Post World War II

Post World War II

Cold War (1945 – 1989)•Korean War (1950 – 1953)•Civil Rights Era (1945 – 1975)•Vietnam Era (1954 – 1976)

Post WWII GI Bill of Rights

“government issue”

1944 Congressional act which gave veterans money to spend on businesses, homes, and schooling

Helped more than 2 million former soldiers attend college to prepare for new careers

Baby Boom Increased birthrate following WWII

Post WWII

Philippines 1946, U.S. gave Filipinos their

independence

State of Israel May 14, 1948

an independent nation

WWII – Review Yalta Conference

Allies agreed to divide Germany & Berlin into 4 zones controlled by Americans, British, French & Soviets

Stalin promised to hold free elections in parts of Eastern Europe under his control

Atlantic Charter – Review

Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill agreed to seek no territorial gain from the war

FDR and Churchill pledged to support the “right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live.” (self-determination)

The Charter called for a “permanent system of general security,” such as an organization like the League of Nations (United Nations)

Post WWII

United Nations June 26, 1945 Keep the peace Gather food & supplies for needy nations Homes for war victims Help developing nations with problems of

health, farming, and education

Post WWII

United Nations General Assembly

No way to enforce decisions Security Council

More powerful 15 members

5 permanent members U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France If only one permanent member vetoes,

Security Council cannot act

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Truman (like FDR) believed in self-determination U.S. demanded free elections be held

throughout Eastern Europe Much was occupied by the Soviet Union

Stalin promised to allow free elections, but went back on his word after WWII He wanted military security for the

Soviet Union, and for his country to be the dominant world power

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Ideological conflict Fought with words & ideas

Primarily between U.S. and Soviet Union Communism vs. Democracy Dominated world politics

Cold War (1945 – 1989) International Organizations

United Nations

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) April 1949 U.S. and other Western nations Military alliance – collective defense against a

Soviet attack Warsaw Pact

1955 Soviet Union and satellite nations

Cold War 1945 – 1989

Cold War (1945 – 1989) “A freely elected government in

any of the Eastern European countries would be anti-Soviet, and that we cannot allow.”

– Josef Stalin

By 1948, the government of most nations in Eastern Europe were satellites of Soviet Union

Nations dominated politically or economically by a more powerful nation

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Winston Churchill Warned Americans of

the Soviet threat in a speech on March 5, 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, MO

An “iron curtain has descended across the continent”, walling off Soviet-dominated nations from the rest of the world

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Truman Doctrine March 1947

Containment Limit or block

expansion of Soviet Communism

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Marshall Plan June 1947 Proposed by Secy. of State George Marshall Provided money to help European

nations rebuild after WWII Factories, schools, hospitals, railroads,

bridges, farms Huge success

1948-1951, U.S. loaned >$12 billion to 16 Western European countries

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Germany & Berlin Divided into 4 parts

East Germany – Communist Soviet Union

West Germany – Democracy Great Britain France U.S.

Cold War 1945 – 1989

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Western powers decided it was time to reunite Germany in 1948, but Stalin was opposed

June 1948, Soviets set up a blockade around Berlin and prevented delivery of Allied supplies

Berlin Airlift Cargo planes delivered tons of food and supplies

to 2M people in West Berlin >200,000 flights from June 1948 – May 1949

May 1949, Soviets call off blockade

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Berlin Airlift

Cold War (1945 – 1989) October 1949, U.S., Britain, & France combine their

zones into one country – West Germany A divided Germany and Berlin remained a focus of

Cold War tensions Between 1949 and 1961, thousands of East Germans

fled to West Berlin, then into West Germany

Berlin Wall Built in August 1961 Separated East and West Germany Stood for 28 years as a symbol of a divided

Germany and Europe

Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

Westminster College

Fulton, MO

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Election of 1948 Chicago Tribune

mistakenly declared Thomas Dewey the winner over Harry Truman

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

People’s Republic of China

In late 1949, Chinese Communists take control of China

Mao Zedong – leader

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Election of 1952 Truman decides not to run Democrat Adlai Stevenson,

Gov. of IL Dwight D. Eisenhower

Republican war hero “I like Ike” Landslide victory

Cold War (1945 – 1989) 1950s People live longer thanks to

new medicines (antibiotics) and polio vaccine

Suburbs grew by 50% Poor & less educated stayed

in inner cities

By end of decade: 6 of 10 families owned homes 3 out of 4 had cars Almost every home had a TV

Cold War (1945 – 1989) 1950s Television

I Love Lucy, most popular show

Howdy Doody popular with kids Frozen dinners

Rock-and-Roll Elvis Presley, “The King” “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill

Haley and the Comets

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Dwight D. Eisenhower

President 1953-1961 Vice President –

Richard Nixon

Interstate Highway Act of 1956 One of

Eisenhower’s greatest achievements

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Korean War (1950 – 1953)• Officially a “police action,” not a war

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Korean Peninsula Occupied & ruled harshly by Japan since 1910

After Japan’s defeat in WWII, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel latitude

North Korean troops invaded South Korea June 25, 1950

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Korean War: 1950 - 1953

North Korea (communist) Helped by Communist China and

backed by Soviet Union

South Korea (non-communist) Helped by United Nations and

backed by the U.S.

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Korean War: 1950 – 1953

War against communism

U.N. voted to send military troops – 90% were American

Pres. Truman appointed Gen. Douglas MacArthur to lead the troops

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Korean War: 1950 – 1953

North Korea invaded South Korea and occupied most of the peninsula

Gen. MacArthur and UN forces counterattacked, pushing North Koreans back across the 38th parallel

Gen. MacArthur continues into North Korea, almost to China

UN goal was to reunify Korea

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Korean War: 1950 – 1953 Angered Chinese government sent troops to assist

North Korea

China pushed UN forces beyond the 38th parallel and back into South Korea and the war became a stalemate

Gen. MacArthur wanted to attack China

He believed this was the only way to win the Korean War

Pres. Truman did not want to attack China

He feared this might lead to another world war

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Korean War: 1950 – 1953

Gen. MacArthur publicly called for the bombing of China

Pres. Truman warned Gen. MacArthur against making further public statements

Gen. MacArthur disregarded Pres. Truman’s warnings

MacArthur publicly argued that he could not win the war because of Washington politicians

A furious Pres. Truman fired Gen. MacArthur

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Korean War: 1950 – 1953 Peace talks began in July 1953, but fighting continued

Fighting ended in July 1953 with a cease-fire

The border between North and South Korea is almost exactly where it was before the war

Tensions between North and South Korea continue today

North and South Korea agreed to establish a demilitarized zone An area from which military forces are prohibited

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Korean War: 1950 – 1953

Korea was the first attempt by the U.S. to stop communism in Asia

2M Koreans died, mostly civilians 30,000 Americans died & thousands from other nations

Officially, it was a “police action,” not a war

Korea is the last communist hot spot It developed nuclear weapons at the beginning of

the 21st century

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Red scare in America

Many Americans fear Communist sympathizers and spies might be secretly working to overthrow the U.S. government

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Alger Hiss Former State Dept.

official

Accused of passing government secrets to Soviet agents in 1930s The “pumpkin papers”

Convicted of perjury, spent several years in prison

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Found guilty of passing secrets of the atomic bomb to Soviets

Sentenced to death and executed in 1953

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

U.S. government released papers in 1990s indicating that Hiss and the Rosenbergs had been spies

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Senator

Joseph McCarthy

Built his career by exposing alleged Communists in U.S. government

Without evidence, sensationally accused people of being Communists

Many Americans were eager to believe him

Cold War (1945 – 1989) McCarthy bullied

witnesses before his Senate committee and made exaggerated charges

He ruined many lives and careers

McCarthyism Accusing someone of

disloyalty without having any evidence

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Nikita Khrushchev

1953, became leader of Soviet Union when Josef Stalin died

Predicted Communism would destroy Western democracies

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

U.S. and Soviet Union began arms race Contest in which nations compete to build powerful

weapons

U.S. exploded first hydrogen bomb in 1952 (H-bomb)

Followed in next few years by Soviet Union, China, United Kingdom, and France

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Sputnik I

Launched October 4, 1957 by Soviet Union

World’s 1st artificial satellite

1st man-made object to orbit the Earth

184 lbs. About the size of a basketball

Took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth at 18,000 mph

Sputnik I – launched by Soviet Union

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Start of the Space Age and the U.S. – U.S.S.R. space race Control outer space

Led directly to creation of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Admin.)

Cold War1945 - 1989

•Explorer I

Launched by the U.S. January 31, 1958

1st U.S. satellite

Officially known as Satellite 1958 Alpha

30.66 lbs.

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Fidel Castro

Communist

In a 1959 revolution, took control of Cuba

U.S. glad to see Fulgencio Batista ousted

Castro took land belonging to American companies

U.S. started a trade embargo against Cuba

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Castro asked Soviet Union

for help

People left Cuba for the U.S.

In April 1961, Cuban exiles returned with U.S. support

Landed at Bay of Pigs

Invasion failed, many were captured

U.S. – Cuban government relations strained

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Bay of Pigs invasion April 1961

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Election of 1960

Richard M. Nixon Vice President &

Republican candidate John F. Kennedy

Democrat candidate Narrowly wins election

Vice President – Lyndon Johnson

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Cuban Missile Crisis

1962

U.S. spy planes photograph Soviet missiles in Cuba

U.S. set up naval “quarantine” around Cuba

U.S. and Soviet Union reached agreement Missiles removed U.S. did not invade

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Vietnam Era• Officially a “conflict,” not a war

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

At WWII’s end, French Indochina was divided into Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam

1946-1954, French fought to regain control of Vietnam

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Ho Chi Minh drove out the French and set up a Communist government in northern Vietnam

Vietnam became divided into North and South, and civil war broke out

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

U.S. political leaders feared Communist takeover in Southeast Asia

Domino theory If one country fell to the Communists,

neighboring countries would follow

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Vietnam

U.S. sent money and weapons to South Vietnam, and trained its soldiers

U.S. advisers began fighting in Vietnam

Guerrilla warfare fighters for the North came to be called the Vietcong

Supported by Soviet Union and China with arms and supplies


August 1964, U.S. ships reportedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in Gulf of Tonkin

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed by Congress Gave Pres. Johnson

unlimited authority to use military force

U.S. planes began bombing North Vietnam


American airplanes dropped bombs containing napalm A jellylike substance that burst

into flames when dropped on villages or vegetation

American airplanes also sprayed the herbicide Agent Orange Destroyed crops and

vegetation where enemies hid Later blamed for birth defects,

cancer, and long-term health problems


The Tet Offensive Began January 31, 1968 Tet is Vietnamese New

Year holiday North Vietnamese and

Vietcong attack every major city in South Vietnam

Siege lasted until February 25

Military victory for U.S. Turning point of the war


Most Americans did not believe that the U.S. should be fighting in Vietnam

After the Tet Offensive, Pres. Johnson and advisors were convinced U.S. could not win the war

Antiwar protests spread across America Petitions, marches, sit-ins,

public draft-card burnings, violent confrontations with police


Pres. Nixon expanded the war into Cambodia and Laos to attack North Vietnamese bases and disrupt their supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Kent State University, Kent, OH

Worst, deadly antiwar protest in America – May 4, 1970


Paris Peace Accords

Signed January 27, 1973

Last U.S. combat troops removed in March 1973

North Vietnam troops invade South Vietnam after Americans leave

U.S. helicopters and ships evacuate thousands of American workers and South Vietnamese supporters

Cold War 1945 – 1989

Vietnam April 30, 1975, South Vietnamese

government formally surrendered

Vietnam united under a Communist government

Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City

More than 1M people fled the new regime

Boat people attempted to escape in small boats 200,000 died at sea or in

refugee camps U.S. and other nations took

in many refugees


Longest war in U.S. history, lasted for 10 years

Eisenhower was president when the war began, Nixon was president when it ended

First foreign war the U.S. did not win

U.S. never officially declared war in Vietnam


Vets were not welcomed home with cheering and parades

1.8 M American men drafted

58,000 Americans died in combat

300,000 Americans wounded

$200 billion price tag Damaged U.S. economy for

years


Undermined the nation’s trust in the government and its leaders

Pentagon Papers

Published in 1971 by leading newspapers

Secret government documents showing how government officials concealed actions and misled Americans

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

War Powers Act

Passed by Congress in 1973 to curb President’s power

President cannot send military forces into action for longer than 60 days without congressional approval

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

26th Amendment to the Constitution Passed in 1971 Lowered voting age to 18

If 18-year-olds were old enough to fight and die in Vietnam, they were old enough to vote

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Kennedy

1961 Peace Corps created by Congress Program to build

relationships between Americans and peoples of other nations Sharing skills and

knowledge Encourage economic

growth in developing countries

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President John F. Kennedy

Assassinated Nov. 22, 1963

In Dallas, TX

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President John F. Kennedy

Assassinated Nov. 22, 1963

Lee Harvey OswaldArrested for

killing Kennedy

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Lee Harvey Oswald

Shot and killed by Jack Ruby

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Lyndon B. Johnson

1963-1969

Democrat

Vice President – Hubert H. Humphrey 1965 - 1969

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Kennedy’s New Frontier

Space Age Russians – first

astronauts in space

Alan Shepard1st American in space,

1961

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Kennedy’s New Frontier Space Age

John Glenn1st American

to orbit Earth, 1962

Cold War (1945 – 1989) President Kennedy’s

New Frontier – Space Age

Apollo 11 mission Eagle lunar module July 20, 1969

Neil Armstrong 1st man

on moon

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Columbia

1st Space shuttle

Launched April 1981

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Richard Nixon

1969 – 1974 Vice Presidents

Spiro T. Agnew Gerald R. Ford

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Watergate scandal

1972 election

Democratic Party offices break-in

Pres. Nixon’s aides involved in break-in

Pres. Nixon cover-up

Cold War (1945 – 1989) Spiro T. Agnew

Pres. Nixon’s Vice President

Charged with accepting bribes as Gov. of Maryland and V.P. of U.S.

Resigned as V.P. October 1973

Gerald Ford appointed as V.P.

Cold War (1945 – 1989) President

Richard Nixon

1st President to resign the office, August 1974

Resigned before being impeached because of Watergate scandal

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Gerald Ford

1974 – 1977

1st and only President not elected to the office

Pardoned former president Nixon

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Jimmy Carter

1977 – 1981

Democrat Inexperienced with

Washington politics

Vice President Walter Mondale

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

Iran Hostage Crisis

Iranian radicals seized American embassy in Tehran on Nov 4, 1979

Held 52 hostages for 444 days

Released them minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Ronald Reagan

1981 – 1989

Republican Great Communicator

Vice President – George H. W. Bush

Popular

Cold War (1945 – 1989)

President Reagan “Government is not the

solution to our problems. Government is the problem.”

Reaganomics Reduced government

spending & lowered taxes

In 1981, persuaded Congress to lower taxes by 25%

Cold War (1945 – 1989) President

George H.W. Bush

1989 – 1993

Republican

Vice President J. Danforth Quayle

1991 Gulf War Operation Desert

Storm 1991 recession

Cold War Ends (1945 – 1989)

1979 Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan

President Carter imposed trade restrictions and pulled U.S. from 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow

President Reagan increased defense spending Soviets tried to keep up with U.S. on military

spending (arms race), but did not have the money – this weakened Soviet economy


Mikhail Gorbachev

1985, became leader of Soviet Union

Soviet Union lost interest in supporting unpopular Communist leaders in Eastern European countries


1989 Fall of Berlin Wall

1990 Reunification of

Germany

1991 Fall of Soviet Union

Modern America

President Bill Clinton

1993 – 2001

Democrat

Vice President Albert Gore, Jr.

Modern America

President Bill Clinton

Federal budget surpluses 1998-2001

December 1998, impeached by House

Senate did not convict Clinton, he remained in office

Modern America 2000 Election

Al Gore – Democrat candidate Won popular vote

George W. Bush – Republican candidate Won electoral vote

Democrats challenged results in court First time Supreme Court ruled in Presidential

election Bush declared winner

Modern America

President George Bush

2001 – 2009

Republican

Vice President Richard Cheney

Cut taxes to offset surplus

No Child Left Behind

2003 Iraq War

Modern America

President Barack Obama

2009 – Present

Democrat

Vice President Joe Biden

First African American President

Health Care Reform

Post World War II

Documents

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