Shifts in US Policy and Soviet response (46'-48') Flashcards
What were US concerns in 1946?
- Policymakers became convinced that the USSR were going against the Decleration on Liberated Europe
- Question of what to do with Germany
- State of the economy of Europe
- Outbreak of Greek Civil War in March 1946
What happened in July 1946 and January 1947 in connection to Germany?
July 1946: USA and UK end 25% reparations to the USSR from their zones
January 1947: Formed Bizonia
What happened at the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers (Spring 1947) and London Conference of Foreign Ministers (Autumn 1947)?
Moscow;
- Soviets tried to destroy Bizonia by demanding a central German government; successfully opposed by Ernest Bevin, arguing that political unity should follow economic unity
- Soviets refused; ‘successful failure’ for the USA / UK
London;
- Failed and bitterly divisive
What caused the Truman Doctrine?
- In Feb 1947, the British announced they could no longer afford to help the Greek government, and appealed to the US to shoulder the financial burden
- Stalin was not aiding the KKE (yet Tito was); allowed the KKE to go down to a curshing defeat eventually in September 1949
What were the aims of the policy of containment?
- To prevent further expansion of Soviet influence
- To prevent the further advance of the left in West/South Europe
- To apply pressure, in order to modify Soviet behaviour
- To woo states away from the Soviet bloc
- To create a ‘united front’ of capitalism under America
- To ensure the continued grwoth of the US economy
- To keep Britain in the game, and reduce French reparation demands from Germany
What was the Truman Doctrine?
- The Truman Doctrine was the first in a series of contaiunment moves by the US, followed by the Marshall Plan and the creation of NATO in 1949
- Made the proclomation in March 1947 amid the Greek Civil War (March 1946 to September 1949); if Greece was lost to communism, Turkey would not last long, and vice versa.
What was the Marshall Plan?
- The Marshall Plan (announced June 1947) was a loan package intended to restart the economies of Europe
- Hoped to lessen the appeal of communism and promote European unity
- Condition was that recipients had to spent a proportion of it on American goods, allow American companies to access its markets and allow an international body to access economic information
What happened during the Paris Conference in July 1947?
- Soviet realisaiton that the Marshall Plan was effectively an anti-Soviet decide
- Molotov and Soviet delegation left the conference and publically rejected the offer of Marshall Aid on the 2nd of July; ‘dollar imperialism’
- Disliked the ideas of assigning a central role to West Germany for economic reconstruction and the idea of a central organisation controlled by the US which had the power to intervene and regulate the economies in the Communist bloc
What was the Cominform?
The Cominform was launched in Sepember 1947.
- This brought together parties from the USSR, satellite states, Yugoslavia, Italy and France
- Signalled a shift from moderate coalitions to “two camps” politics
- Much criticism; initially led by Tito, of the legalism/electroialism
- Emphasis on anti-Americanism
What did the PCF (French Communist Party) do in November-December 1947?
- They launched massive, but ultimately unsuccessful, anti-Marshall Plan strikes in France, which involved two million workers
Why were Stalin and Tito in disagreement?
- Disagreed on Tito’s model of Communism (allowed for independent opportunity)
- Disagreed on the Greek Civil War (Yugoslavia gave vocal and practical aid to the KKE, while Stalin refused to engage to maintain good relations with the USA)
- Worried about the idea of the Balkan Federation (involved Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, scuttled by Moscow in January 1948)
- June 1948; breach becomes public knowledge
What happened during the February 1948 Prague Coup?
- Czech government’s willingness to embrace Marshall Aid led to Stalin requesting right of passage in CZ
- Gottwald took control by the 25th of February, and Benes gave away
- Farcical election took place in May
What did Stalin do in relation to Gomulka, Nagy, Tito and Rajk?
- Communist leaders who believed they could follow theur own socialist policy, independant from the Soviet model, were removed from office (i.e. Gomulka and Nagy)
- Tito was branded as a heretic
- Leading communists were subjected to torture, humiliation, showtrials and execution (i.e. Hungarian leader Rajk)
How many communists were imprisoned across the satellite states between 1948 and 1952?
250,000
When was Comecon founded?
January 1949
