Early Cold War, 1945-1954
Cold War: origins in WWII - Yalta agreement, 1945 - division on Europe
Tensions rise: 1947-1949:
"containment" theory expressed- 1947
Berlin airlift, 1948-49
China becomes communist, 1949
NATO est., 1949, Warsaw Pact soon to follow
Soviets explode Atomic bomb: "duck & cover" - anxiety over nuclear confrontation takes hold
Early Cold War: 1945-1954
Eisenhower suited for 1950’s: conservative, neutral, military background
Marshall Plan, 1948-$$ to w. Europe: developmental aid, strategic purpose
US supports est. of Israel (UN partition plan)
Alger Hiss case-1948: R. Nixon, Joe McCarthy and dynamic anti-communism through 1954: "McCarthyism"
Korean War, 1950-1953 - Cold War gets "hot’
tension is intense - through Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) & Vietnam era
Discussion Questions:
Was Cold War an exercise in Paranoia?
How did Cold War emphasize & benefit American society of the 1950’s?
Are we still fighting the Cold War?
Do governments need an "enemy" to unify the population?
Could the Cold War have been prevented?