1. EARLY COLD WAR
Major Events
1940s – 1950s

2. TRUMAN DOCTRINE 1947 US will aid countries that want “freedom”
$400 million to Greece & Turkey

3. MOLOTOV PLAN
1947
Soviet Union’s version of Marshall Plan to give economic aid to Eastern European “satellite” nations
USSR, East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania
Also known as COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance)
Foreign Minister Molotov

4. MARSHALL PLAN
1947
Western Europe in economic chaos after war – refugees, fuel shortage, freeze
Secretary of State George Marshall
Designed to give economic aid to Europe to stimulate trade
15 countries get $13 billion over 4 years

5. BERLIN BLOCKADE & AIRLIFT
Stalin wants west out of Berlin, closes off West Berlin highway access in June 1948
US responds with round the clock airlift, 2.3 million tons of supplies
After 327 days Stalin stops blockade in May 1949
“Candy Bomber”

6. ARMS RACE 1949 – 1953 1949: Soviet Union tests a-bomb
1952: US explodes first h-bomb (force of 1 million tons of TNT, 67x more powerful than Little Boy)
1953: Soviets explode h-bomb

7. CHINESE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION
1949
Communists under Mao Tse-Tung win victory over nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek. Containment failed! US refused to recognize new government, PRC
Now there are two very large communist countries. Fear that China will assist other Asian countries in becoming communist
Examples: N. Korea & Vietnam

8. TREATY ORGANIZATIONS
NATO 1949: North Atlantic Treaty Organization: 12 members pledged military support if any one member attacked. Standing force of ½ million troops.
SEATO 1951: South East Asian Treaty Organization
ANZUS 1954: Australia, New Zealand, US
Warsaw Pact 1955: Soviet military defense pact after West Germany allowed to join NATO

9. KOREAN WAR
The US and USSR are given North and South Korea to oversee their elections.
The North becomes communist; the South democratic.
Civil war breaks out from
US general Douglas McArthur stops the north Koreans and Soviet-backed Chinese at the 38th parallel.
Cease-fire is a stalemate; troops still patrol DMZ 50 years later!

10. US FOREIGN POLICY 1950s Truman: 1945 – 1953 Eisenhower: 1953 – 1961
Domino Theory & Containment: if one free country borders a communist country there is every chance that communism could topple the free country
Brinkmanship: policy to go right to the edge of all out war!!!

11. HUNGARIAN UPRISING
1956
Soviets crush a democratic popular revolt in Hungary; the US does NOT intervene
Soviet tanks roll in, kill 30,000 Hungarians
Soviet veto prevents UN action
Truman Doctrine does NOT extend to “satellite nations” – countries dominated by USSR

12. EISENHOWER DOCTRINE
1957
US will defend any middle eastern country from Soviet attack (after oil fields in Iran and Suez Canal in Egypt both nationalized)

13. SPUTNIK 1957 First successful satellite launch
Soviets have lead in “space race”
US follows in early 1958

14. U2 INCIDENT
1960
CIA: high-altitude flights over Soviet territory, infrared cameras
Eisenhower concerned about affect on arms negotiations with Krushchev, who wanted “peaceful coexistence”
Last scheduled U2 flight shot down, Krushchev calls off summit when Eisenhower refuses to apologize
Pilot held by Soviets for 18 months