Truman: Neither War Nor Peace

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Chapter 28

• Truman Neither War Nor Peace
• Beginnings of the Cold War
• Dealing With a New World
• President in His Own Right
• The Korean War

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Beginnings of the Cold WarSection 1

• Truman
• United Nations
• Controlling the Atom
• Problems with the Russians
• Truman Doctrine

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A. Characteristics of Truman

• Missouri
• No College Education
• Farmer
• Served in WWI
• County Judge
• Senator
• Very intelligent, hard-working, and fair

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B. Building a New World Organization

• United Nationsreplaced League of nations and
  goal was to preserve peace
• US Congress ratified UN Charter with a vote of
  8-2

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United Nations (continued)

• General AssemblyIncluded delegates from every
  member nation. (town hall meeting of the world)
• Each member got one vote (except for Russia which
  got 3)
• Responsible for budget and electing new members

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United Nations (continued)

• Security Councileleven members including the Big
  Five (police force of the world)
• Big Five had permanent seats and right to veto
• Others were elected to two-year terms
• Looked into disputes

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C. Controlling the Atom

• Bernard Baruchproposed a world agency that would
  oversee atomic energy and inspect atomic plants.
• Program failed because of the USSR

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D. Problems with the Russians

• Forced Communism on Poland
• Eastern European Countries became Communist
• Iron Curtainterm used by Churchill to describe
  the line between Soviet-dominated Europe and the
  West.

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Problems with the Russians (continued)

• Soviets prevented free passage of people,
  information, and ideas across its borders.
• Turkey and Greece were both facing Communist
  insurgents
• Atomic secrets had been leaked to the Russians

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E. Warnings about Russia

• Containmenttrying to keep the Soviet Union from
  expanding its area of influence
• George Keenanwarned that Communism must be
  contained because they plan to conquer the world.

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F. The Truman Doctrine

• Dean Aschesonwarned that if Greece fell to
  Communism, Asia, Africa, and Europe were in grave
  danger
• George Marshall (along with Ascheson)developed a
  plan so this would not happen.
• Truman DoctrineUS policy of economic and
  military support to those who were being
  subjugated to outside forces

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G. Greek-Turkish Aid Bill

• First law giving aid to oppose Communist
  expansion
• Helped defeat the influence of Communism in their
  countries

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H. Marshall Plan (ERP)

• US would help Europe economically over the next
  3-4 years to keep its economy healthy and
  invulnerable.
• Huge Successin addition, they were able to buy
  our goods and kept our economy flourishing.

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I. Point Four Program

• Gave economic aid to the poor free nations in
  Asia, Africa, and Latin America

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Section 2 Dealing with a New World

• Bringing the Boys Home
• Atomic Energy Act
• Converting to Peacetime
• Taft-Hartley Act
• An Active Congress

• The Fair Deal
• Problems with Germany
• Berlin Blockade
• NATO
• Election of 1948

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A. Bringing the Boys Home

• 1946armed forces decreased from 12 million to 3
  million
• GI Bill of Rights
• Provided hospitals and clinics
• Payments to unemployed veterans
• Preference for federal jobs
• Free tuition, books, and on-the-job training

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B. Atomic Energy Act

• Transferred the control of atomic energy from
  government to civilian hands
• However, all production facilities and nuclear
  plants would be government owned.
• Commission was set up to control the peacetime
  development of atomic energy

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C. Converting to Peacetime

• 1st time the nation did not face a depression
  after the war
• No shortage of jobs
• Troubled by strikes, shortages of resources, and
  inflation.

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D. The Taft-Hartley Act

• Limited Union activities in order to prevent
  strikes and corruption
• Outlawed the closed shophad to pay dues to join
  a union
• Allowed the union shoprequired workers to join a
  union
• Permitted states to enact a right-to-work
  lawforbid the union shop in that state
• Law was passed over Trumans veto.

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E. An Active Congress

• Lowered taxes (especially for the wealthy)
• Cut back on aid to farmers, social security, and
  education
• 22nd Amendmentlimited a president to two terms
• Presidential Succession Actchanged the order in
  which someone became President if the President
  dies during office.

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F. Trumans Fair Deal

• Extension of FDRs New Deal that included civil
  rights laws.
• Desegregated armed forces
• Appointed first black governor and judge
• Fought for rights of blacks in civil rights cases

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G. The Problem of Germany

• After WWII, Germany was split into 4 zones of
  occupation US, Russia, Britain, and France.
• US, Britain, and France merged their together to
  become one territory
• Russia felt threatened and started the Berlin
  Blockade

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H. Potsdam Conference

• Leaders met to confirm that Nazi war criminals
  would be tried
• Many were executed.
• Many Japanese leaders later faced the same fate

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I. The Berlin Blockade

• Germany was divided into eastern and western
  Germany
• Russia banned all supplies from entering West
  Berlin to prevent the Western Powers from forming
  a government there.

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J. Berlin Airlift

• US, England, and France supplied the city with
  clothing, food and coal by air (Berlin Airlift)
• Russia accepted defeat and lifted the ban
• The two sides remained separated with Eastern
  Germany becoming a satellite nation of Russia.

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K. NATO

• North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationAtlantic Pact
  that created allies between the US, Canada and
  ten other Western European nation
• Military enforcement for the prevention of the
  spread of communism
• Eisenhower is named first Commander of NATO forces

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L. The Election of 1948

• Tom DeweyR
• Truman D
• Democrats were divided
• Dixiecratsinsisted on segregation of blacks and
  nominated Strom Thurmond
• Progressivesbelieved in cooperating with Russia
  and nominated Henry Wallace
• Truman still wins despite the division due to his
  hard work on his campaign.

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Section 3 President in His Own Right

• Trumans Fair Deal (pros and cons)
• The Second Red Scare
• World Situation Worsens
• Rise of McCarthyism
• Protecting the United States

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A. Fair Deal

• Successful minimum wage increase, extension of
  social security, and money for projects to help
  the poor
• Unsuccessful civil rights laws, national health
  insurance, and aid to farmers

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B. The Second Red Scare

• House Un-American Activities Committee
  (HUAC)held public hearings against those who
  were suspicious of communist activities
• Richard Nixonone of the most active members of
  the HUAC.
• Alger Hissaccused of providing documents to the
  Russians. Red Herring

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C. World Situation Worsens

• Soviet Union explodes an atomic bomb in 1949
• Klaus Fuchsconfessed to giving Russians secrets
  about the bomb
• China becomes Communist under Mao Zedong

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D. Rise of McCarthyism

• Joseph McCarthysenator who claimed that the
  State department was infested with Communists

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E. Protecting the US

• McCarran Actrequired all Communist Organizations
  to register with the Attorney General
• McCarran-Warren Actnew immigration law to keep
  out Communists.
• Quota system, loyalty checks, and deportation
• Rosenbergssentenced to death for
  giving key secrets to Russians
  about the bomb.