The Cold War Chapter 26

Clash of Nations Soviets United States Communist Party with totalitarian rule State controlled all property and economic activity Upset about development of A bomb American system, voting by people Private citizens control economic activity Upset about Soviet’s early support of Hitler

Leaders Truman Stalin

United Nations April 25, 1945 Representatives from 50 nations met in San Francisco Established peacekeeping body June 26, 1945 delegates signed charter establishing UN Two superpowers competed and used UN as forum to spread their influence

Truman becomes president April 12, 1945 Truman succeeds Roosevelt (died of stroke) Former Missouri Senator, only VP for a few months prior to Roosevelt’s death Truman was not included in top policy decisions (including atomic bomb development) Truman was honest and had willingness to make tough decisions and accept responsibility for those decisions (blunt and outspoken but decisive)

Potsdam Conference: July 17-Aug 2 1945 Big Three meet (Stalin, Atlee, Truman) Stalin refused free elections (as promised at Yalta) Truman now objected to collecting reparations from Germany Reparations taken only from their zones American business wanted access to raw materials of Eastern Europe (also sell good there) Soviets installed communist governments (satellite nations: dominates by Soviet Union) in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia and Poland To Stalin: War was inevitable

Aims of Superpowers U.S. Soviets Create a new world order in which all nations had right of self-determination Gain access to raw materials and markets for industries Rebuild European governments to ensure stability to create new markets for American goods Reunite Germany, believing that Europe would be more secure if Germany were productive Encourage communism in other countries as part of the world-wide struggle between workers and the wealthy Rebuild war ravaged economy using Eastern Europe’s industrial equipment and raw materials Control Eastern Europe to balance U.S. influence in Western Europe Keep Germany divided and weak so that it would never again threaten the Soviet Union

Containment February 1946 George F Kennan (American diplomat in Moscow) Take measures to prevent any extension of communist rule in other countries Guide of Truman’s foreign policy

Iron Curtain Coined by Winston Churchill Division of Europe Democratic Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe Stalin considered the phrase a “call to war”

Cold War Conflict between Soviets and U.S. in which neither nation directly confronted the other on a battlefield Dominated global affairs 1945 (post WWII) to 1991 (break up of Soviet Union)

Truman Doctrine March 12, 1947 Truman asked Congress for $400 million in economic and military aid for Greece and Turkey Policy of the U.S. to support free peoples who are resisting attempted suppression by armed minorities or outside pressure Congress agreed

Marshall Plan June 1947 Secretary of State George Marshall proposed that U.S. provide aid to all European nations that need it Over next four years, 16 countries received $13 billion in aid Communist party lost much appeal to voters

NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, U.S. and Canada Joined on April 4, 1949 to form a defensive alliance against Soviet aggression Pledged military support to one another and kept a standing military force of 500,000 troops as well as thousands of planes, tanks and other equipment First time U.S. joined into military alliance during peacetime