Causes of Cold War: Ideological Confrontation

Question 1

Ideological Confrontation

Answer 1

• Was central to development of CW
• Ideological differences stretched back to 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, in which US fought on side of White Army

Question 2

Impact of Communist ideology

Answer 2

• Orthodox - USSR adherence to communism vital to development
• Conflict w/ USA inevitable given Soviet regime’s commitment to Marxist-Leninist concept of promotion of communist revolution on global scale and fundamental hostility towards capitalism
• USSR responsible as it was motivated by communism, an expansionist and anti-capitalist ideology, that advocated global revolution
• Ideological stance led Soviet to become aggressively expansionist to ext. communist power/undermine capitalism
• In turn, compelled US to adopt policy of containment (Truman Doctrine/MA/NATO) to prevent spread of communism.

Question 3

Actions of USSR in EU seen as motivated by desire to spread communism (Communist ideology)

Answer 3

• ‘Stalinisation’ of Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and East Germany (1945-47)
• Communist coup in Czechoslovakia (1948)
• Berlin Blockade 1948-9

Question 4

Soviet co-ordination and control of wider communist movement (Communist ideology)

Answer 4

• Cominform (1947) - instrument designed to inc. Soviet control over other Communist parties
  
  • seen as revamped Comintern, which promoted worldwide communist revolution
• Comecon (1949) was Soviet-dominated agency, co-ordinated/controlled econ. development in Eastern Bloc

Question 5

Soviet encouragement of left-wing dissent in non-communist countries

Answer 5

• Under Soviet instruct. Fr/Italian Communist Parties began ‘destabilisation’ campaigns of strikes/demonstrations in their respective countries (1947-8) against MA.
  
  • Approx. 2 million French workers involved in anti-capitalist protest

Question 6

Communist expansion in Asia (Communist ideology)

Answer 6

• Mao’s assumption of power in China (1949) held out prospect of monolithic Communist Bloc across Eurasia
• USSR approved communist NK’s attack of pro-West SK (1950)
  
  • Soviets supplied NK w/ weapons/military advisers
  • China committed 400,000 troops to North Korean cause; West saw this as Stalin’s doing

Question 7

Impact of Capitalist ideology

Answer 7

• Revisionist - US policy of capitalist exp was key element in development
• US post-war capitalist aims made conflict w/ Soviet inevitable
  
  • US responsibility due to motivation of capitalist exp./pursuit of global markets to maintain econ. growth/avoid recession
• Ideological stance led US to attempt to open other parts of world to US trade/investment (MA in EU) to ext. US-dominated capitalist power/undermine communism
• Threat of US econ. imperialism compelled USSR to consolidate Soviet Bloc in E.EU (Stalinisation) to prevent capitalist infiltration of sphere
  
  • USSR severely weakened by WWII:
    
    • in no position to pursue world revolution/aggressive expansionism
    • from 1945, main concerns were security/ econ. reconstruction

Question 8

US drive for markets after 1945 (Capitalist ideology)

Answer 8

• Exp. US capitalist community needed inc. trade/investment opportunities abroad - US markets couldn’t absorb nation’s prod. capacity
  
  • implied growing US political influence globally
• This ‘open door policy’ based on free trade/removal of protectionism, favoured ‘equal opportunity’ in all foreign markets.
• But, given enormous econ. power of US, this could only lead to American int’l domination
• US ‘military-industrial complex’ vested interest in promoting CW, to ensure cont’d h. demand for weapons prod. by US arms companies
  
  • ​attempts to open up particularly sensitive areas to US economic activity (E.EU) bound to be resisted by USSR

Question 9

Post-war confidence to shape the world according to US values

Answer 9

• War losses light — emerged from war majorly economically/militarily intact
• US industrial capacity inc. 90% during WWII
• USA produced 50% of world’s goods
• US had nuclear monopoly until 1949
• US intended to impose a ‘Pax Americana’ as a global peace settlement
  
  • reflect US values e.g. capitalist econ, free trade

Question 10

Early US attempts to force the USSR to accept an ‘open door’ policy in E. EU (Capitalist ideology)

Answer 10

• MA seen as example of ‘dollar imperialism’
  
  • part of US strategy to mould post-war EU into a capitalist bloc
  • detach E. EU states fr USSR by offering econ. incentives.

Question 11

Informal US empire in Europe (Capitalist ideology)

Answer 11

• US refused to agree on German reparations (1945)
• US tried to use nuclear monopoly as a negotiating tool (e.g. Potsdam)
• US ended reparations from US German zone (1946)

Question 12

Assessment of ideological confrontation interpretation (Strengths)

Answer 12

• Identified important role played by ideological commitment in promoting Cold War tensions, pointing out that US-Soviet ideological differences were long-standing
• US/USSR national interests often conceived in ideological terms e.g. US motives for offering Marshall Aid.

Question 13

Assessment of ideological confrontation interpreation (Weaknesses)

Answer 13

• Orthodox/revisionist explanations are one-sided in sense that they overestimate ideological motives
• Underestimate significance of Stalin/Truman’s pragmatic reaction to circumstances
  
  • not all Soviet/US actions were ideologically driven!