C. Period 8 1945 - 1980 Amsco Note Taking Guide (Ch. 26) PDF

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Period 8: 1945-1980 Chapter 26: Truman and the Cold War, 1945-1952 [557 - 572] Due Date: Wednesday, April 18

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WWII dramatically changed the US from an isolationist country into a military superpower and a leader in world affairs - After war most Ams at home and milliones coming back from military service wanted normal domestic life and to enjoy revitalized nat econ - During Truman pres, growing conflict between Soviets and US- Cold War- dampen nations enjoyment of postwar boom Postwar America - 15 million Am soldiers, sailors, and marines returning to civilian life in 1945-46 faced job and housing probs - Fear end of war might mean econ hard times - War years had increased per-capita income, much was in savings since wartime shortages meant little goods to buy - Pent-up consumer demand for autos and housing with gov road-building projects quickly overcame econ uncertainty after war and introduced era of unprecedented prosperity and econ growth - By 1950s Ams enjoyed the highest standard of living achieved by any society in history -

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GI Bill Help For Veterans - Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of Rights) proved powerful support during transition of 15 million vets to peacetime econ - More than half returning GIs (men and women in uniform) seized opportunity afforded by GI Bill to continue edu at gov expense - Over 2 million GIs attended college started boom in higher edu - Vets received over $16 billion in low-interest, gov-backed loans to buy homes and farms and to start businesses - By focusing on better edu workforce and promoting new construction, fed gov stimulated the postwar econ expansion Baby Boom - Sign of basic confidence of postwar era was explosion in marriage and births - Younger marriages and larger families resulted in 50 million babies entering US between 1945 and 1960 - As the baby boom gen grew, it affected the nation’s social institu and econ life in last half of 20th century - Initially Baby Boomers focused women’s attention on raising children and homemaking, trend of women in workplace cont - By 19660, ⅓ of all married women worked outside home Suburban Growth - High demand for housing after the war resulted in construction boom - William J Levitt led in development of postwar suburbia with his building and promotion of Levittown, project of 17,000 mass-produced, low-priced family homes on Long Island, New York - Low interest rates on mortgages that were both gov-insured and tax deductible made the move from city to suburb affordable for even families of modest means - Majority of middle-class lives in suburbs (suburbanites)

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- For many older inner cities the effect of mass movement to suburbia was disastrous - By the 1960s cities from Boston to LA became increasingly poor and racially divided Rise of the Sunbelt - Millions of Ams made a habit of moving in the postwar era - Warmer climate, lower taxes, and econ opportunities in defense-related industries attracted many GIs and their families to the Sunbelt states from FL to CA - By transferring tax dollars from Northeast and Midwest to the South and West, military spending during Cold War helped finance the shift of industry, people, and political power from one region to another

Postwar Politics - Harry S Truman, mod Dem from Missouri, replaced Henry Wallace as FDR’s VP in 1944 election - Became pres when FDR died in April 1945, Truman matured into decisive leader whose basic honesty and unpretentious style appealed to average citizens - Attempted to continue in New Deal trad of predecessor -

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Economic Program and Civil Rights - Truman’s proposals for full employment and for civil rights for Af Ams ran into opposition from conservatives in Congress - Employment Act of 1946 - In Sept 1945, same week as Japan’s formal surrender, Truman urged Congress to enact a series of progressive measures, nat health insurance, increase in minimum wage, and bill to commit the US gov to maintaining full employment - The watered-down version of full employment bill passed as the Employment Act of 1946 - Created Council of Econ Advisers to counsel both pres and Congress on means of promoting nat econ welfare - Over next 7 years, coalition of Repubs and conservative Southern Dems, beginning of Cold War, hindered passage of Truman’s domestic program - Inflation and Strikes - Truman urged Congress to count the price controls of the Office of Price Admin - Result was an inflation rate of almost 25% during the first year and a half of peace - Workers and unions wanted wages to catch up after years of wage controls - Over 4.5 million workers went on strike in 1946 - Strikes by miners and RR workers threatened nat safety - Truman seized the mines and used soldiers to keep them operating until the United Mine Workers finally called off its strike - Civil Rights - Truman was first modern Pres to use powers of office to challenge racial discrimination - Used exec powers to est Committee on Civil Rights in 1946 - Strengthened the civil rights division of Justice Dept, aided efforts to end segregation in schools - 1948, Truman ordered end of racial discrimination throughout the fed gov, including armed forces - End of segregation changed life on military bases, many were in the South - Recog odds against passage of civil rights legis, Truman urged Congress to create Fair Employment Practices Commission that would prevent employers from discriminating against the hiring of Af Ams - Southern Dems blocked legis Republican Control of the Eightieth Congress

Voters were in conservative mood in 1946 when elected Repub majorities in both houses of Congress, people unhappy with inflation and strikes - Attempted to pass two tax cuts for upper-income Ams, Truman vetoed both - Repubs amend constit and roll back some gains of New Deal - Twenty-second Amendment (1951) - Limit pres to max of two terms - Ratified by states in 1951 - Taft-Hartley Act (1947) - Probusiness, truman vetoed bc slave-labor bill but congress overrode - Purpose was to check growing power of unions - Outlawed closed shop (contract required workers to join union before being hired) - Permitting states to pass “rights to work” laws outlawing the union shop (contract req workers to join a union after being hired) - Outlawing secondary boycotts (practice of several unions supporting striking union by joining a boycott of company’s products) - Giving the pres the power to invoke an 80-day cooling-off period before a strike endangering the national safety could be called - For years afterward, unions sought unsuccessfully to repeal the Taft-Hartley Act, act became major issue diving Repub and Dems in the 1950s The Election of 1948 - Truman’s popularity at a low point as the 1948 campaign for pres began - Repubs confident of victory, esp after liberal faction and conservative faction in Dem abandon Truman - Liberal dems think Truman foreign policy too aggressive, form new Progressive party nominate Henry Wallace - Southern Dems bolted party in reaction to Truman’s support for civil rights, State’s Rights partyDixiecrats, Gov J. Strom Thurmond of SC - Repubs nominate NY gov Thomas E Dewey who looked so much a winner that he had overly cautious and unexciting campaign - Truman toured nation by rail, attacking do-nothing Repub 80th Congress with give-em-hell speeches, won over Dewey - Truman united FDR New Deal coalition except four Southern states that went to Thurmond and Dixiecrats The Fair Deal - Ambitious reform program 1949 - Urged Congress to enact national health care insurance, fed aid to edu, civil rights legis, funds for public housing, new farm program - Conservatives blocked most except increase in minimum wage (from 40 to 75 cents an hour) and inclusion of more workers under Social Security - Most were defeated bc Truman’s political conflicts with Congress and pressing foreign policy concerns of Cold War - Liberal defenders praise for defending New Deal reforms of FDR and making civil rights part of liberal agenda -

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Origins of the Cold War - Dominated international relations from late 1940s to collapse of Soviet Union in 1991 - Many analysts see Truman’s policies as reasonable response to Soviet efforts to increase influence in the world - Others attack him admin as being weak or soft on communism -

U.S.-Soviet Relations to 1945

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Wartime alliance between US and Soviets were temp halt in generally poor relations of past Since Bolshevik Revolution est Communist gov in 1917, Ams view Soviets as threat to all capitalist countries Red Scare of 1919, US didn’t recog Soviet Union until 1933 then FDR advisers conclude that Stalin and communists can’t be trusted Confirmed view after Nonaggression Pact of 1939 with Stalin and Hitler Allies in World War II - Soviets and US were allies of convenience - Stalin bitter about US and Brits not opening second front in France until 1944 bc Soviets took brunt of fighting, est soviets were ½ of all deaths in WWII - Postwar conflicts over Central and Eastern Euro were evident in negotiations between Brits, Soviets, and US at the Yalta Conference and Potsdam in 1945 - FDR hoped diplomacy might keep Stalin in check but when Truman came to power, he was suspicious of Soviets Postwar Cooperation and the U.N. - Fall 1945 UN founded - General Assembly of UN created to provide rep to all member nation, 15 member Security Council given primary responsibility of within the UN for maintaining international security and oauth peacekeeping mission - Five major allies of war US, Brit, France, China and Soviets were granted permanent seats and veto power in the UN Security Council - People hoped these nations would be able to reach an agreement on internal issues - Soviets went along with US proposal to test an Atomic Energy Commission in the UN - Soviets rejected plan by Bernard Baruch for regulating nuclear energy and eliminating atomic weapons, this was interpreted by Am leaders as proof Moscow didn’t have peaceful intentions - US also offered the Soviets participation in the new International Bank for Recon and Development (World Bank) created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 - Banks initial purpose was to fund rebuilding of a war-torn world, Soviets declined bc viewed bank as instrument of capitalism - Soviets joined Allies in 1945-46 Nuremburg trials of 22 top Nazi leaders for war crimes and violations of human rights Satellite States in Eastern Europe - 1946- hostility bc Soviets forced still occupied countries in Central and Eastern Euro - Soviets had election but Stalin manipulated them in favor of Communists candidates - 1946 to 1948, communist dictators most loyal to Moscow came to power in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia - Apologists for Soviets argued that Russia needed buffer states or satellites as a protection against another Hitler-like invasion from the West - US and Brit gov alarmed by Soviet takeover of Eastern Euro, regarded Soviet action as flagrant violation of self-determination, genuine dem, and open markets - Brit wanted free elections in Poland whose indep had been the issue that started WWII Occupation Zones in Germany - At end of war, division of Germany and Austria into Soviet, French, Brit, and US occupation zones meant to be temp but east zone under Soviet control became new Communist state, the German Democratic Republic - Conflict over Germany partly over differing views of national security and econ needs - Soviets wanted weak Germany for security reasons and large war reparations for econ reasons

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US and Brit refused to allow reparations from their western zones bc both viewed the econ recovery of Germany as important to the stability of Central Euro - Soviets feared restoring Germany so tighten control of East Germany, they had Berlin in their area so they attempted to force other allies to give up their sections of the city Iron Curtain - News of Canadian spy stealing atomic secrets for Soviets and continued Soviet occupation of northern Iran encouraged a get tough policy in Wash - Mar 1946, Fulton, Missouri, Truman watched Churchill speech about iron curtain of soviet satellite states, called for partnership between Western Democracies to halt expansion of communism

Containment in Europe - 1947, Truman decides to contain Soviet aggression, containment policy made by Sec of State Gen George Marshall, Undersec of State Dean Acheson, and expert on soviets George Kennan - Kennan thought containment would eventually cause Soviets to back off Communist ideology of world dom and live in peace with other nations - Walter Lippmann, journalist, critic, coined term Cold War argued that some areas were vital to US security while others were peripheral, some govs deserved US support but others don’t - Am leaders had learned lesson from Munich (gave Hitler land) and appeasement weal and felt communist aggression should be challenged -

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The Truman Doctrine - Truman first implements containment in Greece and Turkey - Truman Doctrine- asked Congress in March 1947 for $400 million in econ and military aid to assist free people of Greece and Turkey against totalitarian regimes, got bipartisan support The Marshall Plan - Discontent encouraged communism in Italy and France - Truman feared western countries would vote communism into power - June 1947, Marshall makes program of US econ aid to help Euro nations revive their econ and strengthen dem govs - In december, Truman submitted $17 billion Euro Recovery Program - 1948, $12 billion in aid approved for distribution to countries of Western Euro over 4 years - US offered Marshall Plan aid to Soviet Union and eastern satellites but they refused fearing it would lead to dependence on the US - Marshall Plan worked, helped Western Europe achieve self-sustaining growth by 1950s and ended any real threat of Communist political successes - Bolstered US popularity by increasing US exports to Euro - Deepened rift between non-Communist West and Communist East The Berlin Airlift - Major crisis of Cold War focused on Berlin - June 1948, soviets cut off all access by land - Truman dismissed any plans to withdraw from Berlin, rejected using force to open up roads through Soviet controlled Eastern zone - Ordered US planes to fly in supplies, sent 60 bombers capable of carrying atomic bombs to Brit - Stalin decided not to challenge airlift - By May 1949, Soviets opened up highway and ended blockade - Major long term consequence of Berlin crisis - Federal Republic of Germany (West, US ally) - German Democratic Republic (East, Soviet)

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NATO and National Security - After GWash farewell address of 1796, US had avoided permanent alliances with Euro nations - Truman broke tradition by recommending US join military defense pact to protect West Euro, senate consented - 10 nations joined the US and Canada, created North Atlantic Treaty Organization, military alliance for defending all members from attack - Truman selected Gen Eisenhower as NATO's first Supreme Commander and stationed US troops in West Euro as defense against Soviet invasion - Containment policy led to military buildup and major commitments abroad - Soviet countered in 1955 with Warsaw Pact- military alliance for defense of Communist states of East Euro - National Security Act (1947) - US began to modernize military capacity in 1947 by passing National Security Act - Centralized Dept of Defense to coordinate army, navy, air force - Creation of National Security Council to coord foreign policy making in Cold War - Creation of CIA to employ spies to gather info on foreign govs - 1948- Selective Service System and peacetime draft instituted - Atomic Weapons - Scientists in US and Soviet engaged in arms race to develop superior weapons system - For period of 4 years (1945-1949) the US is only nation to have atomic bomb - Developed new gen of long-range bombers for delivering nuclear weapons - Soviets tested their first atomic bomb in fall of 1949 - Truman then approved development of bomb 1000x more powerful than atomic bomb - Hydrogen bomb in 1952 - 1950, NSC had recommended in S-68 that US should 4x gov defense spending to 20% of GNP, form alliances with non-communist countries around world, and convince public that costly arms buildup was imperative to nations defense - Evaluating U.S. Policy - Critics of NATO and defense buildup argue that Truman admin intensified Russian fears and started unnecessary arms race - NATO became one of most powerful military alliances in history - Checked Soviet expansion in Euro and maintained uneasy peace until Soviet collapse in 1991

Cold War in Asia - Successful containment in Euro not in Asia - Old imperialist systems in India and SE Asia crumbled, become new nations - Bc of diff cultural and political traditions and bitter memories of Western colonialism, they resisted US influence - Japan became closely tied to US defense system -

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Solely under US control Gen MacArthur took charge of recon in Japan 7 Japanese generals, including Premier Hideki Tojo) tried for war crimes and executed New construction in May 1947 set up parliamentary dem Still had Emperor Hirohito as ceremonial head of state but gave up claims to divinity New constit renounced war as instrument of national policy and provided for limited military capability Japan depended on US military protection U.S.-Japanese Security Treaties

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Japan signed two treaties in 1951 - Gave up claims to Korea and islands in the Pacific - US ended formal occupation of Japan - US troops got to remain in military bases for Japan’s protection from external enemies (Communists) - Japan became strong ally and prospered under Am shield The Philippines and the Pacific - July 4, 1946- Philippines became indep republic but US retained important naval and air bases there during Cold War - With US control of UN trustee islands made Pacific Ocean look American China - Chiang Kai-shek came to power in late 1920s, was nationalist party commanded China central gov - In WWII, US gave China extensive military aid to prevent all of China from being conquered by Japan - After WWII, Civil War renewed with Chiang’s nationalists and Mao Zedong’s commies - Nationalists losing loyalty bc of inflation and widespread corruption while commies were well organized and appealed to poor and landless peasants - U.S. Policy - Sent George Marshall in 1946 to negotiate end to Chinese civil war but his compromise fell apart - 1947, Chiang’s armies in retreat, Ams ruled out large scale invasion to help - Congress gave nationalists $400 million in aid but 80% of US military supplies ended up in commie hand bc corruption and collapse of nationalist armies - Two Chinas - By end 1949, China controlled by Mao Zedong - Chiang and nationalists retreated to Taiwan, where Chiang still claimed control china - US refused to recog Mao’s China until 1979 - In US, Repubs blame Dems for loss of China to commies - 1950, 2 communist dictators- Stalin and Mao signed Sino-Soviet pact, provide further proof of WW Commie conspiracy The Korean War - Korea divided along 38th parallel by victors of WWII - Soviets occupied the North, US in South - Kim Il Sung communist north, conservative nat Syngman Rhee in south - Invasion - June 25, 1950- North K army suprised world by invading South K - Apply containment policy to Koreas - Special UN Security Council session called, auth UN force to defend South K, mostly US troops, commanded by Gen MacArthur - Congress didn’t declare war, thought it was just a police action - Counterattack - War went badly at first, NK pushed SK and Ams to the tip - Gen MacArthur reversed war with amphibious assault at Inchon behind NK lines - UN forces then proceeded to destroy much of NK army, advanced north to China border - MacArthur decided to invade China even though they said they would resist threats to security - Nov 1950, Chinese troops cross border to NK and overwhelm UN forces in one of worst defeats in US history, US driven out of NK