Origins of the Cold War - Long Beach City...
Transcript of Origins of the Cold War - Long Beach City...
Origins of the Cold War,
1945-1949
Why did the USA and USSR, allies who defeated and solved the problem of
Germany, become the bitter enemies of the Cold War era and what did it mean for their
respective societies?
Is your Cell Phone Turned On?
• Josef Stalin says
Comrades
Turn
off your
Cell phone!
Themes and Topics
• Empire World War II: Military and Political Watershed for
the US and the USSR
New Topic: US Postwar Planning of an international economic environment favorable to capitalist trade and investment
The Atomic Bomb: How the Cold War began
• Role of Government Origins of the Cold War and Containment
The Cold War: Creating a National Security State
The Cold War: Truman Doctrine and Containment
• Private Enterprise Military Keynesianism in World War II and After
Central Analytical questions
• Who started the Cold War?
• What was the nature of the conflict?
• How did the Cold War reshape global politics?
• How did the Cold War reshape domestic politics?
Truman Takes the Reins
• Background
• Senator
• Vice President
• Was Truman prepared to take over the reigns of government in April 1945?
Harry S. Truman
Truman and the Anti-Communists
• Sources of Anti-Communist sentiment within the Administration
State Department
Navy Department
• Role of the Republican Party
James Forrestal, Sec. Navy
Congressional Elections, 1946
House Results Senate Results
US Blamed the USSR
• The American publics understanding of the
Cold War was built upon three myths
The First Myth: that Stalin had agreed to a
Poland independent of Soviet influence
The Second Myth: that, like Poland, the USSR
wanted to communize the rest of Eastern
Europe
The Third Myth: that USSR was bent on
global conquest
First Myth: Poland, 1945
• The “London” Polish Government vs the Lublin Polish Government
• What were Soviet goals in Poland—See the map!
• Harry Hopkins to Moscow
Agreement suggests USSR wanted a Friendly Polish government
2nd Myth: Eastern Europe
Country British Influence Soviet Influence Outcome
Greece 90% 10% Vetoed by FDR
Rumania 10% 90% Vetoed by FDR
Bulgaria 25% 75% Vetoed by FDR
Hungary 50% 50% Vetoed by FDR
Yugoslavia 50% 50% Vetoed by FDR
2nd Myth: Eastern Europe
• Initially, Soviets aims toward Eastern Europe reflected a mix set of motives Conquer and communize
enemies
Embrace Declaration on Liberated Europe
Support Neutralization
• Later, when challenged, communize
3rd Myth: Global Conquest
• This might be called the myth of “Red Fascism” because of the suggestion that Stalin was another Hitler
• Key issues: Russian access to the Mediterranean sea and Middle Eastern oil
Turkey
Iran
Truman and the “Iron Curtain”
• Truman’s first year as president shows a mixed policy toward the USSR
Hostility
Atomic Diplomacy
Negotiation
Bluster
Caution
Purges staff
Winston Churchill’s Speech on the “Iron Curtain” in 1946, didn’t initially persuade Truman
The Fifteen Weeks
• The Problem of Greece and Turkey
• Joseph M. Jones, “The problem was not what should be done, but how to get authorizing legislation through Congress.”
• Meeting with Republican Congressional Leaders February 27, 1947 at the White House Feb 21-June 5, 1947
The Fifteen Weeks
• Acheson’s address laid out a new Cold War orthodoxy
British collapse
Domino Effect
International Communist Conspiracy
Bi-Polar World
Global threat to U.S. security
• During this period “a revolution” occurred in Truman’s foreign policy, aligning it with FDR’s earlier national security vision
Feb 21-June 5, 1947
The Truman Doctrine
• Truman announced to Congress, “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 pressure.”
Containment
• How would the U.S. go about stopping Soviet world domination? The strategy for defeating
the USSR was called ‘containment’
It called for a long-term, patient, firm vigilant checking of Soviet expansion until it produced a “mellowing” of communist leadership’s fanaticism
George F. Kennan
Implications of Containment
• A spiral of action/reaction began
• Most important: it ended serious discussions with
USSR on issues dividing US and USSR because
there is no point in negotiating with fanatics who
didn't keep agreements
• Germany is permanently divided, reparations
discussions ended
• Economic aid to USSR was no longer an option
• Soviets responded by tightening its grip on
Eastern Europe
The Marshall Plan
• George C. Marshall became Truman’s second Secretary of State in late 1946
• He was replaced by Dean Acheson following Truman’s election in 1948
• He is best remembered for the Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe
General George C. Marshall
Redesigning the National Security
State
• National Security Act of 1947
National Security Council
CIA
DOD
• Bi-partisan support
• National Security State
The National Security State
Projecting US Power
Critical Thinking Exercise
Stalin believed the US sought to encircle the USSR Do US bases in Turkey lend credence to Soviet fears? Note the US media coverage: is it even- handed? What else is notable? U.S. News and World Report, July 1947
Division of Germany
Allies divided the country into zones Berlin, the capitol, was also divided into zones Truman’s decision to unify the three western zones into Western Germany provoked a Soviet response No provisions were made for access between zones
Operation Vittles
• Berlin Airlift Ordered by US
occupation General Lucius Clay
Supported by Truman
11 month duration
Delivered 2 million tons of supplies (coal and food)
Solidified US-West German understanding and later NATO alliance
Cold War Europe, 1948
Election of 1948
• Truman had to fight for the Democratic Party’s nomination
• Republicans were certain the election was a shoe in
• Truman campaigned vigorously, while Dewey ran a lack luster campaign
• It was one of the lowest turnouts in Presidential election history
Election of 1948
House and Senate, 1948
Senate House
Postwar Alliances
Soviets Go Nuclear
• Joe-1 successfully detonated August 29, 1949
• American intelligence had predicted a ten year gap between US and USSR bomb
• US began work on hydrogen bomb
NSC-68 Further Militarizes the Cold
War
• George Kennan resigned in 1949
• NSC-68 was largely written by Paul Nitze
• Nitze crafted a statement the US military strategy for the cold war calling for a massive buildup of nuclear and conventional arms
Paul Nitze
Critical Thinking Question
• Was the Cold
War a
necessity or
was it a
tragedy?
• Or was it
just goofy?
Conclusion: Did Truman Really
Believe “The Truman Doctrine”?
• Was Truman serious about the Truman Doctrine and Containment?
• Was he really serious about an opened ended commitment on the part of the US to stopping communism everywhere?
• When we look at Truman’ NSC-68 and China policy between 1946-1950, the answer is no
Chiang Kai-Shek
Mao Zedung