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The American Dream - History course A-levelPresident Harry Truman (1945-1952) -
● United States in 1945 and the legacies of World War: the power of the president
● The USA a superpower: Truman’s character + policies, post-war peace making, Cold War and
containment in Europe + Asia, the response to the rise of communism in Asia
● Truman and post-war reconstruction, the economy, political divisions and domestic problems, The
rise of McCarthyism
● African Americans in the North and South, the impact of the Second World War on African Americans,
campaigns for civil rights, the response of federal authorities
Character of President.S.Truman -
● He was Vice President only for a short period - he tended to focus on domestic issues
● Roosevelt whilst he was alive focused on foreign affairs and defence policies - he was bad at keeping
Truman informed
Regional ethnic social divisions -
● America will fight WW2 as one Nation, however after the war they will break down into their regional,
ethnic and social divisions
● Agricultural South and Industrial North - where the civil rights movement and black power begin to
appear.
● During the war people migrate from the South to the North to escape the tragedies in the South
● The white protestant is the dominant group in America
● Massive wealth gaps in America - the hugely wealthy to the impoverished
● G.I’s (people who were conscripted into war) - Bill was passed in 1944 - free vocational training, free
higher education, low-interest rate on houses, low interest rate on people establishing businesses -
the result was positive.
● An economy with many well educated Americans and lots of Americans now being home owners
POTSDAM Conference
● 1945- Only post war conference
● It is a fraught conference, especially after changes in leadership, Roosevelt dies and Churchill loses
the election.
● The Big Question - What to do with Germany?
● Henry Morgenthau suggests they turn Germany into an agricultural nation; it is initially accepted but
then rejected.
● Next Big Question - Should Germany become a barrier between the Capitalist West and Soviet East.
● Russia has emerged as a superpower - they are scared that Germany could have a resurgence and
become a military nation
● They decide to split Germany between the four allies - Russia, Britain, USA and France
● Berlin (East of Germany-part of Russia sector) is also cut into four
● They have to achieve denazification of Germany - leads to Nuremberg trials ACC (Allied Controlled
Commission) was set up to control German affairs.
● They realise they can’t still use reparations on Germany - so they use Marshall Aid to help the
struggling economies of Europe to contain the spread of Communism
The Atomic Bomb
● At POTSDAM Stalin agreed to declare war on Japan - 8th August 1945
● Americans dropped Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th & 9th August
, ● Causes further friction between America and Russia - As he didn’t know America had atomic power -
quite resentful
● Russia is quite resentful of the treatment of Russians by Germans - they were called Untermenschen
(Sub-Human)
● By 1949 August, Atomic Bomb tested in Kazakhstan by the Russia
Post-War peacemaking -
● 1946 - Stalin makes a speech were he says capitalism and communism are incompatible (they can’t
work together) and that a war is inevitable
● The leadership have a vision of “permanent revolution” - they are going to try and continue to spread
communism globally
● George Kennan he will send out his famous “long telegram” - he identifies that Russia is expansionist
and that America should adopt a policy of containment (Taken up by Truman)
● 1946 - Churchill’s speech worsens the rapport between both countries - The Fulton Speech - He uses
the famous phrase that an “iron curtain” has descended across Europe
● 1945-1949 - The Chinese civil war is going on and the CCP win
● 1946-1949 - Greek Civil War between the monarchists and the communists
Increased tensions with Soviet Union-
● The Russian Domination of Eastern Europe : Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary Romania, Czechoslovakia and
East Germany
● The US secrecy of their Atomic Bomb - Stalin considered them to have been covert
● Germany is also a topic of tension between the two countries - America, Britain and France merge
their zones and name it Trizonia.
The Truman Doctrine(1947)-
● The main purpose is to help countries of Western Europe and recover from WWII
● They are using money to help rebuild their economy and makes communism look less appealing
● Allows Truman to make containment his official policy
● They also agree to help any country with any problem with communism either from the inside or the
border
● There is no mention of Russia in the Truman Doctrine
● America gives $40 million dollars to the campaign - Greek Civil War
● America is effectively pledging to protect any government under the threat of communism - they are
saying to Russia
Marshall Aid(1947)-
● Economic Co-operation Act (1947) - Goes through both houses very smoothly
● Introduced by General George Marshall (Secretary of State) - Later attacked by Senator Joseph
McCarthy
● The pouring of money into war-torn economies to make communism look less attractive
● Truman says the Truman Doctrine + Marshall Aid are “two halves of the same walnut”
● After WWI America asked for all their loans to be given back once they fell into the depression,
however America changed its policy and poured money into Europe estimated at about $9-$13 billion,
sixteen countries will benefit (Organisation of European Economic Co-operation )
● By using their money to contain communism, they also offered to give money to Russia and Eastern
Europe: he refused and didn’t let any of the Eastern European states accept money either.
Cominform (1947) -
● Stalin formed this organisation in order to help + aid other communist parties across Europe
Berlin Blockade (1948)-1949
● Berlin is in East Germany and the Western Powers apply the same Trizonia tactic in Berlin
● They merge their land and their currencies
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