The Cold War, Part I (1950s)

Historic conflict: 1920s Red Scare US refusal to recognize Bolshevik Revolution until 1933 Capitalism vs. Communism: private property WWII Delayed opening 2 nd front Excluded from bomb project Refused reconstruction aid in1946 Soviet Position Protect security Attacked twice across Europe Wants friendly governments along borders US position Soviets looked like ‘new’ empire Bolshevik ideology called for world revolution

Yalta Conference Planning for end of WWII (Big 3) Stalin agrees to: Poland free w/ new borders Freedom for Bulgaria & Romania Entry into war with Japan [Seems like FDR sold out/Stalin doesn’t keep bargain.]

Start of Cold War USSR (CCCP) occupation of E. Europe/Iran Partition of Germany/Europe Berlin Blockade (June 1948 – May 1949) Berlin Airlift 200,000 flights (1 every 3 minutes) Marshall Plan (1947 – 1951) Rebuilding Europe

Truman Doctrine Containment George F. Kennan “X” (1947) NSC 68

Funding to aid free people fighting communism Greece Unlimited support Polarizing effect—throwing down the gauntlet Soviets pull out of participation in Marshall Plan

NATO (1949) Rejection of Washington Fear of Soviets in Europe

Korea (1950-1953) UN Police Action Test of containment McArthur/China/Truman

Bombs Soviets and A-Bomb 1949 US loses monopoly US pushes H-Bomb Edward Teller Pacific atoll 1952 Soviets detonation 1953 Devastates US Suspicion of espionage Race for nuclear “superiority”

McCarthyism Paranoia Executive Order 9835 – Loyalty Order (1947) McCarran Act (1950) “Internal Security Act” Vetoed by Truman – Overridden by Congress Finger printing of “subversives” Concentration camps for “emergency situations” Registration of all communist groups Rosenberg Case – executed (1953) Oppenheimer loses clearance (1954) New Red Scare Senator Joseph McCarthy Spies in the State Department House Un-American Affairs Committee (HUAC) Blacklisting “Are you now, or have your ever been, a member…” [Lena Horne, Charlie Chaplin, Leonard Bernstein] Role of TV – attacks on veterans brings McCarthy down Similarity to Soviet show trials Richard Nixon – reputation as staunch anti-communist

Eisenhower John Foster Dulles—Secretary of State Containment insufficient “Rollback” “Liberation” of captive peoples “Massive retaliation” “Military-industrial complex”

Iran (1953) CIA engineered coup Shah Reza Pahlavi Access to resources / strategic location

Guatemala (1954) United Fruit Company CIA sponsored coup

Hungarian Uprising (1956) Massive USSR response US does not respond

Suez Crisis (1956) Gamal Abdel Nasser Aswan Dam Nationalization of Suez Canal British / French (w/ Israel) attack Egypt Communism vs. Nationalism OPEC – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Sputnik (1957) Soviets ahead “Missile gap” Re-emphasis on science / math in schools National Defense Education Act

Cuban Revolution (1959) Che Guvara, Fidel Castro In our backyard Confiscation of property

U2 Incident (1960) Spy plane Francis Gary Powers Collapse of Four Powers Talks