The Cold

War
Origins and Korean War
 The U.S. and Soviet Union became rival “world
superpowers” after WW2
Joseph Stalin
Harry Truman
The United States The Soviet Union
Wanted To: Wanted To:

❖ Encourage democracy ❖ Encourage communism

and capitalism in other countries as part
in other countries to of the worldwide struggle
prevent the rise of between the working class
totalitarian governments and wealthy
and promote economic ❖ Gain industrial equipment
growth from EE countries to bring
❖ Gain access to raw the SU to help rebuild its
materials and markets post-war economy
for its booming industries ❖ Control Eastern Europe
❖ Rebuild European to balance the U.S.
governments influence in Western
o ensure stability and Europe
create new markets for ❖ Keep Germany divided
American goods and weak because they
❖ Reunite Germany waged war on the SU
with the hope the Europe twice in the last 30 years
would be more stable if and were responsible for
Germany was productive many SU deaths
and not bitter about their
loss
 DEMOCRACY

COMMUNISM CAPITALISM
fewer choices more choices
fewer incentives to innovate more incentives to innovate
less income inequality more income inequality
value placed on equity value placed on freedom
TOTALITARIANISM
After being severely damaged in WWII, the Soviet
Union felt vulnerable to attack from the West.

Stalin propped up satellite nations in the case of

an attack and for more resources to rebuild.

Stalin believed that another war was inevitable,

so he began building up the Soviet military.

Satellite nations:
communist governments in
Eastern European Containment: taking
countries, which became measures to prevent
dominated by the Soviet
any extension of
Union
Communist rule in other
countries

U.S. Establishes a policy of containment and the Central

Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.)

In 1946, Winston Churchill (former Prime Minister of

United Kingdom) described the divide between Soviet
controlled Eastern Europe & democratic Western Europe,
to express the importance of containment. This was
called the Iron Curtain Speech. Iron Curtain: stood
for the division of
Stalin declared this speech to be a “call to war”. Europe
 The conflicting views of the
United States and the Soviet
Union, led to the Cold War.
Cold War: The state of hostility between the US
and Soviet Union, that did not include direct
military action between the two nations, but
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Union from 1945 - 1991.
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 Containment Efforts

The Truman Doctrine: a US policy The Marshall Plan: the United

that the US should provide support States would provide aid to all
to countries threatened by European countries that needed it,
communist advances to keep them from becoming
This policy provided Greece and Turkey communist
with $400 million in economic and military The Marshall Plan cost $12.5 billion and was
meant to help European countries so they
aid.
wouldn’t fall to communism.
After WWII, Germany had been split
into four zones- controlled by the
US, France, and Great Britain in the
west and the Soviet Union in the
East.
The Soviet Union wanted to keep
Germany weak and divided, while
the US and its’ allies, wanted to
unify Germany.
In 1948, the Allies decided to
recombine their parts of Germany
into one country.
In response, America
and Great Britain
started the
Berlin Airlift: flying food
and supplies into West
Berlin
The Soviet Union retaliated by
holding West Berlin hostage,
cutting off all access into West
Berlin. The Soviet Union hoped
this would cause the Allies to give
up the idea of reunifying
Germany.
Eventually the Soviet Union
realized it was beaten, and lifted
the blockade.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO): a military alliance between
the United States, Canada, and
Western European countries, in
which all members promised that
an attack on one would be an
attack on all.
Berlin Candy
Bomber

When the Japanese were defeated at the end of WWII they left China.
The Communists and the Nationalists within China resumed their Civil War.
Chiang Kai-shek: Leader of
the Nationlist, his corruption
turned the peasants of China
against him.
❖ Ruled in Southern and
Eastern China
❖ Relied heavily on aid from the
United States
❖ Struggled with inflation and a
dying economy
❖ Suffered from weak
leadership and poor morale
Civil War in China
Mao Zedong: Leader of the
Communist rebels, he received
aid from the Soviet Union. He
promised land reform for the
peasants.
❖ Ruled in Northern China
Support for the Communists grew in China and the ❖ Relied heavily on aid from
Nationalists eventually lost.
the Soviet Union
Chiang Kai-shek and his remaining followers fled to
Taiwan, an island to the East of China. ❖ Attracted peasants with
The American public was outraged that containment had promise of land reform
failed in China!
❖ Benefited from experience
Many Americans claimed that the United States had
“lost” China, and they began turning against Truman for guerrilla and a highly
not providing the Nationalists in China with enough aid. motivated leadership
 The Korean War
(1950-1953) Conflict between North Korea (Communist, backed by Soviet Union & China) and South
Korea (Democratic, backed by United Nations and United States)

Similar to China, Japan had occupied

much of Korea during WWII.
The northern part of Korea
surrendered to the Soviets
The southern portion of Korea
surrendered to the United States

Divided at the 38th parallel, North and

South Korea became two separate
countries.

In 1950, North Korean troops invaded

the South and started the Korean War.

To prevent another Asian country from

falling to communism, Truman got
approval to send troops to support
South Korea under the leadership of
WWII hero Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
 U.S. fights in Korea
The battle was a very back and forth struggle between each side (1950-1953) General
Douglas MacArthur

At first, North They MacArthur China

Korean continued to and the stepped in at
troops push into Southern this time to
seemed South Korea troops help the The Chinese involvement
unstoppable, until they had launched a North Korean created a stalemate near
pushing the Southern counterattac troops push the 38th parallel.
south and troops k and forced the Southern To end the stalemate,
General MacArthur called
capturing the pushed into the Northern troops back for an extension of war
capital, Pusan in the troops to across the into China and wanted to
Seoul. very south. retreat. 38th parallel. use atomic bombs on
China.
 End of the Korean War
(1950-1953)

Truman rejected MacArthur’s request,
worried it would start WW3.
MacArthur would not give up, so he tried to
go over President Truman’s head by writing
to Republican leaders to get them to push
for an extension of war
Truman was fed up with MacArthur’s
insubordination, so he fired him.
A truce was signed in Korea 1953
The Korean War was seen as both
a success and a failure.
❖ It was successful in containing
Communism to North Korea.
❖ It was unsuccessful in uniting the
Korea under a democratic
government.
The cost of the war at home
(54,000 American deaths) for
a somewhat unsuccessful war,
caused many Americans to
reject the Democratic Party and
turn to the Republican Party.
Dwight D. Eisenhower elected
President 1953