The Cold War Heats Up

1. The Cold War Heats Up

2. Atomic age • After US dropped the atomic bombs in Japan the Soviet Union wanted to acquire similar weapons

3. Marshall Plan • Peacemakers did not want to repeat the mistakes of post WWI era • 21 million people were homeless after WWII • 20% of Poland's population died • 25% of houses in France and Belgium were destroyed or damaged • Industries and transportation were in ruins • Agriculture suffered from the loss of livestock • Ex France's damage equaled three times the nation’s income

4. Marshall Plan • The Marshall Plan- called for nations of Europe to draw up a program for economic recovery from the war • United States would support the program with financial aid • America was concerned because communist parties were growing • Feared that the Soviet Union would intervene • U.S. believed that it would promote democracy and open new markets • Soviets were invited to participate in the Marshall Plan • Refused the help and pressured satellite nations to do the same

5. Congress approves • In 1948 Congress approves the Marshall Plan • Became known as the European Recovery Program • Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and West Germany • In 4 years the U.S. gave $13 billion in grants and loans • Economies restored • U.S. gained strong trading partners

6. Shipments financed by the Marshall Plan, 1948-1951

7. The Berlin Airlift • By 1949 Germany was completely divided • The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) • German Democratic Republic (East Germany) • Berlin (Germany’s Capital) was located in East Germany and was also divided • Many citizens in communist areas would go to East Berlin and then make their way to West Berlin. From there they would go to U.S., Canada or Western Europe • Stalin did not like this and saw it as a threat

8. Stalin blocked all shipments to West Berlin from the allies • Threatened shortages of food and supplies needed for the 2.5 million citizens • Truman did not want to start a war because of this so he moved supplies into West Berlin by plane • For 15 months more than 200,000 flights were made to deliver food, fuel, and other supplies • At the height 13,000 tons of goods arrived daily • Soviets gave up the blockade in May 1949 and the airlift ended

9. NATO • North Atlantic Treaty Organization • The UN was used to deal with most postwar problems • But the Soviets were often using their veto power • Western Europe felt they needed to look beyond the UN • “association of democratic peace-loving states” • U.S., Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal • Agreed that an armed attack against one of them would be considered an attack against all of them. • Soviets responded by creating the Warsaw Pact- military alliance with satellite nations of Eastern Europe

10. Communist advances • Soviets tested an atomic bomb 1949 • 1950 Truman approved development of Hydrogen bomb- and was tested in 1952 • Federal Civil Defense Administration- made plans to protect against nuclear attack

11. The Cold War at Home • Many Americans joined the communist party during the depression • After war most left the party • Growth of communism in the world led to fear of an overthrow of the government • Anyone who was communist or had communist ties were persecuted • Federal loyalty program 1947- all federal government employees were to be investigated and brought before a Loyalty Review Board • The program examined several million employees but only a few hundred were removed from their positions • Regardless it added suspicion to the country

12. HUAC • House Un-American Activities Committee • Established in 1938 to investigate disloyalty • Believed that movies had the power to influence the public • Charged Hollywood figures had communist leanings in their filmmaking • They were put on trial in Sept and Oct 1947 • “are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” • Hollywood Ten- refused to answer whether or not they were communist. • Cited for contempt of Congress and served jail time • Blacklists were created to not hire the Hollywood Ten and others who were subversive or opposed the idea of the blacklist

13. The McCarran-Walter Act • Senator Pat McCarran felt that all disloyal Americans were from Communist nations • The law set a quota system for each country that was established in 1924 • Discriminated against immigrants from Asia and Southern and Central Europe • This bill was vetoed by Truman because he said it was one of the most “un-American” acts

14. Spy Cases • Alger Hiss was charged for being a communist in the 1930’s and a Soviet spy. • Went to jail for 4 years • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg- members of the communist party were accused of passing atomic secrets to the soviets during WWII. • Convicted of espionage and executed in 1953 • Both convictions have been debated for years and caused a people to fear that there were spies in the U.S.

15. McCarthy Era • Senator Joseph McCarthy stated that he had a list of 205 people who were known communists and working for the government. • Sparked an anti-communist hysteria and national search for subversives- Second Red Scare • Anyone who opposed him was considered to be a communist • McCarthy even accused people in the Army as being communist • This led to the Army to charge McCarthy with seeking special treatment for his aide. • The Army-McCarthy hearing began in 1954 • The hearing was televised • McCarthy lost most of his followers by the end because he was seen as a bully

16. Arms Race • The United States and Soviet Union were in a constant struggle for world leadership • Each nation wanted to have weapon superiority • Deterrence- policy of making the military power of the United States and its allies so strong that no enemy would dare attack for the fear of retaliation • Between 1954 and 1958- the U.S. conducted 19 Hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific • Ex one explosion was 750 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. A Japanese fisherman 90 miles away suffered radiation burns

17. Brinkmanship

18. Cold War in the Skies • In order to attack the Soviet Union the United States had to use planes to transport the bombs • The Soviets focused on ICBM’s- Intercontinental ballistic missiles- long range rockets • In 1957 the Soviets used their rockets to launch Sputnik • Scared American’s because the rocket could also carry hydrogen bombs • U-2 incident • Soviet used missiles to shoot down an American U2 spy plane over Soviet territory • Americans thought they could not be hit because they were 15 miles high. This hurt American confidence