History Chapter 27 The Cold War And The Fair Deal This Covers Domestic

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CHAPTER 27

The Cold War and the Fair Deal, 1945–

1952

This chapter covers domestic and foreign affairs in the Truman administration. It begins by outlining the

origins of the cold war and containment policy, the division of Germany, and the role of the Marshall Plan

in the reconstruction of Europe. The chapter then turns to the postwar recovery effort at home, including

the introduction of the GI Bill of Rights. Important topics of discussion include the state of civil rights at

CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. Truman and the Cold War

A. Origins of the Cold War

B. Conflicts with the Soviets

II. The Containment Policy

A. The Truman Doctrine

B. The Marshall Plan

C. Divided Germany

G. Shaping the Fair Deal

H. The Election of 1948

I. The Fair Deal Rejected

IV. The Cold War Heats Up

A. “Losing” China

viii. The Impact of the Korean War

V. Another Red Scare

A. The Hollywood Ten

B Alger Hiss

C. Atomic Spying

LECTURE IDEAS

1. An overview of the origins of the cold war is essential. Discuss the origins and the realities of this

postwar development in American diplomatic history. For the cold war contributions of a great

2. An overview of Truman’s Fair Deal will enable the students to gain a good perspective on the postwar

(1968).

3. Use the integration of baseball to illustrate the strengthening of the civil rights movement in the

period immediately following World War II. Such a lecture is an excellent way to show students how

sports history can be a powerful tool for the study of American society and culture. Good sources

include:

• Jules Tygiel’s Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy (2008)

• John R. M. Wilson’s Jackie Robinson and the American Dilemma (2009)

4. Divide the class into groups and have them look at the events that led up to the Korean War. A good

starting place would be to examine the cold war, the development of the United Nations, postwar Asia,

and the peace with Japan. You might also consider having them read Dean Acheson’s Press Club

speech on the Defensive Perimeter Strategy

• Stanley Sandler’s The Korean War: No Victor, No Vanquished (1999)

• Paul G. Pierpaoli’s Truman and Korea: The Political Culture of the Early Cold War (1999)

• Stanley Weintraub’s MacArthur’s War: Korea and the Undoing of an American Hero (2000)

5. You should deliver at least one lecture on McCarthyism. See Robert Griffith’s “American Politics and

the Origins of ‘McCarthyism,’“ in The Specter: Original Essays on the Cold War and the Origins of

McCarthyism, edited by Griffith and Athan Theoharis (1974). Griffith places McCarthyism within the

6. A really entertaining and insightful presentation for students would be on the Red Scare in Hollywood,

which reminds us that the fear of domestic subversion predated the activities of Senator McCarthy.

Sources include:

• Victor Navasky’s Naming Names (2003)

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES

1. Divide the class into two groups and have each group explain Harry S. Truman’s response to the

Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe following World War II. Then have each group present their

findings and determine how many causes the class can identify. Broaden the class discussion to

consider the nature of the Cold War in general, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the

plans for dividing Germany, and NATO. Russian critics have long complained that the American

3. Assign groups the task of determining the roots of McCarthyism and have them compare it with prior

“Red Scares” in the United States. Are there any similarities they can describe in the world today? Are

“witch hunts” an effective means of maintaining order?

4. The Korean War has long been referred to as the “forgotten war.” Why is this the case? Research on

1953.

5. How did the experiences of African Americans and Mexican Americans in the 1940s set the stage for

the Civil Rights campaigns of the later 1950s and 1960s? Consider, for instance, the African American

petitions to President Truman to address lynching and other inequalities, Executive Order 9981, the

6. The National Security Act of 1947 resulted in major changes to the military and intelligence

communities. In addition to establishing the National Security Council and the CIA, it merged the army

and navy and created the department of the air force. The Army Reorganization Act of 1950 initiated

the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ask your students to outline and

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Discuss the issue of containment during the Cold War. What was the idea surrounding this policy? Who

were the major players? Was it successful?

2. Describe the experiences of returning African American servicemen. In what ways were inequalities

at home used against the United States in the Cold War? What was President Truman’s response?

4. The Korean War is often called one of the first major “proxy wars” of the Cold War. A proxy war is an

armed conflict at the instigation of other countries. Is this a good definition of the Korean War?

5. Discuss the new “Red Scare” McCarthyism. How did Truman handle charges of a communist threat in

all realms of American society?

PRACTICING CITIZENSHIP

This chapter refers to President Truman’s unsuccessful effort to establish a program of national health

insurance as part of his Fair Deal program for domestic reform. Through the election of Barack Obama to

the presidency, this remains one of the most contentious public policy proposals. Do some basic research

so that you can be an informed citizen on this matter. Begin by defining terms such as national health

insurance and socialized medicine. What are the differences, and how do both approaches differ from the