Chapter 28: The Cold War and the American Dream Section 2: The Korean War and McCarthyism Section 3: The Fifties F

Right after WWII there was also a civil war in China On one side: Communists – led by Mao Tse Tung. The other side: ‘Nationalists” – backed by the United States. The Communists won the Civil war and the Nationalists were forced to leave the country – they ended up going to Taiwan F

Americans were shocked that another country turned to communism – and thought they might try and take over the whole world. Then, some events in Korea contributed to this fear. Korea was separated in two parts - at the 38th parallel (48) North Korea – supported by communists South Korea – supported by the United States F

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In 1950, North Korean forces crossed into South Korea The Korean War was starting. Truman was going to use Korea as the first test of his containment policy. The United Nations (16 nations sent troops) tried to helped fight against the North Koreans – but most of the fighting was done by Americans. F

The American General (Douglas MacArthur) pushed the North Koreans all the way back to the edge of China F

Now, the question is: F You’re fighting against communism. The Chinese are now communists. You’re dominating North Korean communists. You’re fighting right on the edge of China. Do you go into China and try and take care of communism there too? The Chinese warned that we better stop right at the border. F

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But China did see the American forces as a threat to attack– so they… Decided to help the North Koreans. They succeeded in pushing the U.S. all the way back to the 38th parallel F

Truman and MacArthur completely disagreed about attacking China MacArthur wanted to attack China – Truman wanted to “contain” communism. Truman eventually had to fire MacArthur. MacArthur returned to the United States as a hero (he was also the main general in the Pacific in WWII). Eventually most people came to agree with Truman’s actions. F

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As the Korean War (Conflict) dragged on It became more unpopular. The two sides had peace talks for a couple of years. When Truman decided to not run for president. Eisenhower wanted to. He promised a speedy end to the Korean conflict. F

Eisenhower agreed to a compromise to end the war. But he also told people privately that he’d use nuclear weapons if he had to. Korea ended where it started – with the 38th Parallel dividing North Korea and South Korea. The important thing for the U.S. was: communism had been contained in Korea F

Korea today: No real change from the 50’s

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One politician who used the threat of communism to his advantage was: Joseph McCarthy He said he had information about people who were communists in the U.S. He held investigations and even trials. He ruined the careers of many people. He never really proved any of his claims and soon faded away. (He did all this while he was running for re-election for the Wisconsin Senate). These kind of “witch hunts” are sometimes called “McCarthyism” (18). F

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Since President Eisenhower had been a general He had much more aggressive ideas about how to stop communism He was willing to go to war if he needed to stop its spread. F

The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were soon locked in an arms race (24) They eventually also began a space race (25) when the Soviets launched the world’s first space satellite. This also meant the Russians had developed a big enough missile that they could attack the United States F

And the U.S. started spending billions for its own space research The two sides were actually going to have some meetings but… About that same time a U.S. spy plane was shot down over Russia and the Soviets were mad we wouldn’t apologize. F

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Not everything was wonderful in the fifties. Nearly 1 in 5 people lived in poverty. Most of these people were minorities and immigrants who couldn’t afford to move out of the cities. Employers often took advantage of these people – paying them little and asking them to work a lot – because they knew they needed money so badly. F

As a president, Eisenhower kept most of the “New Deal” programs He expanded social security He increased the minimum wage He created the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. He built over 41,000 miles of new interstates as part of The Interstate Highway Act (35) (also to be used for the defense of our country) F

The “American Dream” in the 50’s Get married Have kids (baby boom (37) Live in the suburbs with a car, living near malls, movie theaters, restaurants. Have your kids go to a good school Live where you felt safe. Dad worked 9-5 and mom took care of the house and kids. Have all the new modern “conveniences” of life F

Less people went to watch movies – now they could watch television (By 1960 – 9-10 houses had a TV set) Lassie The Lone Ranger The Howdy Doody Show The Mickey Mouse Club I Love Lucy Father Knows Best Captain Kangaroo Musicals / Variety F

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And… Rock and Roll F Bill Haley Chuck Berry Little Richard Fats Domino Jerry Lee Lewis So many others… F

And… we can’t forget about… "The King" F

Remember “the lost generation” who were around right after WWII? The 60’s had a somewhat similar group. Writers and poets who protested the “shallowness and conformity” of American society. They were known as “beatniks”(49). F

By the end of the 50’s it was time for a new president 1960 was one of the tightest presidential races in history. Between Richard Nixon (Ike’s V.P.) and a young guy – JFK. They even had the first ever televised debates. Kennedy won the election. F