Cold War: Part One Notes

Origins of the Cold War

• World War II concluded in 1945, leaving the U.S. and Soviet Union as the dominant global powers.
• The U.S. aimed for global economic restructuring to ensure American prosperity, promoting a world based on American values.
• The Soviet Union prioritized its security, having suffered 20 million casualties in the war against Hitler, and sought a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.

A Divided Europe

• Post-WWII Europe was divided into spheres of influence, primarily between NATO states and Warsaw Pact states, along with other communist and non-aligned states.

Conflicts of the Cold War

• Ideological Conflict: The U.S. promoted free markets and representative democracies, while the Soviet Union advocated for a command economy and bureaucratic rule.
• Technological Conflict: This included an arms race, a space race, and competition regarding consumer goods.
• "Hearts and Minds" Conflict: This involved efforts to gain alignment of the "Third World" through initiatives like the Peace Corps, Fulbright Program, and immigration reforms.

The Truman Doctrine

• Containment: The U.S. committed to preventing further Soviet expansion of power and influence.
• 1947: The Truman Doctrine was enacted, committing the U.S. to supporting the monarchy in Greece and preventing Soviet involvement in Turkey.
• 400 million was pledged with bipartisan support.

The Marshall Plan

• June 1947: Secretary of State George Marshall announced a plan to provide billions in aid to rebuild Western Europe.
• Driven by concerns about economic chaos, inflation, and starvation, and the fear of a slide toward communism.
• Aimed to shore up support for and faith in capitalism and create markets for American goods. The slogan was "Prosperity Makes Your Free."

The Korean War

• 1949: Communists secured control of China.
• Korea was divided after World War II.
• June 1950: North Korea invaded South Korea in an effort to unify the country.
• The UN authorized the use of force to expel North Korean forces.
• September 1950: U.S. forces occupied most of North Korea, but Chinese forces intervened, driving them back.
• The conflict resulted in a stalemate, with an armistice in 1953, returning the border to the 38th parallel.

Conflict in Korea - Impact

• 33,000 Americans were killed.
• 1 million Korean soldiers were killed.
• 2 million civilians died.
• The Cold War became a global conflict with a huge human toll.
• 1947-1953: The postwar age developed into a divided world, characterized by ideological conflict and military confrontations under the shadow of "the bomb."