President Harry Truman became president in 1945 after Franklin D. Roosevelt's death. During his presidency, he authorized dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender. The emergence of nuclear weapons and tensions with the Soviet Union marked the beginning of the Cold War. Truman pursued a policy of communist containment and established institutions like NATO and the Truman Doctrine to provide aid against Soviet expansionism. One crisis during this period was the Berlin Blockade by the Soviet Union in 1948, to which Truman responded by organizing the Berlin Airlift to supply West Berlin by air until the blockade ended.

1. Title: President Harry Truman
Keywords:
• Nuclear
• Communist Containment
• Blockade
• Stalin
• Truman Doctrine
• Marshall Plan

2. End of World War II
• Truman became president when Franklin D Roosevelt
died suddenly just before the end of WWII
• Truman made the decision to drop two atomic bombs
on Japan (Hiroshima & Nagasaki) (a potentially bloody American
invasion was the other option)
• Japan surrendered following the bombings
• Much of the next forty years was dominated by the
threat posed by these ‘new’ Nuclear weapons
• Ironically, it was American and the USSR, two of the
sides responsible for defeating the Nazis that
accounted for this threat
• This was called the Cold War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF4LQaWJRDg

3. Key word: Communism
• In a communist state the state owns all land,
mines and all factories. Everyone works for the
government; there is no rich, no poor, everyone is
equal
• Russia under the control of Stalin was a
communist state. He wanted to control more
countries and to make them communist.
• The Americans feared the spread of Communism.
It was a capitalist country.

4. 1. Why did America
drop an atomic
bomb on Japan?
2. Was it the right
decision?
3. What does the
word communism
mean?
Before
After
Hiroshima, Japan

5. The Truman Presidency, 1945-53
• There was hostility between the two sides which led
to the Cold War
• Truman had a policy of “Communist Containment” –
he would do all he could to stop Stalin from
spreading communism to other countries. This
continued for all of the Cold War.
Called a “Cold War” as there was no actual fighting but
there was serious tension that nuclear war could break
out. It went on between US and USSR for over 40 years.

6. 1. Name 2 countries where
communism was found
during the 20th Century
2. What things had the USA
done to stop the spread of
communism?

7. The Truman Doctrine
• Truman pledged the USA would provide political,
military and economic assistance to any country under
threat from communist forces.
• This was called the Truman Doctrine.
• He gave $400million to help Greece and Turkey against
Communism.
• Truman introduced the Marshall Plan (American loans)
which aimed to help Europe rebuild after WWII
• Truman argued that Communism flourishes in
economically deprived areas and so helping Europe
rebuild would stop the spread of communism from
Russia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz0CpCosviM&list=UUJG5nQ8KMQTyI3Lsqr8NXuw

8. The Berlin Blockade
• When WWII ended the Allies were not sure what to
do with Germany. They decided to split it in 4
between US, France, UK and Russia. At the time all
four were on the same side and relations were
good.
• Germanys main city, Berlin was in the Russian part.
Berlin was also split between the four of them.
• As the Cold War developed and Russia began to
spread its influence onto its neighbouring countries,
relations between the East (Russia) and the West
(UK, US and France) began to crumble.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZidBq8QS-g

10. Why?
When?
Who?
What?
Write a question with each of these words …

12. The Berlin Blockade
• Stalin decided to blockade West Berlin in an attempt to
force the Western Allies out of the city.
• Truman and the US organised for supplies to be airlifted
into West Berlin every day because Stalin closed all
train and road routes into West Berlin.
• The Blockade continued for 11 months until Stalin
finally called it off and he allowed them to use the
trains and roads through East Germany again.
Keyword: Blockade – this is the surrounding or the
blocking of an area to stop the entry or exit of supplies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZidBq8QS-g

13. 1.Who is this?
2.What did he do in
Berlin?
3.What did the USA and
British do?

14. Why did Stalin blockade Berlin?
• The communists did not win elections in Germany as
Stalin had of hoped
• The British and Americans were making plans
(organising elections in their parts of Germany and coordinating other
aspects of occupation) and refused to tell Stalin what they
were doing
• The British and Americans brought in a new currency.
Stalin had wanted to bring in his own currency
• Stalin was suspicious of everyone but especially
capitalists like America
• In response Stalin decided to blockade the city of
Berlin

15. Berlin Airlift
• To counter Stalin’s blockade the Americans and British
flew in supplies into their parts of Berlin
• This situation lasted for over a year with several flights
into Berlin delivering supplies (food, water, fuel)
• Eventually Stalin ended the blockade and allowed
access to US, British & French sectors
• The incident lead to suspicion and ill feeling on both
sides
• The Berlin wall was constructed to have a permanent
division between East (Communist) and West
(Capitalist) Berlin

16. The Truman Presidency
• Worried about the expansion of Russia and communism,
Truman helped set up NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation) to defend the US and Europe against Russia.
• He was to also send troops to help South Korea against
communist North Korea as promised by the Truman Doctrine.
• During his time as president he also ended the segregation
(separation) of blacks and whites in the army. (He stopped short of
giving full equal rights to black Americans)
• The end of his term was dominated by the fear of
communism in the US (the Red Scare) due to a speech made
by Senator Joe McCarthy
• His time as President ended in 1953. He was succeeded by
Dwight Eisenhower.

17. 1. Who built this wall?
2. Why was it built?
3. How was life different on each side of the wall?

21. Video: Building the Berlin Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szjFKADu69U