COLD WAR

(1945-1991)
Definition: a time period of high tension between the United States and the Soviet Union over who was the top
superpower. Led to some armed conflicts (Korea, Vietnam), an arms race, and a space race.
CULTURE
Red Scare of the 1950s
Many Americans were terrified that the reds (communists) were going to take over the government.
Sen. Joseph McCarthy fueled this fear by accusing many people of disloyalty in the government. He
never provided any solid evidence to back up his claims.
The House Un-American Activities Committee, led by Richard Nixon, investigated the influence of
communism in the entertainment industry.
Society
There was a resurgence of the cult of domesticity among many 1950s housewives
Betty Friedan, in her book The Feminine Mystique, argued that many women were not satisfied with
their roles as wives and mothers.
Beatniks
writers and artists who criticized the conformity, consumerism, and lack of individuality in
American culture.
Eisenhowers Interstate Highway System
created for defense purposes, but also helped fuel popularity of
car culture

FOREIGN POLICY
The main US policy toward communism throughout the Cold War was containment (created by a US
ambassador to the Soviet Union, George F. Kennan). For the most part, each president had their own version
of containment:
Truman Doctrine = the US would give money and military aid to any nation facing a hostile takeover by
communists
Marshall Plan (1947) = give money to Western Europe to help them rebuild after WWII
Eisenhower Doctrine = the US would use the military to stop the spread of communism into the Middle East
massive retaliation = use a large amount of force to intimidate your enemy in any situation
Kennedy
Peace Corps = spread American values by sending young Americans to help out in third-world
countries
Alliance for Progress = give money to Latin American countries to help build their economies
(not very successful)
flexible response = use a variety of methods to deal with different situations
Nixon Doctrine = the US would honor existing commitments in Asia, but stay out of any new conflicts
Dtente = relaxing tensions between the US and the Soviet Union; peaceful coexistence

CONFLICTS/WARS
Berlin Airlift (1948-1949)
Soviets tried to block Allied access to Berlin; Allies responded by dropping supplies
Korea (1950-1953)
Divided along 38th parallel after WWII
Communist North Korea invaded South Korea
Truman sent troops to help UN stop the spread of communism into South Korea
War ended with an armistice and the country stayed divided along the 38th parallel
Berlin Wall (1961)
Built by Khrushchev to stop people from fleeing communist East Berlin
Vietnam (1954-1975)
1954
Eisenhower first sent money to help France take back its colonies
(domino theory = if one country in Asia falls to communism, the rest will also fall)
At a meeting in Geneva, Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel, with elections to take place
later on to unite the country; the elections never took place
North Vietnam = communists led by Ho Chi Minh, South Vietnam = non-communist
1964
Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave LBJ congressional war-making powers
1965
first US combat troops sent to Vietnam; Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing of North)
1968
Viet Cong attacked major S. Vietnamese cities (Tet Offensive)
1969
Nixon starts Vietnamization (gradually withdrawing American troops)
1972
Nixon allows for bombing of communist sanctuaries in Cambodia; sparks student
antiwar protests
1973
US reaches cease-fire agreement with N.Vietnam and pulls troops out
1975
N.Vietnam invades S.Vietnam and unites it under one communist government
ARMS RACE
The massive amount of military spending at the beginning of the Cold War actually helped create economic
prosperity that lasted for about two decades
1949
Soviets tested their own atomic bomb
1952
US tested a hydrogen bomb; Soviets tested one a year later
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
civilians electrocuted for passing atomic secrets to the Soviets
1962
Cuban Missile Crisis
led to creation of a hot line between the Soviet and American leaders
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty = banned testing nukes in the atmosphere
1980s
Reagans Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) = put satellites in orbit to shoot down incoming
missiles

SPACE RACE
1957
Soviets launch Sputnik, the first artificial satellite in orbit
1969
America became the first nation to have a man on the moon
END OF COLD WAR
1985
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev allows for more freedom in the USSR (speech, free enterprise)
1989
Berlin Wall torn down
1990
Germany reunited
1991
USSR dissolves into independent republics