From World War to Cold War

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From World War to Cold War College of Education – Grand Canyon University HIS- 450: History since 1945 John Roper November 6, 2022

1. Describe the significance of the Truman Doctrine to the Cold War President Truman believed in helping those who could not help themselves and that was one of the reasons behind the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine played a vital role in the events leading up to the Cold War. It was created by Harry S. Truman in 1947. It “established that the United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to any nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces” (Office of The Historian, ND). WWII nearly bankrupt Great Britain and they announced that they would no longer be able to help Greece with military and economic assistance. The U.S. was fearful that communism would soon spread to take over Europe, they sought to help them so that they would not fall victim to communism or the USSR. Truman also sought to enforce a containment strategy to contain the spread of communism and the USSR. As we know the Cold War began because the tensions between the two nations continued to rise with neither trusting the other. Truman stated “The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world – and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own Nation” (Pearson, 2008). 2. How did the Marshall Plan impact the future of Europe? WWII left Europe in shambles. The Marshall Plan was also known as the European Recovery Program. This plan was enacted in 1948, providing more than $15 billion in aid to help rebuild Western Europe from its ruins. The Marshall Plan helped to revive Europe controlling inflation, reestablishing trade routes, and helping to rebuild production in Western Europe. The European economy would not be where it is today if not for the Marshall Plan. Thanks to the Marshall Plan industrial production in Europe went up over 200 percent. All European nations were invited to participate in the plan as long as they agreed to certain principles set forth by

the United States. Stalin feared this plan was an American front to try and take control of Eastern Europe as well, so he forced those countries to deny aid from the U.S. 3. How did the social and racial changes that occurred during WWII impact U.S. society after the war? WWII not only impacted Europe, but it also had an impact on the United States as well. Following the war, the United States economy was in the best place it had been in several years. The changes that occurred following WWII took America to new heights that were never before seen. For the first time ever, the U.S. was a middle class nation meaning that more than half the families in the U.S. made middle class wages. On top of that the line between the gender roles of men and women was blurred. During the war women took many jobs that men had in order to produce war time goods. With women seeing a change in the work field so too did African Americans as higher paying jobs brought them out of the old south and into the big cities of Philadelphia, Detroit, New York, and Chicago. After WWII and prior to the Cold War, segregation and inequality were being discussed by a committee created by Truman. In many northern states African Americans were accepted while the south keeping their tradition had strong feelings about African Americans being treated equal. 4. What is NATO and why was (is) it important to the West? The North American Treaty Organization or NATO for short is an alliance between thirty countries from North America and Europe. The alliance between these countries allowed them to form a pact that if one of them was ever attacked, that the others would come to their aid, because an attack on one nation was considered an attack on all of NATO. A purpose of NATO was to secure peace in Europe and to promote cooperation amongst its members guarding their freedoms. These Nations formed an anti-communism front which was of the

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upmost importance to the West as communism was seen as the greatest enemy at the time of the creation of NATO. Another purpose of NATO is to uphold the Geneva Convention, aiding countries that are in distress with military help and economic help as well. This is of the upmost importance to the west because it ensures that the U.S. is also backed by the countries that they are protecting or backing in case of attack. 5. What was the Red Scare? What role did the HUAC (House Un-America Activities Committee) play during the Red Scare? What was the overall impact of the Red Scare on U.S. Society? The Red Scare was hysteria over the threat that was perceived by communist USSR during the Cold War. Americans lived in everyday fear of what the USSR was capable of. The House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was founded in 1938 in this fear. The HUAC accused many Americans of following communist beliefs or treason. The Red Scare was like a witch hunt, Americans sought to expunge America of communists and those that shared their beliefs. The overall impact that this had on the United States was devastating, it caused neighbors to turn on one another limiting trust between anyone. This caused people to become power hungry, calling out elected officials so that they were removed from office and those who were in favor were promoted. The power of the HUAC led to the subpoena of many innocent Americans to appear before a congressional hearing, which had their legitimacy disputed. Although there were communist in America the HUAC caused a big uproar across the U.S. because nobody trusted anyone, and everyone thought the other was a communist.

Reference: George C. Marshall. The Marshall Plan, 1947. https://media.pearsoncmg.com/pls/az/gcu/1323178368/George_C_Marshall_The_Mars hall_Plan_1947.html Harry S. Truman, The Truman Doctrine, 1947. https://media.pearsoncmg.com/pls/az/gcu/1323178368/Truman_Truman_Doctrine_194 7.html Moss, G., & Thomas, E. (2013). Moving on: The American people since 1945 (5th ed.). Pearson Education. ISBN-13: 9780205880768

From World War to Cold War

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