The Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, and Mccarthyism E

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, and Mccarthyism E The Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, and McCarthyism E. America Enters World War II (1945-Present) f. Analyze the social, cultural, and economic changes at the onset of the Cold War era g. Analyze the origins of the Cold War, foreign policy developments, and major events of the administrations from Truman to present When World War II was finished, the USA, Britain, and France grew concerned. They wanted the nations of the world to accept Democracy. Yet, it was clear that Stalin wanted Eastern Europe to be dominated by Communism. Truman’s goal of “Containment” was simply to keep Communism from spreading any further into the world. Communism expanded out of the USSR. Containment failed. The Arms Race Begins -In 1949, the USSR created an atom bomb. President Truman was forced to make a stronger weapon. This started an “arms race.” -In the USA, Scientists created an “H” (hydrogen) bomb and claimed that it was over 60 times more powerful than an atom bomb. -In 1952, the USA detonated an “H” bomb. In 1953, the USSR also detonated an “H” bomb. Brinkmanship and the Eisenhower Doctrine -President Eisenhower, elected in 1952, took strong stands against Communism. In the Eisenhower Doctrine, he promised to give military aid to any Middle East nation threatened by Communism. -Secretary of state, John Dulles, claimed the only way to prevent Communism from spreading was to make the Russian USSR fear that the USA was ready to use nuclear weapons, if the time arose. -Brinkmanship is the willingness to use your most powerful weapons, at any moment, to keep your enemy afraid. President Eisenhower used the policy of “Brinkmanship” during the Cold War. Satellites in Space -Stalin died and a leader named Nikita Khrushchev was Stalin’s successor. -Khrushchev thought Communism would take over the world, but peacefully and not in violence. -In 1957, the Soviet Union became the first nation of Earth to launch a satellite into space, Sputnik. Despite the reduced tension with Stalin’s death, many feared that the USSR had such advanced technology. Nikita Khrushchev: Joseph Stalin’s successor in the USSR. The USSR launched the first Satellite on Earth in to space. It was called Sputnik. Sputnik was able to orbit the planet and send signals back down to Earth. The U-2 Incident -The USA sent secret U-2 planes over Russia to get images of the USSR for military use. -USA pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down and held in prison in Russia for two years for spying for the USA. -Cold War fears remained for decades after this incident. Many feared all out nuclear war could erupt between the USA and the USSR. Francis Gary powers was shot down over the USSR. He was flying in a U-2 plane, like the one pictured above, and was spying on the USSR for the USA. Francis Gary Powers was imprisoned in the USSR after his U-2 Plane was shot down. He was sentenced to ten years. Yet, the USA was able to secure his release after he had served two years. McCarthy launches his “Witch Hunts” -In the 1950s, Joseph McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin, made countless, unsupported accusations asserting people were Communists. He ruined the lives of many -In 1954, Army investigations concerning Communism were televised; people saw McCarthy bully the witnesses and began to realize his assertions were simply false and based on delusional hysteria. -McCarthy died due to difficulties with alcoholism and McCarthyism is forever remembered as unfair tactics of accusations Joseph McCarthy increased the hysteria of the fear of Communism by claiming that Communist spies had radically infiltrated the United States and the government. He had no proof or evidence of these claims. He ruined the lives of many by falsely claiming they were Communists.. Some journalists, like Edward R. Murrow, bravely reported on McCarthy and pointed out that his accusations were untrue and his tactics were ruthless. Fear of Communism Grows -The Communist takeover of China shocked the world. Many found it unbelievable that the USA lost such a large nation to Communism. -Republicans claimed Truman was weak on communism. In response he formed the Federal Employee Loyalty Program to remove Communists from the government. -According to FELP, if you supported Communism, you were fired from government service. Many saw this as a violation of the Constitution. More Communist Investigations -The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), in 1947, investigated the movie industry to determine if Communists were working in the industry. -The “Hollywood 10” was a group who refused to cooperate and went to prison. They claimed the investigations were wrong and unconstitutional. Many people were “Blacklisted” after being accused of being Communist. -For those accused, they were often fired from their jobs, abandoned by their families, and ostracized by their friends. Those associated with the accused avoided them to avoid being accused themselves. Trial Hearings Under HUAC The Hollywood Ten and their lawyers: (from left): Front row: Herbert Biberman, attorneys Martin Popper and Robert W. Kenny, Albert Maltz, Lester Cole. Middle row: Dalton Trumbo, John Howard Lawson, Alvah Bessie, Samuel Ornitz. Back row: Ring Lardner Jr., Edward Dmytryk, Adrian Scott. In this depiction, McCarthy is forcing people to be added to the “blacklist.” So, were there spies in the USA? -Yes, there were spies in the USA. Yet, the massive infiltration of spies that McCarthy fabricated never existed. -Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were Americans who helped leak information to the USSR to help them build an atom bomb. Julius worked for the Army as an engineer. -Ethel and Julius were convicted for spying on the USA and both were executed for treason. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were convicted of giving information to the USSR to help the Soviet Union build an atom bomb. They were executed for treason. THE END Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved. .
Recommended publications
  • The Cold War and Mccarthyism Howard Tennant
    WARS The Cold War and McCarthyism Howard Tennant 1. Work in pairs. Read the text on the Cold War and then make questions, HISTORY using the phrases in bold. The first question has been done for you. Text A The Cold War The term ‘Cold War’ is used to describe the relationship between America and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1980. It was a period of conflict, tension and rivalry between the world’s two superpowers. (1) Neither side fought the other – the consequences would be too terrible – but they did fight for their beliefs using other countries. For example, in (2) the Vietnam war in the 1960s and 1970s, (3) South Vietnam was against the Communists and supported by America. North Vietnam was pro-Communist and fought the south (4) using weapons from communist Russia or communist China. In Afghanistan, the Americans supplied the Afghans with weapons after (5) the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. They never physically involved themselves and so avoided direct conflict with the Soviet Union. 1. Did America and the Soviet Union fight each other? 2. When was ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________? 3. Which country did the USA ____________________________________________________________________? 4. Which countries supplied weapons ______________________________________________________________? 5. When did the Soviet Union ______________________________________________________________________? • This page has been downloaded from www.onestopclil.com. 1 of 2 Written by Howard Tennant. © Copyright Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008. FROM WEBSITE •PHOTOCOPIABLECAN BE DOWNLOADED HISTORY 2. In pairs read this text on McCarthyism and make the questions. Text B McCarthyism (1) The term ‘McCarthyism’ refers to a period of strong anti-communist suspicion in the USA that lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s.
    [Show full text]
  • Mccarthyism Space and Arms Race Notes
    Name ______________ Period ___ McCarthyism New Red Scare Beginning in 1950, Joseph ________________became the most visible public face of this era of anti-communism. – The term _________________________ was coined that same year(1950) to describe and condemn the senator's methods. – McCarthyism is the practice of making ____________ of disloyalty, especially pro-Communist activities. • In many instances unsupported by ____________ or based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant ____________. – Later the term was applied more generally to the ______-___________ of the late 1940s through the late 1950s. – Today, it is often used even more broadly, to describe __________ attacks made on a persons' ______________ and/or patriotism. McCarthy's national reconition rose after a speech where he reportedly produced a piece of paper which he claimed contained a ________ of known Communists working for the __________ Department. – McCarthy is usually quoted to have said: "I have here in my hand a list of 205 people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the ________________ Party, and who, nevertheless, are still working and _________________ the policy of the State Department." Many people supported McCarthy because they were afraid that _______________ had indeed _________________ federal agencies. Arms Race United States v Soviet Union • 1949 -The Soviet Union exploded its _________ atomic bomb • 1953 - the United States and the Soviet Union had the ___-______ (Hydrogen bomb). • The United States _______________ the air force which would carry the _________ and built up __________ weapons. • The ___________ Union began to do the ______. • The ___________ arms __________ frightened many Americans.
    [Show full text]
  • Presbyterians and Mccarthyism the Anticommunist Campaign of Senator Joseph Mccarthy Prompted a National Debate on the Protection of Civil Liberties
    For Truth and Liberty: Presbyterians and McCarthyism The anticommunist campaign of Senator Joseph McCarthy prompted a national debate on the protection of civil liberties. The Presbyterian Church defended the freedom of dissent. by Rick Nutt THE COLD WAR WITH THE SOVIET UNION tions, charges levelled without regard to context dominated life in the United States after and shifts in historical circumstances…and, above all, suspicion. McCarthyism describes, more- World War II. The will to stop the spread of over, a basically negative approach to the prob- communism was clear in both global and lems of communism under the pretense of patrio- domestic policies, and Presbyterians mani- tism but without concern for free government in fested that conviction along with their fel- an open society.…2 low citizens—indeed, at times Presbyterians One of the most vigorous statements of were in the midst of the conflict over com- opposition to McCarthyism was issued by munism. It was at Westminster College in the General Council of the Presbyterian Fulton, Missouri, in 1946 that Winston Church, U.S.A. (PCUSA) in 1953. This essay Churchill added the phrase “Iron Curtain” to will survey the Presbyterian response to our vocabulary. Perhaps the two most fa- McCarthy, with special attention to the mous Presbyterians of the 1950s were Dwight PCUSA’s “Letter to Presbyterians” and the Eisenhower and John Foster Dulles, presi- reaction it evoked. dent and secretary of state respectively, re- sponsible for opposing communism abroad I and at home (Dulles became famous for his resistance of communism by a policy of World War II was a watershed in the “brinksmanship”).
    [Show full text]
  • Hofstra University Model United Nations Conference
    Hofstra University Model United Nations Conference EXCOMM October, 1962 Crisis Committee Timothy Lachapelle Chairperson 1 Letter from the Chair Dear Delegates, Welcome to Hofstra Model United Nations, and the West Wing Crisis Committee. My name is Tim Lachapelle. I worked on the staff of the first HMUNC Crisis Committee, which re-created the West Wing in the post 9/11 Era. After two days of fast paced debate, and constant threat of nuclear Armageddon, the Hofstra Model UN club quickly discovered that the HMUNC delegates were up to any challenge that we throw at them. This year we are presenting another historical crisis scenario. In this committee you will all be acting as members of the Oval Office during the JFK era. The leaders of the nation are faced with many challenges during his presidency and this committee will be responsible for managing two potential crises: the first is the threat of Soviet missiles off the coast of Florida; the second is the constant threat of an attempt on the President’s life. Although this committee will rely on historical fact to solve these crises, the events will not play out exactly as they did in the history books. Some events or people involved may change depending on how the committee resolves each issue. I am currently a sophomore at Hofstra University, studying Political Science. I have been doing Model United Nations for one year. My first Model UN conference was at the University of Pennsylvania and I represented Iran in the World Health Organization. I discovered a passion for crisis committees when I worked on the staff of the crisis committee during the first Model UN conference ever hosted by Hofstra University.
    [Show full text]
  • “Techno-Diplomacy” for the Twenty-First Century: Lessons of U.S.-Soviet Space Cooperation for U.S.-Russian Cooperation in the Arctic
    THE HURFORD FOUNDATION 2015-2016 HURFORD NEXT GENERATION FELLOWSHIP RESEARCH PAPERS No. 6 “TECHNO-DIPLOMACY” FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY: LESSONS OF U.S.-SOVIET SPACE COOPERATION FOR U.S.-RUSSIAN COOPERATION IN THE ARCTIC Rachel S. Salzman EASI-Hurford Next Generation Fellow The Hurford Fellows Program is sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and is made possible by a generous grant from the Hurford Foundation THE HURFORD FOUNDATION The Hurford Fellowships, administered by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, support the Euro- Atlantic Security Initiative (EASI) Next Generation Network in identifying young academics conducting innovative research on international security in the Euro- Atlantic area. 2 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Cooperation and Techno-Diplomacy: Some Definitions ......................................................... 4 Learning the Wrong Lessons: Is the Cold War Really the Right Frame? ............................ 6 From “the Pearl Harbor of American Science” to the “Handshake in Space”: U.S.- Soviet Space Cooperation ................................................................................................................... 7 The Good .............................................................................................................................................................. 8 The Bad .............................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Cuban Missile Crisis: Applying Strategic Culture to Gametheory
    Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Plan B and other Reports Graduate Studies 5-2013 Cuban Missile Crisis: Applying Strategic Culture to Gametheory Chelsea E. Carattini Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Carattini, Chelsea E., "Cuban Missile Crisis: Applying Strategic Culture to Gametheory" (2013). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports. 236. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/236 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Plan B and other Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Introduction Game theory applied to political situations offers a unique approach to analyzing and understanding international relations. Yet the rigid structure that lends itself so well to mathematics is not practical in the real world . It lacks a built in mechanism for determining a player's preferences, which is a key part of an international "game" or situation. Strategic culture, another international relations theory, is quite the opposite. Critics claim it suffers from a lack of structure, but it captures the spirit of international actors and what makes them tick. This paper explores the idea of pairing the two otherwise unrelated theories to bolster both in the areas where they are lacking in order to provide a more complete understanding of international states' behavior and motivations. Brief Summary of Major Theories The theories presented in the following pages are drawn from distinct schools of thought; consequently it is necessary to provide some background information.
    [Show full text]
  • The Life and Works of Philip J. Jaffe: a Foreigner's Foray
    THE LIFE AND WORKS OF PHILIP J. JAFFE: A FOREIGNER’S FORAY INTO CHINESE COMMUNISM Patrick Nichols “…the capitalist world is divided into two rival sectors, the one in favor of peace and the status quo, and the other the Fascist aggressors and provokers of a new world war.” These words spoken by Mao Tse Tung to Philip J. Jaffe in a confidential interview. Although China has long held international relations within its Asian sphere of influence, the introduction of a significant Western persuasion following their defeats in the Opium Wars was the first instance in which China had been subservient to the desires of foreigners. With the institution of a highly westernized and open trading policy per the wishes of the British, China had lost the luster of its dynastic splendor and had deteriorated into little more than a colony of Western powers. Nevertheless, as China entered the 20th century, an age of new political ideologies and institutions began to flourish. When the Kuomintang finally succeeded in wrestling control of the nation from the hands of the northern warlords following the Northern Expedition1, it signaled a modern approach to democratizing China. However, as the course of Chinese political history will show, the KMT was a morally weak ruling body that appeased the imperial intentions of the Japanese at the cost of Chinese citizens and failed to truly assert its political legitimacy during it‟s almost ten year reign. Under these conditions, a radical and highly determined sect began to form within the KMT along with foreign assistance. The party held firmly on the idea of general welfare, but focused mostly on the rights of the working class and student nationalists.
    [Show full text]
  • Dynamics of Trust and Distrust: an Analysis of the Cuban Missile Crisis
    Copyright © 2008 Alex Gillespie Do not quote without the author’s permission Dynamics of trust and distrust: An analysis of the Cuban Missile Crisis Alex Gillespie University of Stirling The Cold War was ‘cold’ because it was fought in almost every field except the open battlefield. It was fought the fields of ideology, coalitions, political influence, technological development, scientific development, space and military stock piling. It was also fought through proxy wars. The reason for this new and almost sublimated form of war was the advent of the nuclear age. Both the USA and the USSR had thousands of nuclear missiles pointed at each other. Any first strike would lead to retaliation and mutually assured destruction. As Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Premier, wrote: You can regard us with distrust, but, in any case, you can be calm in this regard, that we are of sound mind and understand perfectly well that if we attack you, you will respond the same way. But you too will receive the same that you hurl against us. And I think that you also understand this. (26 th October 1962, Zelikow & May, 2001b, p. 351) Although the nuclear stock piling grew out of distrust, the outcome of mutually assured destruction was a degree of trust. Mutually assured destruction provided a guarantee that the other would not initiate war, that is, as long as one can trust that the other is “of sound mind.” Mutual knowledge of the power of nuclear weapons combined with mutual knowledge that the other is “of sound mind” enables Khrushchev to say, in a sense, that despite distrust there can be trust.
    [Show full text]
  • Eastern Mediterranean Brinkmanship Is a Clear and Present Danger GMF Experts
    Transatlantic Take 28 August 2020 Eastern Mediterranean Brinkmanship Is a Clear and Present Danger GMF Experts The United States and Europe cannot be complacent about the risk of conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean. Alongside the dangerous situation in the South China Sea, the deepening confrontation in the Aegean and in the waters off Cyprus, Crete, and Libya is arguably the most serious and immediate security flashpoint facing transatlantic partners today. The crisis poses key tests for NATO and the European Union. On the face of it, the crisis has been driven by maritime demarcation disputes affecting offshore energy exploration and trans- port. These differences are longstanding and could be amenable to legal and diplomatic solutions. However, current brinkmanship is not really about energy per se, and it is being shaped by wider strategic developments. Greek-Turkish relations are at the core. The détente that has prevailed between Athens and Ankara since the late 1990s is on the verge of collapse. This would have profound implications for regional stability and NATO’s ability to function in the face of pressing security demand emanating from the Levant, North Africa, and around the Mediterranean. Even if the immediate threat of conflict can be contained, the alliance could be faced with a return to the tense conditions that prevailed for decades and impeded NATO solidarity and operations. There have been profound changes on both sides. Turkey has lost its inhibitions regarding power projection. It has become a more independent and assertive actor, encouraged by operational successes in Syria and Libya. The country has also rediscovered its maritime interests and strategy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cold War and President JFK E
    The Cold War and President JFK E. America Enters World War II (1945-Present) f. Analyze the social, cultural, and economic changes at the onset of the Cold War era g. Analyze the origins of the Cold War, foreign policy developments, and major events of the administrations from Truman to present John F. Kennedy -In 1960, Eisenhower’s Vice President, Richard Nixon, ran for the Republican Party for the Presidency. He faced off against a young Democrat named John F. Kennedy. -They had the first televised Presidential debate. Television greatly helped JFK due to his youthful appearance and communication skills. -JFK was only 43 years old when he became President. He became the icon for change in the USA. He asserted in his inaugural address that, “The torch has been passed to a new generation.” The Nixon vs. JFK Debate on TV Policies of JFK -JFK supported one of the chief issues of his day, the Civil Rights Movement. He wanted to see Jim Crow Segregation end and for African Americans to possess the rights they deserved. -As the Cold War continued, JFK was afraid impoverished countries would embrace Communism. He encouraged aid to be given to these nations and for Americans to volunteer to work in groups like the Peace Corps to assist these countries. -Instead of Brinkmanship, JFK wanted the USA to be able to fight ground wars as well, not just threaten the USSR with nuclear annihilation. This strategy was called the “Flexible Response.” In this picture, JFK met with young Americans who volunteered to serve in the Peace Corps.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cold War Divides the World
    4 The Cold War Divides the World MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW TERMS & NAMES REVOLUTION The superpowers Many of these areas today are •Third World • Anastasio Somoza supported opposing sides in troubled by political, economic, • nonaligned • Daniel Ortega Latin American and Middle and military conflict and crisis. nations •Ayatollah Ruholla Eastern conflicts. • Fidel Castro Khomeini SETTING THE STAGE Following World War II, the world’s nations were grouped politically into three “worlds.” The first was the industrialized capitalist nations, including the United States and its allies. The second was the Communist nations led by the Soviet Union. The Third World consisted of developing nations, often newly independent, who were not aligned with either superpower. These nonaligned countries provided yet another arena for competi- tion between the Cold War superpowers. TAKING NOTES Fighting for the Third World Determining Main Ideas Use a chart to list main The Third World nations were located in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. They points about Third World were economically poor and politically unstable. This was largely due to a long confrontations. history of colonialism. They also suffered from ethnic conflicts and lack of tech- nology and education. Each needed a political and economic system around Country Conflict which to build its society. Soviet-style communism and U.S.-style free-market Cuba democracy were the main choices. Nicaragug a Cold War Strategies The United States, the Soviet Union, and, in some cases, Iran China, used a variety of techniques to gain influence in the Third World. (See fea- ture on next page.) They backed wars of revolution, liberation, or counterrevolu- tion.
    [Show full text]
  • Doherty, Thomas, Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, Mccarthyism
    doherty_FM 8/21/03 3:20 PM Page i COLD WAR, COOL MEDIUM TELEVISION, McCARTHYISM, AND AMERICAN CULTURE doherty_FM 8/21/03 3:20 PM Page ii Film and Culture A series of Columbia University Press Edited by John Belton What Made Pistachio Nuts? Early Sound Comedy and the Vaudeville Aesthetic Henry Jenkins Showstoppers: Busby Berkeley and the Tradition of Spectacle Martin Rubin Projections of War: Hollywood, American Culture, and World War II Thomas Doherty Laughing Screaming: Modern Hollywood Horror and Comedy William Paul Laughing Hysterically: American Screen Comedy of the 1950s Ed Sikov Primitive Passions: Visuality, Sexuality, Ethnography, and Contemporary Chinese Cinema Rey Chow The Cinema of Max Ophuls: Magisterial Vision and the Figure of Woman Susan M. White Black Women as Cultural Readers Jacqueline Bobo Picturing Japaneseness: Monumental Style, National Identity, Japanese Film Darrell William Davis Attack of the Leading Ladies: Gender, Sexuality, and Spectatorship in Classic Horror Cinema Rhona J. Berenstein This Mad Masquerade: Stardom and Masculinity in the Jazz Age Gaylyn Studlar Sexual Politics and Narrative Film: Hollywood and Beyond Robin Wood The Sounds of Commerce: Marketing Popular Film Music Jeff Smith Orson Welles, Shakespeare, and Popular Culture Michael Anderegg Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema, ‒ Thomas Doherty Sound Technology and the American Cinema: Perception, Representation, Modernity James Lastra Melodrama and Modernity: Early Sensational Cinema and Its Contexts Ben Singer
    [Show full text]