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