Unit 18: The Cold War

  1. The United Nations was established as an international peacekeeping organization in April 1945.

Headquarters = New York City

  1. When the Big Three met at Yalta the U.S. and G.B. insisted that the Soviets allow free elections in Poland and other Eastern European countries and Stalin had agreed.
  1. In 1945 Stalin prevented free elections and banned democratic parties in Poland.
  1. Truman believed self-determination (allowing countries to form their own gov’t) was the only way to prevent World War 3.
  1. Stalin created communist gov’ts in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Poland.

These countries became known as “satellite nations”-

Countries dominated by the Soviet Union.

Winston Churchill said, “an iron curtain has descended across Europe”.

  1. In Feb. 1946 George Kennan (an American diplomat in Moscow) proposed a U.S. policy of containment-

Block the Soviets’ attempts to spread communism and to give U.S. support to weaker countries.

  1. The conflicting U.S. and Soviet aims in Eastern Europe led to the Cold War-

The state of hostility short of military confrontation that developed between the U.S. and USSR

  1. Truman Doctrine- the president declared that the U.S. should support free people who were resisting a communist takeover.
  1. Marshall Plan- U.S. Sec. of State George Marshall proposed that the U.S. provide economic help to European countries that needed it.
  1. Berlin Airlift (1947)- the USSR cut off supplies to West Berlin so the U.S. and G.B. sent in planes with supplies.
  1. NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization- the U.S. and 11 other countries formed a military alliance.
  1. NATO was the 1st time the U.S. entered a military alliance during peacetime- the Cold War ended isolationism.
  1. Korean War 1950-51- the 38th parallel divided Korea into North and South:North Korea- communist

South Korea- democratic

When N. Korea attacked S. Korea the U.S. sent military help to S. Korea.

When fighting ended, Korea was still 2 countries divided at the 38th parallel.

  1. 1947- House Committee on Un-American Activities began to investigate Communist Influence in the movie industry.
  1. Two spy cases- Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs.
  1. Most famous Anti-Communist was Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

McCarthy told the Senate he had a list of communists in the State Dept.- hearings were held until 1954.

These accusations and tactics were called McCarthyism.

  1. Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1951.
  1. Hydrogen bomb was completed in 1952.
  1. Warsaw Pact- military alliance between USSR and its’ satellite nations.
  1. Election of 1952- Dwight D. Eisenhower elected president.
  1. Eisenhower Doctrine- said the U.S. would defend the Middle East against a Communist attack.
  1. U-2 Incident (May 1, 1960)- an American spy plane is brought down over the Soviet Union.

The incident leads to increased tension between the U.S. and USSR.