Origins of the Cold War: Big Three War Aims

Question 1

US: Trade

Answer 1

• Make the world one large free trade area:

• Establish democratic states
• No tariffs or economic nationalism
• Decolonisation
• Controlled by UN and the superpowers

Question 2

US: Security

Answer 2

• Improve security after Pearl Harbour:

• Chain of bases across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans
• This also gave the US access to raw materials and markets around Western Europe and Asia

Question 3

USSR

Answer 3

• Set up friendly regimes through fully/partial communist governments and reparations
- Wanted to give Poland annexed land from Nazi territories as reparations

• Envisioned a post-war Europe with 3 different areas:

• Direct Soviet control - Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and part of Germany
• Intermediate zones - neither fully communist or capitalist; power would be shared with liberals, moderate socialist and peasant parties
• Non-communist western Europe - shows allies that USSR was not interested in a global revolution

Question 4

UK

Answer 4

• Maintain status as a Great Power:

• Keep its empire
• Alarmed by spread of Soviet influence in central Europe and eastern Mediterranean - disrupt trade and control
• Wanted a democratic government in Warsaw