2 The Development Of The Cold War Flashcards
What was the Truman Doctrine?
The Truman Doctrine of 1947 stated the US policy of containment. US influence and military resources would be used to prevent the expansion of communism into non communist countries.
This policy was introduced because:
- The USA believed the Soviet Union were trying to spread communism to other countries
- The USA had the atomic bomb and superior economic strength, and wanted to use this to prevent further Soviet expansion
- Greece and Turkey were running out of funding from the British in order to fight against communist parties, and the USA wanted to successfully intervene (going against their policy of isolationism, which was not getting involved in the internal affairs of other countries)
What was the Marshall Plan and how did it impact US-Soviet relations?
- The Marshall Plan of 1947 involved providing aid in war-torn countries to re-equip factories and revive agriculture and trade.
- This was done because Truman believed communism was more likely to spread in countries with economic problems
- The Soviets deeply criticised the Marshall Plan as they believed it was only done by the Americans to benefit their own economy, and also claimed it was an attempt by the US to form a military alliance against the Soviet Union.
- Stalin therefore insisted that the satellite states should not accept Marshall Aid
What was Cominform, which was created in 1947?
Cominform was the Soviet Union’s response to the Truman Doctrine, and aimed to coordinate communist parties throughout Europe. It was introduced to ensure:
- States in Eastern Europe followed Soviet aims in foreign policy
- That states in Eastern Europe introduced Soviet economic policies, such as the collectivisation of agriculture and state control of industry
- Any members of the organisation who did not agree with Moscow would be expelled
What was Comecon, created in 1949?
Comecon was the Soviet response to the Marshall Plan. It was supposed to be a way for the Soviet Union to financially support countries in Eastern Europe, but instead it was used to:
- Control the economies of these states
- Give the Soviet Union access to their resources
- Encourage economic specialisation in the Soviet Bloc, for example Czechoslovakia and East Germany focused on heavy industry and Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria specialised in the production of food and raw materials.
What factors acted as long term causes of the Berlin Crisis of 1948-49, by worsening Western-Soviet relations?
- The Soviet Union had failed to secure communist control of the Berlin council due to opposition from the western powers
- The West wanted a speedy economic recovery in Germany as it was facing food and fuel shortages, but the Soviets wanted the opposite to reduce the chances of a future attack
- Stalin did not want the Allies to be inside Berlin, which was well inside the borders of Eastern Germany, as he feared that capitalism would spread to Eastern Berlin
- The Soviet Union and USA could not agree on issues inside Germany, such as if the government of a reunited Germany would be capitalist or communist and if Soviet and US troops would allowed to be present in a reunited Germany (the plan was originally for Germany to be one country and for zones to be eliminated)
What actions of the Western Allies in 1948 triggered Stalin to blockade Berlin?
The US, British and French Zones started to operate as one entity, known as Trizonia, and started developing policies for Western Germany:
- They agreed to set up a German assembly and create a German constitution
- They introduced a new currency, the Deutschmark, for Trizonia
Stalin saw this as an attempt to divide Germany, which he opposed because:
- It gave the US more influence in Germany
- It allowed the US to leave their troops in Germany
- Western Germany had valuable economic resources (such as industry in the Rhineland) which could be used to wage a war on the USSR.
How did Stalin blockade Berlin?
Stalin blockaded Berlin by blocking all main transport routes into the capital from Trizonia in June 1948, as he believed a separate state could not be created if cut off from its capital by land.
This also prevented West Berlin from receiving crucial supplies (such as food) to function as a city
How did Truman respond to the Berlin Blockade?
- Truman responded to Stalin’s actions by launching the Berlin Airlift. This lasted a total of 10 months, and involved British and American planes lifting in all supplies to West Berlin. At its peak, 13,000 tonnes of supplies reached West Berlin in just 24 hours.
- The blockade was also a propaganda success for Truman as it made the USSR look bad, as they were attempting to starve West Berlin.
- Stalin eventually ended the blockade in May 1949
What were the consequences of the Berlin Crisis, 1948-49?
- In September 1949, Trizonia became a separate state, the Federal Republic of Germany (FDR)
- In October 1949, the Soviet zone of Germnay also became an independent state, known as the German Democratic (ironic) Republic (GDR).
- East and Western rivalry greatly increased, Truman saw the crisis as a victory as Western Berlin had survived and stood up to the Soviet Union. Stalin was humiliated (although Soviet people were not made to believe this) as he had not wanted Germany to be divided and his blockade had failed.
- It resulted in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), a Western military alliance, forming in April 1949, which had the main purpose of preventing Soviet expansion and defending any member from attack. Stalin did not believe it was a defensive alliance, and felt threatened by how West Germany was made a member and remilitarised.
