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Cold War Conflicts

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Origins of the Cold War

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Cold War (1947-1991) Hostilities between the United

States and the Soviet Union short of direct military conflict

Both countries tried to spread their respective political and economic philosophies throughout the world

At times, tensions resulted in armed conflict through surrogates, such as Korea and Vietnam

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Former allies clash Truman becomes

president The Potsdam

Conference: Stalin refuses to agree to free and open elections in Eastern Europe that he appeared to agree to at Yalta

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Tensions Mount Soviets tighten grip on

Eastern Europe US established policy of

containment (NSC-68) in 1950 Keep communism where

it is… do not allow it to expand

Massive increase in military spending

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Why was there an “Iron Curtain” in Europe? Churchill: “From Stettin in the Baltic

to Trieste in the Adriatic an IRON CURTAIN has descended across the continent.”

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Truman: “Why are there still Communist-

controlled governments in Eastern Europe? No free elections have been held yet. Why is the Red Army still stationed in these countries and why, if the war is over, does the USSR still have an army of 6 million men? Why is Russia stripping their sector of Germany of all its resources and industry? I believe this proves that the Communists want to take over Europe. It is the responsibility of the United States to stop this from happening.”

Why was there an “Iron Curtain” in Europe?

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Stalin: “America cannot be trusted. During the

war America and Britain delayed the invasion of France until 1944, leaving us to fight Germany alone. I think they did this because they wanted to see Communism defeated! We suffered more than the other Allies and lost 20 million lives, isn't it fair that we take more from Germany, to help us rebuild? To make sure that we are never invaded by Germany again there must be a "buffer zone" of countries in Eastern Europe controlled by the USSR, we can then station the Red Army there.”

Why was there an “Iron Curtain” in Europe?

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The Truman Doctrine

Cold War in Europe

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The Marshall Plan

Cold War in Europe

Rebuilding Europe’s economy – offered to all countries, including communist

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Many historians date the start of the Cold War to when Stalin refused the Marshall Plan for the Soviet Union. Although Soviet-American tensions had been mounting ever since 1917, they were briefly relaxed during WWII. By the spring of 1947 the euphoria created by the allied victories was waning. Meanwhile the Soviet Union continued its free and unabated domination of a tattered Europe. Marxist principles appeared to be gaining a foothold in much of the world. It appeared to some Americans that the terrible sacrifices by so many during the war years had been in vain.

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Superpowers Struggle over Germany The Berlin Airlift, June

1948-September 1949

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The Berlin AirliftBritain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union occupied Germany at the end of the Second World War. Each country controlled a zone. They also occupied Berlin, which was surrounded by the Soviet zone, and divided the city into four sectors.

Cooperation broke down in 1947 and early 1948. The three Western powers decided to create a separate West German government in their zones. The Soviets tried to dissuade them by gradually escalating harassment of Western traffic to and from the city, which culminated in the Berlin blockade, imposed June 24, 1948.

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The Berlin airlift marked the first major confrontation in the Cold War. For 11 months, beginning in June 1948, the Western allies took part in an unprecedented attempt to keep a city alive -- entirely from the air. Despite Soviet harassment, poor flying conditions and official discouragement, the air crews performed what many thought was impossible

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When the Soviet blockade of Berlin's western sectors began, there were only two major airports -- Tempelhof, in the American sector, and Gatow in the British sector. It soon became apparent that another airport was needed to accommodate airlift flights. And in just 93 days, with the help of 17,000 Berliners, Tegel airport was built in the French sector -- creating what was, at the time, the longest runway in Europe.

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The Berlin Airlift The Soviets made no

determined effort to disrupt the airlift. There are two likely reasons for this: First, the Soviets saw no

need to interfere with the airlift at first because they believed it would fail.

Second, disruption ran serious risks of triggering a war.

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Superpowers Square off East vs. West

The NATO Alliance (1949)

Warsaw Pact (1955)

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The Cold War Heats Up

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Civil War in China Fighting resumes from pre-war Mao (communist) vs. Chiang

(nationalist) Communist takeover in 1949 Republicans look for someone or

some group to blame: Truman and “liberal” Democrats—containment had failed!

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Koreans Go to War June 1950: Communist

North Korea (led by Kim Il Sung) attacks nominally “democratic” South Korea (led by Syngman Rhee)

USSR supports N. Korea US supports S. Korea

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The US Fights in Korea Macarthur's miracle

counterattack at Inchon

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The US Fights in Korea The Chinese fight back Macarthur recommends

attacking China

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The US Fights in Korea Macarthur vs. Truman

Truman fires Macarthur for insubordination

Unpopular decision US settles for stalemate

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The Cold War at Home

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Fear of Communist Influence

Loyalty review boards Government employees had to

swear loyalty to the US Over 3 million investigated,

thousands quit, hundreds fired People often weren’t allowed to

see the evidence against them; confront witnesses, know who was accusing them

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June and July, 1950, The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley’s campus newspaper

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Fear of Communist Influence The House The House

Committee on Un-Committee on Un-American Activities American Activities (HUAC)(HUAC) Congressional Congressional

committee to committee to search out search out disloyalty; focused disloyalty; focused on government, on government, HollywoodHollywood

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The Red Spy Queen

In 1945 Elizabeth Bentley, a former member of the American Communist Party, offered to provide the FBI with information about a Soviet spy ring. Bentley identified more than 80 people she claimed were spies.

She appeared before HUAC and named several people she believed had been Soviet spies. As a result of this testimony Bentley became known as the Red Spy Queen.

Doubts about Bentley's testimony began to emerge when it was discovered that when checked, much of it was clearly untrue. Still, her information led to the arrest and conviction of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg for spying.

Bentley, with members of HUAC

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Fear of Communist Influence

The Hollywood Ten Writers and directors

(shown here with their attorneys) who refused to cooperate with HUAC; convicted of contempt of Congress, they were imprisoned for less than a year each

They were then placed on a BLACKLIST

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Fear of Communist Influence The McCarran Act

Law passed (over Truman’s veto) that Law passed (over Truman’s veto) that made it a crime to plan anything that made it a crime to plan anything that MIGHT lead to the overthrow of the US, MIGHT lead to the overthrow of the US, required registration and fingerprinting all required registration and fingerprinting all “subversives,” and allowed for “subversives,” and allowed for concentration camps “for emergency concentration camps “for emergency situations.”situations.”

This is the “loaded gun” Justice Jackson This is the “loaded gun” Justice Jackson warned about in his warned about in his KorematsuKorematsu dissent in dissent in 1944.1944.

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Spy Cases Stun the Nation

Alger Hiss State department official who

worked closely for FDR Accused of spying for the USSR Young congressman Nixon went

after him He denied everything Later documents in the 1990s

prove his guilt

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Spy Cases Stun the Nation

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Minor activists in the US

communist party Implicated as spies in the transfer

of atomic secrets to the USSR Convicted and executed in 1953 First civilians executed for

espionage Later documents point to his guilt

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McCarthy Launches His Communist “Witch Hunt”

Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s tactics: Accusations without evidence Accuse anyone who challenged

him Only did his name-calling in the

Senate, where his speech was protected against libel

McCarthy’s downfall Accusations against the US Army

in 1954 Bullied witnesses on national TV Finally condemned by the Senate Died of alcoholism in 1957

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The Cold War: Two Nations Live on the Edge

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The Race for the H-Bomb Both the US and USSR were vying to become

the 1st to get the hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb (fusion bomb)

Many times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb (fission bomb)

Takes an atomic bomb to trigger an H-bomb US is first on November 1, 1952. By next

August, the USSR had its own H-bomb.

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Brinkmanship Rules US Policy Secretary of State John Foster Dulles

come up with a policy to ensure peace: threat of massive retaliation

We would use any weapon, even nuclear, to keep the peace

Leaders were said to be willing to “go to the brink”—or to the edge—of war

US able to trim the costs of keeping a large Army or Navy by depending on relatively cheap nukes and an Air Force

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The Cold War Spreads Around the World Covert Actions in the Middle East and

Latin America CIA engineered a coup in Guatemala and

a new regime in Iran A summit in Geneva

Eisenhower proposed “open skies” policy USSR didn’t go for it

Crisis in the Middle East: Suez Canal Soviet aggression in Hungary—USSR

puts down protests The Eisenhower Doctrine: “protect

Middle East from Soviet aggression”

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The Cold War Takes to the Skies Sputnik launches the space race A U-2 is shot down Khrushchev denounces

Eisenhower