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Post-WW2 Adjustments and the Cold War: US Climate, Impact on Europe, Fear of Communism, and the Korean War

Explore the economic, social, and political climate in the US after WW2, the effects of the Cold War on Europe, the fear of communism in the US, and the events and conclusion of the Korean War.

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Post-WW2 Adjustments and the Cold War: US Climate, Impact on Europe, Fear of Communism, and the Korean War

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  1. Chapter 27 The Cold War and the American Dream

  2. Section 1 Peacetime Adjustments and the Cold War

  3. 1. Describe the US economic, social, and political climate after WW2? • Climate: the prevailing attitudes, standards, or environmental conditions of a group, period, or place. (dictionary.com) • Workforce was reduced, some factories closed, and people laid off, mostly women. • 10,000,000 returning veteran. • Postwar economy boomed. Returning soldiers wanted to start families, buy homes, and buy items. • GI Bill helped vets to go to school and buy homes. • Some workers went on strike due to low wages, that were kept low for war but didn’t increase afterwards. • Railroads went on strike, Pres. Truman (HST) threatened to replace workers with the army

  4. Social & Political: Civil Rights • Segregation and Jim Crow still existed. • African Americans found job and housing discrimination in the North • Found violence and the inability to vote in the South. • HST created a civil rights commission and desegregated the military. • HST proposes a “Fair Deal” which makes discrimination in housing, employment, and hiring illegal. Congress does not pass it.

  5. 2. What’s a “Cold War” (CW)? • Cold War: intense economic, political, military, & ideological rivalry between nations, short of military conflict; sustained hostile political policies and an atmosphere of strain between opposed countries.

  6. 2) Pt 2 How did the CW affect the US and Europe? • CW starts with the future of Eastern Europe (EE). • SU occupied most of the EE. • Stalin said he would allow elections. However, he put in pro-soviet govts. • US & SU suspected the other of wanting to dominate world affairs.

  7. 2) Continued • The Iron Curtain: Churchill uses the term in a speech • a strong barrier to communication or information, especially as imposed by rigid censorship and secrecy. A barrier between the Soviet Union and its allies and other countries. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8m0YZV-Vgk

  8. The Berlin Airlift • Berlin is located in the Eastern, Soviet controlled sector of Germany. • Berlin is divided east and west • SU cuts off access to Berlin. • In 1948, HST approves plane shipments of supplies; food, fuel, etc. to Berlin. • https://www.c-span.org/video/?301458-1/the-berlin-air-lift-story-great-achievement

  9. 3. How did the fear of communism affect people in the US? • Communism: a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed •  a theory advocating elimination of private property • a system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production • (dictionary.com)

  10. 3) continued • Truman Doctrine (TD) promised aid to people/countries trying to maintain democracy. • Containment: policy in TD that is the stopping the spread of communism. • Marshall Plan was part of TD. Aid countries with $13 bill. Help rebuild European countries damaged by war.

  11. In response to the SU, communist control over EE, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949. NATO includes US, Canada, 10 European countries. NATO is an alliance. (still exists) • SU and EE came up with an alliance called the Warsaw Pact in 1955. ( no longer exists) • http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history/videos/formation-of-nato?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

  12. 3) continued • Some Americans were afraid that communism would spread to US. • Spies: Alger Hiss, govt. official, accused of giving military info to SU. He was jailed for lying under oath • Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, members of American Communist party were convicted of giving atomic secrets to SU. They were executed. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_hT32LAZvg

  13. 3) continued • To uncover “Un-American Activities” HST orders 4 mill. govt. employees to take loyalty tests. • The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) started to target people in the movie industry. Many careers were ruined. People were “blacklisted.” This fear of Communism would last throughout the early 1950’s

  14. Section 2 The Korean War & McCarthyism

  15. 4) Explain how the civil war in China concluded. What was the US reaction? • 1949 the Communists, led by Mao Zedong, defeated the Nationalists. • Nationalist retreat to Taiwan, an island off the coast of China. • Americans blame the US State Dept. for the result. • US fears communism is spreading. China a country with a HUGE population is now communist.

  16. 5) Describe how the Korean War started, some of the major events of the war, and how the “conflict” concluded. • After WW2 Korea, a former J colony was split at the 38th parallel. • Aided by SU, a communist Govt. comes to power in the North. The leader was Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jung-Un’s grandfather. • The South had a non-communist govt., supported by the US

  17. 5) continued • North Korea (NK) cross the 38thll in June ’50 and push almost all the way through South Korea (SK). • HST gets UN to send troops, mostly US, to stop NK. They are able to push NK troops back into NK. • UN troops are pushing NK troops back towards the Chinese (C) border. C sees this a threat and sends in troops. • (see page 852) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X7nbwFxGRU • 100’s of thousands of C troops attack the UN forces and push UN troops back to the 38thll • MacArthur, wants to bomb C, HST disagrees because SU might get involved. • MacArthur criticizes HST. HST fires him. • Peace talks start, Eisenhower is elected president, and makes a deal to end the war. • No one wins and the K borders remain, even today, at the 38thll

  18. What is the Korean War considered an example of? Why? • Containment • Trying to keep communism from spreading from North Korea to South Korea.

  19. 6)How did Senator Joseph McCarthy (JM) gain political power and then lose it? • JM, Rep.US Senator from WI. • In Feb. ‘50 JM says he has a list of 205 State Dept. officials who are communists. • This started a communist “witch hunt”. Many people are accused of being communists • McCarthyism is a term for the reckless accusations of innocent people. If accused, only accused, it could ruin peoples reputation. • JM gained power because people feared communism and wanted it stopped in US.

  20. 6) continued • JM’s downfall was accusing the US Army of “coddling communists”. • Joseph Welch, the military lawyer, spoke out against JM: “I think I have never really gauged your cruelty or recklessness…” • The hearings are seen on TV, the senate condemns JM’s behavior and JM fades from public view.

  21. 7) Identify how the US and Soviet Union competed with each other. • Under Eisenhower (EH), sec. of state John Dulles, disregards HST’s containment policy for brinksmanship. • Brinksmanship: going to the brink, edge, for war to stop communism.

  22. Arms race • In 1949 it’s found out that SU has the A-bomb • SU & US start building more and stronger bombs, including H-bomb

  23. Foreign Intrigue • US & SU wanted to help allies and weaken enemies: • 1953: US, CIA, overthrow govt. in Iran • 1954: US, CIA, train army to overthrow Guatemala’s govt. • 1956: Suez Canal: Egypt takes over canal owned by GB. GB, France, & Israel invade. SU threatens to help Egypt. UN asks for cease fire • https://vimeo.com/68423701 • (show the 1st 2 minutes)

  24. The Space Race • In 1957 SU launched the 1st satellite, Sputnik • US was behind and billions of dollars were set aside for space research.

  25. U-2 Incident • US would use U-2 spy planes to photograph SU. • U-2 could fly up to 70,000 ft. high • In May 1960 Pilot Frances Gary Powers (FGP) was shot down, captured, put on trial and convicted. • This incident showed US was spying. • In 1962 FGP & another American were traded for a Russian spy Rudolf Abel • Movie “Bridge of Spies” reenacts this incident. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB9ArG-IWsE

  26. Section 3 American Life and the Fifties

  27. 8) How did American life change during the 1950’s? • In 1952 Dwight Eisenhower (DE), WW2 hero, is elected president. • DE expanded Social Security • Created Dept. of Health, Education, Welfare • Increased the minimum wage: $1 in ’56 • Highway Act 1956. $32,000,000,000 for 41,000 miles of roads. The Interstate System.

  28. Moving to the suburbs • After WW2 US population grew quickly due to the birthrate. This generation of people (1945-1965) were known as Baby Boomers. • People moved from the cities to areas just outside the city called suburbs: Homes, theaters, restaurants, malls. • Migration outside the cities was partially due to more families owning cars.

  29. Consumerism • “The American Dream”? • People could buy what they wanted. Ads on TV and magazines portrayed the ideal home with all the new modern conveniences. • With the ads, some people thought they were being “forced” to conform to a certain way of living

  30. Nonconformity • Not everyone went along with conformity. Many were writers and poets known as “beatniks”. Their content were attacks on “square” society. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGF4H2mJbT4

  31. 9)Describe the plights of some groups in the 1950’s? • Not all people prospered. In 1957 20% of the US lived in poverty • With a shrinking population, less taxes were collected and city services suffered: police, fire, roads, garbage, and schools decayed. • Blacks and Latino’s suffered: • Many were segregated into the worst neighborhoods with the poorest schools and housing. • Job, housing, and school discrimination because of race was acceptable to much of society and government.

  32. 10) How did American culture change and influence Americans? • Rock ‘n’ Roll music became the preferred music of youth. • Stars like Chuck Berry, Bill Haley (credited with the 1st “rock hit”), and Elvis (the “king”) became household names. • People were influenced by the way the stars looked (hair), dressed, danced, and talked.

  33. 10) Continued TV • As the 50’s progressed the number of movie goers decreased due to TV. • Shows like The Lone Ranger, I Love Lucy, Howdy Doody, and The Mickey Mouse Club were huge hits. • By 1960, 9 out of 10 homes had TV’s compared with 1 out of 10 in 1950.

  34. 10) continued • In 1960 a “youthful” President was elected. John F. Kennedy (JFK) a 43 year old Senator from MA, and a WW2 “hero” • JFK ran against VP Richard Nixon. They had the 1st televised presidential debate. • JFK came off much better than the nervous Nixon. JFK won the election by a slim margin

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