1. U.S. HISTORY 1302 Unit 8

2. World War II Aftermath  Germany divided into four zones, one controlled by the U.S., U.S.S.R., France, and Britain  Immediate tension between the U.S.S.R. and the Western powers as both sides fought over territory  Stalin wanted to continue expanding to the west but was intimidated by American nuclear power  The West badly outmatched by the Russians and intimidated by the Red Army  The result: The Cold War

3. The Cold War  Lasted from 1945-1991 (Roughly)  Divided Europe and numerous other countries  Called the Cold War because the U.S. and Russia never fought directly, but through proxies  Both sides intimidated by the strength of the other

4. U.S. Policy  U.S. policy advocated three specific points:  Containment – The U.S. must contain communism, that is not allow it to spread beyond its current borders  The Truman Doctrine – To achieve containment the U.S. would support any anti-communist forces fighting to keep a country from turning communist (Greece & Turkey)  The Marshall Plan – The U.S. would supply $12.5 billion to Europe to rebuild the economy, alleviate poverty, and prevent communism from taking root

5. NATO vs. The Warsaw Pact  The Western powers formed a military alliance against Communist aggression  Called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)  The U.S.S.R. countered with the Warsaw Pact

7. The Berlin Airlift  In June 1948 Stalin tests Western resolve  Berlin located inside East Germany and was itself divided into zones  Stalin cuts off the supply road into West Berlin  The West organizes a massive airlift operation to supply the city for 10 months

9. Korea  Korea occupied by Japan at the time of the surrender  Russia occupied North Korea, the U.S. occupied South Korea  Temporary arrangement that became permanent  Dividing line was the 38 th parallel  In June, 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea attempting to reunite the country under communism

10. The Korean War  N. Korea aided by Russia  S. Korea aided by the U.N., mostly made up of U.S. troops  U.N. initially successful but pushed back by Chinese aide to N. Korea in late 1950

11. The Korean War  The U.N. eventually pushed back to the 38 th parallel  Cease-fire negotiations continued for over a year, centering on POW’s  Cease-fire finally goes into effect after Stalin dies in 1953  Still military tension between N. and S. Korea  Ultimately the war DID contain communism

12. The Arms Race  By 1949 Russia had developed the atomic bomb, thanks to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg  By 1953 both sides had developed hydrogen bombs  H-bombs were vastly more powerful than A-bombs  The U.S. tested these at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands

15. The Space Race  Part of the arms race, but also a battle for prestige  Russia led in the 1950’s  Sputnik, the 1 st satellite in 1957  Yuri Gagarin, 1 st man in space in 1961  Prompted Kennedy to announce in 1960 that the US planned to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade

16. Nikita Khrushchev  Emerged as the leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin died in 1953  Of humble origins in Russia  Firmly communist, but believed communism could win without a military confrontation with the U.S.  Successfully bluffed the U.S. for many years

17. Brinkmanship vs. Flexible Response  Eisenhower elected in 1952 and served 2 terms  Favored a policy of Brinkmanship  Stripped the traditional military  Vastly increased nuclear capacity  Threatened nuclear retaliation for any aggression

18. Brinkmanship vs. Flexible Response  Kennedy elected in 1960 and favored Flexible Response  Continued with nuclear and missile programs  Also formalized the Special Forces  Emphasized the navy, submarines, and long-range bombers

19. Kennedy vs. Khrushchev