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Unit 7 – Early Cold War 1945 – 1964

Essential Question

  • To what extent can an ideological war be more dangerous than a physical war?

1. The Threat of Total Extinction (Brinkmanship)

  • Contrast of War Types

    • In a standard physical war, the goal is to force a surrender.
    • In an ideological war between superpowers, the goal is the total validation of one system over another.

  • The Arms Race

    • Definition: The belief that "our way of life" must be protected at any cost.
    • Resulted in the creation of weapons capable of destroying the planet multiple times over.

  • The Cuban Missile Crisis

    • Description: Served as the ultimate proof of danger; the world came within minutes of nuclear Holocaust not over a border dispute but over the placement of missiles intended to "balance" ideological power.

2. The Corruption of Internal Liberty (The 2nd Red Scare)

  • Nature of Ideological Wars

    • Physical wars are fought against an external enemy.
    • Ideological wars can turn a nation against itself.

  • McCarthyism and HUAC

    • The "2nd Red Scare" demonstrated that fear of an ideology can lead a democracy to violate its own Constitution.
    • Examples include the blacklisting of the Hollywood Ten and the execution of the Rosenbergs, highlighting that the real danger was the suspicion of one's own neighbors, not just foreign threats.

  • Psychological Toll

    • Practices like "duck and cover" drills instilled a permanent state of high-level anxiety in entire generations, a form of mental warfare that physical combatants rarely face at home.

3. The Subversion of Sovereignty (Proxy Wars & Covert Ops)

  • Chessboard of Ideological Wars

    • Ideological wars often treat smaller nations as "chess pieces" rather than sovereign people.

  • Contradicting Principles

    • To stop Communism, the US supported the overthrow of democratically elected leaders in countries such as Iran and Guatemala.
    • This suggests that the idea of democracy is often sacrificed to ensure "strategic" victory in ideological war.

  • Forever Wars

    • An ideology does not "surrender" like an army, leading to endless "Turf Wars" (e.g., Korea, Congo, Vietnam). These conflicts create decades of instability in nations caught in the crossfire of US and USSR interests.

Overall Summary

  • An ideological war is arguably more dangerous because it is omnipresent.
  • Physical wars typically end with a treaty, whereas ideological wars continue until one side's social fabric collapses or a nuclear "mistake" occurs.
  • Such conflicts force nations to betray their moral convictions and endanger the survival of the human species in the pursuit of proving a political point.

Terms and Definitions

Section 1 – International Relations

  • United Nations (UN)

    • An international organization established to prevent war and encourage cooperation.
    • Veto Power: Held by the following countries: US, UK, France, Russia, China.

  • Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

    • The US agency responsible for intelligence gathering and conducting covert operations.
Section 2 – Turf Wars (1945-1953)
EUROPE

  • Yalta Conference/Potsdam Conference

    • Meetings between Allied leaders to determine Europe’s post-WWII reorganization.

  • Eastern Bloc

    • Group of communist nations in Eastern Europe under Soviet influence/control.

  • Iron Curtain

    • A term designating the division between democratic Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe.

  • Policy of Containment

    • The US strategy aimed at stopping the expansion of communism.

  • Berlin Crisis

    • Event when the USSR blocked access to West Berlin, leading to the Berlin Airlift.

  • N.A.T.O.

    • A military alliance of Western nations promising mutual defense in case of an attack.
ASIA
  • Containment in Japan
  • Korean Conflict
    • Described as a "proxy war" where US-led UN forces battled to prevent communist North Korea from conquering South Korea.
  • Cold War Definition
    • Political hostility and military tension showcased through threats, propaganda, and proxy wars.
Czechoslovakia (1948)
  • A communist coup overthrew the democratic government.
Truman Doctrine
  • Regions aided included Greece and Turkey to counteract communist threats.
Marshall Plan
  • Western European nations accepted the aid, while Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc satellites rejected it.
Importance of Taiwan
  • After the Chinese Civil War, the US recognized Taiwan as the "true" China.
Section 3 – Turf Wars (1954-1964)

  • Brinkmanship

    • The act of pushing a dangerous situation to the absolute edge of war to force an opponent to back down.

  • Arms Race

    • The competitive buildup of nuclear weapons by global powers.
EUROPE

  • Warsaw Pact

    • A military alliance of communist nations created in response to West Germany’s NATO membership.

  • Hungarian Uprising (1956)

    • A revolt against Soviet control which was brutally suppressed.

  • U-2 Incident (1960)

    • The downing of a US spy plane over the USSR, which complicated a planned peace summit.

  • Berlin Wall

    • A physical barrier erected by East Germany to prevent emigration from East to West Berlin.
MIDDLE EAST

  • Suez Canal Crisis

    • Nasser’s nationalization of the Suez Canal led to invasion by Britain, France, and Israel; they withdrew under US and USSR pressure.
    • Indicated the decline of British/French influence in the Middle East.

  • Eisenhower Doctrine

    • Policy stating US would intervene, using force if necessary, to help any Middle Eastern nation threatened by communism.
AFRICA
  • Patrice Lumumba
    • First Prime Minister of the independent Congo; his inability to receive Western support led him to seek assistance from the Soviet Union.
    • Resulted in a CIA-backed plot for Lumumba's removal, as the US feared a Soviet foothold in Africa.
LATIN AMERICA

  • Bay of Pigs

    • A failed CIA-backed initiative by Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro.

  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    • A 13-day standoff in 1962 involving Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba; the closest point of nuclear war reached in history.
Section 4 – American Hysteria

  • House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

    • Congressional committee investigating suspected "subversive" (communist) activities in the US.

  • Smith Act

    • Criminalized advocacy for violent overthrow of the US government.

  • Loyalty Review Board

    • Established by President Truman to investigate federal employees; many were fired or resigned due to doubts about loyalty.

  • McCarran Security Act

    • Required all communist organizations to register with the government and permitted detention of suspected subversive individuals during emergencies.

  • Hollywood Ten

    • A group of screenwriters who refused to cooperate with HUAC and were blacklisted as a result.

5. Cultural Impact of the Cold War

Why called the ‘2nd Red Scare’?

  • Era marked by fear of communist infiltration in American society and government, characterized by aggressive investigations and a general public hysteria.

  • “Duck & Cover”

    • A civil defense drill intended for schoolchildren to theoretically protect them from a nuclear blast.
Constitutional Violations
  • Primarily implicated the 1st and 5th Amendments through actions taken by HUAC and Senator McCarthy.
Definition of Blacklisted
  • Being placed on a list of individuals deemed suspected communists, which obstructed their employment in the industry.

Case Study: Dalton Trumbo

  • A prominent screenwriter and member of the Hollywood Ten; he continued writing under pseudonyms and eventually won Oscars while remaining “invisible.”

Olympics and the Cold War

  • Olympic games became a significant platform for showcasing ideological supremacy; medal counts served as propaganda to demonstrate the superiority of either Capitalism or Communism, turning sports into a "soft" war.