the american pageant chapter 36, the cold war begins, 1945-1952 copyright © houghton mifflin...

Postwar Economic Anxieties Americans cheered the end of WWII in 1945 worried -- with the war over, the U.S. would sink back into another Great Depression. When war ended: inflation shot up with the release of price controls gross national product sank labor strikes swept the nation.

Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act outlawed closed shops (closed to non- union members) Made unions liable for damages that resulted from jurisdictional disputes among themselves required that union leaders take non- communist oaths Opposite of the Wagner Act of the New Deal act was a strike against labor unions. Postwar Economic Anxieties

Trumans Administration in response: sold war factories and other government installations to private businesses cheaply Congress passed the Employment Act of 1946 made it government policy to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power and created the Council of Economic Advisors to provide the president with data to make that policy a reality Postwar Economic Anxieties

The Long Economic Boom, 1950-1970 late 1940s and into the 1960s: the economy began to boom tremendously People who had lived during the Great Depression now wanted to bathe in the new prosperity middle class doubles wanted two cars in every garage over 90% of American families owned a TV Even though this new affluence did not touch everyone, it did touch many.

The Roots of Postwar Prosperity Why was there postwar prosperity? was the war itself that forced America to produce more than itd ever imagined much of the prosperity of the 50s & 60s rested on colossal military projects Korean War defense spending, industries like: aerospace, plastics, and electronics, and research and development R and D, research and development, became an entirely new industry.

Workers upped their productivity tremendously Farmers did well, too due to new technology in fertilizers, etc. In fact, the farming population shrank while production soared. The Roots of Postwar Prosperity

The Smiling Sunbelt (15 states grow) Dr. Benjamin Spocks The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care. Became the leading advice book on childcare Immigration also led to the growth of a fifteen- state region: Sunbelt: the southern of the U.S. dramatically increased in population In fact, in the 1950s, California overtook New York as the most populous state.

Immigrants came to the Sunbelt for more opportunitieslike CAs electronics industry aerospace complexes of TX & FL Federal $ poured into Sunbelt (some $125 million) political power grew there too ever since 1964, every U.S. president has come from that region (except Obama). Sunbelters were redrawing the political map, taking the economic & political power out of the North and Northeast. The Smiling Sunbelt (15 states grow)

The Rush to the Suburbs Why did whites in cities flee to the suburbs? encouraged by federal agencies such as the Federal Housing Authority & the Veterans Administration loan guarantees made it cheaper to live in suburbs than in cramped city apartments By 1960, 1: 4 Americans lived in the suburbs Innovators like the Levitt brothers Created cheap housing plans built 1000s of houses in projects like Levittown, White flight left cities full of the poor & the Afr.-Am. Federal agencies aggravated this often refused to make loans to Blacks due to the risk factor involved with this.

The Postwar Baby Boom After the war, many soldiers returned home & married, then had babies Created a Baby Boom that would be felt for generations. As the children grew up collectively, they put strains on respective markets manufacturers of baby products in 1940s and 50s teenage clothing designers in the 60s the job market in the 70s & 80s. By around 2020, they will place enormous strains on the Social Security system.

Truman: the Gutty Man from Missouri 1 st president in a long time without a college education at first approached his burdens with humility, gradually evolved into a confident, politician. cabinet was made up of the old Missouri gang, Trumans friends from when he was a senator in Missouri. Often, Truman would stick to a wrong decision just to prove his decisiveness & power of command. However, even if he was small on the small things, he was big on the big things, taking responsibility very seriously and working very hard.

Yalta: Bargain or Betrayal? Yalta Conference (February 1945) final conference of the Big Three Stalin pledged that Poland should have a representative govt with free elections, as would Bulgaria & Romania Stalin broke those promises. Soviet Union agreed to attack Japan 3 months after the fall of Germany by the time the Soviets entered the Pacific war, U.S. was about to win anyway it seemed that the U.S.S.R. had entered for the sake of taking spoils Soviet Union was granted control of the Manchurian railroads & received special privileges to Dairen & Port Arthur

The United States & the Soviet Union With the U.S.A. & the U.S.S.R. = only world superpowers after WWII trouble seemed imminent, why??? U S. had waited until 1933, to recognize the U.S.S.R. U.S. & Britain delayed to open up a 2 nd front during WWII U.S. & Britain had frozen the Soviets out of developing nuclear arms U.S. had withdrawn its vital lend-lease program from the U.S.S.R. in 1945 U.S. spurned Moscows plea for a $6 billion reconstructive loan approved a similar $3.75 billion loan to Berlin

Stalin wanted a protective sphere around western Russian, why??? 2X earlier in the century Russia had been attacked from that direction meant taking nations like Poland under its control. NOTE: U.S. & U.S.S.R. = newcomers to the world stage were very advanced had been isolationist before the 20th century, now found themselves in a political stare-down that would turn into the Cold War and last for four and a half decades. The United States & the Soviet Union

Shaping the Postwar World U.S. did managed to establish structures that were part of FDRs open world. Bretton Woods, New Hampshire (1944) Western Allies established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to encourage world trade by regulating the currency exchange rates. The United Nations opened on April 25, 1945. charter = similar to the old League of Nations formed a Security Council headed by five permanent powers (China, U.S.S.R., Britain, France, and U.S.A.) had total veto powers headquartered in New York City. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the U.N. by a vote of 89 to 2.

U.N. kept peace in Kashmir & other trouble spots created the new Jewish state of Israel formed such groups as: UNESCO (U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) FAO (Food & Agricultural Organization) WHO (World Health Organization) Shaping the Postwar World

Baruch Plan (to deal w/ international cooperation in the control of Atomic weapons) Submitted to the UN in 1946 US proposed a system of international control relied on mandatory inspection & supervision preserved American nuclear monopoly Failed to maintain a U.S. monopoly on nuclear arms while preventing their development by other nations signaled the beginning of a frenzied nuclear arms race between the two superpowers the U.S. & the Soviet Union. Shaping the Postwar World

The Problem of Germany Nuremberg Trials (1945-46) severely punished 22 top culprits of the Holocaust. Economically healthy Germany = important to the recovery of all of Europe, Soviets feared another blitzkrieg, wanted huge reparations from Germany Germany, like Austria, was divided into 4 occupational zones controlled by the Allied Powers (minus China) the U.S. began proposing the idea of a united Germany Western nations prevented Stalin from getting his reparations from their parts of Germany became obvious that Germany would remain indefinitely divided.

1948--U.S.S.R. stopped all air & railway access to Berlin ***Berlin is located deep in East Germany, Believed this would starve the Allies out, Berlin itself was divided into four zones as well Allies organized the massive Berlin Airlift to feed the people of Berlin May 1949--Soviets stopped their blockade of Berlin The Problem of Germany

Germany Divided 1945: Germany had been divided into four zones controlled by: Great Britain France United States USSR

Berlin Blockade Soviet blockade West Berlin Two million Berliners depended on the Western Allies for all their food, fuel and other needs

Berlin Airlift 4000 tons of supplies were needed every day Airplanes surpassed goal and landed every 3 minutes at West Berlins 2 airports. At the peak of the airlift 13,000 tons landed in one day continued for 11 months Success finally forced the Soviets to lift the blockade in May 1949 West Berlin a symbol of resistance to communism

Berlin Air Lift--German children watching American planes bring food, 1948 German children watching an American plane in "Operation Vittles" bring food and supplies to their beleaguered city. The airlift kept a city of 2 million people alive for nearly a year and made West Berlin a symbol of the West's resolve to contain the spread of Soviet communism. ((c) Bettmann/Corbis) Berlin Air Lift--German children watching American planes bring food, 1948 Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Berlin Airlift: Outcome Western Allies formed independent West German state Created a constitution West Germany = Federal Republic of Germany Capital = Bonn East Germany = German Democratic Republic Capital = Berlin

The Cold War Congeals 1946--Stalin used his troops to aid a rebel movement in Iran Truman protested, Soviets backed down. Truman soon adopted the containment policy crafted by Soviet specialist George F. Kennan Dubbed the term containment in the Long Telegram firm containment of Soviet expansion would halt Communist power.

March 12, 1947: Truman requested that the containment policy be put into action in what would come to be called the Truman Doctrine: $400 million to help Greece and Turkey from falling into communist power. basically, the doctrine said: U.S. would aid any power fighting Communist aggression later criticized because the U.S. would often give money to dictators fighting communism. The Cold War Congeals

The Truman Doctrine & Containment I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures[We] must assist free peoples to work out their own destiny in their own way.

In Western Europe, France, Italy, & Germany were still in terrible shape Truman, with the help of Secretary of State George C. Marshall, implemented the Marshall Plan, a miraculous recovery effort that had Western Europe up & prosperous in no time. Not only to help recovery, but to prevent communism taking hold. The Cold War Congeals

Marshall Plan in action: helped in the forming of the European Community (EC). sent $12.5 billion over 4 years to 16 cooperating nations to aid in recovery at first, Congress didnt want to comply especially when this sum = $2 billion U.S. was already giving to European relief as part of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) Then there was a Soviet-sponsored coup that toppled the government of Czechoslovakia Congressmen realized it was important and they passed the plan. The Cold War Congeals

Truman also recognized Israel on its birthday, May 14, 1948 despite heavy Arab opposition despite the fact that those same Arabs controlled the oil supplies in the Middle East. The Cold War Congeals

America Begins to Rearm National Security Act (1947) created the Department of Defense housed in the Pentagon headed by a new cabinet position, the Secretary of Defense under which served civilian secretaries of the army, navy, & air force. also formed the National Security Council (NSC) advise the president on security matters Also formed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) coordinate the governments foreign fact- gathering (spying).

America Begins to Rearm North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is formed in 1948 U.S. joined Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg to form an alliance an attack on one NATO member an attack on all despite the U.S.s policy of traditionally not involving itself in entangling alliances. In response, the U.S.S.R. formed the Warsaw Pact, its own alliance system. NATOs membership grew to 14 with the 1952 admissions of Greece & Turkey, and then to 15 when West Germany joined in 1955.

New Alliances NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization is formed in 1948 Warsaw Pact (1955): formed by Soviets in response to NATO

Reconstruction and Revolution in Asia General Douglas MacArthur = head of reconstruction in Japan tried the top Japanese war criminals dictated a constitution that was adopted in 1946 democratized Japan.

Reconstruction and Revolution in Asia China (1949) communist forces, led by Mao Zedong, defeated the nationalist forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek, who then fled to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) Now 1/4 of the world population (500,000,000 people) = Communist Critics of Truman Said he did not support the nationalists enough but Chiang Kai-shek never had the support of the people to begin with.

Reconstruction and Revolution in Asia September of 1949 Truman announced that the Soviets had exploded their first atomic bomb = 3 years before experts thought it was possible Eliminated U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons NSC-68 A National Security Council report that recommended the development of the H- Bomb U.S. exploded the hydrogen bomb in 1952, Soviets did too a year later The dangerous arms race of the Cold War began The image above shows the Soviet press release photograph of their first atomic bomb (1949).

Ferreting Out Alleged Communists Loyalty Review Board: Led an anti-red chase investigated more than 3 million federal employees. The attorney general also made a list of 90 organizations that were potentially not loyal to the U.S. none was given the opportunity to defend itself

1949: 11 communists were brought to a New York jury for violating the Smith Act of 1940, = the first peacetime anti-sedition law since 1798 were convicted, sent to prison their conviction was upheld by the 1951 case Dennis v. United States. Ferreting Out Alleged Communists

HUAC: House of Representatives established the Committee on Un- American Activities (HUAC) 1938 to investigate subversion, and in 1948 committee member Richard M. Nixon prosecuted Alger Hiss Early 1950--State Department official, was convicted of perjury for lying about his Communist affiliations his trial & conviction lent credibility to the paranoia about a Communist conspiracy contributed to the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy case was prosecuted by Richard Nixon Recently released evidence from Soviet archives has helped harden the case against Hiss, the question of his guilt continues to be a contentious one among historians & journalists Ferreting Out Alleged Communists

February 1950: Joseph R. McCarthy burst upon the scene, charging that there were scores of unknown communists in the State Department. He couldnt prove it many American began to fear that this red chase was going too far how could there be freedom of speech if saying communist ideas got one arrested? Ferreting Out Alleged Communists

Hisss conviction led to the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy McCarthys accusations: I have here in my hand a list of the names of 205 men that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department. He later reduced his list to 57, then to one policy risk.

An embarrassment to the Democrats McCarthys accusations of subversion in the govt were meant to embarrass the Democrats critics who disagreed with him were charged with being soft on communism. Fall of McCarthy McCarthys support declined with the end of the Korean War, the death of Stalin, & when his hearings as he investigated subversion in the U.S. Army were televised revealing his smear tactics to the public. The Senate voted 67 to 22 to censure McCarthy for unbecoming conduct He died 3 years later of alcohol-related illness Ferreting Out Alleged Communists

Soviet success of developing nuclear bombs so easily was probably due to spies 1951, Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were brought to trial, convicted, & executed for selling nuclear secrets to the Russians. Their sensational trial, electrocution, and sympathy for their two children began to sober America zeal in red hunting. McCarthy failed to identify a single Communist in government, but cases like Hisss & the 1951 espionage trial of Julius & Ethel Rosenberg lent weight to McCarthys allegations.

Democratic Divisions in 1948 1946: Republicans win control of the House Election of 1948 Republicans nominate Thomas E. Dewey to Democrats choose Truman again when war-hero Dwight D. Eisenhower refused to be chosen Trumans nomination split the Democratic Party Southern Democrats (Dixiecrats) nominated Governor J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina on a States Rights Party ticket.

Democratic Divisions in 1948

At home, Truman outlined a sweeping Fair Deal program called for improved housing full employment Higher minimum wage better farm price supports a new Tennessee Valley Authority an extension of Social Security.

Democratic Divisions in 1948 Interest group opposition activities of certain interest groups blocked helped to block support for the Fair Deals plan for enlarged federal responsibility for economic & social welfare. Southern conservatives the American Medical Association (socialized medicine) & business lobbyists The Korean War took funding away from social welfare programs only successes came raising the minimum wage providing for public housing in the Housing Act of 1949 Extending old-age insurance to more beneficiaries with the Social Security Act of 1950.

The Korean Volcano Erupts (1950) Background: When Russian & American forces withdrew from Korea, they left the Korea full of weapons and with rival regimes (communist North and democratic South) 38 th Parallel Korea was divided at the thirty-eighth parallel into competing spheres of influence. The Soviets supported a Communist government, led by Kim Il Sung, in North Korea U.S. backed a Korean nationalist, Syngman Rhee, in South Korea. Then, on June 25, 1950, North Korean forces suddenly invaded South Korea Surprised South Korea and pushing them dangerously south toward Pusan

Truman sprang to action remembering that the League of Nations had failed from inactivity ordered U.S. military spending to be 4X as desired by the National Security Council Memorandum Number 68, or NSC-68. also used a Soviet absence from the U.N. to label North Korea as an aggressor and send U.N. troops to fight against the aggressors Truman asked the United Nations Security Council to authorize a police action against the invaders. A military action, undertaken without a formal declaration of war, by regular armed forces agst. perceived violators of international peace. This term was applied to the participation of UN authorized troops in the Korean War agst communist North Korea ordered General MacArthurs Japan-based troops to Korea. The Korean Volcano Erupts (1950)

The Military Seesaw in Korea General MacArthur landed a brilliant invasion behind enemy forces at Inchon on September 15, 1950 drove the North Koreans back across the 38th parallel, towards China & the Yalu River. overconfident he boasted that hed have the boys home by Christmas, but in November 1950, Chinese volunteers flooded across the border & pushed the South Koreans back to the 38th parallel.

MacArthur = humiliated wanted to blockade China & bomb Manchuria, Truman didnt want to enlarge the war beyond necessity MacArthur began to publicly criticize President Truman and spoke of using atomic weapons had no choice but to remove him from command on grounds of insubordination. MacArthur returned to cheers while Truman was scorned as a pig, an imbecile, an appeaser to communist Russia and China, and a Judas. In July 1951, truce discussions began but immediately snagged over the issue of prisoner exchange. Talks dragged on for 2 more years as men continued to die. The Military Seesaw in Korea

Churchill and Truman, "Iron Curtain Speech," March 5, 1946 On March 5, 1946, former British prime minister Winston S. Churchill (1874 1965) delivered a speech, which he intended for a worldwide audience, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. President Harry S. Truman (right) had encouraged Churchill (seated) to speak on two themes: the need to block Soviet expansion and the need to form the Anglo-American partnership. Always eloquent and provocative, Churchill denounced the Soviets for drawing an "iron curtain" across eastern Europe. This speech became one of the landmark statements of the Cold War. (Harry S. Truman Library) Churchill and Truman, "Iron Curtain Speech," March 5, 1946 Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Couple looking at house In postwar America, millions of families shopped for new houses in the country's burgeoning suburbs. In the first decade after the Second World War, 4.3 million veterans used GI Bill loan provisions to purchase single- family residences. Many of these men and women were members of what Tom Brokaw, NBC's news anchor, has called "the greatest generation." They survived the Great Depression, served in the war, and became parents of America's baby boomers. (H. Armstrong Roberts) Couple looking at house Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Girl in front of dome atomic bomb shelter As the Cold War intensified and the Soviets became a nuclear power, the government began to consider methods to survive a nuclear war. One "solution" was to encourage people to build backyard bomb shelters. Pictured here is one family's atomic bomb shelter that slept six. The cost was $1,250 in 1951. (Corbis-Bettmann) Girl in front of dome atomic bomb shelter Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Korean War The Korean War was one of ebb and flow, advances and retreats--the movement of troops up and down the rugged Korean peninsula. Here, American troops advance while Korean women and children march in the opposite direction hoping to avoid the destruction of war. Over 33,000 Americans lost their lives in Korea during the conflict. (Corbis-Bettmann) Korean War Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

MacDonald, Weizmann, and Ben-Gurion America's first ambassador to Israel, James G. MacDonald (1886-1964) (left) meets in 1948 with Israel's President Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952) (right). The historian Michelle Mart has written that "Jews in the postwar world first symbolized a complete lack of masculinity for their role as victims and then masculine resurgence in their survival and construction of a new state"--a change in the image that conditioned American leaders to respect the new Israeli leaders. (National Archives) MacDonald, Weizmann, and Ben-Gurion Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Marshall Plan poster of ship The goal of the Marshall Plan was to provide American economic support for the rebuilding of Europe's economy. By the time the plan ended, the United States had provided over $12.5 billion dollars to those European nations participating in the European Recovery Program. This poster demonstrated that with cooperation, Europe would soon be moving forward again. (Courtesy of George C. Marshall Foundation) Marshall Plan poster of ship Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

New West: Wing production on the Boeing B-52 assembly line, Seattle, 1950s Symbolic of the defense spending and investment that helped the West's economy flourish, Seattle's Boeing plant in 1951 began production of the first of the B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers. They would continue rolling off the Boeing assembly line until the end of the decade. (Courtesy Boeing Defense & Space Group) New West: Wing production on the Boeing B-52 assembly line, Seattle, 1950s Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Soldiers of 11th Airborne Division watch atomic bomb explosion, 1951 tests in Nevada Soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division watch as an atomic explosion mushrooms into the sky during 1951 testing maneuvers in Nevada. ((c) Bettmann/Corbis) Soldiers of 11th Airborne Division watch atomic bomb explosion, 1951 tests in Nevada Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Truman with "Dewey Defeats Truman" headlines, 1948 So few pollsters predicted that President Harry S. Truman (18841972) would win the 1948 presidential election that the Chicago Tribune announced his defeat before all the returns were in. Here a victorious Truman pokes fun at the newspaper for its premature headline. (Corbis-Bettmann) Truman with "Dewey Defeats Truman" headlines, 1948 Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Communist hysteria in the media: Red Menace poster Although Hollywood generally avoided overtly political films, it released a few dozen explicitly anticommunist films in the postwar era. Depicting American communists as vicious hypocrites, if not hardened criminals, Hollywood's Cold War movies, like its blacklist, were an effort to protect its imperiled public image after HUAC's widely publicized investigation of the movie industry. (The Michael Barson Collection/Past Perfect) Communist hysteria in the media: Red Menace poster Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

the american pageant chapter 36, the cold war begins, 1945-1952 copyright © houghton mifflin...

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