 1. as a result the following nations also fall to communism • a. Albania • b. Bulgaria • c. Czechoslovakia • d. Hungary • e. Romania • f. East Germany • g. Finland 5. Domino Theory

B. Korean War / Conflict • 1. Reasons for going to War • a. 1950 – Communist North Korea (supported by Communist China / Soviet Union) crossed the 38 th parallel into Democratic South Korea. • b. Truman Doctrine pulls us into the war

• 2. The War itself • a. Chinese and Communist North Korea is pushed out of the south and back to the border with China. • b. US being led by Gen. Douglas Mac. Arthur • 1. fired by Truman for insubordination, wanting to use the nuclear bomb on China

II. Domestic issues and event of the 1950’s • A. Truman’s integration policies • 1. Executive Order 9981 is an executive order issued on July 26, 1948 It abolished discrimination "on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin" in the United States Armed Forces. • 2. G. I. Bill: 59 • a. provided for free education to soldiers as well as home loans

B. 2 nd Red Scare • 1. Joseph Mc. Carthy: United States Senator leading the 2 nd Red scare • 2. Mc. Carthyism: exposing and accusing government officials and military personnel as being communist. • 3. HUAC: House of Un-American Committee • a. led by Mc. Carthy • b. Lead investigations into potential communist threats • 4. Hollywood 10 • a. Actors who were jailed and or “blacklisted” for being accused of being communist because of their political views.

• C. National Interstate Act • 1. authorized the building of highways throughout the nation, which would be the biggest public works project in the nation's history • D. Defense Highways Act • 1. 1956 established an interstate highway system in the United States.

E. Brown vs. Board of Education • 1. Overturns Plessy vs. Ferguson (Legal segregation) • 2. Due to schools being integrated it meant that many other things and places must be integrated too.

III. Space Race Begins • A. USSR – making moves into defense that includes a space program. 1 st in space, 1 st to place a satellite in orbit. • a. Sputnik: Soviet satellite placed in space to relay information back to the USSR. 1 st into orbit • b. What does Sputnik reveal about USSR technology and US technology? • 1. That the Soviet’s had advanced well past the US capabilities • 2. The US must now compete with and duplicate the Soviet advancements.

IV. 1950’s Culture • A. Home life • 1. Soldiers returning from war meant that often time’s women went back to “homemaking”. 2. Economic prosperity due to the success of the war time economy, and pulls us out of depression.

B. Entertainment 1. drive in movies • a. the automobile and the freedom to “go” 2. fast food • a. Mc. Donald’s etc. / drive in diner’s • b. quick affordable drive through food 3. Hollywood / movie Golden Age / Classic era of Hollywood 4. Radio • a. Politics / Music / Sports / information of all kinds 5. Music • a. Elvis Presley – King of Rock and Roll creates a new genre of music • b. Beatniks – counterculture of the 1950’s, poetry, art and music.

V. The Berlin Wall • A. East and West Germany • 1. East Germany controlled by the Soviet Union • a. Communist nation aligned with the Soviet Union • b. Capitol city of Berlin is also divided into Communist East Berlin • 2. West Germany is Democratic Nation • a. Divided up between France, Great Britain and United States • b. West Berlin is Democratic as well

B. USSR’s Berlin Wall • 1. Soviet Union builds a wall to stop the flow of goods and people out of East Berlin into West Berlin • 2. An armed concrete wall divides the city cutting off Western influence. West Berlin is also cut off from the rest of the world by being totally surrounded by communist East Germany.

C. Berlin Airlift • 1. US / Britain / France all supply Democratic West Berlin with supplies • 2. Due to all supplies and routes being cut off by the Soviet Union, The remaining allies will fly over and drop goods into West Berlin.