The United Nations

Chapter 13 Notes

The United Nations o Goal is to preserve world peace and security o The General Assembly can discuss problems and offer recommendations but has no power to enforce those decisions o The United Nations Security Council has 5 permanent members – the US, the Russians, China, France and Great Britain . They can enforce UN policy with military actions . Each has the power to veto a Security Council decision, one veto and it’s done

The Start of the Cold War o The Soviet Union started to control a lot of the Eastern European countries by jailing or executing anticommunist leaders and using censorship laws to shut the press up . These countries became known as satellites . Winston Churchill said the “An Iron Curtain has descended across the continent o Nuclear Arms Race . The US and Russia were both developing nuclear weapons . Neither could decide on the choice to destroy all the ones that remained, so they both kept building and testing bigger ones . Both built more atomic bombs and then eventually hydrogen bombs which were more destructive . Led to the Cold War – intense economic and diplomatic tensions between countries, engaging in propaganda rather than actual fighting

Seeking to Curb Soviet Power o The Truman Doctrine – the policy to give economic and military support to free peoples resisting communism (stopping the domino effect from occurring) o See Map on Page 342 o The Marshall Plan – gave economic aid to all the nations of Europe, including the Russians, to help them recover from the effects of World War 2 o Spent $13 billion to bring food, water, fertilizer, tools, building materials and hope to 16 nations . The Soviets, nor their satellite nations, would take part. o The Berlin Airlift o Berlin, Germany’s capital, was a free zone surrounded by the Soviet-occupied zone o Soviets wanted Germany divided and disarmed forever o Western Allies wanted them to contribute to Europe’s economy; France, the UK and the US pushed for reunification by combining all 3 of their zones o June 24, 1948, the Soviets closed all rail, highway and water routes into Berlin in an attempt to force the Allies out or watch the city starve . To help out the city, they decided to supply the city of 2,000,000 by air . Brought in medicine, clothing, machinery, vehicles and construction materials, anything and everything; some 4,500 tons or more until May 12, 1949 when the Soviets lifted the blockade (Put a wall up in 1961 that stayed up until 1989)

New Alliances . American policy became containment – stopping the spread of communism  The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan was part of that policy . Military alliances become the next part of the policy  NATO – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the US, Canada and 10 European nations formed together for a defensive pact. o An attack against one member would be considered an attack against all members. o Members contributed troops, money and supplies for mutual defense  Warsaw Pact – the Soviet Union formed a military alliance with its Eastern European satellites

Building Up American Security o In 1947, Congress passed the National Security Act – placed all branches of the military service under a Department of Defense o Also, it set up the National Security Council to coordinate military and diplomatic activities and advise the President on matters of national security o Also provided for a Central Intelligence Agency to collect information from sources from around the world . They would analyze and coordinate the American intelligence effort to give the President reliable reports on the world situation Regional Problems Around the Globe o We’re always looking for more allies o In 1948, the US and 20 other nations in the Western Hemisphere formed the Organization of American States to promote friendship, peace and trade . Agreed to cooperate in mutual defense o In 1947, the UN (with the US’s influence), decided to divide the formerly British ruled territory of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state . The Jews agreed to the plan but not the Palestinians . On May 14, 1948, the Jews announced the new independent nation of Israel . Palestinians were very upset and they, and 5 neighboring Arab states, attacked Israel . Led to Palestine losing about ½ of the land that the UN had wanted to give them . Palestine refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist

Confrontations in Asia o Civil war in China between nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek and communists lead by Mao Zedong . Because Chiang was an ally during WW2, we continued to send him millions of dollars in aid after 1945 . They were a corrupt group and unwilling to fight the communist forces . In 1949, Mao announced the birth of the People’s Republic of China and signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union . Chiang fled to Taiwan where he was still recognized as the leader of China

A Limited War in Korea o After the war, the US and Russia agreed to temporarily divide Korea (an area formerly controlled by Japan o The Russians backed a communist government while the US backed a non- communist one o Both North and South Korea wanted to control the whole peninsula . June 25th, 1950, thousands of Soviet trained and armed North Koreans invaded South Korea . With the support Congress and the United Nations, President Truman ordered soldiers into battle  About 90% of the UN forces were American troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur o By late 1950, the UN/US forces pushed the enemy back, almost to the North Korean border . Truman and MacArthur ignored China’s warning against an invasion of North Korea o Right before Thanksgiving, 300,000 Chinese soldiers poured out of mountain hiding places and completely surprised the Americans driving them out of North Korea by December . The war came to a standstill at the 38th parallel . Soldiers died by the thousands taking and losing a single hill . MacArthur wanted to bomb China and blockade its coast but the Truman administration disagreed . MacArthur protested to Congress declaring: “There is no substitute for victory”  Because he was trying to go around President Truman, Truman relieved MacArthur of his command  Caused outrage among the public because MacArthur was a World War 2 hero and a popular figure June to Sept 1950 Sept to Nov 1950 Nov ’50 to Jan ‘51 Jan ’51 to July ‘53

The Cold War at Home o Americans came to believe that communists, or their sympathizers, were everywhere . Beliefs grew when several Soviet spies were caught and convicted in Canada in 1946 . In 1947, President Truman began a “loyalty-security” program where the FBI checked up on federal employees to find out if they had been connected to organizations that were subversive or working to overthrow the American government  Anyone who did not pass the FBI screening could be labeled security risks and fired o Hiss and the Rosenbergs . Alger Hiss was a respected, former State Department official who was accused of being a communist spy during the 1930s. . The Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were found guilty of treason for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union  Despite claims of evidence and worldwide appeals for leniency, they were both executed, one right after the other, in the electric chair on June 19th, 1953 at Sing-Sing Prison in New York. o Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) . Led the anti-communist campaign . Attracted national attention by giving a speech claiming that the list he held in his hands contained a list of 205 known communists that worked for the State Department  Never produced the list nor could he back his claims  Damaged political reputations and caused some public officials to fear him . Many innocent people lost their jobs due to his false charges . During the televised Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, the American people saw and heard the loud outbursts and bullying manner he presented.  Turned public opinion against him and helped end his influence

. The term McCarthyism now references demagogic (a political leader in a democracy that appeals to the emotions, prejudices, and ignorance of the less-educated people of the population in order to gain power and promote political motives), reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.