1. The Cold War
Chapter 26

2. 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

3. Leaders
Truman
Stalin

4. 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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

9. 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

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

12. 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)

13. 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

14. 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

17. 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