Cold War and Postwar Changes Chapter 20 Cold War and Postwar Changes

Section 1 – Development of the Cold War QOD – What was the Cuban missile crisis? Objective – Describe the spread and effects of the Cold War.

Confrontation of the Superpowers The division between Western Europe and Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe was the beginning of the Cold War. The Soviet Union feared the capitalist West The United States feared communism

Confrontation of the Superpowers After WWII, the U.S. and Great Britain wanted the Eastern European nations to determine their own governments. Stalin feared that the Eastern European nations would be anti-Soviet if they were allowed free elections. A civil war in Greece in 1946 contributed to tensions between the Soviet Union and Great Britain.

Confrontation of the Superpowers 1947-President Harry S. Truman issued the Truman Doctrine, which states that the U.S. would give money to countries threatened by Communist expansion. Dean Acheson, the U.S. secretary, stated that the U.S. was concerned that communism would spread throughout the free world if left unchecked. He compared communist expansion to the spread of an infection.

Confrontation of the Superpowers June 1947- the European Recovery Program, better know as the Marshall Plan, began. The Marshall Plan was designed to restore the economic stability of European nations after WWI.

Confrontation of the Superpowers The Soviet Union and its economically and politically dependant Eastern European satellite states refused to participate in the Marshall Plan. In 1949, the Soviet Union set up the Council for Mutual Assistance (COMECON) as a response to the Marshall Plan. It was established to help the economies of Eastern European states.

Confrontation of the Superpowers George Kennan was a U.S. diplomat who argued for a policy of containment in response to Communist expansion. In 1947, the United States adopted the policy of containment to keep communism within its existing borders and prevent further Soviet aggressive moves.

Confrontation of the Superpowers By 1948, Great Britain, the U.S., and France worked to unify the three western sections of Germany and Berlin and create a West German govt. The Soviets opposed the creation of the West German state, so they tried to prevent it by setting up a blockade of West Berlin The Soviets ended the blockade in May 1949, due to the U.S. and Great Britain flying in supplies to West Berlin.

Confrontation of the Superpowers Berlin was divided in 2 parts. The Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany, was formally created in Sept. of 1949. Bonn was the capital. One month later, the German Democratic Republic was set up by the Soviets.

The Spread of the Cold War Chinese Communists took control of the govt. of China in 1949. U.S. fears about the spread of communism increased when China became a Communist nation.

The Spread of the Cold War April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed. This military alliance included Great Britain, France, other Western European nations, the U.S., and Canada. Turkey joined years after it was founded. They agreed to provide mutual help if any one of them was attacked.

The Spread of the Cold War In 1955, the Soviet Union and Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania formed the military alliance called the Warsaw Pact.

The Spread of the Cold War The Korean War began in 1950 when the Communist govt. of North Korea, allied with the Soviet Union, tried to take over South Korea. As a result, the U.S. extended its military alliances around the world. By the mid-1950s, the U.S. was in military alliances with 42 nations.

The Spread of the Cold War The U.S., Great Britain, France, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand formed the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) to stop the Soviet expansion in the East. Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Great Britain, and the U.S. formed the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) to stop Soviet expansion to the south.

The Spread of the Cold War In 1957, the Soviets spent Sputnik I, the first man-made space satellite, to orbit the earth. Americans feared there was a missile gap between the Soviet Union and the United States. August 1961, on the order of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, the East German govt. began to build a wall between West Berlin and East Berlin in order to stop the flow of East Germans escaping into West Berlin- Berlin Wall.

The Cuban Missile Crisis In 1959, President Kennedy approved a secret plan for Cuban exiles to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs and revolt against the Soviet-supported Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. The invasion failed. President John F. Kennedy was involved in the Cuban missile crisis. The “Bay of Pigs” refers to the U.S. attempt to overthrow the Cuban govt. Fidel Castro- Communist leader of Cuba during missile crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis The Soviet Union sent arms and military advisors to Cuba. Khrushchev began to place nuclear missiles in Cuba to counteract U.S. nuclear weapons placed in Turkey, close to the Soviet Union. President Kennedy found that Soviet ships carrying nuclear missiles were headed to Cuba. He ordered a blockade of Cuba to stop the ships.

The Cuban Missile Crisis Khrushchev agreed to send the ships back and remove nuclear missiles in Cuba if Kennedy agreed not to invade Cuba. Kennedy agreed. The Cuban missile crisis brought the world close to nuclear war.

Vietnam and the Domino Theory The Vietnam War had an important impact on the Cold War II. Its purpose was to keep the Communist govt. of North Vietnam from gaining control of South Vietnam. The U.S. policy makers applied the domino theory to the Vietnam War. If South Vietnam fell to communism, then other countries in Asia would fall like dominos to communism.

Vietnam and the Domino Theory An antiwar movement escalated in the U.S. President Johnson decided not to run for reelection because of public opinion against his handling the war. Richard Nixon won the election with the promise to end the war and reunite American people. 1973- reached agreement with Vietnam Nixon resumed relations with China after the war ended.

Section 2 – The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe QOD – How did the Soviet Union exert its power over Eastern Europe? Objective – Describe the spread of Soviet power in Eastern Europe.

The Reign of Stalin The economy of the Soviet Union was devastated by WWII. To create a new industrial base, goods were produced only for export. The money was used to buy machinery. By 1950, the Soviet Union had built new power plants, canals, and giant factories.

The Reign of Stalin Joseph Stalin- Soviet leader, promoted the growth of heavy industry over consumer goods. Heavy industry- the manufacture of machines and equipment for factories and mines, increased. The development of the hydrogen bomb and the launch of Sputnik I, made the Soviet Union a world power.

The Khrushchev Era After Stalin’s death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev became the chief policy maker in the Soviet Union. De-Stalinization- the process of eliminating some of Stalin’s ruthless policies, was put in place

The Khrushchev Era Loosened govt. control on literature Alexander Solzhenitsyn- author of A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Tried to increase the production of consumer goods and agricultural output His attempt at agricultural output failed and industrial growth also declined 1964- forced into retirement

Eastern Europe: Behind the Iron Curtain Post WWII, Soviet-controlled Communist govts. took control of Eastern European countries. Albania, the Communist govt. grew increasingly independent of the Soviet govt. After WWII, Yugoslavia. Led by Josib Broz, Tito, was an independent Communist state until Tito’s death.

Eastern Europe: Behind the Iron Curtain After Stalin’s death many European states tried to make reforms, but the Soviet Union made it clear that it would not allow satellite states to become independent. Especially in Poland, Hungary, & Czechoslovakia

Eastern Europe: Behind the Iron Curtain 1956- revolts against communism erupted in Poland and reforms were adopted. Wladyslaw Goomulka attempted to make Poland less dependent on the Soviet Union. Fearful of Soviet response, the Poles pledged to remain loyal to the Warsaw Pact. After calls for revolt from Soviet control, Hungarian leader, Imre Nagy declared Hungary a free nation. Soviet troops attacked and reestablished control Alexander Dubcek initiated, “Prague Spring” with reforms to Czechoslovakia, including freedom of speech and press. Soviets invaded and crushed the reform movement

Section 3 – Western Europe and North America QOD – What were the major social changes on Western society after 1945? Objective – Describe the major developments in postwar Western societies.

Western Europe: Recovery The Marshall Plan helped the countries of Western Europe recover relatively rapidly from the devastation of World War II. The 1950s and 1960s were periods of dramatic economic growth and prosperity in Western Europe.

Western Europe: Recovery For almost 25 years after World War II, France was mostly led by Charles de Gaulle. He established the Fourth Republic, which featured a strong parliament and a weak presidency. But the government was largely ineffective, and de Gaulle withdrew from politics. He returned in 1958 and established the Fifth Republic, which featured a strong presidency. De Gaulle became the first president of the Fifth Republic. France became a major industrial producer and exporter. Government deficits and a rise in the cost of living led to unrest. De Gaulle resigned from office in 1969.

Western Europe: Recovery From 1949 to 1963, Konrad Adenauer, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, served as chancellor of West Germany. Under Adenauer’s leadership and that of the minister of finance, Ludwig Erhard, West Germany’s economy was revived. The unemployment rate fell greatly. Erhard became chancellor from 1963 to 1969. The Social Democratic Party, led by Willy Brandt, became West Germany’s leading political party in 1969.

Western Europe: Recovery At the end of World War II, Great Britain had large economic problems. The Labour Party, which promised far-reaching reforms, defeated Churchill’s Conservative Party. Prime Minister Clement Attlee and the Labour Party created a modern welfare state—a state in which the government takes responsibility for providing citizens with services and a minimal standard of living. The British welfare state became the norm for most European states after the war.

Western Europe: Recovery The cost of building a welfare state caused Great Britain to dismantle the British Empire. Many British colonies gained their independence.

Western Europe: The Move toward Unity After World War II, many Europeans wanted European unity. Nationalism, however, was too strong for European nations to give up their sovereignty. Instead the countries focused on economic unity. In 1957, France, West Germany, the Benelux countries, and Italy created the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as the Common Market. The six-member nations would impose no tariffs on each other’s goods.

Western Europe: The Move toward Unity By the 1960s, the EEC was an important trading bloc—a group of nations with a common purpose.

The United States in the 1950s Between 1945 and 1970, the ideals of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal determined the patterns of American domestic politics. Prosperity at home and Cold War struggles abroad characterized the 1950s in the United States.

The United States in the 1950s Between 1945 and 1973 real wages—the actual purchasing power of income—grew an average of 3 percent a year. The Cold War led to widespread fear that Communists had infiltrated the United States. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy charged that hundreds of communists were in high government positions. This created a massive “Red Scare.”

The United States in the 1960s President John F. Kennedy, the youngest elected president of the United States, was assassinated in 1963. Vice President Lyndon Johnson became president and was elected in a landslide victory to another term in 1964. President Johnson’s Great Society programs included health care for the elderly, measures to fight poverty, and aid to education.

The United States in the 1960s The U.S. civil rights movement began in 1954 with the Supreme Court ruling that made racial segregation in public schools illegal. In 1963 the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader of the civil rights movement, led a march on Washington, D.C., for equality. He advocated the use of passive disobedience in gaining racial equality.

The United States in the 1960s President Johnson worked for civil rights. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act helped end segregation and discrimination in the workplace and in public places. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it easier for African Americans to vote in southern states. In 1965, race riots began in the Watts district of Los Angeles. In 1968, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., race riots broke out in over a hundred cities in the United States.

The United States in the 1960s The race riots caused a “white backlash” and racial division in the U.S. continued. As the Vietnam War continued through the second half of the 1960s, antiwar protests throughout the United States grew. Republican Richard M. Nixon was elected president based on his ”law and order” campaign in 1968.

The Development of Canada After World War II, Canada increased its industrial development. Much of the Canadian growth was financed by people from the United States, leading to U.S. ownership of many Canadian businesses. Some Canadians feared American economic domination of Canada. Canada was a founding member of the UN in 1945 and joined NATO in 1949. The Liberal government of Canada created a welfare state by enacting a national social security system and a national health insurance program.

The Emergence of a New Society Postwar Western society had a changing social structure. Managers and technicians joined the middle-class groups. The number of people in farming declined dramatically. The number of industrial workers declined as white-collar workers increased. A consumer society developed as the real wages increased.

The Emergence of a New Society Buying on credit became widespread in the 1950s. The automobile was a sign of consumerism. Women in many Western countries had gained the right to vote after World War I. Women in France and Italy gained voting rights in 1945. Women who had worked during World War II returned to traditional roles.

The Emergence of a New Society Birthrates rose, creating a “baby boom” in the late 1940s and the 1950s. By the end of the 1950s, birthrates declined. Married women entered the workforce. Women earned much less than men did for equal work. Many women worked and raised families at the same time.

The Emergence of a New Society By the late 1960s, women renewed their interest in the women’s liberation movement. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir influenced both the American and European women’s movements. Growing discontent in European and U.S. universities led students to revolt in the late 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, student rebels became middle-class professionals.