Origins of the Cold War

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Cold War

  • During WW2, Britain and America were allies of the USSR, fighting together against Germany. After the war, they became enemies.
  • After Hiroshima, politicians realised that the bomb changed international politics.
  • Instead of actually fighting, they did everything to oppose each other.

Causes of the Cold War

Ideological Differences: Truman was a capitalist democrat who valued freedom and feared communism, Stalin was a communist, a dictator who put the needs of the state ahead of personal human rights.
Different Aims: US wanted Germany to recover as a trading partner; USSR anted to weaken Germany and create a buffer zone of friendly states around the USSR.
Resentment: The USA couldn't forget that in 1918 Britain and the USA had tried to destroy the Russian revolution. Britain and the USA could't forget the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939.

Yalta Conference:

February 1945; Big Three were Staling, Roosevelt and Churchill.

Potsdam Conference: 

July 1945; Big Three were Truman, Stalin and Atlee.
Yalta
Potsdam

- Churchill
- Roosevelt
- Stalin
- Atlee
- Truman
- Stalin

- Germany split into four zones
- Arguments happens about the details of the zones.

- Germany would pay reparations.
- Disagreements about amount of reparations.

- A government of ‘national unity’ to be set up in Poland
- Truman was angry because Stalin had arrested non-Communist leaders in Poland, this effectively taking over Poland.

- Free elections in Eastern Europe, part o the ‘Declaration of Liberated Europe.’
- US and Britain were alarmed because Communists were coming to power in Eastern European countries.

- Russia would help against Japan when Germany was defeated.
- Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. Stalin didn’t know, and he was furious.

Soviet Takeover of Eastern Europe

  • Stalin wanted a 'buffer zone' of 'friendly countries' around the USSR.
  • The Soviet's Red Army "liberated" countries around it according to Churchill's percentage agreements.
  • These countries were under Stalin's 'sphere of influence'.
✰Comintern - An alliance of Communist countries to make sure they obeyed the Soviets.

Salami Effect Takeover 1945-1948


Country
Year
Method
Albania
1945
- Communists immediately took over.
Bulgaria
1945
- In the elections a Communist-led coalition was elected but the non-Communists were killed.
East Germany
1945
- The Soviet Zone of Germany. In 1919, the German Democratic Republic was set up.
Roumania
1947
- There were elections in 1945 where a Communist coalition one. The Communists took over and in 1947 they abolished the monarchy.
Poland
1947
- Stalin went back on his promise at Yalta to set up a joint Communist and non-Communist government, but then arrested 16-non Communist leaders. Thousands of non-Communists won over the elections.
Hungary
1947
- A non-Communist won elections in 1945 but then the head of the Communist Party, Rokosi, took over the secret police (AVH) killed opponents, imprisoned head of the Catholic Church and by 1948 had control over Hungry.
Czechoslovakia
1948
- Non-Communist coalition government set up. But Communist party leader Gottwald took over the radio, army, police and secret police and became prime minister.


Fulton Speech

  • In February 1946, Stalin gave a speech for the Russian elections, saying "world capitalism proceeds through crisis and the catastrophe of war". America was offended.
  • On March 5th 1946, Churchill gave a speech in Fulton, Missouri saying "a shadow" had fallen over Eastern Europe which was now cut off from the rest of the world through "an Iron Curtain". Soviets were also offended.

Greece (1947)

  • By 1947, Greece was one of the few countries in Eastern Europe that hadn't turned communist. British Army people prevented the Communist rebels from taking over.

Truman Doctrine

  • In March 1947, Truman told the American Congress it was America's job to stop communism growing any stronger aka containment.

Marshal Plan

  • In June 1947, General George Marshall went to Europe to see what was needed. In March 1948, after hesitation, Congress agreed to give the $17 billion to fund the European Recovery Program to fix Europe's economy. The aid was in form of food, equipment transport systems and "everything from medicine to mules". 
  • $3.5 billion spent on raw materials.
  • $3.2 billion spent on food, feed and fertiliser.
  • $19 million spent on machinery.
  • $1.6 billion on fuel.

Cominform

  • In October 1947 Stalin set up a group for all communist countries. This, Comintern and the Warsaw Pact were to show that communist countries were just as 'together' as the Western countries.

The Long Telegram

  • In 1946 George Keenan, an official at to US Embassy in Moscow, was asked to provide a summary of the Soviet's actions in Eastern Europe. 
  • It said that the USSR was determined to spread communism, and it shows that there wasn't the concept of the Cold War yet as the US had to be informed of the USSR's actions from a Moscow-based official.

'Atomic Diplomacy'

  • Some people thought that the bonds the US dropped on Japan were to frighten the USSR as Truman was really not a fan of it.

The Wartime Alliance

  • A common enemy made the USSR, Britain and the US allies despite deep-seated mistrust.
  • Lend-Lease was the most visible sign of cooperation between the US and USSR (Lend-Lease Act of March 1941).

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