CWCR - Early Cold War (Lesson)
Early Cold War
“From Settin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.”
-Winston Churchill
Truman Doctrine
Following World War II, Germany and Europe were divided. Germany, and separately Berlin, was divided among France, Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union. Some Eastern European nations fell under Soviet oversight. Joseph Stalin had promised the Western Democratic nations of France, Great Britain and the United States that he would allow for free elections. In the years following World War II it became increasingly clear that Stalin had no intention of keeping his promise. European nations, ravaged by the war, typically fell in two categories: with a strong government or without a strong government and open to outside influence. The United States and Soviet Union became the world’s competing superpowers in the years following the war. The United States represented capitalism and democratic freedoms in direct opposition to the restrictive, authoritarian Communist Soviet Union.
The tense period of time between those two nations in the decades that followed World War II is known as the “Cold War” since there was a lack of physical fighting. Both the United States and the Soviet Union wished to compete to influence European nations.
The United States feared the spread of communism, and without support from allies like France and Great Britain, instituted what has become known as the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine was based on the policy of “containment.” Containment focused on stopping the spread of communism, containing it where it already existed so to speak. As a result, the United States committed to provide for the defense of nations such as Greece and Turkey, in response to the threats of neighboring Soviet Union. The Truman Doctrine later extended to other areas of the world and resulted in the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to serve as a military alliance against the threat of the Soviet Union.
Marshall Plan
An extension of the Truman Doctrine was proposed by Truman’s Secretary of State, George C. Marshall, which called for the provision of resources and economic support for nations exposed to the threat of Communism. This proposal later became known as the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan helped many European nations recover from the damages of World War II. The Marshall Plan provided direct economic benefits but also provided items such as construction equipment and fishing boats to nations. The idea was to help Western European nations recover and influence some nations to turn against communism.
China
While European nations were threatened by the spread of communism, so too were Asian nations. China, a neighbor of the Soviet Union, struggled for political control during and following World War II. Two forces fought for control. Mao Zedong led a communist-backed group of peasants. The Chinese nationalists were led by Chiang Kai-Shek and had the support of Western democratic nations including the United States. After a bitter civil war, Mao Zedong and his communist followers forced Chiang Kai-Shek and the nationalists to Taiwan and gained control of the nation. Western Democratic nations had to battle the communist strongholds of China and the Soviet Union.
Korea
Another area of Asia threatened by communist influence was the Korean Peninsula. After World War II, as Japan gave up their claim to the peninsula, the United States and Soviet Union planned to mutually oversee the Korean Peninsula. The Korean people wished to be independent and two groups emerged. South Korean nationalists, backed by the United States, were led by Syngman Rhee. North Korean communists, backed by the Soviet Union, were led by Kim Il-Sung. With the support of the Soviet Union, Kim Il-Sung chose to invade the southern peninsula. The newly created United Nations, which replaced the League of Nations following World War II, intervened to prevent the invasion. The United Nations forces were comprised by representatives of many nations, but mainly comprised of United States soldiers and leaders. UN forces were able to hold back the invading communists above the 38th Parallel separating the peninsula. The results of the Korean War were a divided Korean Peninsula at the 38th Parallel separating communist North Korea and democratic South Korea.
Space Race
The Cold War saw a race between the Soviet Union and the United States to be the first nation to "conquer" space. Can you determine the order of events below?