The Cold War

1. The Cold War Soviet Union VS The United States

2. The End of World War 2 • As the war was ending cracks in the Grand Alliance were beginning to grow. • USSR wanted a sphere of influence in eastern Europe as a buffer against future aggression • Stalin had promised Free elections in countries USSR occupied • Communists won all of these elections

3. The Iron Curtain • Churchill expressed the fears of many • “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.” • Winston Churchill-1946

4. The US response The US wanted to set up Democratic governments in Europe Most of Western Europe was in ruins The US saw the need to help these countries rebuild as a way to stop Soviet expansion.

5. The Truman Doctrine • “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid, which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes.” • Harry S. Truman – 1947 • This became the policy of Containment • Goal to limit Soviet Expansion

6. The Marshall Plan • Congress appropriated $13.3 billion during the life of the plan for European recovery. • Provided much-needed capital and materials that enabled Europeans to rebuild the European continent’s economy. • The Marshall Plan provided • markets for American goods, • created reliable trading partners • supported the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe.

7. Cold War Phase 1 • US has Atomic Weapons • Soviets test an A-Bomb in 1949 • Civil Wars in Greece and Turkey • Communism vs. Democracy • Decolonization • Many colonies saw WW2 as their “out” • Vietnam was no different

8. Fall of China • Fall 1949 • Communists under Mao Zedong win long running Civil War against Nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai Shek • Nationalists flee to Taiwan • US insists the Nationalists are still the legal government of China

9. Indochina • After the war, the French seek to reestablish their empire in Southeast Asia. • FDR had stated that the war would not be about keeping empires • September 2 1945, Ho Chi Minh declares independent Vietnam • US initially supports but back away • Concern over France’s role in Europe leads US to back French in regaining control

10. Korean War • June 1950 North Korea invades South Korea • UN and US come to the aid of SK • MacArthur leads invasion that drive NK back to Chinese Border • China enters the war on NK side • War continues until 1953 ends in Truce at original borders • First proxy war

11. Cold War in the US • McCarthyism • Senator Joe McCarthy leads “witch hunt” for communists in the US • Accused many people of being communists often with no proof • Eisenhower refused to support McCarthy • Leads to end of hearing • Many careers and lives were ruined

12. The Domino Theory • Held that if one country fell under communist influence or control, its neighboring countries would soon follow • Justified military action to prevent spread of communism in Asia • Was used often throughout the cold war as an excuse to change governments that were not allied with US