the cold war begins
DESCRIPTION
THE COLD WAR BEGINS. THE G.I. BILL. Provided college for returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as GIs ). Provided one year of unemployment compensation. Millions of GIs bought homes, attended college, started business venture, or found jobs. THE G.I. BILL. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Provided college for returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as GIs)
THE G.I. BILL
Millions of GIs bought homes, attended college, started business venture, or found jobs
Provided one year of unemployment compensation
THE G.I. BILL
VA Mortgages paid for nearly 5 million
new homes, by making homes
affordable with low interest rates and 30 year loans.
Between 1945 and 1954, the U.S. added 13 million new
homes to its housing stock
President Franklin Roosevelt signs the GI Bill in 1944
Truman and civil rightsOne of the major acts made
by Truman was when he made an executive order
to end segregation in the armed forces
Truman also asked Congress to pass a civil
rights bill that would make lynching a federal crime
ELECTION of 1948
Thomas Dewey
Harry S Truman Strom Thurmond
Many people didn’t think he would be re-elected
Truman angered many Southern Democrats by
supporting integration
People were so sure that Truman would lose that one headline even incorrectly said that Dewey had won
Historians view the Election of 1948 as the greatest election upset in U.S. history
THE COLD WAR
United States
Democracy
The era of confrontation and competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union when the threat of
nuclear war created constant world tension
vs.
Soviet Union
Communism
Differing Philosophies• Believed in democratic forms of
government• Believed economic stability would keep peace in the word• Believed the free enterprise system was necessary for economic growth
• Believed in a communistic forms of government • Believed in workers revolting (striking) against business owners and taking control of government• Wanted to control countries between Russia and Germany
Soviets take over Eastern Europe
Soviet troops move into Germany near the end of World War II
As World War II ended, the Soviet army occupied the countries of Eastern
Europe that Germany had conquered during the war
The Iron Curtain
“An iron curtain has descended across the Continent”
– Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary Bulgaria and East Germany became satellite nations of Soviet Union
Peep under the Iron curtain
March 6, 1946
• Who is “Joe”?
• What part of Europe is sealed off?
• What does the wall symbolize?
Letter from U.S. diplomat George Kennan that led to
the U.S. policy of containment of
communism.
Kennan said the Russians were concerned about invasions from the west and wanted a
buffer zone Russians wanted to spread communism
world-wideU.S. should use diplomatic, economic and
military actions to keep communism contained
Truman DoctrineU.S. foreign policy established by President Truman saying the U.S. would protect democracies throughout the world
“It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures” -- Harry Truman
It pledged that the United States would fight Communism worldwide
Truman Doctrine was an extension to the U.S. foreign policy set forth in the Monroe Doctrine (1823) and the Roosevelt Corollary (1904)
Truman Doctrine
American tanks provided by the Truman Doctrine roll through Turkey
Secretary of State George Marshall toured Western Europe; witnessed widespread homelessness and famine.
Aid for Europe
Children in a London suburb, waiting outside the wreckage of what was their home
Fearing Europeans would turn to communism as an answer to their economic problems, Marshall proposed the U.S. help to rebuild Europe, leading to…
Marshall PlanU.S. plan for rebuilding Western Europe, and repelling communism after World War II
Plan made U.S. heroes to people of Western Europe
Plan pumped billions of dollars into Western Europe for food and supplies
George C. Marshall
Marshall Plan aids Western Europe
The Marshall Plan proved to be a great success
Within 4 years, countries receiving aid saw a 41% higher industrial production
than on the eve of World War IICountries were stabilized and exports
were rising rapidly
Countries receiving aid under Marshall Plan
Eastern European countries were offered to take
part in the Marshall Plan…
… but Stalin and other East
European leaders refused financial
help from the United States
What is this cartoon trying to say?
The Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was a meeting of the Allied leaders during World War II to decide what to do with Germany
Germany Divided
Occupation zones after 1945. Berlin is the multinational area within the Soviet zone.
After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones, occupied by French, British, American, and Soviet troops.
British
French
American
Soviet
In June of 1948, the French, British and American zones were joined into the nation of West Germany after the Soviets refused to end their occupation of Germany.
East and West
Germany formed
West Germany
East Germany
West Berlin
East Berlin
In response, the Soviets cut off West Berlin from the rest of the world with a blockade. (video – 1:46)
Eventual site of the Berlin Wall
Berlin AirliftPresident Truman decided to avoid the blockade by
flying in food and other supplies to the needy people
of West Berlin
At times, over 5,000 tons of
supplies arrived daily
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift saved the people of West Berlin from falling under Soviet Union control
The airlift continued for 11 months before Stalin finally lifted the blockade
Soviet blockade of West Germany convinced many Americans that the Soviets were trying to conquer other nations
Birth of NATONorth Atlantic Treaty
Organization
Formed in 1949 to protect Western Europe from Soviet
aggression
The Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was the Soviet Union’s response to the creation of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization
Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary Bulgaria and East Germany became satellite nations of Soviet Union
Coming Up…The Korean WarMcCarthyism
The Cold War Heats Up
Cold War spreads to Asia Communists take
over in China
Mao Zedong takes control of Chinese government from Chang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Party
Half the world now appeared to be under Communist control
The country of Korea became the next battleground in the Cold War
China Korea
The Korean WarFollowing World
War II, the Allies divided Korea at the 38th parallel
Soviets controlled North Korea; U.S. sets up a democracy in South Korea
Both governments claimed to control all of Korea
The Cold War gets HOT
The Korean War
Syngman Rhee
Kim Il-Sung
“Domino Theory”
Leader ofNorth Korea
A “Police Action” (1950-1953)
President of
South Korea
If one country falls to communism, others around it
will fall as well
The Korean WarOn June 25, 1950,
North Korea invades South Korea
Communist forces push UN forces to
brink of defeat
UN forces under Macarthur come to
the aid of South Korea
The Cold War gets HOT
UN forces push North Koreans back to border of China
The Korean WarChina enters the war
North Koreans pushed back to border with China
Chinese enter war on the side of North Koreans
Macarthur calls for an invasion of China, wants to use the atomic bomb
Macarthur criticized Truman for wanting a “limited war”
An artillery officer directs UN troops as they drop white phosphorous on a Communist-held
post in February 1951.
The Korean War War ends in a
stalemate
Korean War marked an important turning point in the Cold War
An armistice was signed ending the war in July 1953
U.S. began a major military build-up; began using military force to prevent spread of communism
Korea was divided at the 38th parallel
A New Red ScareU.S. citizens in 1950s feared
Communists wanted to take over the world. This fear was
known as the Red Scare.
Spies like Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Alger Hiss caused fear that our government was infiltrated by the Communists
House Un-American Activities Committee
A New Red ScareCommittee set up to investigate
Communist activities in the U.S.
“Are you now or have you ever been a Communist?”
HUAC searched for Soviet spies and Communist sympathizers.
House Un-American Committee meeting in 1948
The Hollywood Ten
Movie stars Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart lead a protest during height of Hollywood Blacklist controversy
People who were accused of being Communists were often “blacklisted”
A group of Hollywood actors who were blacklisted for refusing to answer HUAC questions became known as the “Hollywood Ten”
If someone was blacklisted, it meant they were denied work or ostracized from society
McCarthyismIn 1952, U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy began holding Senate hearings
McCarthy turned the hearings into witch-hunts, destroying numerous people’s reputations on rumor and weak evidence
Numerous Americans accused of having ties to the Communist Party
U-2 IncidentCol. Francis Gary
Powers’ spy plane was shot down
over Soviet airspace in 1960
Incident cools Soviet-U.S. relations
Russians launch Sputnik
The Russians have beaten America into space—they have the
technological edge!
Russians launch SputnikImpact of Sputnik
Congress establishes the National
Aeronautics and Space Agency
(NASA) to conduct research in rocket
and space technology
Congress also passed the National Defense Education Act, which provided money for education and training in science, math and foreign languages
The Space Race BeginsIn 1961, Russian cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin blasted off into space, making the Soviet Union the first nation to
launch a human into orbit
Kennedy said he wanted U.S. to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s
Kennedy’s challenge was met on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong
became the first human to step foot on the moon
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” –
Neil Armstrong
The Space Race Begins
Berlin Wall BuiltSoviets wanted to keep Germans from moving out of East Germany into West Berlin, where they could become free
Berlin Wall became the
symbol of Communist oppression
around the world
Ich bin ein Berliner! (1963)
President Kennedy tells Berliners that
the West is with them!
Castro embraces Communism
(1959)
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro embraces Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev
Bay of Pigs Debacle
CIA-trained Cuban exiles led an attack at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Castro
Invasion was a disaster and failed; was a huge foreign policy blunder for the United States
(1961)
Cuban Missile Crisis
U.S. and Russia came extremely close to nuclear war when Russians place nuclear missiles in Cuba in November of 1962
In response to U.S. missiles in Turkey, the Russians began building missile bases in Cuba
Cuban Missile CrisisUnited States places an embargo on incoming shipments to Cuba from the Soviet Union, U.S. goes to DEFCON-3
Soviet ships reach the quarantine line, but receive radio orders
from Moscow to hold their positions
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Russians agreed to take their missiles out of Cuba if the U.S. removed theirs from Turkey
Kennedy threatens a U.S. invasion of Cuba unless Soviet missiles are removed; U.S. moves to DEFCON-2
President John F. Kennedy thinking in the Oval Office during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962
Vietnam War: 1965-1973
THE VIETNAM WAR
Key figures in the Vietnam War
Ho Chi Minh William Westmoreland
Lyndon B. Johnson American commander in South Vietnam who
told people in the media that the United
States was close to winning the war, even
though it wasn’t
President of North Vietnam who led the
efforts to defeat South Vietnam and support of the South
Vietnamese Vietcong
President of the United States who was president during much of Vietnam
War; greatly escalated the U.S. soldier
involvement in the conflict
Key figures in the Vietnam War
Robert McNamara
Richard Nixon Ngo Dinh DiemU.S. Secretary of
Defense during the Vietnam War who made the American republic
feel like we were winning the war
President of South Vietnam who whose
corruption and harsh standards led
numerous people to turn to the Vietcong
President of the United States during the latter
part of the Vietnam War
Vietnam in the ’50s
Southeast Asia (aka: French Indochina)
Following World War II, the French controlled southeast Asia (known as Indochina)
Ho Chi Minh led a revolt against the French to gain independence for Vietnam
By 1954, the French fell to the Vietminh and they withdrew from Indochina, leaving Vietnam a divided country
Domino Theory
The Domino Theory was the belief that if one country fell to communism, the other Southeast Asian nations would eventually
fall to communism as well
This map from an American magazine published 14th November 1950 shows how much they feared the spread of Communism in the Far East.
South Vietnam problems
A Buddhist monk commits suicide in protest to the harsh policies of the S. Vietnamese government
The people of South Vietnam hated South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh
Diem. He was corrupt and did not govern in the best interest of the citizens.
Diem was disliked because he discriminated against the Buddhist population
Some Buddhist monks protested Diem’s rule by setting themselves on fire
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
USS Maddox
In August of 1964, Pres. Johnson announced that North Vietnam
ships had fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin
Johnson insisted that the North Vietnamese attack was unprovoked and responded by ordering American airplanes to attack North Vietnam
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
When, in August of 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Congress handed over war powers to the president
After accusing N. Vietnam of attacking the U.S., Johnson asked Congress to give him the authorization to use force to defend American forces
The President had the power to send U.S. troops into battle without a declaration of war
Operation Rolling ThunderThe U.S. bombing campaign
conducted against the North Vietnam from 1965 until 1968
The three-year assault was intended to get North Vietnam to stop supporting South Vietnamese guerrillas
Operation became most
intense air/ground battle
waged during the Cold War
Vietcong
Guerrilla army based in South Vietnam (also
known as the NLF) that fought the U.S. and South
Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War
The Vietcong were South Vietnamese communistswho fought for Vietnamese unification on the side of the North Vietnamese
Vietcong Advantages They were familiar with
the landscape (rivers, lakes, etc.)
They could find a safe haven in Cambodia, Laos or South Vietnam
They could often count on the support of the local population
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Red line indicates Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia
A look at the Ho Chi Minh Trail from road level, with camouflaged convoy truck approaching.
Path that ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia system providing manpower and materiel to the Vietcong
Tet OffensiveJanuary 30 – June 8, 1968
In early 1968, the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack throughout South Vietnam
during the Tet, which is the Vietnamese New Year
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive in 1968 was a surprise attack by the Vietcong throughout South Vietnam
While the Vietcong suffered heavy losses, it was a major political
victory for the Vietcong
Tet was the turning point in the war and
showed that the U.S. was nowhere close to
winning the war
Credibility Gap
William Westmoreland
Robert McNamara
Opposition to the Vietnam War grew in the United States
in the late 1960s
Many Americans were suspicious of the government’s
truthfulness about the war
Many Americans believed a credibility gap had developed (people lost trust in what the
government was telling them)
My Lai MassacreMarch 16th,
1968
An American platoon had massacred more
than 200 South Vietnamese civilians
who they thought were members of the
Vietcong in a village called My Lai
Most of the victims were old men, women and childrenThe My Lai massacre increased feelings among
many Americans that the war was brutal and senseless
Election of 1968
"I shall not seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your President." March 31, 1968
Johnson refuses to run for re-election
After Johnson refused to run for re-election and Bobby Kennedy
was assassinated, the Democrats ended up choosing LBJ’s vice-
president, Hubert Humphrey, as their presidential candidate
Republicans nominate former vice-president Richard Nixon,
who lost to JFK in 1960
Election of 1968Nixon becomes president!
Draft Lottery Begins
Many Americans who were against the war believed the United States had an unfair
draft systemMinorities made up a large percentage of people drafted and most soldiers were
under 21 years old
Kent State MassacreMay 4, 1970
In April of 1970, President Nixon announced that American troops had invaded Cambodia
Anti-war protestors saw this as an
escalation of the war, sparking violent
protests on college campuses
At Kent State University in Ohio, protestors became violent. The Ohio National Guard was
called in and fired upon the student demonstrators, killing four students
26th Amendment ratified
President Nixon signs the 26th Amendment guaranteeing the right to vote for people over 18.
Anger over the draft led to debates about the voting age.
Demonstrators help public rallies and marches.
The average age of a American soldier in Vietnam
was 19. Because you had to be 21 to vote, many people
called for changes in voting laws, saying that if you’re old
enough to fight in war, you should be old enough to vote.
In 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, lowered the legal voting age from 21 to 18
VietnamizationVietnamization called for a
gradual withdrawal of American troops as South
Vietnamese took more control
Even though the U.S. had begun cutting back its involvement in the Vietnam War, the American home front remained divided and volatile as Nixon’s war
policies stirred up new waves of protest
U.S. pulls out of Vietnam
In January of 1973, North and South Vietnamese reach a cease-fire agreement;By 1975, the United States withdraws all
of its people from Vietnam
In late1975, North Vietnam violated the ceasefire and captured the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. The war was over and the
communists had won
War Powers Act (1973)Law was an attempt to set limits on the power of the president during wartime
Required the president to
inform Congress of any
commitment of troops with 48
hours
The Pentagon PapersIn 1971, a former Defense Department worker leaked what were known as the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times
The documents showed how various
administrations deceived Congress, the media, and the
public about how the war was going
The government had not been honest with the American people