STOP COMMUNISM STOP! A look at America’s attempt to stop the spread of Communism at home and abroad
OBJECTIVE By the end of the lesson, you should be able to explain how America tried to contain communism at home and abroad.
LIGHTNING ROUND REVIEW! 1. What is the difference between Democracy and Communism? 2. What major country after World War II was Communist? 3. What major country after World War II was free (democratic)? 4. What was the Berlin Airlift?
The Spread of Communism...AHH! After World War II, the Cold War started. The Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) was trying to influence countries in Eastern Europe and around the world to become Communist. The U.S. was trying to influence countries in Western Europe and around the world to become Democratic. How would the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. try to influence countries?
Democracy vs. Communism
STOP COMMUNISM AT HOME! Many Americans were afraid that America was going to become Communist. Others were afraid that there were Communist spies in America trying to steal America’s secrets!
Containment The U.S. wanted to stop the spread of Communism at home and abroad so they developed a new policy called Containment. The idea was to “contain” communism and not let it spread to any more areas in the world. If you were the U.S. government how would you contain communism?
Propaganda against Communism What is this poster trying to say about Communism?
JOSEPH MCCARTHY Senator Joseph McCarthy started a hunt to find the Communists in America. His goal was to put people that supported Communism in jail, or get them fired from their jobs.
Joseph McCarthy McCarthy said he had a list of people that were Communists. McCarthy went after actors, politicians, business leaders! Most people on the list lost their jobs! He brought them to Washington and had them talk in front of the Senate. McCarthy became very popular because he was viewed as helping America get rid of the enemy - Communists. He was powerful!
McCarthy brought down McCarthy was not being truthful. He made up most if not all of the list. This period was known as McCarthyism - the witch hunt for Communists in America during the 1950s. He was eventually caught and was forced to leave the Senate. However, he destroyed many people’s lives. How?
McCarthy and the 1st How did McCarthy and his witch hunt to find Communists break the First Amendment?
STOP COMMUNISM IN KOREA While the U.S. was working to stop Communism in America, they were also still working around the world to spread freedom and contain Communism. Korea was split in half - the North was Communist and the South was free. The Soviet Union supported North Korea with guns and weapons when it tried to take over South Korea and make it Communist in 1950. What do you think America, the UN and NATO did?
Korea
WAR! The U.S. and NATO helped South Korea defend itself. The war was between NATO and North Korea - The Soviet Union did not fight, they gave weapons to the North. NATO and the UN were able to push North Korea out of the South and back into the North. The war lasted four years.
WAR! However, after NATO pushed the North Koreans all the way up to the border with China, the communist Chinese joined the war and pushed the NATO troops back again. In the end, four years later, the borders between North and South Korea were about the same as they were before the war started. The North was still Communist. The South was still free. Why do you think the U.S. fought in the Korean War?
Casualties 36,000 Americans died in the Korean War! 400,000 soldiers from South Korea died! 500,000 soldiers from North Korea died! 2,000,000 civilians in Korea died!
Cold war The U.S. fought in the Korean War because it was part of their strategy of containment - trying to contain and not let Communism spread. Why was containing Communism so important to America? Would it be important to you?
CONCLUSION Who was Joe McCarthy? What was containment? Why did the U.S. fight in the Korean War?