cold war begins

Truman docterine to Berlin airlift

In the early years of the Cold War, the United States used a containment policy to successfully stop the spread of communism in Europe. The foreign policy was directed at blocking Soviet influence and stopping expansion of communism. The policy included: forming alliances and helping weak countries resist the advances of the Soviet Union.

Truman doctrine

After World War II, President Harry Truman feared that the Soviet Union would spread communism across Western Europe. In 1947, he announced the Truman Doctrine, which stated that the United States would support countries that were threatened by communist aggression.

Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin saw the Truman Doctrine, and the American aid that flowed into the continent through the Marshall Plan, as risking his hold over communist Eastern Europe. He feared that Germany, which had been disarmed and divided into U.S, British, French and Soviet zones after the war, might be reunified under full Western control.

Berlin Airlift

In late June of 1948, Stalin ordered a blockade of highway, railway and canal traffic into West Berlin. The goal was to force the Allies out of the war-torn city.

The blockade backfired as the United States, along with its British and French allies, began airlifting enough food and fuel to keep West Berliners alive. The Allied project was soon perceived as a beacon of hope across much of Communist-controlled Eastern Europe.

Candy bombers

Lt. Gail Halvorsen, moved by the sight of hungry German children surrounding the Berlin airbase, began dropping chocolate bars and gum in homemade parachutes as he flew in supplies. The goodwill gesture caught on with other pilots, who became known as “candy bombers.” Supplied by U.S. candy makers, they eventually parachuted in approximately 23 tons of sweets to German children.

The airlift grew to become the largest air relief operation in history, forcing the Soviets to end the 11-month blockade on May 13, 1949.

NATO - NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION

Founded in 1949 as a mutual defense treaty, NATO obligates all member nations to come to the defense of any member nation if attacked. Though the treaty was founded in response to the Soviet Union, NATO has continued to function even now that the Soviet Union has collapsed. NATO currently includes 30 member nations. The mutual defense provision of the treaty has only been activated once: on behalf of the United States following the 9/11 attacks.

CLUE #1:

This alliance serves to unite the United States and Western Europe to this day. _______________ ____________________ ________________ ________________

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