1. Cold, Korean, Vietnam Wars

2. Standards: SS5H7a. Explain the origin and meaning of the term “Iron Curtain.” b.Explain how the United States sought to stop the spread of communism through the Berlin airlift, the Korean War, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. c.Identify Joseph McCarthy and Nikita Khrushchev.

3. Capitalism (Free Enterprise) There were tensions between the US and the Soviet Union. The US is a democratic republic. Free enterprise (Capitalism) individuals are free to own or work for a business of their choosing. Consumers and business owners control the economy.

4. Socialism Socialism spread through Europe after WW1. In a Socialist system, the government owns major industries (banks, airlines, railroads, etc). People own stores, farms, factories). Together government, consumers, and businesses control the economy.

5. Communism Communism is the system in which the government owns ALL the stores, factories, farms, banks, etc. The government has complete power. The USSR was run by a dictator (ruler). The people do not vote. The United States wanted nations to stop having wars and work together using democracy.

6. A World Divided North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949. 12 allied (friends) nations signed this treaty. All 12 countries wanted democracy. The United States and it’s allies became known as the Western Bloc. Countries under USSR’s control were called the Eastern Bloc. The Eastern Bloc countries signed the Warsaw Pact in response to NATO. They agreed to be under Soviet control. Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, “an iron curtain was descended” across Europe. Eastern Bloc countries said to be “behind the iron curtain.” Truman promised to help any country that the USSR tried to turn Communist. This policy was called the Truman Doctrine (or the policy of containment)

7. Joseph McCarthy

8. McCarthyism/ Red Scare Fear of communism spread around the US. Senator Joseph McCarthy: get OUT Communists in American government and society. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) formed in 1945. People accused of being a Communist lost their jobs, were arrested, and lost friends. People were forced to give names of people that they thought to be communist.

9. Nuclear Weapons 1945: US was the only country that had atomic bombs. 1949: USSR built an atomic bomb. This was the beginning of the nuclear arms race. This was a race between the US and the USSR. This conflict (without any warfare) was called the Cold War. It was called a “cold” war because neither country had declared war on the other. Hydrogen bomb was created (more powerful than the atomic bomb).

10. Atomic Bomb

11. Korean Conflict North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. Communists occupied most of South Korea. The Korean conflict was violent (36,500 US soldiers died). Today, North Korea is communist and South Korea is democratic.

12. Korea

13. Berlin Wall City of Berlin in Germany was divided. Eastern part was under Soviet control. The western part was controlled by the Allies. Many fled from the east to the west. 1961, the Soviets built the Berlin Wall to prevent people from leaving East Berlin. Armed soldiers guarded the wall.

15. Cuban Missile Crisis 1953-1964 USSR leader was Nikita Khrushchez. 1962 USSR was building secret nuclear bases in Cuba. They thought that the US might plan to attack Cuba. (92 miles from the US to Cuba). The Soviets were going to launch nuclear weapons if the US invaded Cuba. For 7 days, the world lived in fear of nuclear war.

16. The Vietnam War US tried to keep other countries from becoming Communist. 1954, US was training South Vietnamese to fight the Communists. 1963, there were 17,000 American soldiers in Vietnam. 1969, there were 500,000. More than 58,000 Americans were killed. 1973, the US troops withdrew. South Vietnam fell to the Communists in 1975. Many Americans were against the Vietnam War.

17. Review Questions

18. Why were the United Stated and the USSR on opposite sides of the Cold War? a) They believed in different systems of government and economy. b)The USSR had dropped bombs on the US. c)The USSR was an Axis power during WW2. d)The US dropped bombs on the USSR.

19. Why was the Berlin Wall built? a)To keep Americans from entering Russia. b)To keep East Germans from entering West Germany. c)To stop Germany from invading Great Britain. d)To keep the USSR from invading East Germany.

20. What was the Truman Doctrine? a)A policy to contain the spread of communism. b)The space race c)A program to develop the hydrogen bomb. d)The antiwar movement.

21. TRUE/ FALSE The USSR was a Communist dictatorship. The US is a Free Enterprise. The Cold War was called “cold” because of the weather conditions. Joseph McCarthy was concerned that there were many Communists in the US. Nikita Khrushchev was the dictator in USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis.