6. Cold War America
Learning Target 23: Summarize how atomic weapons have changed the nature of war, altered the balance of power and started the nuclear age.
Following World War II, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union) emerged as the two strongest powers in world affairs. The U.S. and Soviet Union had opposing political and economic ideologies. The U.S. was democratic and capitalist. The Soviet Union was communist. From 1945-1991, the two nations challenged one another in a series of confrontations known as the Cold War.
During World War II, the U.S. began a secret program, known as the Manhattan Project, to develop atomic weapons. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. This was followed by the dropping of the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9. The dropping of atomic bombs on Japan led to the rapid end of World War II in the Pacific. (The War in Europe had already ended in May.)
The use of atomic weapons changed the nature of war, altered the balance of power and began the nuclear age. The dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan is considered the beginning of the nuclear age. The use of these bombs introduced a new type of weapon capable of mass destruction.
For four years following World War II, the United States was the only country in possession of atomic bombs. This contributed to its status as a global superpower. The threat of using this weapon was seen as a deterrent against the ambitions of the Soviet Union.
The testing and explosion of the atomic bomb by the Soviets in 1949 established the Soviet Union as a second global superpower. In 1952, the U.S. tested its first hydrogen bomb. Three months later, the Soviet Union tested its first thermonuclear bomb, and by using lithium, they made a bigger bomb small enough to fit into a plane. This nuclear arms race continued for decades and threatened world peace.
During World War II, the U.S. began a secret program, known as the Manhattan Project, to develop atomic weapons. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. This was followed by the dropping of the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9. The dropping of atomic bombs on Japan led to the rapid end of World War II in the Pacific. (The War in Europe had already ended in May.)
The use of atomic weapons changed the nature of war, altered the balance of power and began the nuclear age. The dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan is considered the beginning of the nuclear age. The use of these bombs introduced a new type of weapon capable of mass destruction.
For four years following World War II, the United States was the only country in possession of atomic bombs. This contributed to its status as a global superpower. The threat of using this weapon was seen as a deterrent against the ambitions of the Soviet Union.
The testing and explosion of the atomic bomb by the Soviets in 1949 established the Soviet Union as a second global superpower. In 1952, the U.S. tested its first hydrogen bomb. Three months later, the Soviet Union tested its first thermonuclear bomb, and by using lithium, they made a bigger bomb small enough to fit into a plane. This nuclear arms race continued for decades and threatened world peace.
Learning Target 24: Analyze the policy of containment the United States followed during the Cold War in response to the spread of communism.
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The United States followed a policy of containment during the Cold War in response to the spread of communism. The policy of containment began in the late 1940s to stop the spread of communism in Europe and Asia. It became U.S. policy for decades.
Following World War II, most of the Eastern Europe countries had communist governments and were under Soviet control. In 1949, the Chinese Revolution established a communist government in China.
In Europe, the Marshall Plan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were efforts to contain communism. The Marshall Plan was a program that provided $13 billion in U.S. aid to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. By creating strong economies and stable democracies in Western Europe, the U.S. was assured of allies against the Soviet Union. NATO was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and Western European countries to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
In Asia, the policy of containment was the basis for U.S. involvement in the Korean and Vietnam wars. The Korean War started as a civil war between North and South Korea. The war quickly became international when the United Nations (led by the U.S.) joined to support South Korea and communist China entered on the side of North Korea. In Vietnam, North Vietnam wanted to unify the entire country under a single communist government. The government of South Vietnam, however, was more closely allied with the U.S. The U.S. sent military advisers and combat units to support South Vietnam. The Soviet Union and China sent weapons, supplies, and advisers to support North Vietnam.
Note: Discussion of the Korean and Vietnam wars in test questions will be limited to use only within the context of containment policies. Questions will not address specifics related to the conduct of the wars. The Chinese Revolution will only be referenced in order to denote China as a country that became communist during this time period.
Following World War II, most of the Eastern Europe countries had communist governments and were under Soviet control. In 1949, the Chinese Revolution established a communist government in China.
In Europe, the Marshall Plan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were efforts to contain communism. The Marshall Plan was a program that provided $13 billion in U.S. aid to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. By creating strong economies and stable democracies in Western Europe, the U.S. was assured of allies against the Soviet Union. NATO was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and Western European countries to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
In Asia, the policy of containment was the basis for U.S. involvement in the Korean and Vietnam wars. The Korean War started as a civil war between North and South Korea. The war quickly became international when the United Nations (led by the U.S.) joined to support South Korea and communist China entered on the side of North Korea. In Vietnam, North Vietnam wanted to unify the entire country under a single communist government. The government of South Vietnam, however, was more closely allied with the U.S. The U.S. sent military advisers and combat units to support South Vietnam. The Soviet Union and China sent weapons, supplies, and advisers to support North Vietnam.
Note: Discussion of the Korean and Vietnam wars in test questions will be limited to use only within the context of containment policies. Questions will not address specifics related to the conduct of the wars. The Chinese Revolution will only be referenced in order to denote China as a country that became communist during this time period.
Learning Target 25: Explain how the Second Red Scare and McCarthyism reflected Cold War fears in American society.
The phrase “Red Scare” is used to describe periods of intense anti-communism in the U.S. (Communists were called Reds.) The First Red Scare occurred as a result of the Russian Revolution in 1917 and continued into the early 1920s. The Second Red Scare occurred during the Cold War. The Second Red Scare and McCarthyism reflected Cold War fears in American society.
As a result of the spread of communism to Eastern Europe and China and the Korean War, many Americans were concerned about the worldwide spread of communism and communist infiltration in the U.S. The Second Red Scare focused attention on the media, labor unions, universities and other organizations as targets of communist subversion.
Like the first Red Scare following World War I, civil liberties were again denied during the Second Red Scare. The investigations of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) led employers to blacklist suspected communists. One area HUAC investigated was the Hollywood movie industry. Many Hollywood actors and writers were accused of disloyalty to the U.S. and being sympathetic to communism. HUAC believed the Soviet Union should be portrayed as the enemy in films.
Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the main anticommunist crusaders in the U.S. He played on fears of subversion with his charges of communists infiltrating the U.S. government. Most of McCarthy’s accusations were unfounded, but the reputations and careers of many were ruined. The McCarthy hearings and HUAC investigations held the attention of the American people through the middle 1950s.
As a result of the spread of communism to Eastern Europe and China and the Korean War, many Americans were concerned about the worldwide spread of communism and communist infiltration in the U.S. The Second Red Scare focused attention on the media, labor unions, universities and other organizations as targets of communist subversion.
Like the first Red Scare following World War I, civil liberties were again denied during the Second Red Scare. The investigations of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) led employers to blacklist suspected communists. One area HUAC investigated was the Hollywood movie industry. Many Hollywood actors and writers were accused of disloyalty to the U.S. and being sympathetic to communism. HUAC believed the Soviet Union should be portrayed as the enemy in films.
Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the main anticommunist crusaders in the U.S. He played on fears of subversion with his charges of communists infiltrating the U.S. government. Most of McCarthy’s accusations were unfounded, but the reputations and careers of many were ruined. The McCarthy hearings and HUAC investigations held the attention of the American people through the middle 1950s.
Learning Target 26: Analyze how the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic and international politics between the end of World War II and 1991.
The Cold War dominated international politics and impacted domestic politics in the United States for almost 45 years. The intense rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led to the creation of alliances, an arms race, and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. The Cold War also affected international politics in the Middle East and Latin America.
The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It brought the world close to nuclear war over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast.
The Cold War affected domestic politics. It led to the Second Red Scare and the rise of McCarthyism. The space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union led the U.S. to increase spending on science education.
The Korean War also fed into the anti-communist hysteria of the late 1940s and 1950s. The United States was able to secure support from the United Nations for the defense of South Korea while the Soviet Union was boycotting the United Nations Security Council.
Continued U.S. intervention in the Vietnam War divided the U.S. and sparked widespread protests. Spending for the war came at the expense of the domestic programs launched by President Johnson. This led to urban unrest in the 1960s. The Vietnam War was a dominant issue in the presidential campaigns of 1968 and 1972. The difficulties and eventual withdrawal from Vietnam led to concerted efforts on part of the U.S. to find allies in future conflicts.
The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It brought the world close to nuclear war over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast.
The Cold War affected domestic politics. It led to the Second Red Scare and the rise of McCarthyism. The space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union led the U.S. to increase spending on science education.
The Korean War also fed into the anti-communist hysteria of the late 1940s and 1950s. The United States was able to secure support from the United Nations for the defense of South Korea while the Soviet Union was boycotting the United Nations Security Council.
Continued U.S. intervention in the Vietnam War divided the U.S. and sparked widespread protests. Spending for the war came at the expense of the domestic programs launched by President Johnson. This led to urban unrest in the 1960s. The Vietnam War was a dominant issue in the presidential campaigns of 1968 and 1972. The difficulties and eventual withdrawal from Vietnam led to concerted efforts on part of the U.S. to find allies in future conflicts.
Learning Target 27: Explain how the collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe and the USSR brought an end to the Cold War era.
The collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe and the USSR brought an end to the Cold War. There were multiple causes for the collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
The result was a lessening of the tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. that characterized the Cold War period. Several communist governments in Eastern Europe gave up power following mass demonstrations for democracy.
The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in independent republics that moved to create democratic reforms and introduce free market economies. This brought an end to the Cold War era. The political and economic turmoil occurring in some of the new governments posed new challenges for the United States. The U.S. supported economic and education reforms by providing assistance to some of the former communist countries.
Note: There will be limited question development for this learning target. Questions will focus on the U.S. perspective related to the collapse of communist governments.
The result was a lessening of the tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. that characterized the Cold War period. Several communist governments in Eastern Europe gave up power following mass demonstrations for democracy.
The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in independent republics that moved to create democratic reforms and introduce free market economies. This brought an end to the Cold War era. The political and economic turmoil occurring in some of the new governments posed new challenges for the United States. The U.S. supported economic and education reforms by providing assistance to some of the former communist countries.
Note: There will be limited question development for this learning target. Questions will focus on the U.S. perspective related to the collapse of communist governments.
