1. The Cold War

2. Unit Objective
To understand the origins of the Cold War and America’s role in it

3. Had been Allies in WWII but only because they had a common
Cold War: Era of competition and confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that never led to direct warfare
Had been Allies in WWII but only because they had a common
enemy (Hitler); After the war there was nothing left to keep
them from becoming
enemies

4. Causes of the Cold War U.S. Point of view
Distrust of Communism and the Soviet desire to spread it (threat to national security?)
Angry Soviets signed non-aggression pact with Germany
Angry about broken Soviet promises to hold free elections in Eastern Europe after WWII (instead those countries became communist satellites of the Soviet Union)

5. Soviet Union’s point of view
Angry the U.S. had failed to officially recognize the Soviet government until 1933
Angry the U.S. sent most of its troops to Western Europe and very little to Eastern Europe during WWI and took so long to open a western front during WWII
Angry the U.S. had excluded the Soviets from discussions about the atomic bomb
Saw the U.S. as an obstacle to their goal of spreading communism

6. Containment (George Kennan):
Major change in U.S. foreign policy after WWII: From Isolationism to Interventionism
Containment (George Kennan):

7. Marshall Plan:
U.S. plan to help rebuild Western Europe after WWII—
Didn’t want those countries turning to the Soviets for
help
Truman Doctrine:

9. Eisenhower Doctrine:
Massive Retaliation: U.S. pledge to use all necessary force, even nuclear, against aggressor nations (meant as a deterrent so other nations wouldn’t use nukes for fear we would use them in retaliation)—Eisenhower
-Brinksmanship: Willingness to go to the brink of war in an
effort to keep the peace (Eisenhower)

11. The Military Industrial Complex (MIC)
What was it?
What problem did that present?

12. Traditionally the U.S. did not have a large standing army during peacetime—Now there was pressure to by the MIC to counter the growing strength of the Soviet Union
Eisenhower warned America of the danger in his farewell address

13. Cold War Events/Organizations/People
Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948): Berlin was an international city deep within Communist a East Germany; The Soviets blocked off access to the city hoping the West would just let it go and become totally part of East Germany; The U.S. instead flew supplies into the city for over a year until the Soviets finally gave up and lifted the blockade

15. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization):
Warsaw Pact:
Communists took over China (Mao Zedong defeated Chiang Kai Shek and forced non-communists to flee to Taiwan in 1949)

17. McCarthyism (1950’s): Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy led the Second Red Scare
-House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC): Group used by FBI head J. Edgar Hoover and
McCarthy to go after Communists
Korean War ( ): First use of American troops in a hot war during the Cold War
Soviet invasion of Hungary (1956): A democratic movement in Hungary was put down by force by the Soviet Union

18. Soviet launch of Sputnik (1957):
-First satellite in space 
-Embarrassment to the U.S. because the U.S.
had announce its own goal of reaching space
and the Soviets got there first
-Led to an increased emphasis on math and
science in American education in an effort to
catch up to the Soviets
The Cold War in general led to advances in science and math as the U.S. and Soviets competed with each other for supremacy

19. U-2 Incident (1960):
Cuba (Bay of Pigs Invasion & Cuban Missile Crisis, )

20. Social Impacts of the Cold War
The American economy in the 1950s was the second best decade in history behind only the Roaring 20s due to industrial production, the GI Bill, Marshall Plan spending, and saving money from WWII
African Americans remained stuck in low-paying jobs and were heavily discriminated against