Introduction

In the aftermath of World War II, many Americans found their efforts to return to normalcy nearly impossible. Internationally, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the world's two superpowers. Many Americans feared that communism would attract adherents in the recovering nations around the world. As a result, the American-Soviet alliance gradually cracked as the U.S. worked to contain Communism both abroad and at home. Through the Marshall Plan, the U.S. offered funds for recovery in Europe, at least in part to avert the rise of communist governments in European nations. However, the fall of Eastern European nations led to the rise of the Iron Curtain around the Soviet Union and the concurrent forming of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a mutual alliance against possible Soviet aggression. At home, the difficulties of reconversion to a peacetime economy left black and Latino workers and veterans angry about the continued segregation within American society. Some small steps toward equality occurred, including Jackie Robinson's breaking of baseball's color line. However, President Truman faced more immediate problems, including Republican efforts to dismantle the New Deal and the domestic anti-communist campaigns led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. A police action in Korea increased the hysteria at home, and not until the new medium of television broadcast the McCarthy investigations of the army was the senator exposed and the furor calmed.

The Web activities for this chapter focus on the ideological origins and conflicts of the Cold War era. The additional research links present other individuals and events involved in the conflict between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

Web Activities 

1.  Soviet Archives Exhibit. Take the guided tour of the exhibit on "The Soviet Union and the United States." What caused the initial alliance between these nations? How did the U.S. help the Soviet Union before America's entry into World War II? What did the Soviet archives tell historians about American POWs from World War II? What do these documents tell us about the Soviet perspectives on the Cold War?

2.  What caused the growth of fear and distrust of the Soviet Union within the Truman administration? George Kennan's "Long Telegram" formed much of the ideological basis for Cold War foreign policy for several decades. What does Kennan say about the Soviet leadership? What policies did he expect the Soviets to pursue? What solutions did he suggest?

3.  Harry Truman entered the White House after Roosevelt's death with little knowledge of the workings of the Roosevelt administration. Roosevelt had largely excluded him from policymaking decisions, yet Truman now had to plan the peace with Stalin and Churchill, make decisions about the use of the atomic bomb, and prepare the nation for a return to a peacetime society and economy.

• Truman at Potsdam examines Truman's first meeting with Stalin and Churchill. How did Truman react to Stalin?
• Now read Truman's first State of the Union address, given in January 1946. What issues does he emphasize in this speech?
• Finally, read this essay from Truman's most acclaimed biographer. How does he explain Truman's transformation under the most difficult of circumstances?

4.  Listen to these excerpts from Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist speeches (scroll down to "An American Ism, Joe McCarthy"). Who does he attack and how? Now read a brief biography of McCarthy. What compelled him to focus on these issues? How was he brought down? Why was McCarthy dangerous?

Additional Research Links

The Rise of the Cold War

• The Berlin Airlift site gives a detailed description of one of the first points of confrontation between the Americans and the Soviets. Why did the Russians decide to blockade access to Berlin? How long did it take for the Western allies to end the blockade?
• The Atomic Duty of Private Bill Bires. Read the introduction, then click on the Table of Contents and read Bill Bires' commentary on his duty of hauling away equipment after atomic testing. How much protection did the government give these workers?

Postwar Prosperity

• The GI Bill. Why was the GI Bill so crucial to the postwar prosperity of so many veterans?
• Henry Wallace. Wallace was one of Truman's strongest critics on the left. What policies did he propose as the Progressive candidate for President in 1948?

The Cold War at Home

• When Bomb Shelters Were All the Rage. Story about the Alert America campaign (see the poster above). How did Americans plan to survive nuclear war?
• Blacklist. This essay describes the 1947 activities of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Why did the committee focus its attention on the "Hollywood Ten"?
• The Alger Hiss Spy Case. Read this examination of Alger Hiss. Does the author believe he was a spy?

From Cold War to Hot War and Back

• The Korean War. The official U.S. Army site about Korea. Why does this author believe the U.S. entered the conflict?