The Birth of the Cold War and the American Culture of Fear

1. The Birth of the Cold War and the American Culture of Fear 1946-1962

2. Communism, Democracy, and Capitalism • Communism: An economic and political system based on one-party government and state ownership of property. The government makes decisions for the people – limited personal and economic freedom. • Democracy: A government by the people, in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. • Capitalism: An economic system based on the private ownership of goods, with the goal of making a profit.

3. Origins of Rivalry • The United States was developed as a democracy with a capitalist economy. • The Soviet Union was developed as a communist society. • These two types of societies were viewed at the end of World War II as being incompatible, which set the US and the Soviets up as natural rivals. There was great debate as to which system served its people better. • After the war, there were many struggling European countries trying to recover and plan their future. • The Soviets and the Americans were positioned to influence the future of these countries and of Europe and the rest of the world.

4. The End of World War II • The rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States that created the period known as the “Cold War” began right after World War II. • The two nations never actually went to war against each other, but they schemed and plotted against each other and constantly tried to out-do one another. • After WWII, the Soviet army occupied much of Eastern Europe, and planned on keeping the territory. They wanted to set up communist governments and use the land for resources. • The Americans wanted the Soviet Union to allow the countries to rebuild and hold democratic elections.

5. Containment • The United States realized that they could not convince the Soviets to leave the territory they already held. • Instead, they began to practice the policy of “containment” – doing whatever was necessary to keep the Soviet Union from spreading its influence and its communism to anywhere else. • This involved aiding weak countries that could become targets for Soviet expansion.

6. The Truman Doctrine • The Soviet Union attempted to build support for communist governments in Greece and Turkey. These countries did not want to become communist. • The United States sent the countries $400 million to keep their governments and economies running, which greatly reduced the likelihood of a communist takeover. • President Truman decided that it was worth spending American money to keep Soviet influence from spreading – this way of thinking was known as the Truman Doctrine.

7. The Marshall Plan • After World War II, much of Western Europe, including Germany, was unable to provide for itself. • George Marshall, the US Secretary of State, proposed that the United States provide aid to all European nations that needed it, including former enemies. • Sixteen countries received $13 Billion in aid, and Western Europe was rebuilt. • By the mid-1950’s, the Marshall Plan had made it possible for war-torn nations to become as strong as they had been before the war, and less likely to embrace communism.

8. Germany • After the war, Germany was divided in half between the Soviets, who got East Germany, and the three other Allies, who split control of West Germany. • In addition, the Allied powers split up the capital city of Berlin, which was physically located in the Soviet zone but was controlled by all four. • The Soviets wanted Berlin for themselves, so they blockaded the city and made it impossible for supplies and vehicles from the other nations to enter the city.

10. The Berlin Airlift • The Soviets hoped that the blockade would convince the United States, Great Britain, and France to give up on controlling Berlin in order to save the lives of its people. • The 2.1 million residents of Berlin were held hostage – not allowed to leave and not provided by the Soviets with any supplies. • To get around the blockade, the American and British air forces flew planes into Berlin and dropped supplies to the people.

11. Berlin Airlift, cont. • The flights lasted almost a year, and provided the people of Berlin with 2.3 million tons of supplies. • This mission boosted the prestige of the United States around the world, and gave it a reputation as a nation that wanted to use its power to help others. • The Soviets, on the other hand, looked like ruthless villains. • In May 1949, the Soviets realized that their plan would not work and they lifted the blockade.

12. Fear of American Communism • At the end of World War II, there were 100,000 Communists living in America. • When the Soviet Union became an enemy of the USA, these people were considered to be a threat. • The US government began investigating the “loyalty” of Americans – looking for any “suspicious” behavior that may identify a person as a potential threat. • 3.2 million government employees were investigated and only 212 were considered security risks. • Despite this evidence, the government continued to investigate possible communist influence in the country.

13. Fear, cont. • Americans were forced to take a “loyalty oath” in which they promised to never make plans against the government. This was an attempt to “control thoughts” in addition to preventing harmful actions. • A person who was named as a possible “communist,” even with little or no evidence, would suffer greatly in the public’s opinion – their reputations and lives would be severely damaged. They did not have the right to see the “evidence” being used against them.

14. HUAC • In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was formed by the US Congress to investigate communist influence in American society. • The movie industry was targeted because of its ability to spread ideas. • Witnesses were called to testify and provide names of communists that they knew. • If you refused, you were arrested. If your name was given, you were “blacklisted” – making it impossible for you to find work.

15. HUAC, cont. • Many witnesses provided names to avoid imprisonment, and many of the people named were completely innocent. • This created mass paranoia over who would be named and what would happen to them. • Over 500 actors had their careers ruined because of the HUAC blacklist, even if there was no evidence that connected them with communism.

16. Soviet Atomic Bomb • In 1949, the Soviet Union developed a working atomic weapon. This was quicker than expected, leading many to believe that the Soviets had stolen intelligence from the Americans. • In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, an American couple who had been members of the American Communist Party, were arrested and charged with providing the Soviets with information about America’s atomic bomb.

18. The Rosenbergs • When asked during their trial if they were communists, the Rosenbergs invoked their 5th Amendment rights and refused to answer. • This made the public assume they were guilty, but the evidence in the case made them appear to have played only a minor role. • They became the most hated people in America. After their guilty verdict, the Judge declared their crime “worse than murder.”

20. Public’s Thirst for Blood • The American public became obsessed with catching and punishing Communists who were “hiding” in America. • Anyone could be a communist and a traitor - even a middle aged couple like the Rosenbergs. • The trial and execution of the Rosenbergs was played out in public, with the public demanding that the couple be put to death. The evidence was not as important as the will of the public, which would seem to violate the US Constitution. • They became the first Americans to be executed for spying. • Their execution was criticized throughout the world, and it showed how much the Americans had become obsessed with their rivalry with the Soviets.

21. McCarthy’s “Witch Hunt” • Realizing that the public was concerned about communism, some politicians began building reputations for “going after” suspected Communists. • A politician who appeared “tough on communists” was rewarded for keeping the country safe, but in reality these politicians created a very dangerous environment because of the false accusations they made. • The most famous example is Senator Joseph McCarthy, who began accusing people of disloyalty and Communist Party membership without any evidence. • McCarthy was a showman who would give speeches where he listed off names and referred to communists working within the government. He made claims that sounded legitimate but had no proof to back them up. • As a result of McCarthy’s actions, American paranoia about communism rose to an all-time high.

23. Journal • “Right here….in my pocket…..” • “Right here…in my HAND…..are the names of 47 traitors……” • Senator McCarthy was famous for referring to lists of American communists. He claimed to have the list in his pocket, or in his hand, and he would talk endlessly about it, but in reality the list never existed. • How do you think he was able to convince the American people that his allegations were true?

24. Downfall of McCarthyism • The tactic of accusing a person of disloyalty with providing evidence is called “McCarthyism.” • In 1954, McCarthy’s reputation was destroyed when he made accusations against the US Army that he could not prove. • The US Senate held a hearing to investigate McCarthy’s claims, and he had no evidence to back them up. • He bullied witnesses during the hearing, screaming accusations at respectful looking Army officers. This was broadcast on television, and McCarthy came across as a lunatic who was difficult to believe. • The American people realized that the communist threat was not what McCarthy had made it out to be, and the climate of paranoia was relaxed as a result.

25. New Threat - Technology • After the paranoia of the “Red Scare” and McCarthyism died down, Americans began to grow concerned with Soviet technological achievements. • By the end of the 1950’s, the Soviet Union had built weapons that threatened the United States and had put a man into space before the Americans. • Americans began to worry that the Soviets had become an advanced society that would continue to threaten them in the decades to come. • The presence of a powerful “enemy” and direct competition motivated American scientists and students to improve American technology during the next decade. • During the 1960’s, America developed a space program, NASA, that became the first in the world to put men on the moon.