APUSH Chp 34: Truman & Early Cold War

Harry Truman is a senator of this state

Missouri

Yalta Conference

• Last meeting with big 3

• Final plants to break Germany after war & future occupations

• Stalin argued to follow

  • Poland = Revised borders & rep gov with free elections

  • Bulgaria & Romania also would allow free elections

• Plans for future international peacekeeping organization

Which worldwide peace organization was formed in discussion of the Yalta Conference? 

United Nations

Final Plans for Japan (FDR & Stalin)

FDR: Stalin should enter the Asian war, pin down Japanese troops in Manchuria and Korea, and lighten American losses

Stalin: Agreed to attack Japan within three months after the collapse of Germany. In return, the Soviets were promised the southern half of Sakhalin Island, lost to Japan in 1905; Japan’s Kurile Islands; and control over the railroads and two key seaports in China’s Manchuria.

Roosevelt was blamed for 

Betraying Jiang Jeshi as commi regime would take over.  

Sellout of “Poland”

US’s biggest mistake

Not opening the 2nd front of Euro campaign 

Cold War

A prolonged state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, characterized by the absence of direct conflict but marked by proxy wars, nuclear arms race, and ideological competition.

Atlantic Charter

An agreement between the US and UK outlining their goals for a post-war world, emphasizing self-determination and economic cooperation.

Bretton Woods Conference

A 1944 meeting where major allies established a new international monetary system to promote economic stability and prevent future depressions.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) to increase wrld trade by regulating exchange rates

International Bank for Reconstruction & Development (World Bank) to promote econ growth in war-raged areas

United Nations

• International organization founded in 1945

• Born with idealism

• Truly designed to prevent big wars

• No member of Sec Councial could have taken action without consent

• General Assembly for smaller countries

Programs from UN

WHO (World Health Organization)

Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO)

United Nations Educational Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UN meeting location

San Francisco War Memorial Opera House,

Nuremberg War Crimes Trial

A series of military tribunals held after World War II to prosecute prominent leaders of Nazi Germany for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Berlin Airlift

The Berlin Airlift was a military operation in 1948-1949 during which Western Allies supplied food and fuel to citizens of West Berlin after the Soviet Union blockaded the city.

Iron Curtain

The term "Iron Curtain" refers to the political, military, and ideological barrier that separated Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War, symbolizing the divide between Soviet-controlled regions and the West.

4 pwrs that got Germany

FR, GB, Amer, & USSR

“Foxy Hermann” Goering

was a leading member of the Nazi Party and served as Hitler's second-in-command, responsible for the establishment of the Gestapo and the overall Luftwaffe.

Containment Doctrine

was a United States foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism during the Cold War. It primarily focused on containing Soviet influence globally, stemming from the belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow.

Truman Doctrine

was a U.S. policy established in 1947 to provide military and economic assistance to countries resisting communism, particularly Greece and Turkey, marking a significant shift in American foreign policy.

Marshall Plan

was a U.S. initiative launched in 1948 to aid Western European nations in economic recovery after World War II, providing over $12 billion to help rebuild their economies and prevent the spread of communism.

National Security Act of 1947

was a U.S. law that reorganized the military and intelligence agencies, establishing the National Security Council and the Department of Defense to address post-World War II security concerns.

National Security Council (NSC)

is a U.S. government body responsible for advising the president on national security and foreign policy, created as part of the National Security Act of 1947.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the U.S. government, created in 1947 to gather, process, and analyze national security information from around the world.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(NATO) is a military alliance established in 1949, consisting of North American and European countries, created for mutual defense against aggression.

National Security Council Memorandum Number 68 (NSC-68),

a key policy document developed in 1950, outlining the U.S. strategy of containment against the Soviet Union and advocating for significant increases in military spending during the Cold War.

Korean War

a conflict between North and South Korea that lasted from 1950 to 1953, in which the United States and other allied nations intervened to support South Korea against the communist North, leading to a military stalemate.

Parallel in Korea

the boundary dividing North and South Korea at the 38th parallel, established after World War II, which became a significant line during the Korean War.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives established in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities among private citizens, public employees, and organizations in the post-World War II era.

McCarthyism

the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper evidence, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy, which peaked in the early 1950s during the Cold War.

Army-McCarthy hearings

a series of hearings held in 1954 to investigate accusations of communist infiltration in the U.S. Army, where Senator Joseph McCarthy's tactics were publicly challenged, ultimately leading to his downfall.

Executive Order 9981,

a policy issued by President Harry S. Truman in 1948 that abolished racial segregation in the U.S. military, promoting equal treatment and opportunity for all service members.

Taft-Hartley Act

a 1947 law that restricted the activities and power of labor unions, aiming to balance the rights of workers and employers.

CIO’s Operation Dixie,

an effort launched by the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1946 to organize labor in the southern United States and promote union membership among southern workers.

Employment Act of 1946: What did ts establish?

a law that aimed to promote economic stability and full employment in the United States after World War II, establishing the Council of Economic Advisers to provide advice on economic policy.

GI Bill

Provided various benefits to returning World War II veterans, including low-interest home loans, educational benefits, and unemployment compensation.

Fair Deal 

a series of proposals put forth by President Harry S. Truman in 1949 aimed at improving social welfare and expanding the New Deal's legacy, including universal healthcare and civil rights initiatives.

Truman’s opponent in1948

Thomas Dewy & Storm Thurmond & Henry Wallace

The Truman Years

The period from 1945 to 1952, encompassing Harry S. Truman's presidency, marked by significant domestic and international developments following World War II.

baby boom

A significant increase in birth rates, particularly in the United States, following the end of World War II, lasting from the mid-1940s to the early 1960s.

suburban growth

The rapid expansion of residential areas outside of central cities during the post-World War II era, fueled by the baby boom, increased car ownership, and government policies like the GI Bill.

Sunbelt

The region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the South and Southwest, which experienced significant population and economic growth after World War II.

Council of Economic Advisers

A panel of three economists who advise the President on economic policy, established by the Employment Act of 1946.

inflation; strikes

Economic challenges faced by the United States immediately after World War II, characterized by rising prices due to pent-up consumer demand and numerous labor disputes as workers sought higher wages.

Committee on Civil Rights

A committee established by President Truman in 1946 to investigate racial discrimination and recommend measures to protect civil rights in the United States.

Twenty-second Amendment

Ratified in 1951, this amendment limits the President of the United States to two terms in office.

Progressive Party

A third political party in the United States, particularly notable in the 1948 election, led by Henry Wallace, advocating for more liberal domestic policies and improved relations with the Soviet Union.

Henry Wallace

Former Vice President under FDR, who ran as the Progressive Party's presidential candidate in 1948, advocating for liberal domestic policies and international cooperation.

States-Rights party (Dixiecrats)

A short-lived segregationist political party in the U.S. formed by Southern Democrats in 1948 in opposition to President Truman's civil rights policies.

J. Strom Thurmond

The Governor of South Carolina who ran as the presidential candidate for the States' Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) in the 1948 election.

Soviet Union

A communist state spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, serving as the primary geopolitical rival to the United States during the Cold War.

World Bank

An international financial institution established after World War II to provide financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world.

Communist satellites

Central and Eastern European countries that were under the political, economic, and military influence and control of the Soviet Union after World War II.

George Kennan

An American diplomat and historian known for his 'Long Telegram' from Moscow in 1946, which was instrumental in shaping the U.S. policy of containment toward the Soviet Union.

Dean Acheson

The U.S. Secretary of State from 1949 to 1953, who played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the early Cold War, including the Marshall Plan and the creation of NATO.

East German; West Germany

The division of Germany after World War II into the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Western Allied-controlled Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

U.S.-Japanese Security Treaty

A treaty signed in 1951 that established a military alliance between the United States and Japan, allowing for the stationing of U.S. troops in Japan for its defense.

Douglas MacArthur

A prominent American general who commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific during World War II and led the United Nations forces in Korea until his controversial removal by President Truman.

Chinese civil war

A conflict fought in China between the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) and the Communist Party of China from 1927 to 1949, resulting in a Communist victory.

Chiang Kai-shek

The leader of the Nationalist government of China who eventually retreated to Taiwan after being defeated by Mao Zedong's Communist forces in the Chinese Civil War.

Taiwan

An island off the coast of mainland China, to which Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government fled after its defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

Mao Zedong

The leader of the Chinese Communist Party who established the People's Republic of China in 1949 and governed as its chairman until his death in 1976.

People’s Republic of China

The communist state established in mainland China in 1949 by Mao Zedong, which quickly became a major player in the Cold War.

Syngman Rhee

The first president of South Korea (Republic of Korea), who led the nation during the Korean War.

Dennis et al. v. United States

A 1951 U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of the Smith Act, ruling that advocacy of overthrowing the government was not protected by the First Amendment if it posed a 'clear and present danger'.

Smith Act (1940)

A federal statute that made it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government by force or violence, or to belong to an organization that did so. It was used to prosecute Communist Party leaders during the Cold War.

McCarran Internal Security Act (1950)

U.S. federal law passed over President Truman's veto, requiring communist organizations to register with the government and preventing suspected subversives from entering or leaving the U.S.

Alger Hiss

A former high-ranking State Department official accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948 by Whittaker Chambers and later convicted of perjury in connection with the espionage charges.

Whittaker Chambers

A former Communist Party member and editor who accused Alger Hiss of being a Soviet spy in 1948, playing a key role in the McCarthy era's anti-communist investigations.

Rosenberg case

The highly controversial 1953 trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for conspiring to commit espionage by passing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union.

What did critics argue that FDR could’ve done to help contain commi?

Sellout of Poland & other East Euro countries

Stop letting ccommi regime take over China 

What did Stalin agree to do once Germ fell?

Help fight vs Japan in Pacific

What actions from the allies lead the SovU to become so absorbative?

Leaving them to fight East Euro alone & delaying Euro invasion

Many SovU casualties were payed by what?

Taking much of Eastern Euro

Soviet skepticism & tensions increase from what?

Leaving SovU out of atomic bomb discussions, delaying Euro invasion, & US terminating Lend-Lease with SovU while still keeping it good relations with Britain.

Why did Stalin want to keep good terms with border allies?

Help USSR become world’s biggest commi country.

Both countries tried to spread this type of diplomacy:

Missionary diplomacy, seeking to spread their revolutionary political ideals worldwide.

Why were both US & USSR isolated?

US: By choice

USSR: By rejection of power

Did USSR attend first UN conference?

No, but they did take a huge part of its pwr.

Problem with US taking 1st initiative 

USSR went against their ideals.  

What later became a project from the UN

General Agreement of Tariffs & Trade (GATT) which aimed to promote international trade and reduce tariffs.

LON vs UN

League pressured great-pwr conflict, when UN presumed great-pwr cooperation 

Atomic Bomb 1st prevention

US del Bernard Boruch proposed UN agency over atomic bombs to prevent nuclear proliferation and promote disarmament. However, neither USSR nor US wanted this because they didn’t want nations to secretly have weapons, they never turn in.

Why couldn’t Amer decrease military factories in Europe? 

Germany was needed to rebuild rest of Euro.

Impact of Berlin Airlift

US seen as god savior.

What did Stalin do when he saw GB & US want Iranian oil?

He used his troops to help Iranian rebel movement.

Argument vs Truman Doctrine

Helping ppl > Fight communism spread. USSR = Bad guy. Divided world into pro-soviet or pro-Amer.

Argument for Truman Doctrine 

He truly stood up vs communism & showed that the USSR was truly a threat.  

Did Eastern Euro countries get help from Marshall Plan?

NO

What was crucial to Amer’s Econ & Euro recovery program

Middle East oil

The takeover of this country really stressed US to prevent commi spread.

Chechoslovakia's communist coup in 1948.

Poland, Belgium, & Romania were examples of …

Albania & Yugoslavia were examples of …

Puppet governments

Communist governments 

Puppet government

Free & independent, but 100% controlled by Stalin

Article X was written by whom?

A key section of the 1947 Truman Doctrine that outlined the need for U.S. support to countries resisting communism. It emphasized containment as a strategy to combat Soviet influence. Written by George Kennan

Why did Truman recognize the establishment of Israel?

Sympathy for Jews & going vs Saudi Leader & Arabs, which would escalate tensions with them & US.

Voice of America

A U.S. government-funded radio network aimed at broadcasting news and information to foreign audiences, promoting American values and countering propaganda. (Mainly under Iron Curtain countries)

Why was Nato appealing to US?

Would provide framework for the reintegration of Germany

Us was here to protect Euro from SovU

Nato’s main message

Attack on 1 = Attack on all

Nato’s impact on US

Amer diplomatic convention, increased Euro unification, and big step in militarization vs USSR.  

Join Chiefs of Staff

Leaders of the navy, army, & air force.

Selective Service System helped shape what?

Ppl’s education & career plans.