Origins of the Cold War, 1945-1949 Why did the USA and USSR, allies who defeated and solved the problem of Germany, become the bitter enemies of the Cold War era and what did it mean for their respective societies?
Is your Cell Phone Turned On? Josef Stalin says Comrades Turn off your Cell phone!
Themes and Topics Empire World War II: Military and Political Watershed for the US and the USSR New Topic: US Postwar Planning of an international economic environment favorable to capitalist trade and investment The Atomic Bomb: How the Cold War began Role of Government Origins of the Cold War and Containment The Cold War: Creating a National Security State The Cold War: Truman Doctrine and Containment Private Enterprise Military Keynesianism in World War II and After
Central Analytical questions Who started the Cold War? What was the nature of the conflict? How did the Cold War reshape global politics? How did the Cold War reshape domestic politics?
Truman Takes the Reins Background Senator Vice President Was Truman prepared to take over the reigns of government in April 1945? Harry S. Truman
Truman and the Anti-Communists James Forrestal, Sec. Navy Sources of Anti- Communist sentiment within the Administration State Department Navy Department Role of the Republican Party
Congressional Elections, 1946 Senate Results House Results
US Blamed the USSR The American publics understanding of the Cold War was built upon three myths The First Myth: that Stalin had agreed to a Poland independent of Soviet influence The Second Myth: that, like Poland, the USSR wanted to communize the rest of Eastern Europe The Third Myth: that USSR was bent on global conquest
First Myth: Poland, 1945 The London Polish Government vs the Lublin Polish Government What were Soviet goals in Poland See the map! Harry Hopkins to Moscow Agreement suggests USSR wanted a Friendly Polish government
2nd Myth: Eastern Europe Country British Influence Soviet Influence Outcome Greece 90% 10% Vetoed by FDR Rumania 10% 90% Vetoed by FDR Bulgaria 25% 75% Vetoed by FDR Hungary 50% 50% Vetoed by FDR Yugoslavia 50% 50% Vetoed by FDR
2nd Myth: Eastern Europe Initially, Soviets aims toward Eastern Europe reflected a mix set of motives Conquer and communize enemies Embrace Declaration on Liberated Europe Support Neutralization Later, when challenged, communize
3rd Myth: Global Conquest This might be called the myth of Red Fascism because of the suggestion that Stalin was another Hitler Key issues: Russian access to the Mediterranean sea and Middle Eastern oil Turkey Iran
Truman and the Iron Curtain Truman s first year as president shows a mixed policy toward the USSR Hostility Atomic Diplomacy Negotiation Bluster Caution Purges staff Winston Churchill s Speech on the Iron Curtain in 1946, didn t initially persuade Truman
The Fifteen Weeks The Problem of Greece and Turkey Joseph M. Jones, The problem was not what should be done, but how to get authorizing legislation through Congress. Meeting with Republican Congressional Leaders February 27, 1947 at the White House Feb 21-June 5, 1947
The Fifteen Weeks Acheson s address laid out a new Cold War orthodoxy British collapse Domino Effect International Communist Conspiracy Bi-Polar World Global threat to U.S. security During this period a revolution occurred in Truman s foreign policy, aligning it with FDR s earlier national security vision Feb 21-June 5, 1947
The Truman Doctrine Truman announced to Congress, I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure.
Containment George F. Kennan How would the U.S. go about stopping Soviet world domination? The strategy for defeating the USSR was called containment It called for a long-term, patient, firm vigilant checking of Soviet expansion until it produced a mellowing of communist leadership s fanaticism
Implications of Containment A spiral of action/reaction began Most important: it ended serious discussions with USSR on issues dividing US and USSR because there is no point in negotiating with fanatics who didn't keep agreements Germany is permanently divided, reparations discussions ended Economic aid to USSR was no longer an option Soviets responded by tightening its grip on Eastern Europe
The Marshall Plan General George C. Marshall George C. Marshall became Truman s second Secretary of State in late 1946 He was replaced by Dean Acheson following Truman s election in 1948 He is best remembered for the Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe
Redesigning the National Security State National Security Act of 1947 National Security Council CIA DOD Bi-partisan support National Security State
The National Security State
Projecting US Power
Critical Thinking Exercise Stalin believed the US sought to encircle the USSR Do US bases in Turkey lend credence to Soviet fears? Note the US media coverage: is it evenhanded? What else is notable? U.S. News and World Report, July 1947
No provisions were made for access between zones Division of Germany Allies divided the country into zones Berlin, the capitol, was also divided into zones Truman s decision to unify the three western zones into Western Germany provoked a Soviet response
Operation Vittles Berlin Airlift Ordered by US occupation General Lucius Clay Supported by Truman 11 month duration Delivered 2 million tons of supplies (coal and food) Solidified US-West German understanding and later NATO alliance
Cold War Europe, 1948
Election of 1948 Truman had to fight for the Democratic Party s nomination Republicans were certain the election was a shoe in Truman campaigned vigorously, while Dewey ran a lack luster campaign It was one of the lowest turnouts in Presidential election history
Election of 1948
House and Senate, 1948 Senate House
Postwar Alliances
Soviets Go Nuclear Joe-1 successfully detonated August 29, 1949 American intelligence had predicted a ten year gap between US and USSR bomb US began work on hydrogen bomb
NSC-68 Further Militarizes the Cold War George Kennan resigned in 1949 NSC-68 was largely written by Paul Nitze Nitze crafted a statement the US military strategy for the cold war calling for a massive buildup of nuclear and conventional arms Paul Nitze
Critical Thinking Question Was the Cold War a necessity or was it a tragedy? Or was it just goofy?
Conclusion: Did Truman Really Believe The Truman Doctrine? Was Truman serious about the Truman Doctrine and Containment? Was he really serious about an opened ended commitment on the part of the US to stopping communism everywhere? When we look at Truman NSC-68 and China policy between 1946-1950, the answer is no Chiang Kai-Shek Mao Zedung