4. Who was to blame for the Cold War? Flashcards
4.1 Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin
to break down in 1945?
-Removal of the common enemy: There was no longer a common
enemy, Germany, and so no need for the Allied cooperation which had
been extensive during the war.
-Ideological differences: The United States followed a democratic,
capitalist approach opposed to the communist ideology of the USSR. This
made it more difficult to build up trust between the two.
-History of hostility: There was a long history of mistrust going back to
1918 and the intervention of the West in the Russian Civil War against the
Bolsheviks. In the 1930s Stalin thought that the West saw Hitler and the Nazis as the buffer against the spread of communism. In addition, Stalin
was not invited to the Munich Conference.
-The USSR in world affairs: By early 1945 it was obvious that the Soviet
Union’s “sphere of influence” was growing. Stalin was included with other
European leaders in important conferences at Yalta (February 1945) and Potsdam (July 1945).
4.1 The Yalta Conference, February 1945
Decisions made:
-what to do with a defeated Germany:
-Surrender was to be unconditional.
-Germany and its capital Berlin were to be temporarily divided into
four occupation zones.
-Germany’s eastern border was to be moved westwards.
-Germany had to pay reparations.
What to do with countries formerly occupied by Germany:
-Following liberation, free elections would be hold to decide how they were to be governed.
The future of Poland:
-A provisional government was to be established comprising of pro-
Soviet Lublin Poles and exiled London Poles who had fled in 1939.
-Poland’s border was to be moved westwards into German territory.
-Free elections were to be held.
How war against Japan could be ended:
-Stalin agreed to intervene in the war against Japan after Germany
was defeated.
-In return Russia was to receive land in Manchuria and territory lost to
Japan during the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War.
How a lasting peace was to be maintained:
An organisation to be known as the United Nations was to be set up.
4.1 What changed between the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference?
- In the United States: President Roosevelt died in April and was replaced by Harry S. Truman. Truman was strongly anti communist but inexperienced in international affairs.
- In Britain: Churchill’s Conservative Party was defeated in a general election. He was replaced by Labour leader Clement Attlee.
- The Sovier Union had liberated eastern Europe and was installing sympathetic governments. They failed to hold “free” elections.
- On the eve of Poisdam, Truman informed Stalin that the United States had successfully tested an atomic weapon.
4.1 The Potsdam Conference, July-August 1945
Agreements:
-The Polish-German border was to be the Oder-Neisse Line formed by two rivers.
-The Nazi Party was to be banned.
-Germany was to be denazified and war crime trials held.
-The decision to split Germany and Berlin into four zones was confirmed.
-Each country was to take reparations from its
own zone.
Disagreements:
-No agreement was reached over the Future
government of Poland.
-There was disagreement over Germany: Stalin
wanted Germany crippled to prevent future
threat.
-The USSR wished to intervene in the war
against Japan but was refused by Truman
The results of the Potsdam Conference: from wartime alliance to Cold War
The USA and the USSR emerged from the Second World War as superpowers and were prepared to face each other head on. The failures at Potsdam highlighted the increasing differences, causing tension to increase. Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, referred to an “iron curtain” descending across Europe, dividing eastern Europe from western
Europe, democracy from communism.
4.2 How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?
Towards the end of the war the Soviet Red Army advanced through large
areas of Eastern Europe as it drove back the Germans. After the end of the
war Soviet troops remained in much of Eastern Europe.
As agreed at the Yalta Conference, elections were held in the eastern
European countries. By 1948 all these countries had communist governments.
This had been achieved through rigged elections and intimidation. The
countries now under Soviet control became “satellite” states.
An alliance of communist countries called COMINFORM was set up in 1947.
This tightened Stalin’s hold on the satellite states, further restricting their
contact with the West. Only one eastern bloc country, Yugoslavia, rejected
Stalin’s leadership, although it remained communist.
4.3 How did the US react to Societ expansion?
The Truman Doctrine:
The immediate view held by the United States of the Soviets was that they
were attempting to spread communism around the world. They feared that Greece and Turkey might be the next countries to fall to Stalin.
Truman persuaded the American Congress to provide aid in the form of
arms and money for Greece and Turkey. In Greece, the communists were eventually defeated in 1949 following a civil war.
The United States became committed to a policy of stopping the spread of
communism. This was the policy of “containment”.
Marshall Aid:
Truman believed that countries which suffered from poverty were vulnerable. Many countries in Europe were struggling to cope with the
after-effects of the war and were facing economic collapse.
In addition, if Europe became prosperous again it could become a trading partner for America.
In June 1947, George Marshall announced an economic recovery plan which provided aid to build up Europe’s economy. This became known as the Marshall Plan.
To help war-torn Europe recover, the United States offered money, machinery, food, and technological equipment. In return, European countries would buy
American goods and allow American investment in their industries.
Sixteen western European states accepted the offer. Between 1948 and
1952 the United States gave $13 billion of aid.
Stalin refused Marshall Aid for the USSR and banned eastern European
countries from receiving it. To counter the effects of the Marshall Plan,
Stalin set up COMINFORM in 1947. This aimed to develop economic
cooperation between communist countries.
4.4 What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?
Causes:
Long term:
-Berlin was within the Soviet zone, Soviet troops were able to control all access.
-The USSR believed the western Allies had no right to be in Berlin. The western Allies were seen as a threat as they had a base inside the Soviet zone.
-The West could spy on Soviet activity behind the Iron Curtain.
Short term:
- In January 1947 Britain and the United States combined their zones to form “Bizonia” France joined a year later. Stalin felt threatened by this, fearing he was being forced out.
- Western Germany began to recover with the help of Marshall Aid. In East Germany there was poverty and hunger.
- In 1948 the western Allies introduced a new currency into western Germany. Stalin refused to introduce it in the Soviet zone.
The airlift:
The airlift lasted for 11 months and involved nearly 300,000 flights. Cargo
carried included coal, food, medicines and petrol. Planes were landing in
West Berlin at the rate of one every two minutes.
Although they did not fire on incoming aircrafts, the Soviets used
obstruction tactics, including jamming radios and shining search lights to
temporarily blind pilots.
Stalin lifted the blockade in May 1949 having failed to achieve his goal.
The consequences of the blockade:
The West had successfully stood up to the Soviet Union.
In May 1949 the Federal German Republic, West Germany, had been formed by the merging of the zones of the Western allies. It did not include West Berlin which was protected by British, American and French forces.
In October 1949 Stalin retaliated by turning the Soviet zone into the German Democratic Republic. East Berlin was part of East Germany.
This meant Germany was divided, with hostility between the two parts. The division would last for 40 years.
In April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was set up.
In January 1949, COMECON was created with the object of directing the
national economies of the Soviet bloc. This proved to be more favourable
to the USSR than to its other members.
In May 1955, the Warsaw Pact was formed with eight communist
countries unifying their armed forces under a central command. This was a
direct response to the rearmament of West Germany and its incorporation
into NATO.
4.5 Who was the most to blame for starting the Cold War: the USSR?
Reasons for the USSR to be blamed:
-The communist ideology was expansionist and universal and therefore the Soviet Union could not co-exist with capitalism. It intended to impose its own system of government throughout the world.
-Stalin did not abide by the agreements made at Yalta. He installed a communist government in Poland and went on to impose Soviet systems throughout Eastern Europe.
-The creation of COMECON ensured that each Eastern European country followed the Soviet model of economic policy.
-The establishment of COMINFORM was a clear sign that he intended to undermine capitalist society.
-He was the only leader to remain in power from the pre-war era
through to the division of Europe in 1949. He often adopted a
confrontational approach to relations with other countries.
Stalin’s concerns for Soviet security at the end of the war stemmed
from historical fears about invasion from the west. These fears
came from:
-the events of the Russian Civil War
-the belief that Britain and France encouraged Nazi Germany to
expand eastwards during the late 1930s
-the belief that the Western allies deliberately delayed opening a
second front in order to weaken the Soviet Union
-Britain refusing to share the German secret Enigma codes.
-In an attempt at one-upmanship the United States tried to keep secret
the testing of an atomic bomb.
-There was deep concern over the future of Germany. The Allied
plans to unify their three zones, together with the significant losses
experienced by the USSR in the war, fulled the desire to impose a
communist system for protection. This provoked Stalin into drastic
action over Berlin in 1948.
4.5 Who was the most to blame for starting the Cold War: the USA?
In what ways was the USA to blame:
-It can be argued that the true purpose of Marshall Aid was to provide a
market for US goods and to ensure the preservation of a capitalist, free
market system.
-The Marshall Plan promised aid to countries willing to stand up to the
communist threat.
-The creation of Bizonia and the introduction of a new currency into
the western zones of Germany was a clear breach of the Potsdam
Conference agreement and an attempt to impose a capitalist system.
-Truman was very aggressive in his dealings with officials from the Soviet
Union and felt that as a powerful, atomic power he should be allowed
to dictate terms at the Potsdam Conference.
-NATO was set up as a military alliance to defend its members against
possible communist attack.
