Terms
Bretton Woods- The conference held between Western Allied powers in 1944 that created the IMF and World Bank.
International Monetary Fund- International organization founded 1945 to assist nations in maintaining stable currencies.
World Bank- Promotes economic growth in war ravaged and underdeveloped areas.
United Nations- Alliance created in 1945 between all of the major winners in WWII- US, UK, France, USSR, and China.
Cold War- A world-wide battle between the democracy of America and the communism of the Soviet Union.
Truman Doctrine- The “Containment Policy” of communism, where the US would fight the spread of communism by aiding countries being affected by aggression due to communism spreading.
Harry S. Truman- The American president at the beginning of the Cold War.
George F. Kennan- An American advisor who was known as the “Father of Containment” for his influence on the Truman Doctrine.
George C. Marshall- The Secretary of State when the Cold War began, he released the Marshall Plan.
Marshall Plan- Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s European recovery plan, which committed the US to aiding the rebuilding of Post-WWII Europe.
GATT- The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which reduced commercial barriers between member nations and opened all to US trade.
Berlin Blockade- The attempted blockade of supply trains going into Soviet East Berlin by the Free West Berlin.
NATO- Organization between 10 European countries, Canada, and the US who formed a mutual defense pact, April 1949.
Council of Economic Advisors- Board of three economists who were put in place in 1946 to advise the President on economic policy.
Taft-Hartley Act- Federal Legislation of 1947 that substantially limited the tools available to labor unions in labor-management disputes.
Strom Thurmond- The States’ Rights Party’s candidate in the 1948 election. He won 39 electoral votes under his racist platform. He gained the candidacy after Hubert Humphrey proposed a ticket of civil rights and equality at the Democratic national convention, it passed, and the southern Democrats (“Dixiecrats”) broke away.
“Dixiecrats”- Democrats who were pro-state’s rights.
Fair Deal- A plan that Truman planned on being as a major addition to FDR’s New Deal, but ended up only making a few minor Standard-of-Living changes.
Joseph McCarthy- A strong believer in the fact that there were numerous communists working as spies and sympathizers in the federal government and elsewhere.
J. Edgar Hoover- The original director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was the original founder of the organization and its director for 48 years.
NSC- The National Security Council, which was created in 1947 in order to advise the president on domestic, foreign, and military policies as they pertained to National Security.
National Security Act of 1947- Created the National Security Council under the authority of the President, and with a board of 7 other high-ranking government officials.
Central Intelligence Agency- Agency established in 1947 that coordinates the gathering and evaluation of military and economic information on other nations.
Department of Defense- Federal department charged with monitoring all other parts of the government as they pertain to national security.
McCarran Act- A US law that required that all Communist organizations register with the US attorney general, and that all people engaging in “un-American” acts be investigated.
House Un-American Activities Committee- Originally intended to get Pro-Fascists out; it later investigated “un-American propaganda” that attacked constitutional government.
Alger Hiss- An American lawyer and Businessman who was accused of having been working for Communists while working with the Federal Government. He was eventually tried and jailed for perjury after he denied that claim.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg- American Communists who received international headlines after being found guilty of trying to commit espionage for passing information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.
McCarthyism- The name given to the belief that Communists were at work as spies and simply as officials in the Federal Government and elsewhere.
Arthur Miller- An author and playwright (he wrote The Crucible), he refused to give information about others to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
J.D. Salinger- American author who published The Catcher in the Rye.
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers- A 1956 science-fiction film where “Pod-People” impostors killed and replaced their victims perfectly in life.
Benjamin Spock- American pediatrician whose book, Baby and Child Care, influenced an entire generation of parents to be more caring and affectionate than in the past.
GI Bill- Legislation passed in June 1944 that eased the return of veterans into American society by providing educational and employment benefits.
Chiang Kai-shek- The generalissimo of the Republic of China from 1928 until his death in 1975, who took control of the Kuomintang (KMT) in 1925.
Mao Zedong- A Chinese political and military leader who led the Communist Party of China to a defeat of KMT in the Chinese Civil War, and who led the People’s Republic of China from its creation in 1948 until he died in 1976.
People’s Republic of China- The name given to mainland China after the Communist Party of China defeated the KMT in a civil war.
Korean War- Pacific War that started when North Korea, helped by Soviet equipment and Chinese training, attacked South Korea.
38th Parallel- Originally set as a boundary between North Korea and South Korea, and then became the basis for the DMZ in 1953.
NSC-68- National Security Council Paper 68, a policy statement that committed the US to a military approach to the Cold War.
Voice of America- A national media station that provided news on US current events during the war in 1942-1945, about the Cold War in 1945-1953, and then issued information about national security beginning in 1953.
Election 1952- Election won by Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower over Democrat Adlai Stevenson.
Dwight D. Eisenhower- The hero of the Allies in WWII, and also the president elected in 1952. He was the 34th US President, and was nicknamed “Ike”.
Warsaw Pact- The Soviet-made organization of puppet communist states in Eastern and Central Europe.
Questions
1) The US and the Soviet Union, even in war times when they were both fighting a common enemy, were not the best of friends. The two countries had conflicting political views, seeing as the Americans were Democratic and the Soviets were Communist. Soon after WWII ended, the Cold War between the Americans and Soviets began, which was a worldwide war between Communism and Democracy where no shots were fired.
2) The US policy of containment was very smart in keeping Communism in check. The Americans created no violent tension because they did not try to eliminate Communism, but rather only to keep it in check so that it didn’t spread any further. The Truman Doctrine was a policy based on containment, one that committed the US to doing what it could to ensure that Democracy would remain safe in the world where it was desired. The Marshall Plan was all about how to rebuild Europe following WWII, and the policy of containment was used here because the Soviet power was contained into Eastern Europe, while Democracy remained in Western Europe, where the rest of the Allies took control. NATO, finally, was a counteraction to Communism’s Warsaw Pact, and looked to preserve Democracy in areas that it was after WWII, as opposed to letting Communism overrun those areas.
3) Yes, NATO is a clear indication that the US had changed its foreign policy since the end of WWII. NATO was an alliance of nations who were ready and able to defend one another in case of attack from an outside nation. The League of Nations was formed after WWI, and it wasn’t very effective. The difference is that NATO was ready to be active and defensive, whereas the League of Nations really had no power in the world.
4) The laws and regulations that America passed from 1947-1949 were focused on keeping Communism out of the country. They were sometimes ridiculous and all based on speculation of supposed Communists. For example, the House Un-American Activities Committee was a way to keep Communists out of the government, and spies out of regular society as well as the government. This was all based on speculation, as the courts had no ways of proving who was a Communist spy and who was just doing weird things.
Bretton Woods- The conference held between Western Allied powers in 1944 that created the IMF and World Bank.
International Monetary Fund- International organization founded 1945 to assist nations in maintaining stable currencies.
World Bank- Promotes economic growth in war ravaged and underdeveloped areas.
United Nations- Alliance created in 1945 between all of the major winners in WWII- US, UK, France, USSR, and China.
Cold War- A world-wide battle between the democracy of America and the communism of the Soviet Union.
Truman Doctrine- The “Containment Policy” of communism, where the US would fight the spread of communism by aiding countries being affected by aggression due to communism spreading.
Harry S. Truman- The American president at the beginning of the Cold War.
George F. Kennan- An American advisor who was known as the “Father of Containment” for his influence on the Truman Doctrine.
George C. Marshall- The Secretary of State when the Cold War began, he released the Marshall Plan.
Marshall Plan- Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s European recovery plan, which committed the US to aiding the rebuilding of Post-WWII Europe.
GATT- The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which reduced commercial barriers between member nations and opened all to US trade.
Berlin Blockade- The attempted blockade of supply trains going into Soviet East Berlin by the Free West Berlin.
NATO- Organization between 10 European countries, Canada, and the US who formed a mutual defense pact, April 1949.
Council of Economic Advisors- Board of three economists who were put in place in 1946 to advise the President on economic policy.
Taft-Hartley Act- Federal Legislation of 1947 that substantially limited the tools available to labor unions in labor-management disputes.
Strom Thurmond- The States’ Rights Party’s candidate in the 1948 election. He won 39 electoral votes under his racist platform. He gained the candidacy after Hubert Humphrey proposed a ticket of civil rights and equality at the Democratic national convention, it passed, and the southern Democrats (“Dixiecrats”) broke away.
“Dixiecrats”- Democrats who were pro-state’s rights.
Fair Deal- A plan that Truman planned on being as a major addition to FDR’s New Deal, but ended up only making a few minor Standard-of-Living changes.
Joseph McCarthy- A strong believer in the fact that there were numerous communists working as spies and sympathizers in the federal government and elsewhere.
J. Edgar Hoover- The original director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was the original founder of the organization and its director for 48 years.
NSC- The National Security Council, which was created in 1947 in order to advise the president on domestic, foreign, and military policies as they pertained to National Security.
National Security Act of 1947- Created the National Security Council under the authority of the President, and with a board of 7 other high-ranking government officials.
Central Intelligence Agency- Agency established in 1947 that coordinates the gathering and evaluation of military and economic information on other nations.
Department of Defense- Federal department charged with monitoring all other parts of the government as they pertain to national security.
McCarran Act- A US law that required that all Communist organizations register with the US attorney general, and that all people engaging in “un-American” acts be investigated.
House Un-American Activities Committee- Originally intended to get Pro-Fascists out; it later investigated “un-American propaganda” that attacked constitutional government.
Alger Hiss- An American lawyer and Businessman who was accused of having been working for Communists while working with the Federal Government. He was eventually tried and jailed for perjury after he denied that claim.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg- American Communists who received international headlines after being found guilty of trying to commit espionage for passing information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.
McCarthyism- The name given to the belief that Communists were at work as spies and simply as officials in the Federal Government and elsewhere.
Arthur Miller- An author and playwright (he wrote The Crucible), he refused to give information about others to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
J.D. Salinger- American author who published The Catcher in the Rye.
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers- A 1956 science-fiction film where “Pod-People” impostors killed and replaced their victims perfectly in life.
Benjamin Spock- American pediatrician whose book, Baby and Child Care, influenced an entire generation of parents to be more caring and affectionate than in the past.
GI Bill- Legislation passed in June 1944 that eased the return of veterans into American society by providing educational and employment benefits.
Chiang Kai-shek- The generalissimo of the Republic of China from 1928 until his death in 1975, who took control of the Kuomintang (KMT) in 1925.
Mao Zedong- A Chinese political and military leader who led the Communist Party of China to a defeat of KMT in the Chinese Civil War, and who led the People’s Republic of China from its creation in 1948 until he died in 1976.
People’s Republic of China- The name given to mainland China after the Communist Party of China defeated the KMT in a civil war.
Korean War- Pacific War that started when North Korea, helped by Soviet equipment and Chinese training, attacked South Korea.
38th Parallel- Originally set as a boundary between North Korea and South Korea, and then became the basis for the DMZ in 1953.
NSC-68- National Security Council Paper 68, a policy statement that committed the US to a military approach to the Cold War.
Voice of America- A national media station that provided news on US current events during the war in 1942-1945, about the Cold War in 1945-1953, and then issued information about national security beginning in 1953.
Election 1952- Election won by Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower over Democrat Adlai Stevenson.
Dwight D. Eisenhower- The hero of the Allies in WWII, and also the president elected in 1952. He was the 34th US President, and was nicknamed “Ike”.
Warsaw Pact- The Soviet-made organization of puppet communist states in Eastern and Central Europe.
Questions
1) The US and the Soviet Union, even in war times when they were both fighting a common enemy, were not the best of friends. The two countries had conflicting political views, seeing as the Americans were Democratic and the Soviets were Communist. Soon after WWII ended, the Cold War between the Americans and Soviets began, which was a worldwide war between Communism and Democracy where no shots were fired.
2) The US policy of containment was very smart in keeping Communism in check. The Americans created no violent tension because they did not try to eliminate Communism, but rather only to keep it in check so that it didn’t spread any further. The Truman Doctrine was a policy based on containment, one that committed the US to doing what it could to ensure that Democracy would remain safe in the world where it was desired. The Marshall Plan was all about how to rebuild Europe following WWII, and the policy of containment was used here because the Soviet power was contained into Eastern Europe, while Democracy remained in Western Europe, where the rest of the Allies took control. NATO, finally, was a counteraction to Communism’s Warsaw Pact, and looked to preserve Democracy in areas that it was after WWII, as opposed to letting Communism overrun those areas.
3) Yes, NATO is a clear indication that the US had changed its foreign policy since the end of WWII. NATO was an alliance of nations who were ready and able to defend one another in case of attack from an outside nation. The League of Nations was formed after WWI, and it wasn’t very effective. The difference is that NATO was ready to be active and defensive, whereas the League of Nations really had no power in the world.
4) The laws and regulations that America passed from 1947-1949 were focused on keeping Communism out of the country. They were sometimes ridiculous and all based on speculation of supposed Communists. For example, the House Un-American Activities Committee was a way to keep Communists out of the government, and spies out of regular society as well as the government. This was all based on speculation, as the courts had no ways of proving who was a Communist spy and who was just doing weird things.