The World After World War II

The World After World War II

US History

United Nations• April 1945, representatives

of 50 countries, including the United States, adopted the charter for the United Nations, an organization dedicated to cooperation in solving international problems.

• On April 12, Roosevelt died unexpectedly, making Vice President Truman the new President

• Truman continued Roosevelt’s negotiations with Stalin at the Potsdam Conference in July.

Conflicting Postwar GoalsAmerican Goals

•Wanted conquered European nations to

experience the democracy and

economic opportunity that the United

States had fought for during the war

•Wanted to develop strong capitalist

economies, which would provide good

markets for American products

Soviet Goals•Wanted to rebuild Europe in ways that

would help the Soviet Union recover from the huge losses it

suffered during the war

•Wanted to establish Soviet satellite

nations, countries subject to Soviet domination and a

buffer from the west•Wanted to promote

the spread of communism

throughout the world

Soviets Tighten Their HoldCommunist

Expansion in Eastern Europe

• Albania and Bulgaria

• Czechoslovakia

• Hungary • Romania• East

Germany• Yugoslavia

Iron Curtain Speech•1946 •Fulton Missouri•Statement clearly describing existing situation

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in

the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has

descended across the continent."

Truman Doctrine•March 12, 1947

•Greece and Turkey in danger of falling to communist insurgents

•Truman requested $400 million from Congress in aid to both countries.

•Successful effort

America develops a policy of containment • Stop the spread of

communism anywhere in the world.

• The Truman Doctrine, United States would support free peoples who resist attempted conquest..

Marshall Plan•On June 5, U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall

–proposes a massive aid program to rebuild Europe from the ravages of World War II. (don’t make the same mistakes as WWI)

•Nearly $13 billion in U.S. aid was sent to Europe from 1948 to 1952.

–The Soviet Union and communist Eastern Europe decline U.S. aid, citing "dollar enslavement."

Germany!• Germany has been divided

into 4 sections!

• British, French, American and Soviet

• They could “clean-up”

• No one country could take over

Berlin!• ALSO, the

Capitol of Germany - Berlin, located in Communist East Germany, was divided into West Berlin (capitalist) and East Berlin (Communist).

Berlin! • In response, Allied nations began the Berlin airlift, which delivered thousands of tons of food and other supplies to West Berlin via air.

• Although the Soviet blockade ended in May 1949, Berlin remained a focal point of Cold War conflict.

• In June 1948, Stalin banned all shipments to West Berlin through East Germany,

creating a blockade which threatened to cut off supplies to the city.

2.3 million tons of relief supplies.

NATO•Soviet vetoes prevent the U.N. from resolving many postwar problems – U.S. needs help defending against communism•The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in April 1949.• the United States, Canada, and ten Western European nations pledged to support one another against attack, a principle known as collective security.•In response, the Soviet Union created the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance between the Soviet Union and its satellite nations.

Nuclear Destruction?•In September 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tests an atomic bomb.

•In response, the United States began developing the even more powerful hydrogen bomb, reestablishing itself as the world’s leading nuclear power.

•The newly formed Federal Civil Defense Administration distributed information on how to survive a nuclear attack;

People’s Republic of China!• Civil war breaks out in 1920s!

During World War II, the two sides cooperate –

The communists lead by Mao ZedongThe Nationalists lead by Chiang Kai-shek

• They resume their fight near at the end of WWII.

• Guess which side the U.S. supports? (in spite of inept leaders and lots of corruption!)

• 1949 – Creation of the PRC!

• Nationalists flee to Taiwan!

Chinese Civil War The most populous nation in the world is now communist!

Who’s fault was it?

Did we do enough?

Was containment working?

US REACTION!Refusal to

acknowledge PRC as a legitimate nationcut off trade

with ChinaConvinced U.N.

to deny PRC admittance

Domino TheoryThe belief that if one country fell to the communists it would bring about a chain reaction of other countries turning to communism.

MAPS

Korea!• World War II ends with no

plan for Korean independence from Japan.

• temporarily divided at the thirty-eighth parallel, the latitude line running through approximately the midpoint of the peninsula.

• A pro-American government formed in South Korea, while a Communist government formed in North Korea.

• On June 25, North Korean communist forces cross the 38th parallel and invade South Korea.

the call for “Police Action”

President Truman turns to the United Nations. 15 nations join the

UN forces, although the majority of soldiers come from the U.S. Aim: to create a

“unified, independent and democratic Korea.”

• 1949 – China became Communist – supported North Korea

• 1950 – N Korea invaded S Korea

• Sept 1950 – UN troops into South Korea at INCHON

• N Koreans pushed back into North Korea

THE KOREAN WAR

A grief stricken American infantryman whose buddy has been killed in action is comforted by another soldier. In the background a corpsman methodically fills out casualty tags, Haktong-ni area, Korea. August 28, 1950. Sfc. Al Chang. (Army)

Desegregation of the Military• After African-Americans fought for the Four Freedoms during World War II – they were denied rights at home

• If the U.S. wanted nations to follow their democratic example, it needed to rid itself of

segregation• Executive Order 9981, signed on July 26, 1948, forbade discriminating against military personnel because of race, color, religion, or national origin.

• Oct 1950 CHINA invades!

• UN troops pushed all the way back to S Korea

• 1950-51 – STALEMATE around 38th Parallel

• April 1951 – MacArthur fired!

• Fighting continued until 1952

• 1952 – Truman replaced by Eisenhower

• 1953 – Stalin dies • July 1953 - Armistice signed

MacArthur returns a

hero…

But eventually

fades away…

WHO WON????• S KOREA REMAINED

‘FREE’• Containment had worked• Korea badly damaged• The human cost• Still two separate states

today• Still US troops in Korea

THE COST IN HUMAN LIFECasualties in the Korean War

780,000500,000

70,000

30,000

4,500

NK & Chinese soldiersand civilians

SK civilians

SK soldiers

USA soldiers

Other UN soldiers

By 1950 had Containment worked???

• Most Americans agreed with containing communism

• Some wanted a more aggressive policy like MacArthur

• People at home were very frightened by the spread of communism…

The Cold War in the 1950sUnited States involvement around

the world, 1947–1956• Eastern Europe — Wary of war

with the Soviets, America did not support uprisings in East Germany, Poland, and Hungary.

• Southeast Asia — Korean War ends; former French colony of Vietnam is divided into Communist North and anti-Communist South.

• Middle East — United States supports Israel, backs groups that restore a pro-American Shah in Iran; the Suez Crisis in Egypt erupts.

• Latin America — Organization of American States (OAS) is created; American aid helps anti-Communist leaders gain and retain power.

U.S. and U.S.S.R. compete in an nuclear arms race, a struggle to gain weapons superiority.

Deterrence, the policy of maintaining a military arsenal so strong that no enemy will attack for fear of retaliation, resulted in the escalating development of powerful nuclear weapons.This is also known as MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION!

• Deterrence

The Arms Race• To carry bombs to their

targets, the Soviet Union developed long-range rockets known as intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

• In 1957, one of these rockets was used to launch the Soviet satellite Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth.

• Space Race to put weapons in space and to just show superiority!