Adline Rahmoune
Unit 15 Notes
POSTWAR AMERICA (pg. 545-546)
● Returning veterans feared economic hard mes, but war introduced prosperity & econ. growth
○ Per capita income, infrastructure, consumer demand, and standard of living increased
GI Bill - Help for Veterans
● The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 / GI Bill helped 15M veterans transi on to a
peace me economy (pg. 546)
○ The Bill helped veterans (GI’s) con nue their educa on, and most took the opportunity
■ Over 2M a ended college → boom in higher educa on
■ Veterans received low-interest loans from the government to buy homes & farms
and start businesses
Baby Boom
● Younger marriages & larger families → 50M babies between 1945-1960
● More women entered the workplace
○ By 1960, 1/3 of all married women worked outside the home
Suburban Growth
● Desperate need for housing → postwar construc on boom
● In NY, a project of low-priced homes was built, known as Levittown
● Many moved from ci es to the suburbs bc of low interest rates on mortgages & gov insurance
○ As people moved to the suburbs, many ci es became poor and divided by the 1960s
Rise of the Sunbelt
● Many GI’s & their families moved to the Sunbelt (South) States bc of warm climate, low taxes, and
economic opportuni es
● Increased military spending during the Cold War → shi of industry, power, & ppl from regions
POSTWAR POLITICS (pg. 546-549)
● When FDR died, Harry Truman (Democrat) became president in 1945
○ He appealed to “average” ci zens & wanted to con nue the New Deal (pg. 547)
Economic Program and Civil Rights
● Employment Act of 1946
○ Created the Council of Economic Advisers to oversee the president and Congress on
promo ng na onal economic welfare
● Infla on and strikes
○ Truman wanted to control infla on but Southern Democrats + Republicans relaxed the
Office of Price Administration ’s controls, increasing the infla on rate to 25%
○ In 1946, over 4.5M workers (United Mine Workers) went on strike for increased wages
■ Truman ordered soldiers to the mines un l the strike was called off
● Truman used his powers to challenge racial discrimina on
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Established the Committee on Civil Rights in 1946
Strengthened the civil rights division of the Jus ce Dept. (which helped black leaders end
segrega on in schools)
In 1948, he ordered the end of racial discrimina on in the federal gov and armed forces
A empted to create a Fair Employment Practices Commission to prevent employers from
discrimina ng against African-Americans, but Southern Democrats blocked it
Republican Control of the 80th Congress (pg. 548)
● In 1946, voters elected Republicans in both houses of Congress, unhappy with infla on & strikes
○ The Republican Congress a empted to pass tax cuts for upper-income Americans, but
Truman vetoed it
● Republicans were able to make changes to the Cons tu on & get rid of New Deal gains for labor
○ The 22st Amendmen t (ra fied in 1951)
■ Limited a president to a maximum of 2 terms
○ The Taft-Hartley Act was a pro businesses law that sought to control growing power of
unions & was passed in 1947, overriding Truman’s veto
■ It outlawed the closed shop and union shop (workers did not have to join a union
before or a er ge ng hired)
■ It did not allow unions giving support to a striking union by joining a boyco of a
company’s products
■ It allowed the president to declare an 80-day cooling off period before a strike
hur ng na onal safety could be called
■ The act divided Republicans & Democrats (1950s)
Election of 1948
● Truman was losing popularity & Democrats were abandoning him to form their own third par es
○ Liberal Democrats who disliked his foreign policy formed a progressive party
○ Southern Democrats formed the States’ Rights Party/Dixiecrats (opposed civil rights)
○ Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey
■ Truman won the elec on
The Fair Deal
● Truman launched a reform program called the Fair Deal (1949)
○ He supported health care insurance, federal fund to educa on, civil rights legisla on...
● Conserva ves blocked most of his efforts because of his poli cal conflicts with Congress and
concerns over the Cold War & foreign policies (pg. 549)
ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR (pg. 549-551)
U.S. - Soviet Relations to 1945
● Despite the alliance in WW2, Russia and the U.S. generally had poor rela ons
○ Bolshevik Revolu on (1917) → Red Scare (1919)
○ The U.S. refused to recognize the Soviet Union un l 1933 (pg. 550)
● Allies in World War II
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Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union & the Pearl Harbor a ack led the U.S and Soviet
Union to form an alliance, but they never really trusted each other
Postwar coopera on -- the U.N. (1945)
○ The U.S, Great Britain, France, China, and Soviet Union were granted permanent seats
○ The Soviet Union went along with an Atomic Energy Commission (proposed by the U.S.)
■ They rejected the Baruch Plan (regulated nuclear energy, atomic weapons)
○ The Soviets wouldn’t par cipate in the World Bank because they saw it as capitalist
○ The Soviets did par cipate in the Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946) of top Nazi leaders
Satellite states in Eastern Europe
○ In 1946, there was hos lity because Soviets s ll controlled most of Central & Eastern
Europe, holding elec ons largely in favor of Communist dictators
■ Dictators came to power in many Central/Eastern European countries as buffers
■ The U.S. & Britain were alarmed by the Soviet takeover (pg. 551)
Occupa on zones in Germany
○ When Germany was divided into temporary occupa on zones, the Soviets turned their
Eastern zone into a new Communist state, the German Democratic Republic
■ They ghtened control over East Germany, wan ng it to remain weak
Iron Curtain
○ Talk of a Soviet spy encouraged stricter policies in Washington
○ In March 1946, Winston Churchill delivered the Iron Curtain Speech in Missouri
■ Churchill blamed the Soviets for dividing Europe with the satellite states
■ The speech encouraged a partnership between Western democracies to stop the
expansion of communism
CONTAINMENT IN EUROPE (pg. 551-555)
The Truman Doctrine (pg. 552)
● The Truman Doctrine was in response to 2 threats:
○ Communists led an uprising against the Greek government
○ Soviets demanded control of Turkey’s dardanelles
■ Truman asked Congress in March 1947 for $40M to aid & assist Greeks & Turks
The Marshall Plan
● Destruc on in Europe encouraged the growth of communism → Truman administra on in fear
● Sec. of State George Marshall outlined a U.S. economic aid program to help European na ons
○ Dec. 1947: Truman presents $17B European Recovery Program to Congress
■ In 1948, $12B in aid was given to Western Europe for 4 years
■ Offered to Soviets and their satellites as well, but they refused
● Effects
○ Helped the European economy and introduced prosperity to the region
○ Increasing U.S. exports to the Europe
○ Ended communist threats, increasing gap btwn Non-Communis t West & Communist East
The Berlin Airlift
● In 1948, Soviets cut off all access by land to Berlin
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Truman sent planes to drop off supplies for the people of West Berlin (pg. 553)
Truman also sent 60 bombers (that might’ve carried atomic bombs) to bases in England
■ Stalin did not challenge Truman
By May 1949, the Berlin Blockade had ended, but resulted in the forma on of two Germanies:
○ The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany, ally of the U.S.)
○ The German Democratic Republic (East Germany, Soviet satellite state)
NATO and National Security
● In 1949, Truman proposed a military alliance to protect Western Europe → The North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed
○ Was to defend members from outside a acks (US, Canada, 10 other European countries)
○ U.S. troops were sta oned in West Europe to prevent against a Soviet invasion
■ In 1955, the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact for the defense of Communist
states in Eastern Europe
● The National Security Act (1947) provided for:
○ A centralized Dept. of Defense to coordinate Army, Navy, and Air Force opera ons
○ Crea on of National Security Council to coordinate foreign policy making in the Cold War
○ Crea on of a Central Intelligence Agency to employ spies to gather info on foreign govs
○ In 1948, a Selec ve Service System and a peace me dra were ini ated
● Atomic weapons
○ The U.S. and Soviet Union were in an arms race (compe on to build superior weaponry)
○ The U.S. began developing more powerful bombs in the late 1940s
■ In 1952, the hydrogen bomb was formed, a thousand mes more powerful than
the atomic bomb (pg. 554)
■ Soviets tested their first atomic bomb in 1949
○ In 1950, the Na onal Security Council sent a top secret report known as the NSC-68 in
which the Na onal Security Council called for:
■ The U.S. government to quadruple defense spending
■ The forma on of alliances with non-Comm unist countries
■ Convincing the public that an arms buildup was essen al for the na on’s defense
● Evalua ng U.S. policy
○ NATO was one of the most successful military alliances in history
■ It ended Soviet expansion and kept peace ll the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991
COLD WAR IN ASIA (pg. 555-558)
Japan was under control of the U.S.
● 7 war generals were tried for war crimes and executed
● General Douglas MacArthur led Japan’s Reconstruc on
○ Parliamentary democracy set up in 1947 with Emperor Hirohito as the head of state
○ The Japanese had a limited military, so they depended on the U.S.’s military protec on
● U.S. - Japanese Security Treaty
○ In 1951, occupa on of Japan ended bc it surrendered its claims to Korea & Pacific islands
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China
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A er occupa on of Japan ended, U.S. troops remained in military bases to protect against
communism (1951)
The Philippines became an independen t republic on July 4, 1946, but the U.S. kept naval and air
bases there throughout the Cold War
During WW2, the U.S. gave military aid to Chiang Kai-shek (leader of China) to prevent China from
being occupied by Japan
Civil War started up again in China, between Chiang’s Nationalists & the Chinese Communists
○ Communists were winning because they appealed to those in poverty (pg. 556)
U.S. Policy
○ George Marshall was sent to nego ate an end to the civil war, but it failed
○ In 1948, the U.S. gave the Na onalist government $400M
■ 80% of the military supplies ended up with the Communists bc of corrup on
Two Chinas
○ China fell to 2 Communist forces by 1949, so Chiang & the Na onalists went to Taiwan
■ Chiang established a govt there, & the U.S. wouldn't recognize the Communists
○ Republicans blamed the Democrats for losing China to communism
○ In 1950, Stalin & Mao (Communist dictators) signed a Sino-Soviet Pact → communism
The Korean War
● When Japan lost Korea, it was divided into two on the 38th parallel → Soviets took control of the
North, & the U.S. took control of the South
● By 1949, the U.S. & Soviet Union were kicked out → North was Communist, South was Na onalist
● In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea & Truman responded by called a U.N. mee ng
○ Under the U.S., The Security Council organized forces to help South Korea
○ The U.S. intervened to help South Korea but never declared war
● Countera ack
○ North Korea was winning at first, but then they were pushed to China & army destroyed
○ In Nov. 1950, Chinese forces defeated the U.S. badly and pushed them out of North Korea
● Truman vs. Macarthur (pg. 557)
○ Macarthur was able to stabilize figh ng but he also called for bombing & invasion of China
○ Truman & the Democrats were labeled as appeasers for not controlling communism
● An armis ce was signed in 1953 (pg. 558)
● Poli cal consequences
○ Truman’s containment policy was a success bc it stopped communist aggression without
star ng a world war
○ The Truman administra on used the war as an excuse to drama cally expand the military
■ New jet bomber (B-52) , more troops sta oned on military bases overseas
○ Repubs were dissa sfied, blaming Truman & the Democrats for being so on communism
THE SECOND RED SCARE (pg. 558-560)
Security and Civil Rights
● In 1947, the Truman administra on set up a Loyalty Review Board to inves gate over 3M federal
employees for signs of communism
○ Thousands lost their jobs or resigned, and it lasted for 4 years ending in 1951
● Prosecu ons under the Smith Act
○ Leaders of the American Communist Party were jailed for advoca ng gov overthrowing
○ The Smith Act made it illegal to teach or promote overthrow of the government by force
■ In Dennis et al. v. US (1951) , the Supreme Court upheld the Smith Act
● Congress passed the McCarran Internal Security Act (1950) over Truman’s veto (pg. 559)
○ Made it illegal to advocate or support the establishment of a totalitarian government
○ Restricted the employment & travel of people in Communist-front organiza ons
○ Authorized deten on camps for people intending to overthrow the government
● Un-American ac vi es
○ The Un-Americans Activities Committee (HUAC) from 1939 was reac vated to find
postwar Communists (it seeked Nazis before)
■ HAUC inves gated gov officials and looked for Communist influence
■ People were called to tes fy and if they didn’t, they were tried & blacklisted
■ Some argued that these policies went against the 1st Amendmen t
Espionage Cases
● The government spied on Communists but some thought it violated civil liber es
● Alger Hiss (a state department official) was convicted & sent to prison in 1950 for lying in court
about being Communist
● Rosenberg case
○ Many Americans were convinced that spies helped the Soviets build their a-bomb in 1949
■ Bri sh scien st Klaus Fuchs (worked on Manha an Project) confessed he did
■ An FBI inves ga on traced to Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed in
1953 a er a controversial trial
The Rise of Joseph McCarthy (pg. 560)
● In 1950, Republican senator Joseph McCarthy gave a speech saying that 205 Communists were
s ll working for the State Department and gained a lot of a en on and power from the speech
● McCarthy’s tac cs
○ Accused Communists in government to take a en on away from the Truman admin.
○ Many Repubs disliked his harsh tac cs & he hurt the Democrats before the 1952 Elec on
● Army-McCarthy hearings
○ In 1954, McCarthy was exposed on TV and viewers saw him as a bully
○ He died in 1957
Truman in Retirement
● Truman did not run for a reelec on because it was unlikely, but even his cri cs respected the
decisions he had made during his term
EISENHOWER AND THE COLD WAR (pg. 572-579)
Dulles’ Diplomacy (pg. 573)
● John Foster Dulles was Eisenhower’s Secretary of State
○ Wanted to take more asser ve approach on foreign policies, but Eisenhower stopped him
● Massive retalia on
○ Dulles also wanted increased reliance on nuclear weapons & air power, which would save
money & increase pressure on enemies
○ Nuclear weapons made superpowers strong but didn’t prevent wars in developing na ons
Unrest in the Third World
● The collapse of colonial empires helped many countries gain independence from 1947-1962
○ These countries were unstable & needed U.S. support or Soviets used them in the Cold War
● Covert action
○ Covert ac on: undercover interven on in another country’s poli cal affairs, less expensive
○ In 1953, the CIA helped overthrow Iran’s government bc of its control over oil companies
■ Resulted in great oil prices for the West, & Iran’s monarch bought American arms
○ In 1954, the CIA overthrew a government in Guatemala (pg. 574)
■ An -American feeling grew with the new policies
Asia
● Korean armis ce
○ In 1953, China & Korea agreed to an armis ce and an exchange of prisoners
■ This did not bring peace, but figh ng stopped for a while
● Fall of Indochina
○ When France tried to take back Indochina, na ve Vietnamese & Cambodians resisted
○ By 1950, the an colonial war in Indochina became a part of the Cold War
○ In 1954, a French army got trapped and surrendered
■ 1954 Geneva Conference : Indochina was split into Cambodia , Laos , & Vietnam
● Division of Vietnam
○ Vietnam was to be temporarily split at the 17th parallel un l the next elec on was held
■ It remained divided bc the North was communist & the South was an communist
○ 1955-1961: the U.S. gave South Korea $1B total to help its economy & military (pg. 575)
■ Eisenhower jus fied this with the domino theory: If South Vietnam became
communist, so would nearby na ons
● SEATO
○ To protect South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from communism, the Southeast Asia
Treaty Organization (SEATO) was formed, a regional defense pact
■ 8 na ons signed the pact in 1954, agreeing to defend each other in case of a ack:
U.S, GB, France, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan
The Middle East
● Suez crisis
○ Egypt asked the U.S. for funds to build the Aswan Dam project on the Nile but the U.S.
refused since Egypt threatened Israel
■ Egypt turned to the Soviet Union, and they agreed to provide limited financing
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In 1956, Egypt took the Bri sh & French owned Suez Canal, threatening Western Europe’s
access to Middle-Eastern oil
■ The U.S., Britain, and Israel a acked Egypt to take it back
Eisenhower Doctrine 1957 (pg. 576)
● U.S. promised economic/milit ary aid to any Middle Eastern country threatened by communism
○ In 1958, 1400 marines were sent to Lebanon to prevent war btwn Muslims & Chris ans
● The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was formed in 1960 by Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela
○ Oil was becoming a foreign policy issue
U.S. - Soviet Relations (pg. 577)
● Things were unsteady between the U.S. and Soviet Union
● Spirit of Geneva
○ In 1953, the U.S. and Soviet Union wanted to slow down and reduce Cold War tensions
○ In 1955, Eisenhower and Nikolai Bulganin (S. Union) had a mee ng in Geneva, Switzerland
■ Eisenhower wanted to watch for nuclear a acks using aerial photography but the
Soviet Union rejected
● Hungarian revolt
○ In 1956, an uprising in Hungary ended up overthrowing a government backed by Moscow
and it was replaced by liberals who wanted to pull Hungary out of the Warsaw Pact
■ Soviet tanks were sent into Hungary to restore control, but the U.S. did not
intervene, fearing the start of another world war
● In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellites, Sputnik 1 & Sputnik 2, challenging U.S.
technological leadership
○ In response, the National Defense & Education Act was passed (1958) to sponsor science
in schools and foreign languages (pg. 578)
○ In 1958, the U.S. also created the National Aeronautics Space Admin. (NASA) to launch
missiles for space explora on
● Second Berlin Crisis
○ Soviet leader Khrushchev gave the U.S. 6 months to withdraw troops from West Berlin or
he would turn it over to the East Germans
■ The U.S. refused and instead, Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to visit in 1959
● They put off the crisis and would make a decision in Paris, 1960
● U-2 incident
○ 2 weeks before the planned Paris mee ng, Soviets shot down a U.S. spy plane (the U-2)
that was found over the Soviet Union
■ This exposed the U.S. & Eisenhower was denounced, the mee ng was called off
Communism in Cuba
● In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista
○ Castro na onalized American businesses and proper es so Eisenhower cut off all U.S.
trade with Cuba
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Castro turned to the Soviet Union for help, and also started turning Cuba into a
Communist totalitarian state
● Eisenhower planned to take Cuba back with the CIA
Eisenhower Legacy (pg. 579)
● Eisenhower retained Communist aggression and kept peace without a huge war
○ He also wanted to relax tensions with the Soviets and ini ated arms limita ons
● “Military industrial complex”
○ In his farewell address, Eisenhower warned the na on against the Cold War