Chapter 25: Cold War America (1945-63)

American Bernard Baruch

prospoed UN oversight of atomic energy in 1946, gave US near total control of the tech since only country with atomic power (until soviets drop one in 1949

Fair Deal

1949, Truman proses because not able to extend New Deal; national health insurance, aid t o education, a housing program, expanison of social security, a higher minimum wage and a new agriculutral program, reflects growing role of AA in Demo Party; only significant breakthrough- National Housing Act of 1949 which authorized the construction o f810000 low income units

"iron curtain"

Churchill's phrase; refers to division of eastern and western Europe by Stalin

Truman's "Peacekeeping Force"

SU boycotting UN allowing for Security Council to approve US troops entering Korea led by General MacArthur, losing until surprise attack on Inchon, brought troops to Yalu River (Chinese Border) 1951 Truman relieves MacArthur which was unpopular but helped avoid costly war with China

communism

SU political and economic ideaology, hand in hadn with authoritarian Moscow (gov controls everything)

1946-1947 Issues

SU pressing Iran for oil/Turkey for access to Mediterreanean (strait of Dardanelles), civil war in Greece, and communist parties gaining strength in France and Italy

Korea

SU/US occupy jointly, divided by the 38th parallel, SU communist gov in North (Kim II Sung) and US right wing nationalist gov in South (Syngman Rhee), both power countries would not allow fighting until Stalin allows North to surprise attack in 1950, ended with both sides separatly and aligned with their powers; precendents include for undeclared wars preseidnet can commit troops without congressional approval, no atomic bomb usage-cold war conflict, expansion of american involvemttn with asia, and ended truman's resistance to major military buildup (defense spending increased)

Cold War Liberalism

Truman and democratic party of 1940s/50s; preserved core programs of the ND welfare state, develooped containment to oppsoe SU influence, fought subvresives at home, moderate liberal policies/anticommunism

Potsdam Conference (1945)

Truman replaced deceased Roosevelt, attempted to stand up to Stalin but failed, this conference along with Yalta set the stage for communism to fall over Europe, not enough was done to stop Stalin, paved way for division of East and West G

Taft-Hartley Act

Truman vetoed but COngress overrulled; overhaul of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, weakened th rerights of workers toorganzie and engage in collective bargaining, allowed state to pass "right to work" laws prhibiting the union shop, unions forced to purge communists (contains labor movement)

1948 Election

Turman (democrat) but demo party falling apart, Turman suprises everyone by launching a cross country speaking tour and hammers republicans for running a "do nothing" congress

Japan

US believed that restroing the economy and limiting it's military influence would help contiain communism in east asia, General Douglas MacArthur and a drafted democraric consitution helped restore soveriegnty (1951), big achievement

capitolism

US economic idelaogy, hand in hand with political idealogy of democracy

containment

US stradegy against SU, limit Stalin's influence in EE while reconstiituing democratic govs in WE, think of George Keenan

Munich Conference (1938) Analogy

Western democracies appeased Hitler by offering him part of Czechoslovakia which led to WWII, use this as an analogy to end appeasement and led to resistance of Soviets/Stalin

George F Kennan

american diplomat in SU, sends long telegram (8000 word confidential message to US state department), writes Foreign Affairs Article, calls for containment

United Nations

an international body to replace teh discredited League of Nations; consists of General Assembly (all nations) and Security Council, convenes for the first time in 1945

Red Army

backed Soviet-imposed governments in Eastern European countries making it hard for inexperienced Truman to stand up to Stalin at PC

West Berlin

became a symbol of resistance to communism

Cold War

between the Soviet Union and the US, battle of two diffferent idealogies (communist v capitolist), began at end of WWII and ended in 1991 when SU dissolved

Germany

biggest challenge, Stalin wanted to extract repartions in form of industrial machines and goods, US wanted to revive the economy and spread democracy not nazism, solution- take reparations from SU section only (rural mainly so not big hit to econ)

Greece

civil war between monarchists backed by B, insurgents supported by the Greek, and Communist parties

Independent Federal German Republic

conflict in Germany resulted in B/F/US considering consolidating their sectors into a single state in 1947, the marshall funds would support this

self-determination

countries/people decide for themselves, free elections

National Security Council (NSC)

established by the National Security Act of 1947, repsonse to atomic developments, published it's report known as NSC-68 (strong rhetoric about SU intentions, bold/massive program of rebuilding West's defensive potential, h-bomb, increase military forces, Americans pay higher taxes and be willing to sacrifice anything to achieve national unity against SU)

The Red Scare

fear of communism in gov positions, anticommunist sentiment in america (second wave in the 1950s)

President Harry Truman

followed FDR, cast himself in the mold of FDR, wanted to expand the New Deal at home, foriegn issues and anticommunism fear in US led him down a different path, went down in history as a Cold Warrior, resisting communism at home/abroad was America's most important post war objective which was influential later on

Declaration on Liberated Europe

garunteed self-determination and democratic elections in Poland/neighboring countries (presence of Soviet troops in those areas meant FDR had to accept Stalin's pledge that there would be free elections in the future- he does not end up holding this up)

appeasment

giving up principles to pacify an aggressor

New Dealer vs Cold Warrior

has to do with what a president does during thier administration; new dealer focuses on domestic and bringing in ND; cold warrior focuses on anticommunism domestically and abroad

Yalta Conference (1945)

meeting between Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill (big three); agreed to divide Germany into four administrative zones between Britain, France, US, and SU; Stalin agreed to help with Japan and UN

Warsaw Pact (1955)

military alliance for eastern europe, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), and SU established German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in repsonse to NATO actions

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

military alliance of nations allied with US (defence pact), invited Stalin but he declined, 12 nations in total, officailly created Federal Republic of Germany (WG) which joined in 1955

Security Council

part of UN where the five permanent members (major Allied Powers- US, B, F, SU, and China) have veto power over the General Assembly, includes 7 other nations elected on a rotating basis

Dumbarton Oaks conference (1944)

plans drawn up for the United Nations, in DC

Dwight D Eisenhower

president following Truman, former general, end of korean war

China Lobby

pronationalist, blamed Truman's state department for the loss of china, in repsonse they refused to recognize "red china" and their admission to the UN

Marshall Plan

proposed by Secretary George Marshall, a massive infusion of American capitol to rebuild the European economy, communist led coup in Czechoslovakia by Stalin causes Congress to approve it, benefits both US and WE, appeal for communist parties in west waned, markets for american goods increased, fostered interdependence between US/SU

Chinese Civil War

raging since 1930s, communist forces (mao zedong) vs nationalist forces (Jiang Jieshi) and US feared communist victory so financially supported Jieshi, Truman realized only way to win was military intervention but wasn't willing to do so, pulled finanical support and People's Republic of China established 1949 under Zedong

Truman Doctrine

repsonse to B's waning power, wherever poeple are oppressed, the US can help, Turkey and Greece

World War II

set stage for cold war, SU and US on same side because disliked Germany but US believes in self determination whereas SU wants territories in Eastern Europe that they had been occupying during the war b/c believe in authoritarian leadership, US/SU only superpowers left standing after the war (1945)

military mobilization

the act of assembling and readying troops and supplies for war; after Korean war US functioned this way even in times of peace

collective security

the cooperation of several countries in an alliance to strengthen the security of each; US believed in it

Berlin Airlift

the western allies would fly food/supplies into Berlin this way since Stalin blockaded traffic into West Berlin since it was in the SU sector (Berlin crisis was closest SU/US came to actual war other than cuban missile crsis)

hydrogen bomb

thermonuclear device, part of NSC-68, thousand more destructive than atomic bomb

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

understood that allaiance between US/SU necessary for global stability but peace/US interets depend on wilsonian principles (collective security, self determination, free trade)

Britain's influence (India)

waning, call for independence in India led by Ghandi, drives idea that either US/SU must step up and take the power, can no longer support Greeks so ask US for help and Truman accepts b/c fear of communist victory spreading it

Winter of 1947

war destroyed Europe faces worst winter, people starved, credit nonexsitent, wages stagnant, consumer market collapsed, potential market crash, inspires Marshall plan

Berlin

within SU's administrative zone in Germany was the capitol; B also divided into 4 zones by the allied forces and eventually a wall is put up