Tommy's Notes Repository

7 - 6 Truman's Cold War Policies & the Korean War

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Truman’s Cold War Policies & the Korean War

Essential Questions

  • Were Truman’s Cold War policies successful?
  • Is the Korean War a triumph or a failure of American foreign policy

Post WWII Information

  • After WWII, tensions begin to escalate between the USA & USSR
  • President Truman wanted to spread democracy to all European countries that were once under Nazi control
    • USA in economic boom after WWII, we need Europe for raw materials & trade ( )
  • Stalin occupied Eastern Europe & wanted to keep it to protect itself from future attacks
    • Not allowing Truman to spread Democracy
  • Satellite Nations: Countries in E. Europe under Stalin’s control
    • They had Communist gov’ts.
    • Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia & Poland

Cold War: 1945 - 1991

  • Conflict between the USA & USSR without actual war

    • The USA & USSR never went to war with each other during this time

  • Conflict over the goals each country hoped to achieve in the E. Europe

    • USA = Spread Democracy (free trade)
    • USSR = Spread Communism & act as a buffer

  • Ends in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union

    Causes of the Cold War

  • Non-Agression Pact

  • Stalin violated Yalta agreement

  • Differences: democracy vs communism

Differences:
Democracy v. Communism

_Democracy  (USA)_

  • Self-Deermination: Want all nations to freely choose their type of government

    • Political, economical & social freedom

  • Rebuild European governments like a Democracy

  • Get new markets & raw materials

    • Rebuild Europe with American materials & equipment

  • Reunite Germany

    • Could help Europe become successful

      Communism (USSR)

  • Spread communism to continue the struggle between the rich and the poor

    • USSR sees USA as the rich

  • Control E. Europe to prevent the American influence

    • USA ideals are bad

  • Rebuild Europe using Soviet materials & equipment

  • Keep Germany divided & weak

    • Might prevent another German attack

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

  • In this agreement, Germany & USSR wouldn’t attack eachother & split Poland
    • Hitler violated this in 1941 when he attacked the Soviet Union
  • USA angry that Stalin had been an ally of Hitler during early stages of the war
  • Each side began to suspect each other during the war
    • USA thought USSR might be spying for Hitler
    • USSR angry the USA delayed its attack in Europe
  • Because of this pact, the USA never trusted the USSR & Stalin

Stalin Violated Yalta

  • At Yalta, Stalin agreed to let countries in E. Europe hold free elections

    • This would allow these countries to choose their leaders = on the road to Democracy

  • Stalin didnt stick to his word & prevented free elections in Poland

    • He was very involved in the election process & used scare tactics to vote how he wanted them to
    • After elections, he had great influence over what these countries did and how they were governed

  • As a result, Poland became a Communist country

    • Other nations in E. Europe became Communist also
    • these are the Satellite nations

Containment

  • Prevent the spread of communism
  • Originally focused on Europe, but later spilled to a global effort (ie – Vietnam)
  • Truman’s foreign policy after WWII
  • Truman wanted to stop babying the Soviets

Division of Europe

  • Europe was literally divided into East & West Europe
    • West = Democratic; under American influence
    • East = Communist under Soviet influence
  • Iron Curtain: Term used by Churchill to describe the division of Europe
    • Known as the Iron Curtain speech - Churchill was speaking in the USA on progress in Europe
    • Stalin was insulted by this comment & said it was a “call to war”

Truman Doctrine: 1947

  • Gave aid to any European country fighting Communism
    • Turkey & Greece 1st to get help
    • Given 400 million to ensure communism would not take over those countries
  • Economic & military aid
  • Very Controversial: Some did not like the US getting more involved in European affairs
    • Worried this might lead to another European war

Marshall Plan: 1947

  • Condition in Europe worse than during the war: Harsh winter, rationing electricity
  • Proposed by Sec. of State George Marshall
  • Gave economic aid to European countries who agreed to trade with each other
    • Economic rebuilding of Europe
  • Communist countries did not participate ( not trading with Democratic nations )
  • Why are we doing this?
  • Communism less appealing after the plan’s success

A Germany Divided

  • As per Yalta, Germany was divided into 4 zones: US, USSR, Britain & France
    • US, France & Britain unified W. Germany making Stalin nervous
      • How did Stalin feel about the unification of Germany
  • Soviets controlled E. Germany
  • Berlin is capital of Germany & also divided into 4 zones
    • Berlin was in E. Germany
  • After W. Germany was unified, stalin was not obligated to allow the USA, French or English to send supplies to their citizens / troops in W. Berlin

Stalin’s Blockade of Berlin: 1948

  • Stalin closed the road to Berlin to prevent the Allies from getting supplies to W. Berlin

    • No food, medicine, fuel, etc.
    • Residents of W. Berlin had only enough supplies to last 5 weeks

  • Stalin wanted total control of Berlin Berlin Airlift:
    1948-1949

  • Result of Soviet blockade

  • US Planes dropped supplies into W. Berlin for 327 days

    • Only reason W. Berlin survived

  • Made USA look good and USSR look bad

  • W. Germany unified & declared a new country

  • Stalin lifted blockade in 1949, but kept control of W. Berlin

  • Increased European fear of Soviet aggression

NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

  • Created in 1949 in response to the Berlin blockade
    • Fear of Communist aggression
  • Defensive military alliance against Communism - an attack on one is an attack on all
    • 12 members: USA, Canada, & most of W. Europe
    • If USSR attacked a member nation, the other members would come to its aid
  • Some feared that this would lead to an arms race between the USA & USSR & a massive military build up in europe
    • By 1955, NATO had over 500,000 troops & tons of equipment

WARSAW PACT

  • USSR & Eastern European alliance against Democracy
  • Similar to NATO
  • Created in response to NATO
  • When Hungary attempted to back out, Stalin invaded with tanks, killing over 30,000 people (1956 )

Relations with Japan

  • Us Needs a good relationship with Japan for 2 reasons:
    • Trade
    • Containment

China’s Problems

  • China was involved in a civilw ar when Japan invaded in 1937

  • Nationalists & Communist united to fight against Japanese

  • After the war the civil war in China resumed

  • Chiang Kai-Shek: Leader of the Chinese Nationalists (non-Communist)

    • Supported by US in WWII
    • Struggled with inflation & a weak economy

Mao Zedong

  • Leader of Communist revolution in China
    • Opponent of Chiang Kai-Shek
  • China became a Communist country after the civil war
    • Truman is blamed for losing China to Communism
    • Some even thought it was because the US gov’t. was riddled with Communists
  • Mao forced the Nationalists to move tot he island of Formosa
    • Getting rid of political opposition

China in the United Nations

  • The UN recognized Formosa as China because it wasn’t Communist Korea

  • After WWII, Korea was divided

    • North = Communist, ruled by Kim Il Sung
      • Influenced by Soviet Union
      • Capital: Pyongyang
    • South = non communist; ruled by Syngman Rhee
      • Influenced by the USA
      • Capital: Seoul

  • Korea was divided at 38th Parallel

  • After WWII, the USA decreased its involvement in S. Korea

    • N. Korea had a chance to take over S. Korea w/o American interference
    • USSR agreed to support N. Korea

June 25th, 1950

  • North Korea invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War
  • US extends Truman Doctrine to include Korea & urges UN to get involved
    • USA gives military & financial help to S. Korea ( Just like we did for Greece and Turkey )
    • Truman Doctrine gives aid to any country fighting Communism!
  • General MacArthur in charge of UN forces ( mostly US soldiers )

Quick Breakdown of Korean War: 1950 - 1953

  • June 25 1950: Fighting breaks out at 38th parallel
  • June 28, 1950: N. Korea captures Seoul & moves south
    • N. Korea moved to Pusan forcing UN troops to retreat
  • Sept. 15 1950: MacArthur lead amphibious assault on Inchon
    • UN forces retake Seoul & move north
  • Oct. 1950: MacArthur near the Yula River
    • Very impt. River = border between China & Korea
    • Truman told MacArthur not to cross… it could get the Chinese involved
      • Why would the Chinese get involved?
        • They’re Communist – of course they’re going to help their Communist neighbors
  • Nov 1950: China entered the war to help N. Korea & sent 300,000 soldiers
    • This is the same day MacArthur assured Truman the Chinese would not get involved
  • Nov 1950 - Jan 1951: China & N Korea launch counterattacks, retake N Korea and Seoul
  • UN soldiers having problems
    • Very cold, low on supplies & trapped by the Chinese
  • Sprint 1951: MacArthur wanted to extend the war to China & use nuclear weapons
    • Invading China would mean the USSR would get involved
    • If we use nuclear weapons, so would the USSR ( yes, they have the bomb )
  • Truman began questioning MacArthur’s tactics
    • MacArthur had tried to go around Truman to get what he wanted – wrote Republican leaders, newspapers, etc.
  • April 1 1951: Truman removed MacArthur from command
    • MacArthur would fade away
  • _June 23, 1951: _Cease-fire declared
    • Ends the fighting, but not the tension
  • Stalemate & negotiations
    • Divide Korea at current spot (38th parallel)
    • Create a demilitarize zone between the 2 sides
  • UN, China, and N. Korea sign armistice ending the war

Korean War Basics

  • The Korean War is considered an UN Police action, not an American war
    • No official declaration of war
    • Most UN soldiers were American
      • 54000 Americans died & cost $67 Billion
  • USA was so involved in this war because of containment
  • Often called “America’s Forgotten War”
    • Veterans didn’t get a memorial until 1995
  • Korea was a limited war:
    • No use of nuclear weapons

The Election of 1952

  • Truman decided not to run for reelection considering his low approval due to his handling of China and Korea
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of Allied forces in Western Europe during World War II; was convinced by the Republican Party to run for president.
    • Senator Richard M Nixon of California was selected as his running mate
  • Adlai Stevenson was chosen as the Democratic nominee

Eisenhower’s Cold War

  • Cold War shaped Eisenhower’s thinking
    • Convinced key to winning Cold War was not just military strength but also a strong economy
  • Prove free enterprise was better than communism
    • From war experience, knew the costs of preparing for large-scale conventional war
    • Believed too expensive
  • Instead of maintaining a large and expensive army, nation “must be prepared to use atomic weapons in all forms ”