The Cold War Begins 17.1

 FDR passed away right when tensions w/ the S.U. were breaking down

 “The enemy of my enemy is my friend…”  This is why the U.S. and S.U. were alliances  Common enemy = Nazi Germany  Few similarities otherwise

United States  Democracy  Free elections  Economic + religious freedom  Private property  Individuality Soviet Union  Communist Party made all economic, political, + military decisions  No freedom of worship  No ownership of property  Punished if a critic

 Stalin:  Wanted Germany weak + Eastern Europe to remain under Soviet control  U.S./rest of Allies  Wanted strong, unified Germany + independent nations Eastern Europe

 Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)  Divide Germany into zones  Germany also had to pay S.U. for destroyed property  Stalin agreed to join war against Japan  Free elections in E. Europe  BUT after the war many of the nations that S.U. occupied became satellite states not free states  Controlled by S.U.

 U.S. was a leader in creating the United Nations  48 countries joined  Based in New York  Protect against aggression  General Assembly:  Each member could vote on issues  Security Council:  5 permanent members Power to veto any decision  One rotating member  Investigate + settle disputes

 5 main powers and the rest rotate  U.S., S.U., China, Great Britain, France  Create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights  Condemned slavery, torture, upholds freedom of speech + religion  Affirms that everyone should have the right to a good standard of living, health, and well-being

 Potsdam, Germany meeting  Stalin refused to commit to free elections in E. Europe  He wanted a buffer from being directly attacked again  Truman believed Stalin was on the path to “world conquest”  Soviet Red Army = big threat  Rivalry began in 1945 that would last for 46 years aka the Cold War  In a 1946 speech Stalin announced that capitalism + communism could not coexist in the same world  The 2 superpowers never actually fought each other directly in a military conflict = COLD war

 Winston Churchill called Stalin’s influence = “iron curtain” that ran across Europe  East of the curtain S.U. was installing communist gov’ts + police states in nations  = more power for Stalin ∴ democracies must stand firm

East = German Democratic Republic West = Federal Republic of Germany

 George Kennan, “X,” wrote “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” in Foreign Affairs magazine  He outlined the American policy of containment Containment = Keep communism w/in its existing borders

 Kennan argued that Stalin wanted to expand the Soviet empire  BUT argued Stalin wouldn’t risk the security of the S.U. for this goal  The U.S. needed to ∴ contain and pressure Stalin

 In other words   Stalin wouldn’t risk a war w/U.S. (+ potential destruction of S.U.) just to expand  BUT the U.S. NEEDED to offer a full commitment to keeping the S.U. at bay

 Gov’ts in Greece + Turkey were being threatened by communists seeking to take over  1947 – U.S. only country w/ the resources to help them…

 Greece + Turkey needed aid ∴ Truman addressed Congress on 03/12/47  Asked them for $ to support the free peoples who are fighting conquest by armed communists  Truman Doctrine:  Truman’s promise to aid nations struggling against communism  Congress gave him $400 million to aid Greece + Turkey

 U.S. Sec. of State, George Marshall unveiled a recovery plan for Europe  Stronger economies = more success in defending communism  Early Marshall Plan:  $13 billion in loans/grants to W. European countries to help them rebuild  Satellite states in E. Europe were offered the aid but Stalin refused

 Tensions were highest in Germany:

 West Berlin: “a bone in the throat” of the S.U.  Prosperity and freedom  East Berlin:  Low standard of living and control

 ∴ in June 1948:  Stalin stopped all highway, railway, + waterway passages from West Germany into West Berlin  Berlin Airlift: (blockade lasted June ‘48- Sept ‘49)  Stalin couldn’t control the sky…  ∴ the U.S. and GB dropped supplies into W. Berlin using airplanes 

 1949 – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed to defend W. Europe against SU  Made up of 12 W. European + N. American countries  “An armed attack on against one or more of them…shall be considered an attack against all of them” Called collective security  1955  West Germany joined in NATO

 In response, S.U. and its satellite states formed Warsaw Pact

 Sept  the Soviet Union successfully detonates an atomic bomb  Balance of power shifts  Now the U.S. doesn’t have total control over atomic weaponry…

 Americans shocked + scared by the news  They had believed the Russians were far from developing nuclear technology  The world was now a MUCH more dangerous place

 Truman ordered the development of the H-bomb (Hydrogen bomb)  1,000 more powerful than the atom bomb  Einstein/Oppenheimer believed this would lead to an arms race + cautioned against it  Stalin would continue to develop nukes as long as the U.S. challenged them to

 1952 – U.S. successfully tests an H-bomb  1953 – S.U. successfully tests an H-bomb  Both conducted above ground = horrible radiation into the atmosphere Big health problems for ppl living by testing sites  Began a 4 decades long arms race  Nuclear destruction = dark, concerning cloud over the entire world  Mutually assured destruction (they hoped)  Fear of atomic destruction would prevent each other (U.S./S.U.) from actually using the nuclear weapons 

 Eisenhower:  Very militarily savvy + worked w/ top political officials during WWII ∴ he was very well versed in both aspects of leading the country = GOOD!  Strongly believed the U.S./U.N. should actively stop the spread of communism (supported Truman’s policy)  John Foster Dulles:  Eisenhower’s sec. of state  Experienced diplomat  Helped organized the U.N. after WWII

 1954 – Dulles announced the policy of massive retaliation  The U.S. would respond to communist threats by threating to use crushing, overwhelming force (nukes).  Brinkmanship: By going to the brink of war the U.S. could protect its allies, discourage communist aggression + prevent war

AmericansSoviets October 1952Hydrogen Bomb August 1953 December 1957 ICBMsAugust 1957 January 1958SatelliteOctober 1957 Brinkmanship added to Containment under Eisenhower

 March 5, 1953 Stalin died ∴ power struggle in the S.U.  Nikita Khrushchev came out on top  He was not as cruel as Stalin  Ike and NK meet in July 1955 (Geneva, Switzerland)  Little significant results BUT did appear to ease tensions b/w the superpowers

 Sputnik I – October1957  Soviets were first to send something to space (satellite)  Used an ICBM to get it there  Sputnik II – November 1957  Sent a larger satellite to space w/ Laika (dog) to see if a living creature could live  Americans worried!  Could having the power/technology to send something to space = the SU could launch a powerful enough rocket to land in the U.S. ?!?!? !?!

 U-2 Spy Plane Incident  CIA started secret high-altitude spy flights over Soviet territory  May 1960: Soviets shot down one of the U-2 planes and captured its pilot: Francis Gary Powers