The Cold War Begins: 1945-52 AP US History

Postwar At Home - Economy American’s feared a return to the Great Depression after the war. REASONS: 15 Million soldiers were returning to flood the job market Gross National Product dipped from 1946-47 Price controls were lifted = inflation (33%) Labor Union Strikes (4.6 million halted in 1946)

Postwar At Home - Economy Labor Unions had grown through Depression/War - Were Gaining too much power – Government tries to reign them in: Taft-Hartly Act (1947): Banned “closed shops” (you can’t work there unless you join the union) Unions responsible for damages Union leaders had to take a non-communist oath

Postwar At Home - Economy Governments Steps to make sure the economy doesn’t slow down… The Employment Act (1946) Promoted Maximum employment and production The Council of Economic Advisors was formed to assist the President when making economic decisions The GI BILL (1944) Helped pay for soldiers to go to school (raised education levels) *Passed because of fear that labor market could not absorb all the returning soldiers. Helped provide home loans (stimulated construction industry) GI Bill shaped economic expansion/prosperity for the postwar era!

Postwar at Home - Economy By 1950 the American economy began to skyrocket By 1960 it doubled, and again by 1970 By 1973 American’s = 6% of population but 40% of wealth BIG WINNERS Middle Class: Doubled in size New Goal: two cars in the garage and pool outback Women: Made up 25% of workforce at wars end, five years later 50% The Traditional Role of women was still glorified by the media

Postwar at Home - Economy Causes for the postwar economic BOOM! The War’s massive production jumpstarted economy Jobs in military related areas Aerospace, plastics, electronics and “R and D” Energy was cheap and plentiful (Biggest reason for boom) Worker Production increased More Americans went/stayed in school = higher standard of living

Postwar At Home - Society The Decade after WWII was characterized by the following… Unprecedented prosperity A population explosion known as the baby boom Rapid and extensive suburbanization

Postwar at Home - Society At Wars end many veterans came home and tied the knot. The GI Bill allowed financial flexibility and helped contribute to the BABY BOOM With the Baby Boom came the Sunbelt Boom! People began to move South and West from Florida to California. Power shifted with the people WE SEE A SHIFT IN POWER FROM NORTHEAST/MIDWEST TO THE NEW SOUTH AND WEST

Rustbelt to Sunbelt

Postwar at Home - Society Highways and Prosperity allowed for the growth of the suburbs. “White Flight”: Whites moved to the suburbs after WWII FHA offered cheap home loans 25% of Americans lived in the suburbs by 1960 EX: Levittown on Long Island, NY “cookie cutter” houses

Postwar at Home - Society This massive migration to the suburbs by whites left cities: Black and poor Suburbia grew because… White Flight Government mortgage programs New Highways The baby-boom

Postwar at Home - Society Baby Boom peaked in 1957. This generation had a huge impact on America! Entire Industries would ride this generation to success! Levi’s Jeans Burger Joints Music (Rock and Roll) Baby Boomers gave rise to the teenage generation!

Postwar – Foreign Affairs In Feb 1945 the “Big Three” met at the Yalta Conference (Last Meeting) PURPOSE: Sketch out general intentions for peace settlement post WWII OUTCOME: Shaped the Cold War Highlighted by distrust between Britain/US and the Soviet Union

Postwar Foreign Affairs PROMISES WERE MADE… RUSSIA PROMISED: Enter war against Japan Russia Promised: Evacuate lands in Eastern Europe it occupied after WW II (Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania) Free elections -representative government – In lands it occupied ** The roots of the Cold War will lie in the disagreement between the Soviets and Americans about the situation in post war Eastern Europe

Postwar – Foreign Affairs Reasons Russia didn’t trust US… US waited until 1933 to recognize the USSR Allies were slow to open 2nd front in Europe during WWII America stopped Lend-Lease program to Russia in 1945 but not Britain. America rejected Russia’s request for $6 Billion for reconstruction but gave Germany $3.75 Billion.

George Kennan American Diplomat and expert on Soviet Union SAID THAT… The U.S.S.R was expansionist by nature but it could be held in check by firm American containment. The idea of Containment becomes postwar America’s main foreign policy

Postwar – Foreign Policy Our foreign policy is going to change from Isolationism to Containment under Truman Key Points: Containment was a foreign policy designed to contain or block Soviet expansion. Containment was the primary U.S. foreign policy from the Truman Doctrine (1947) – Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Postwar – Foreign Policy

Truman and Containment Truman Doctrine (1947): President Truman was determined to block the expansion of the Soviet influence into Greece and Turkey March 12, 1947, Truman asked Congress for $400 million in economic aid for Greece and Turkey JUSTIFICATION: Said the US would support “free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugations by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”

Truman and Containment The Marshall Plan – Sec. of State George C. Marshall Program of economic aid designed to promote the recovery of war-torn Europe while also preventing the spread of communist influence Western Europe’s economy was struggling Communism was looking attractive “ Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist…Any government that is willing to assist in the task of recovery will find full cooperation, I am sure, on the part of the United States government.”

Marshall Plan We lent financial help to rebuild Europe and keep communism out! Started by Truman and George Marshall (Sec of State) Helped form a European Community (EC) $17 Billion was spent over four years Western Europe’s economies rebounded and communist groups lost influence

Truman and Containment NATO Alliance (1948): Marked the US’s break from isolationism US didn’t get entangled in alliances (Washington) 10 Western European nations along with the US and Canada formed this defensive military alliance. North Atlantic Treaty Organization To attack one meant to attack all Soviets set the Warsaw Pact with Eastern European Nations.

Postwar – Foreign Policy

Truman and Containment Berlin Airlift (1948) Germany had been divided up at wars end into four military occupation zones (Britain, France, US and Soviets) The Soviets had blocked the railroads/western land access into West Berlin (Deep in Soviet zone) Truman ordered a massive airlift of food, fuel and other supplies to the citizens of West Berlin. MARKED A CRUCIAL AND SUCCESSFUL TEST OF CONTAINMNET!