Esaay topic 2: "How far was Stalin's creation of a Soviet Bloc in eastern Europe after WW2 the result of his obsession with ensuring international security for the USSR"

Question 1

Bullet point essay intro

Answer 1

• Ammalgamation of factors played a role in foreign affairs and decision to establish a Sov Bloc in Eastern Europe.
• Hostilic examination of period in question exacerbates the vital role that Stalin’s desire to ensure USSR’s security played.
• Depsite fact also driven by an array of alterior motives such as the desire to spread Communism and the need for economic advancement, was actually desire for security that was principal motivator as is made apparanrt by treat of breakdown of East-West relations and Stalin’s ever-present paranoia and fear over growing strenth of Western power (especially the US superpower)

Question 2

Para 1 (Stalin’s paranoia after GPW and his use of purges and terror as a means of ensuring control and security, as well as greater nuclear might of US and the nature of a ‘buffer zone’ all show desire for greater security)

Answer 2

1) -Stalin had always been a paranoid leader, constantly using terror and purges as a means of ensuring loyalty, security and authority,
-It is evident that WW2 had increased Stalin’s sense of paranoia as is exacerbated by his mistreatment of returning soldiers and prisoners of war, as well as his pursuing of ‘hysterical isolationism’ following victory in the GPW.
Examples:
1- 12 million of those whose who returned from war were sent to gulags
2- 15% of the 1.8 million POW were arrested (surrender was a crime in the Red Army) and sent to gulags.
3- Thousands more arrested, including family members of soldiers and those who spoke of Western ideology.
-This clearly exemplifies the extent of Stalin paranoia as he was willing to persecute war heroes as a means of ensuring security against Western influence and ideology. Emphasises fact that Stalin feared West and would desire a greater sense of security as he had already proven willing, in the years leading upto the formation of the Eastern Bloc, to use pervasive terror and purges as a means of ensuring loyalty and security, Stresses the importance of this to Stalin in a domestic sense.
-Link to use of regular purges and terror as a means of ensuring loyalty and utter hegemony over satellite states. As a result of dissent such as that of Josip Tito in Yugoslavia, Stalin carried out purges in many of the so-called ‘satellite states’ of the East, subsequently killing several hundereds of thousands of people, including high-ranking communists such as Koçi Xoxe in Albania and Traicho Kostov in Bulgaria, who were purged and arrested. Both were executed thus showing Stalin’s desire for dominance and security from his Eastern Bloc.
2) Link in this para to fear over the USA’s growing military might through their posession of nuclear arms, first used in 1945 as a means of ending war vs Japan. Whilst in hindsight it is evident that the USSR’s pursuit of matching US’s nuclear strength through Stalin’s placing Beria in charge of the acceleration of arms and race and subsequent success in 1st successful test of atomic bomb in Khazikstan on 29 Aug 1949 and the capacity to manufacture hydrogen bombs by 1953, was a better plan for ensuring USSR’s security on an international level,however is clear that formation of the Bloc was inspired by US growing power and fact Stalin feared this greatly due to Russia’s inherent weakness as a result of mass losses in WW2.
Examples:
1- 20 million deaths
2- 1/4 of countries resources destroyed
Therefore USSR was not prepared for another potential war or for threat from US (or Germnay for that matter- link to how Stalin feared a potential threat of a unified, anti-comm Germany). This led clearly to an increased drive to strengthen USSR’s defenses and resources via the extension of territory, man power and resources which would be vital for USSR to withstand any further threat or possible invasion, especially when considering USSR alone had proven unable to prevent a Germna invasion on 2 actions (find dates), therefore prospect of a ‘buffer zone’ would add to security abroad.
3) End with point on how a ‘bufferzone’ by nature is all about defense and adding protection to USSR therefore fact such terminology was used by historians to describe Eastern Bloc demonstares its defensive nature and fact was undoubtedly driven by desire to remain secure.

Question 3

Synonyms for security

Answer 3

Google this.

Question 4

Para 2: Breakdown of East-West relations led to an increased need for security due to emergence of anti-Sov feelings.

Answer 4

Link to need to use buffer zone as a defense vs America, but now mention how entire West can be viewed by Stalin as an enemy following a breakdown of relations and ideological divisions which emerged in the post-war conferences.
-Stalin’s main motive for the creation of Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe was the need for security. When the war ended, the Soviet Union was the only Communist country in the world and Stalin believed that Western countries were bent on destroying it. These fears weren’t baseless; immediately after the Russian Revolution, Britain had sent troops to support the White Russians against the Communists.
1) After having called out the allies at Tehran in Nov 1543 over their failure to open a war on 2 fronts, as well as the Yalta Conference of Feb 1945 which clearly highlights the ideologicla divisions between the 2, damaged any possibilty of future coop w/ US and began period of intense anti-Sov feeling. Therefore, tensions increased into hardened cold war confrontation in years 1946-49, thus enhancing the need for security against potential invasion, especially when considering the Soviet Union had been invaded from the West by Germany twice during the 20th Century. And so, Stalin believed that the satellite states of Eastern Europe would act as a buffer against future aggression. Also important to note that the Eastern Bloc gave Stalin greater protection and reduced threat of invasion from boarder countries by allowing him to have authroity over boardering nations.
List the nations involved eg Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Poland, East Germany and more.
2) Long Telegram by George Kennon in Feb 1946 and Chrucill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech at Fulton, Missouri in March 1946 demonstrates] clealry the growing west suspicion over USSR’s expansion as Kennon urged the US to take action against the expansion of communism and the Soviet Union, as did Churchill. This demonstrates the clear anti-Sov feeling throughout Western Europe during the period in question and thus Stalin was completely isolated from his previous alliies and needed to form a new method of protection vs growing threat from the Western powers.
3) ‘Truman Doctrine’ dictated US foreign policy and completed the transition from an alliance with the USSR to an anti-Soviet driven policy and one of containment of the spread of communism.

See paper plan for organisation and talk about how Sov Bloc was an attempt to gain allies and incraese forces and resources to counter anti-Sov hostility from East and how was a reaction to accumulation of anti-Sov policies as mentioned.

5) USA’s establishment of NATO in 1949 increased US influence in Europe and thus was viewed in a hostile light by Stalin.

Question 5

Para 3: Desire to improve the economy

Answer 5

1) Link with idea of Eastern Bloc being about security vs East and West with this para as the desire to enhance economy has links with Western powers and is another cause of conflict and rivalry.
2) Impact of WW2:
- WW2 had virtually destroyed the USSR’s economy and industry due to huge losses experienced
Examples:
1- 98,000 collective farms lost
2- 49,000 combine harvestors
3- 1/4 of terrain, therefore labour shortages as land under cultivation was 75% of pre-war level. This caused severe food shortages made worse by drought and poor harvest of 1946, causing famine 1946-47.
4- 70,000 towns, willages and cities destroyed
5- Lost 7 million horses and 17 million cattle.
-Impacts of WW2 on economy/ industry: Examples:
1-Mining production fell to 1/2 of 1940 level
2- electricity production fell by 52% from the 1940 level
3- Steel production fell 48% from the 1940 level
4- GDP fell by around 34%
-Evaluate devestating impact using these figures and state how in need of massive reform and boostering of economy and agriculture.

3) Limitations of Post-War Reconstruction (focus on failure and collapse of agriculture, but mention how decent economic recobery so potentially not as much stress placed on economic needs but still requirred bloc as a means of improving Soviet economy.
Examples/ stats:
1- Economy 
Coal production recovered well 
1940-165.9 tons
1950-261.1 tons

As did electricity production
1940- 48.3 kilowatts
1950-91.2 kilowatts
(Far lower than 3,508 killowats in 1526 under NEP)

Steel production
1940- 18.3 tons
1950- 27.3 tons

-State that despite decent economic recovery being decent, the expansion of Soviet territory was still vital in expanding economy in a bid to be able to compete with the more advanced Western economies. In addition to this, the bloc allowed for opportunity to attain heavy metal, land, workers and other resources that would bolster the economy and agriculture.

Post-War Recovery (agriculture)
Collectivisation had crippled Soviet agriculture and left the USSR unable to feed its population due to a lack of agricultural production.

Potatos:
1940-76.1 tons
1951-58.7 tons

Grain:
1940-95.6 tons
1951- 78.7 tons.

Limitations of post-war recovery and devastating impact of WW2 highlight pressing issue of economy and need for improvement, could be seen as a reason for desire for Stalin to expand Soviet territory.

3) Weakness of economy is exacerbated by the weakness in the aid of COMECON (set up Jan 1949)(council for mutual economis assistance) vs Marshall Aid. /Plan (introduced 3 April 1948)
-Marshall aid offered $13 billion dollars in support to countries, whilst COMECON proved unable to offer any financial aid, due to the financial instability of USSR in 1949.
- Marshall Aid accounted for 3% of combined national income of recipient countries between 1948-51
-Whereas Comecon’s plan only provided economic advice, with NO financial aid. Suggests USA were far more powerful and stable
-Talk about opposition to USSR’s rejection of Marshall AId:
Polish and Hungarian People’s Republic, alongside Czechoslovak Socilaist Republic expressed interest in aid, but all reluctantly rejected aid due to fact that Stalin forbade them to attend the conference on the European Recovery Plan.

-Rejection of Marshall Aid demonstrates the lack of importance of developing and stabalising Eastern economy as Stalin favoured total hegemony over the satellite states in favour of their economic prosperity. In addition to this, it is evident that his fear over the US’s (and the West’s) anti-Sov feelings drove Stalin to sacrifice reaching the economic level of the west, in favour of preventing their intervention in Eastern Europe and maintaining control of the states the ‘buffer zone’ by means of reliance upon USSR, especially after the role of Comecon was reduced from 1951 to ensure utter reliance upon Stalin

Links to Stalin favouring secrutiy and safety from West’s anti-Sov feelings, deomonstrating that he valued security over economic development, emphasising the importance iof security as the principal motivator for the establishment of the Soviet Bloc.
He was willing for a lack of technilocial advancement in Eastern states as a means of enhancing control and security of bloc.

Question 6

Para 4: Spread of Communism was actually the driving factor behind the decision to establish the Soviet Bloc in Eastern Europe

Answer 6

Context: Desire to spread communism was a driving factor for all Communist party leaders, and Stalin proved to be no different.
The party had long been plagued over ideological debate of socialism in one country vs worldwide revolution and the formation of Sov Bloc gave Stalin opportunity to fulfill the latter.
1) Use of ‘silami-slice’ tactics demonstrates desire to implement communism throughout Eastern Europe.
Examples:
1- Poland: provisional government set up in Lubin which was dominated by a pro-Moscow gov
2- Yugolsavia: Communist partisans led by Josip Tito gained control of post-war gov.
3- After East Germany became a Soviet zone of occupation in 1945, Moscow-trained communists took power of gov in 1946.
4- Methods of infiltrating gov included infiltration of trade unions as a means of ignighting rebellions, as well as using rigged elctions to give image was a ‘choice’.
5- Combined with purges, eg ‘accidental’ falling out of a window of the Chechslovakian anti-Sov foreign minister Jan Masaryk in 1948 who ‘fell’ from a high window.
-State how such an infiltration of the eastern states can be viewed as an attempt to bestow Stalin’s communist ideology upon states accross Eastern Europe, however was also used as a vital method of ensuring a ‘buffer zone’ that would not turn and potentially threaten Stalin’s international security. Additionally, the use of voilent methods and terror as a means of establishing such pro-Soc govs does little to corroborate the fact that the Comm teachings were the driving factor behind the Soviet Bloc as it is apparent that dominating and governing by gear was the thrue aim of Stalin.

2) Whilst can be argued the Tito-Stalin split of 1948, in which Tito was removed from the Comintern and subsequently Yugoslavia left the Eastern Bloc, can be viewed as emphasising the importance of spreading Stalin’s version of Communism as Stalin was against Tito’s anti-Marxist version of Communism, it is abundantly clear that Yugoslavia’s version of Communism was no more anti-Marxist than that of Poland, and therefore it is clear that there was an alterior motive behind this decision regarding Yugolsavia’s position in the Soviet Bloc.
-Decision over Tito’s expulsion was truly driven by Stalin’s fear over Tito’s expanding power and worry that he may be emerging as a new rival power in Eastern Europe following his increased influnec in Communist Greece foloowing the emergence of a civil war there in 1946, as well as after his capturing of Istria (previously of Italy)
Consequently Stalin’s actions regarding Yugoslavia show an interest in eliminating a threat and ensuring his international security and personal domination over his ‘buffer zone’ rather than a desire to erradicate Tito’s variation of Communism.
Needed total auhority over Eastern Bloc as was, in 1948, the most vital form of defense of the USSR.

Question 7

Conclusion

Answer 7

Driven by desire to enhance international security, despite alterior secondary motives and benefits such as economic development and the expansion of communism on a larger scale
Seen via:
1-desire to evade threat from breakdown of East-West relations
2-willingness to abandon economic aid and unwilligness to permit Marshall Aid. Preferred economic instablity over Western influence in East due to threat it posed
3- Nature of the ‘bufferzone’
4- Stalin’s paranoia and the need to enhance security due to his own fear.