the cold war heats up. marshall plan program of american economic assistance to western europe ...
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Marshall Plan
Program of American economic assistance to Western Europe
Begun in 1947 Developed by Sec of State
George Marshall Wanted to develop strong
democracies rather than struggling nations that might turn to Communism
Invested $13 billion in Western Europe
Berlin Blockade
1948- Allies announce plans to unite Western zones in Germany
Created West Germany Soviets respond by
creating East Germany People in east escaped
through West Berlin So Stalin closed West
Berlin Willing to let them
starve if U.S. did not abandon West Berlin
Berlin Airlift
Moving supplies into West Berlin by American and British planes during the Soviet blockade in 1948-1949
13,000 tons of supplied delivered daily
Soviets gave up, but Berlin remained a source of conflict
How did Berlin’s location make it difficult to
supply? It’s about 100 miles
deep in Soviet controlled East Germany
Difficult for Western Allies to get to
What was the importance of the
airlift? Allowed West Berlin to
remain free from Communist domination
Allowed President Truman to avoid military force
Show European allies that the U.S. would honor its commitments in Europe
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO 1949 alliance of nations
that agreed to band together in the event of a war and to support and protect each nation involved
Led by a U.S. general Large commitment of
American troops An attack on one was
seen as an attack on all
Warsaw Pact
Military alliance between the Soviet Union and the nations of Eastern Europe
Soviet response to NATO
Formed in 1955 Stalin dead by then
Soviet Atomic Threat
Soviets successfully detonate an atomic bomb in 1949
In response, Truman wants to move ahead to develop a new weapon
Hydrogen bomb-more powerful than atomic bomb Have one by 1952
So do the Soviets
China Falls to Communists
1949 Communists lead by Mao
Zedong take over in China Assumed to be a failure of
Containment and the Truman Doctrine
Anticommunist forces under Chiang Kai-shek have to flee to Taiwan Claimed to be the
legitimate government of China
Represented China in UN
Hollywood 10
Group of people in the film industry who were jailed for refusing to answer Congressional questions regarding Communist influence in Hollywood
Blacklist
List that circulated among employers
Began in 1947 Contained the
names of persons who should not be hired Usually because of
a connection to Communism Real or imagined
McCarran-Walter Act
Passed by Congress in 1952
Reaffirmed the quota system
Discriminated against potential immigrants from Asia, Southern, and Central Europe Vetoed by President
Overridden and passed by Congress
What did the HUAC hearings and the McCarran-Walter Act
show about American attitudes?
They demonstrated the paranoia and distrust on the part of Americans toward Communism
Spies in the U.S.
Alger Hiss Former state
department employee FDR advisor at Yalta Truman administration
defended Hiss for 2 years
Eventually proven to be a spy by a young lawyer named Richard Nixon