KQ4: Who was to blame for the Cold War 1945-49? Flashcards
Yalta
February 1945
- FDR, Churchill, Stalin
- Germany would be divided
- All liberated states would have free elections
- Eastern Europe would be Soviet Influence
Inbetween Yalta/Potsdam
-FDR dies April 1945
- USA first successful nuke July 16 1945
- Churchill loses election to Attlee 5 July 1945 (halfway through Potsdam)
Potsdam
July 1945
- Truman and Stalin butted heads over Germany, reparations and Eastern Europe
-Stalin wanted to cripple Germany, Truman thought this would repeat Versailles
-Stalin wanted huge reparations, USSR lost 27 mill. men to WW2 (Britain had lost 450k civilian and military, USA 405k casualties) Truman resisted
- Even though Yalta had agreed Eastern Europe would be Soviet Influence, Truman steps back
- Truman doesn’t tell Stalin about nuke
- Rapport FDR, Stalin and Churchill built is gone with weaker Attlee and Truman
- Lack of a common enemy removes the only thing keeping USA and USSR on the same side, sets the scene for the Cold War
Spread of Communism after 1945
Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Easter Germany, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, all elect Communist leaders, or are absorbed into USSR via Salami Tactics
Italy and France have strong Communist parties
Yugoslavia (Tito) also exists
Salami Tactics
USSR’s method of taking control of Eastern Europe post-war.
Effectively, create large coalition of broadly left-wing parties, then begin to remove the less radical factions of the coalition until all that remain are the hardline Communists
How did Stalin keep control?
Secret Police, Cominform, Communist party leaders met Stalin in Moscow
Leaders leaning towards Independence were replaced (except Tito)
Pre-War Conflicts between East and West?
West supported White Russia in Russian Civil War (1918-21)
Munich Conference, Stalin was completely ignored
Stalin never trusted the West and was paranoid anyway
West had always demonised Communism - set up Poland as a buffer for Communism in 1919
Key events 1946-47:
Iron Curtain Speech - 1946, Churchill condemns the USSR
Truman Doctrine 1947 - Identifies the USSR as the enemy, vows to protect freedom and stop Communism spreading
Salami Tactics from 1945-49
Long Telegram, Novikov Telegram
Iron Curtain
1946 Westminster College, Missouri. Churchill says “an Iron Curtain has descended on the continent, compared USSR to Nazis, Stalin was angry
Truman Doctrine
1947, Truman speaks in response to Britain no longer being able to help in the Greek Civil War, saying they would step in to “protect freedom across the world” and would go to stop Communism at all costs. Outlined US Foreign Policy for 25 years, of Containment of Communim
Long Telegram
February 1946
George Kennan (US diplomat in USSR) saying that new USSR foreign Policy was that the USSR would be in a perpetual state of war with the USA
Novikov Telegram
September 1946
Very similar to Long Telegram, effectively stating that the USA considered itself to be in a perpetual state of war with the USSR, sent by Novikov, a Russian diplomat in the USA
Key events 1948-49
Marshall Aid 1948
Berlin Blockade 1948-49
Nuclear Capability for the USSR August 1949
NATO formed in April 1949 after Berlin Blockade
Sino-Soviet Alliance 1949
Marshall Aid
First real step of the Truman Doctrine, provide economic assistance to Europe, they thought poverty = Communism, so they could stop that.
$17 billion paid to Europe over 4 years
Also benefitted USA, as new markets were opened up for Us
Eastern Europe offered the money, but Stalin wouldn’t let them accept the aid, it would weaken his hold on Europe and mean they were dependent on the dollar.
Berlin Blockade
Berlin was divided between East and West, Allies pumped money into West Berlin to make the divide seem far more obvious between East and West - Stalin wanted to punish Germany, so didn’t fund it, but it was propaganda for West.
in 1948, new currency was introduced to West Berlin, Stalin needed to take control
