Ch 15 Sec 2

1. Ch 15 Sec 2 The Early Cold War Years

2. Containing Communism • Overall, it becomes the goal of the US to contain communism everywhere that it pops up around the world, which is a lot of places because of the Soviets aggressive policies • By contain we mean prevent politically, economically, and militarily using all of our available resources

3. The Long Telegram • After WWII in 1946, Russia was not cooperating with the US at all • The Truman was confused by Russia’s behavior because the two nations had worked so well together to win WWII, plus all of the conferences between the two nations had supposedly worked out many of their disagreements

4. The Long Telegram • The US State Department then asked the US embassy in Moscow what was going on with the Soviets and the lack of cooperation • George Kennan responded with what came to be known as the “Long Telegram”

5. The Long Telegram • Kennan stated that: • Russia was insecure • They feared the West (US and Europe) • Communist believe that they were in a historic battle against capitalism • It was impossible to reach full negotiations • Eventually the US would outlast communism because of some of the flaws in their economic system, as long as we contained it over time • Communism could be defeated without ever fighting a war with Russia

7. The Long Telegram • After looking at the 5,540 word analysis of Kennan, the beliefs and statements of the telegram became the policy of Truman and the US • In the document, Kennan used the term “containment,” which ends up being the big word used when we talk about preventing the spread of communism

10. Crisis in Iran • During WWII, the US occupied Southern Iran, and the Soviets occupied Northern Iran to secure the supply lines of US aid to Russia • After the war ended, the Soviets did not withdraw as they promised

11. Crisis in Iran • In what basically become typical Russian procedure, they set up separate communist government and start making crazy demands like access to the Iranian oil reserves • The US responds by sending a strong message demanding a Soviet withdrawal, and the US sends the battleship USS Missouri as a display of force • Russia eventually withdraws on the promise of access to some oil that Iranian government later went back on, so Russia got no oil and the US took a firm stance

12. Trouble in Turkey • After his failure in Iran, Stalin turned his conquest dreams toward the country of Turkey that is located at a key strategic point for Russia because of the Straits of Dardanelles where ships need to pass through to get to the Black Sea and Russia • Stalin then demanded joint control of the Dardanelles with Turkey

13. Trouble in Turkey • Truman then made another show of force when he sent the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt to join the Missouri • While the US was supporting Turkey, Britain was supporting the nearby country of Greece

14. The Truman Doctrine • Great Britain was in bad shape after the war, and could no longer keep troops in Greece • The US feared that if Greece fell to communism then so would other countries like Turkey • Truman then asked congress for $400 million to help fight communism in the Mediterranean

15. The Truman Doctrine • Truman’s policy then became known as “The Truman Doctrine” = the US will help any country or people resist communism around the world • Greece and Turkey were able to remain non communist because the US’s help

16. The Truman Doctrine was just the US’s first step toward helping war torn Europe • The US soon saw all of the problem in Europe • Food shortages -Need of raw materials • Fuel shortages -No real industry • George C. Marshall then came up with the Marshal Plan to help rebuild Europe • Russia and most of Eastern Europe (The Satellite Nations) declined the aid and set up their own economic plans • The nations of Western Europe embraced (loved) the offer and took advantage of it

19. The Marshall Plan • The plan was to give aid to Europe for 3 main reason • Prevent the spread of communism • Help Europe rebuild itself from roads to factories • Build a good foreign market geared toward the US’s economy so that we could trade with them Gen. George C. Marshall --- Also Truman’s Sec of State

21. A Divided Germany • The US felt that a united Germany was key to a total European recovery after the war • Russia still wanted to take as much as they could in reparations, so there was a conflict of interests • The US, France, and Britain then decided to merge their sectors into one German republic • West Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany and East Germany became the German Democratic Republic

22. A Divided Germany • The Soviets saw this unification of West Germany as a clear sign that they were not going to get any more reparations • They then decided to close off all roads and railroads into Berlin to isolate the Allies’ sector of Berlin to either force them out or convince them to give more to Russia • Truman then sent atomic bombs to bases in Britain as a show of force

24. What Truman then did… • Truman saw it as a display of US determination to stand by containment, and launched the Berlin Airlift to face communism • The airlift resulted in the US supplying Berlin with everything it needed by flying it in to the isolated city

26. What all did they need? • Between 2200 and 4700 tons a day • One plane every three minutes, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week • 278,000 flights • During winter, more “fuel” was needed • During the peak….8000+ tons a day • June 27, 1948 to May 12, 1949 -Just know that it was almost a year

29. NATO • NATO Relied on collective security, which means if you attack one, you attack all • All members agreed to increase their military strength • NATO’s true power was not in numbers or equipment, but in the fact that the US was the only country with atomic bombs

30. But… • Russia eventually developed nukes, and organized the satellite nations into the Warsaw Pact, which was just a communist version of NATO with Russia as the major supplier and not the US • The arms race had begun…

32. Communism Elsewhere…

33. The Philippines • The US eventually granted them independence • We help their new government defeat communist guerillas • Set up a favorable economic (trade) relationship

34. The Loss of China to Communism • Prior to WWII, China had been in a civil war between communist and nationalist • They both fought Japan and each other during WWII • This fighting had been going on for many years before WWII as well

35. The two sides… • The US backed the nationalist • Lead by Chiang Kai-shek • Russia backed the communist • Lead by Mao Zedong • After WWII, the communist were a much more powerful force

36. The US Action • General Marshall (still a general at this time) was sent to try and help the nationalist stabilize the country • Chiang later asked for direct military aid, and Marshall (at this time Sec. of State) said that all of the US efforts should go to Western Europe (The Marshall Plan)

37. The US Action • The US soon cut aid to China (after $2 Billion) claiming that they had too many internal problems • The Communist soon took all of mainland China and forced Chiang and the nationalist to islands off the coast, mainly Taiwan

38. China and the UN • The US refused to allow communist China into the UN, and we used our veto power that we had from being on the Security Council to prevent them from getting in • The US’ stance was that the Nationalist government on the island of Taiwan was the only Chinese government that should be allowed in the UN

40. Japan • Once we lost our only truly solid ally (China) in Asia to communism, we then decided that we needed Japan to recover even faster so that we would have another ally in the region

41. The Occupation of Japan • The plan was to punish their military and disarm them • The people would then be reeducated to be democratic • A new democratic government would be established • US troops would stay there until this was completed

42. General Douglas MacArthur • He was the man put in charge of carrying out the US goals for Japan

43. US Changes • Japan was now run by elected officials • Women were given more rights and could vote • Japan’s emperor was still a “figure,” but not to be viewed as a god anymore

44. US Changes • The US redistributed a lot of land to the poor and needy in rural Japan • Reorganized schools • Better trade and economic opportunities for all people

45. By 1951 (6 years later) • Japan retook its independence in a treaty signed in San Francisco • Only six years after being almost totally destroyed, Japan again became the largest economy in Asia

46. The Korean War (Conflict) June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953

47. Japanese forces north of the 38th would surrender to the Soviet Union and those to the south to the United States, and from here the division of the country began

48. The Start of the Korean War • From the division at the 38th, the Soviets started a communist government in the North, and soon invaded the South • Truman saw this as a challenge of the containment policy, and ordered the US military into action • Truman then request the help of the UN • Normally the Soviet diplomat would have been able to veto Truman’s request for military help, but he was not there because he was protesting the US’s refusal to recognize Communist China

49. The “Numbers”Actual involvement by UN allies South Korea 590,911 Belgium 900 USA 480,000 Thailand 1,294 Ethiopia 1,271 New Zealand 1,389 Greece 1,263 Australia 17,000 France 1,119 Colombia 1,068 South Africa 826 Luxembourg 44 Britain 63,000 The Netherlands 3,972 Canada 26,791 Turkey 5,455 The Philippines 7,000

50. MacArthur • After rebuilding Japan, Truman put him in charge of Korea • MacArthur did a good job, but he also got too aggressive and is somewhat blamed for getting China involved • Truman eventually removes MacArthur from Korea