The Cold War 1945—A critical year --Roosevelt believed at this point he could handle Stalin.

1. The Cold War 1945—A critical year --Roosevelt believed at this point he could handle Stalin. --Churchill attempted to convince him otherwise.

2. --US harbored some resentment from the Soviet Union. --The wartime cooperation between the two was merely temporary. --As war ended tensions between Soviets and US/GB began increasing.

3. Differences at Yalta --1945 Big Three met in Yalta. --agree to split Germany into four occupied zones (GB,US,SU,French) --Disputes over the Pacific and most importantly—POLAND.

4. The United Nations --Leaders did agree on creation of the UN. --purpose was to prevent all wars from starting, and end those that did break out.

5. Truman takes Command --2 weeks before UN’s 1st meeting Roosevelt dies. --Truman was ill prepared to be president of the US in this volatile time period.

6. The Potsdam Conference --July 45 Truman has 1st meeting w/ world leaders. --Churchill is also gone having lost the election in GB. --Stalin insisted on war payments by Germany—Truman wanted Polish elections.

7. Conflicting Postwar Goals American View-- US entered the war to bring democracy and economic opp. to Europe and Asia.

8. The Soviet View --Lost 17million people in the war and suffered widespread destruction. --Looked to rebuild in ways to protect their own interests. --Wanted to develop satellite nations to buffer from attacks.

9. Soviets Tighten Their Hold --Soviets quickly gain control over nations that they had freed from Nazi control. --exs. Albania, Bulgaria, Czech, Hungary, Romania, and East Germany.

10. The Iron Curtain --Churchill coined the phrase “Iron Curtain” in 1946. --Claiming the US must prevent the Soviets from enclosing any more countries behind its Iron Curtain. --Stalin the same year proposed to extend communist rule.

11. --These two speeches set the tone for the Cold War Def: the competition that developed between the SU and the US for power and influence in the world. --characterized by economic and military tensions.

12. Containment --1946 George Kennan, top US diplomat to Moscow warns US of Soviet intentions. --he saw no real possiblity of co-existing of Communist and Capitalist worlds.

13. --Kennan claimed our policy towards SU should be one of containment. --Containment became the cornerstone of US foreign policy.

14. The Truman Doctrine --Since 1945 the Soviets had been attempting to install communist regimes in Greece and Turkey. --1947—GB claims they can no longer aid Greece and Turkey.

15. --March of 1947 Truman speaks to congress in what becomes known as the Truman Doctrine. --Responding to Truman, congress approves $400million in aid. --Containment and TD lead to many conflicts in years ahead.

16. The Cold War Heats Up --End of WWII brought a change to the way everyone viewed war. --Atomic weapons instilled fear in countries both in the East and the West.

17. --Anxiety about a nuclear war became the backdrop to the Cold War policies of the US and SU. The Marshall Plan --American policy makers were determined not to make the same mistakes as post WWI.

18. --US would help restore war torn nations so they may become stable democracies. --WWII brought devastation to Europe. --21million homeless

19. --Marshall Plan called for nations of Europe to draw up a plan for recovery. --US would then finance the plan w/ $$$. --Plan was unveiled by Sec. of State George Marshall in 1947.

20. --Plan hoped to stop communist regimes from springing up and promote democracy. --SU referred to the plan as US buying its way into European affairs. --1948 Congress approves officially called European Recovery Program.

21. --17 European Nations join the plan. --Over the next 4 years US allocated $13 billion in loans to Western Europe.

22. The Berlin Airlift --By 1948 US, GB, and FR leaders were convinced that Stalin was not going to allow Germany to reunite. --Therefore they prepared to unite the 3 Western zones as a new nation. (Fed. Rep. of Germany)

23. --The Western portion of Berlin would be part of West Germany. --Soviets responded by creating Communist East Germany (German Democratic Republic) --E and W Berlin becomes symbol of Cold War standoff

24. --Many in Communist dominated nations fled to E. Berlin and cross into West Berlin. --From there they book a flight to US, Canada, or W. Europe. --Stalin bans all shipments into W. Berlin.

25. --Leads to Truman’s decision to launch the Berlin Airlift to avoid military dispute. --In next 15 months 200,000 flights deliver supplies. --Soviets give up blockade in May 1949. Berlin remains a point of conflict.

26. NATO— --April 1949—United states and Canada join 11 W. European countries to form NATO. --an armed attack on one is considered an attack on them all.

27. Warsaw Pact --Development of NATO leads soviet union to need alliances. --SU creates the Warsaw Pact, an alliance with satellite nations of E. Europe.

28. Soviet Atomic Threat --September 1949 successful nuclear bomb tested by SU. --Now US is in danger of suffering a nuclear attack. --leads to the development of Civil Defense Adm.

29. China Falls to Communists --Struggle in China had been going on since the 1920’s. --Early 1949 Mao ZeDong establishes China as a Communist country (The People’s Republic of China).

30. The Cold War At Home --During GD many Americans had joined the Communist party. --After WWII many quit the party b/c of better economy.

31. --Fears of communism in the US leads to the Red Scare. The Loyalty Program --Gov’t launched program to root out communism in the US.

32. --Any suspicious people were put before the Loyalty Review Board. --Growing climate of suspicion takes hold in the nation.

33. HUAC --Began to specifically probe the Hollywood movie industry. --Many in Hollywood had various ties to the communist party. (House Un-American Activities Committee)

34. The Hollywood Ten --1947 Hollywood writers, producers, actors were called in front of HUAC. --ten of the accused refused to answer the committees questions.

35. --Leads to the blacklist in Hollywood. --paranoid studios circulate a list of those who should not be hired.

36. McCarren-Walter Act --Re-affirmed the quota system for immigration. --discriminated against immigrants from communist dominated regions of the world.

37. Spy Cases --Alger Hiss a once high ranking State Dep’t official convicted of being a Soviet spy. --Julius and Ethel Rosenberg convicted of espionage and put to death. (atomic secrets)

38. The McCarthy Era --Wisc. Senator Joseph McCarthy declared to have names of 205 communists working in the state dep’t. --Atmosphere of 50’s led to his accusations gaining support.

39. --List actually turned out to be people investigated by Truman’s Loyalty Program. --Pressed for details list slims from 205 to 57. --McCarthy’s accusations spark anti-communist hysteria.

40. --McCarthy needed an issue to arouse public support. --found that issue in communism. --Led to McCarthy becoming head of investigations sub-committee.

41. McCarthy’s Fall --Early 1954 McCarthy charged that the Army was full of communists. --Army-McCarthy hearings began in April of 1954, Democrats asked that they be televised.

42. --By the time hearings ended in June McCarthy had lost even his biggest supporters. --Eventually this 2nd Red Scare came to an end. --Damaged the nations free speech and honest debate

43. The Cold War in the 1950’s --Eisenhower became president in 1953. --His Sec. of State John Foster Dulles wanted a more aggressive approach to Communism.

44. Southeast Asia --July 1953 Korean War ends. --Death of Stalin leads to rise of more moderate Soviet leaders. --US begins to support France through military aid in Vietnam.

45. The Arms Race --Throughout 1950’s US and SU struggled to gain weapons superiority. --Policy of deterrence by Eisenhower in his presidency.

46. Brinkmanship --Bringing the country to the brink of war without actually going to war. --Many believed this theory was very dangerous.

47. Cold War in the Skies --US developed Hydrogen bomb. --While SU mastered ICBM’s. --US lagged behind in development in missiles. --Tech gap became apparent in 1957, SU launches Sputnik.

48. --U-2 incident in May 1960 also shattered US confidence in their technology. --U-2 spy plane was shot down over Soviet airspace. --US thought they were invulnerable to attack.

49. --Upon leaving office in 61 Eisenhower warns of MIC --Military Industrial Complex --employed millions of Americans and would lead to US have a financial stake in war-making.