Cominform, September 1947 Flashcards
What was Stalin determined to do?
respond to US economic imperialism and the reconstruction of Germany through the Marshall Plan
what was Stalin convinced of by late 1947?
that the USA wasn’t remotely interested in any model of international relations that was based on multiple spheres of influence that could coexist
what had Stalin previously believed?
that capitalist states would ultimately collapse, due to the economic rivalry that would develop among them
what was this previous view replaced by?
a certainty that the USA was engineering an anti-Soviet, US-led global alliance
what did Stalin do in response to this view and to undermine this US strategy?
he summoned communist representatives from across Europe to a meeting in Poland, in preparation for the creation of the Communist Information Bureau (Cominform)
where did Stalin believe the Soviet influence had to be consolidated?
Eastern Europe
who was Andrei Zhdanov?
a key speaker at this meeting and the author of the Zhdanov Doctrine
what view was Zhdanov committed to?
the view that the USA wanted to establish an anti-Soviet empire based on economic dependency upon the USA for those states who entered this sphere of US influence
what was the purpose of Cominform?
to unite and coordinate the role and actions of communist groups throughout Europe so the Communist Party functioned as a united whole under the direction of Moscow
Cominform
Cominform is often regarded as a response to the USA’s introduction of the Marshall Plan in June 1947. The USSR felt that there was a need to consolidate communist states to fend off what it saw as the rise of US imperialism through the Marshall Plan.
the Zhdanov Doctrine
Zhdanov viewed the world as being divided into two camps: the imperialists led by the USA and the democrats led by the USSR. This thinking was transferred to Soviet cultural policy and it forced artists, writers and intellectuals to reflect this worldview through their work
