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Crash Course 37 the Cold War Begins

Added Apr 27, 2017 •

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Beginning of the Cold War (Period 8)

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hi I'm John Green this is Crash Course u.s. history and today we're going to talk about the cold war is called cold because it's supposedly never heated up into actual conflict which means you know that it wasn't a war read at least the Cold War was not an attempt to make war on a noun which almost never works because nouns are so resilient and of the Cold War did involve quite a lot of actual war from Korea to Afghanistan as the world's two superpowers the United States in the USSR saw tiny logical and strategic influence throughout the world so perhaps it's best play the Cold War as an era lasting roughly from 1945 to 1990 International in political history and those are very important which is why we talked about them in the past is United States history I wanted to turn the globe to the green parts of not America I mean I guess to be fair we were a little bit obsessed with this guy novels Independence movements and arms race cool movies like Doctor Strange Love and War Games one of the most evil mustaches in history but it also gave us a growing aware is the greatest existential threat to human beings is ourselves it changed the way we imagine the world and Humanities role in it we said our tragedy today is a general and Universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it there are no longer problems of the spirit tell me the question when will I be blown up Georgia World War II the US in the US are we the only two nations with any power left the United States was a lot stronger we had Atomic weapons for starters and also the Soviets of lost 20 million people in the war and they were led by geopathic mustachioed Joseph Stalin strong free market Orient in Europe into a lesser extent so that all the guns we were making find Happy Home invading them again and please do not take this personally is very slow to learn the central lesson of world history do not invade Russia  turn the Mongols  Cold War did the USSR encouraged the creation of pro Communist governments in Bulgaria Romania and Poland which was a relatively easy thing to encourage because those nations were occupied by a communist buffer between them and Germany but to the US it looked like communism might just keep expanding and that would be really bad for us because who would buy all of our sweet sweet industrial good so America responded with the policy of containment is introduced in Diplomat George F cannons famous Long Telegram communism to where it was but it would not be allowed to spread this is why we fought very real wars in both Korea and Vietnam 1950 for one block further expansion of Soviet power to expose the falsity of Soviet pretensions 3 induce a retraction of the kremlin's control and influence more in General Foster the scenes of Destruction within the Soviet system Harry Truman who as you'll recall became president in 1945 after Franklin Delano pres for life stop was he big fan of containment and the first real test of it came in Greece and Turkey in 1947 because it was near the Middle East I don't know if you've noticed this but the United States has been Justin gets interested in the Middle East the last several decades because of oil glorious oil Truman announce the call the Truman Doctrine because you know why not name a Doctrine after yourself in which he pledged to support quote freedom-loving peoples against communist threats which is all fine and good but who will set the us against people's the pluralization of an already plural noun and we were off to the Cold War the Truman Doctrine created the language through which Americans would view the world with America as free and communist as tyrannical according to our old friend Eric foner the speech set of turn it in for American assistance to anti-communist regimes throughout the world no matter how undemocratic and for the creation of a set of global military alliances directed against Soviet Union to the creation of a new security apparatus the National Security Council the Central Intelligence Agency the atomic energy commission all of which were somewhat immune government oversight and definitely not democratically elected and also laid the foundations for military buildup an arms race which would become a key feature of the Cold War was it all about the military at least it first like the Marshall Plan was first introduced at Harvard commencement address in June 1947 by get this George Marshall in what turned out to be like the second most important commencement address in all of American History yes yes Stan okay the Marshall Plan with the response to economic chaos in Europe brought on by a particularly harsh winter that strengthened support for communism in France and Italy the plan sought to use USA combat the economic instability that provided fertile fields for communism as Marshall said our policy is not directed against any country or doctrine but against hunger desperation and chaos levels in Europe was on its way to becoming a us-style capitalist Mass consumer society which it still is kind of Japan although not technically part of the Marshall Plan also be built General Douglas MacArthur was basically the dictator they're forcing Japan to adopt the new constitution giving women the vote and pledging the Japan would forswear war and exchange which the United States effectively became Japan's Defense Force this allowed to spend money on other things like industry which worked out really well for them first Berlin crisis Berlin was dependent on shipments of goods from West Germany through East Germany and then in 1948 solid cut off the roads to West Berlin so the Americans bonded with an 11-month Wang airlift of supplies that eventually led to Stalin lifting the blockade in 1948 and building the Berlin Wall which did until 1991 when away got no wait where we would that wasn't when the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 I just wanted to give thought bubble the opportunity to make that joke 1961 bit 1949 DNC Germany officially split into two Nations and also the Soviets detonated their first atomic bomb and negative was established and the Chinese Revolution turn it in communist Victory by the end of 1950 the Contours of the Cold War had been established West vs East capitalist Freedom versus communist totalitarianism I'm sitting all day I'm going to change one sitting because it's document I guess the author of the mystery document and about 50 what percent of the time I get shocked by the shock pen we must organize the energies and resources of the Free World in A+ program for peace which will frustrate the Kremlin design for World Domination by creating a situation in the Free World to which the Kremlin will be compelled to adjust without such a Cooperative effort led by the United States we will have to make gradual with pause Under Pressure until we discover one day that we have sacrificed positions of vital interest it is imperative that this trend be reversed by a much more rapid and concerted buildup of the tool strength of both the United States and the other nations of the Free World I mean I can say about it is that it sounds America and then like it was written in like 1951 and it seems kind make a policy paper or something really boring so I mean yeah I'm just going to take the shot Council report nsc-68 are you kidding me stand not not 64 or 81-68 nsc-68 shows the US government cast the Cold War as a rather epic struggle between freedom and tyranny and that led to remarkable political consensus both Democrats and Republicans supported most aspects of Cold War policy especially the military buildup part there were some critics Like Walter Lippmann who worried casting foreign policy in such Stark how do you logical terms would result in the US getting on the wrong side of many conflicts especially as former colonies salt to remove the bonds of Empire and become independent nations play cat no nothing like that or Brazil or Haiti or Paraguay or the Philippines or chili or Iraq or Indonesia or Zion said there are a lot of them okay communism which was a genuinely terrifying to people and it's important to understand National Security agency's pushed Hollywood to produce anti-communist movies like The Red Menace which Karen people in the cia-funded magazines news broadcast concerts art exhibitions that examples of American Freedom it even supported painters like Jackson in the Museum of Modern Art in New York because American expressionism with the Vanguard of artistic freedom and the exact opposite of Soviet Socialist realism I mean if you see paintings look at the Hardy ankles on these socialist comrade peasants the Pledge of Allegiance as a sign of America's resistance to Communism the Cold War also shaped domestic policy anti-communist sentiment for instance prevented Truman from extending the social policies New Deal the program that he dubbed the Fair Deal would have increased the minimum wage extended national health insurance and increase public housing Social Security and Aid to education American Medical Association lobbied against Truman's plan for national health insurance by calling it socialized medicine and Congress was in no mood to pay money for socialized anything a problem goes away  Mormon did make some domestic Investments as a result of the Cold War in the name of National Security the government spent money on education research and sign technology like computers and transportation infrastructure in fact we largely have the Cold War to thank for our marvelous interstate highway system although part of the reason Congress what's the setup Speedy evacuation routes in the event of nuclear war Espionage like for instance by physicist and spy Klaus Fuchs think I'm pronouncing that right Builder first bomb Julius Rosenberg also gave it to secrets to the Soviets and was eventually executed as with his less clearly guilty wife Ethel about the United States is obsessive fear that there were Communists in our midst this began in 1947 with Truman's loyalty review system which required government employees to prove patriotism when accused of disloyalty how do you prove your bear and the rise of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy and inveterate liar who became enormously powerful after announcing in February 1950 that he had a list of 205 guess who worked in the state department in Dennis vs United States the Supreme Court upheld the notion that being a communist leader itself was a crime in this climate of fear any criticism of the government ended policies or the u.s. in general with seen as disloyalty there was only one question when will I be blown up and it encouraged royalty because only the government prevent the spread of Communism and keep us from being blown up we've talked a lot about different ways that Americans have imagined Freedom this year but this was a new definition of freedom exist in part to keep us free from massive destruction on the world powerful and expensive national state but it also changed the way we imagine what it means to be free and what it means to be safe thanks for watching crash course is created by all of these nice people and it is possible because of you and your support through some people. Anthony basis are sellable subscribers make this show POS effects of them if you value crash course please check out our sellable they're great perks there and thanks to all of you for watching as we say in my own town don't forget to be awesome dude wait wait wait that's $1,000

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Crash Course 37 the Cold War Begins

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