Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe to 1948, and American reactions to it Flashcards
How did the Cold War roughly start?
- The ‘Iron Curtain’ stood for the border between East and West set up by Stalin.
- In December 1946, Britain and the USA agreed to unite their German zones for economic purposes.
- The Soviets were furious. Not only had they acted without agreement from the Soviets, but they also appeared to be rebuilding Germany, when Stalin wanted to keep it weak.
What was the iron curtain?
1) Was delivered by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Fulton, Missouri on 2)March 5th 1946
3) Churchill emphasised the necessity for the United States and Britain to act as the guardians of peace and stability against the menace of Soviet Communism
4) Churchill said ‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Atlantic an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent
How did the Soviet’s expand in 1945?
- Romania - A communist was elected as Prime Minister within a left wing coalition. Soviets accepted this coalition government
- Czechoslovakia - Left Wing coalition won the elections in 1945. Soviet troops left after the war
- Bulgaria - Left Wing coalition won the elections - The Fatherland Front. They purged rival groups from this front
- Yugoslavia - Marshall Tito was elected president in 1945. He had led wartime resistance to the nazis. He was determined to apply communism in his own way.
- Poland - After the war the communists joined a coalition government. New government formed in June 1945 dominated by the ‘Lublin’ Poles
- Albania - Communists gained power straight after the war had ended. There was little opposition as during the war the different sides opposed the Italian and German occupation forces. After the war, the communist party had the backing of the USSR and Yugoslavia
- Hungary - Communists won 17% of the votes in the election but were given control of the Ministry of the Interior
How did the Soviets expand in 1946?
- Czechoslovakia - Communists became the largest single party but still had a Left Wing coalition government
- Romania - Had rigged elections which gave the communists 90% of the vote
- Bulgaria - The monarchy was abolished
How did the Soviets expand in 1947?
- Poland - The communists became the leaders when they forced the non-communist leader into exile - Soviet control was established. Had rigged elections which gave communists 80% of the vote
- Hungary - Communists became the largest single party and won the elections. They imprisoned any opposition politicians and attacked church leaders. Used secret police to discredit and persecute rival politicians and parties. Rigged the elections which gave the communists control of the coalition government
- Romania - The communists abolished the monarchy - King Micheal was forced to abdicate in December. ‘Show Trial’ of the main opposition leader in October 1947. Soviet control was established
- Bulgaria - New constitution which effectively destroyed parliamentary democracy and opposition parties were disbanded. Soviets took control
- Czechoslovakia - Foreign Minister Jans Masaryk who was a popular and non communist politician was murdered in May 1947
How did Soviets expand in 1948?
- Czechoslovakia - When the communists position was threatened, they banned any other political parties and made Czechoslovakia a one party, communist state. The Soviets established control. All non communist members of the government resigned in February 1948
- Yugoslavia - Marshal Tito was expelled from Cominform
- Hungary - The Social Democratic Party and the Communist party merged together and the soviets control was established
How did Soviets expand in 1949?
East Germany - It was run by the USSR under the Red Army control until the creation of the German Democratic Republic
What happened to other countries during the Soviet expansion?
- France and Italy - Both countries had strong communist parties that belonged to Cominform
- Greece - Britain and the US both supported the royalist side in the civil war which defeated the communist opponents
What happened in Greece in the 1940s-50s?
1944 - Nazi retreat from Greece
rivals: monarchists and communists
Communists: wanted to be a soviet republic
Monarchists: wanted to restore the Greek King
1945: Churchill sent in British troops on the face of it for law & order but they also wanted to support the Greek monarchy
1946: USSR protested to the UN about Br troops in Greece
UN took no action
GREEK CIVIL WAR developed
Feb 1947: British could not afford to be caught up in civil war so withdrew
Truman and the US stepped in, paid for the Br troops to stay in Greece
By 1950, monarchists in control although the Gr gvt was weak
The events in Greece, what did they reveal?
British and US suspicion of USSR and communism, Stalin’s suspicion of the US, weakness of UN at this point
What were the links that the events in Greece did?
events in Greece help to explain the evolution of the Marshall Plan and Truman doctrine
What happened in Czechoslovakia in 1948?
1948
Czechoslovakian gvt taken over by communists in March 1948
Anti-USSR members of the coalition were purged (removed)
One pro-US minister found dead OR PUSHED??
Persuaded US Congress to accept Marshall Plan: USD17 billion approved for 4 years
What was the Long telegram?
Febraury 1946
In 1946, George Kennan, an official at the US Embassy in Moscow, was asked to provide a summary of what the Soviets were up to and their intentions in Eastern Europe. Kennan’s response became known as The Long Telegram because at 8,000 words, it was indeed long! The importance of the Kennan telegram is that it shows that at this point there was still no concept of a Cold War. The American State Department had to be alerted by a Moscow-based official of the Soviets’ activities.
In much fewer than 8,000 words, what Kennan’s telegram said was that the USSR was heavily armed and feared the outside world. It was determined to spread communism and therefore there could be no peaceful co-existence between the USSR and the USA. However, the USA was stronger than the USSR and so communism could be ‘contained’.
What were the Key points about the Long Telegram?
- In February 1946, the U.S. State Department asked George F. Kennan, then at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, why the Russians opposed the creation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
- Kennan responded with a wide-ranging analysis of Russian policy now called the “Long Telegram.”
In the “Long Telegram,” Kennan emphasized that the Soviet Union did not see the possibility for long-term peaceful coexistence with the capitalist world and that the best strategy was to “contain” communist expansion around the globe. - A year later, Kennan published an article under the anonymous pseudonym “X” summarizing and clarifying his analysis in the “Long Telegram.”
- The attitudes and strategies promoted in these two documents, namely the strategy of “containment,” formed the basis of America’s approach to the USSR for most of the Cold War.
What was the Novikov Telegram?
September 1946
The Soviet response to The Long Telegram was The Novikov Telegram, in which the Soviet ambassador to the USA, Nikolai Novikov, warned that the USA had emerged from World War Two economically strong and bent on world domination. As a result, the USSR needed to secure its buffer zone in Eastern Europe.
These two telegrams set the scene for the Cold War in Europe. The USSR would attempt to dominate Eastern Europe and spread communism where possible. The USA would commit to a policy of containment, which meant stopping the spread of communism into Western Europe. The Americans rejected a policy of rollback, which would have been much more aggressive and confrontational. A rollback approach would have involved American intervention to overturn a communist government in another country.
What were the Key points of the Novikov Telegram?
What was the Novikov Telegram? The Novikov Telegram was a secret report sent to Stalin.
When was the Novikov Telegram sent? It was sent in September 1946.
Who sent the Novikov Telegram? Nikolai Novikov, the Soviet Ambassador in the USA, sent the Novikov Telegram to Stalin, the leader of the USSR.
Where was the Novikov Telegram sent? The Novikov Telegram was sent from the Soviet Embassy in Washington to Moscow.
What did the Novikov Telegram contain?
The Novikov Telegram stated that:
The USA wanted to be the world’s leading power.
The USSR was the only power that could stand up to them.
The USA was preparing for war against the Soviets.
What aid did the Marshall Plan offer?
Marshall Aid was offered to all European countries, including Russia.
Despite Russia’s and Eastern European weaknesses, Stalin forced all the countries under his control to refuse Marshall aid.
By 1953, $17 billion worth of aid was provided by the USA.
What were the consequences of the Marshall Plan?
- Western Europe enjoyed a period of significant prosperity in the 1950s.
- Stalin was convinced that USA actions were selfish and aimed to dominate Europe and boost its own economy
- Western Europe became more closely linked with its distributing of Marshall Aid.
- USA became far more involved in European affairs
- Stalin formed Comecon to link satellite states’ economies together to ensure they were run along communist lines.
What was a satellite state?
- A satellite state is a country which is officially independent but is in reality controlled by another country.
What were the satellite states in the cold war?
- Poland
- Czechoslovakia
- Hungary
What broad stages did the USSR complete to take control over countries in eastern Europe?
The Red Army remained in occupation over much of eastern Europe after the Second World War.
With the Red Army’s help, the USSR established communist governments that were closely controlled from Moscow in most of eastern Europe.
These countries became known as Soviet satellite states.
The establishment of gaining control followed the same pattern –
Coalition governments were set up in which the communists would share power with other parties.
Backed by Stalin, the communists would take over the civil service, media, security and defence.
Opposition leaders were arrested or forced to flee.
Elections were held but fixed the in communists favour.
‘People’s democracies’ were set up.
What were the consequences of the USSR controlling most of eastern Europe?
- Isolation of Yugoslavia in the east.
- USSR form Comecon to control eastern European economies from Moscow.
- USSR form Cominform to control eastern European governments from Moscow.
- Growing distrust from USA and Britain who wanted elected democratic governments that were friendly not dominated by USSR.
The Truman Doctrine Background
- After the “Long Telegram”, Truman learned that USSR was not in a position to wage a war
- BUT Truman feared that USSR would encourage communist revolutions across Europe and so gain more and more land.
- Many European countries were suffering great hardship after WW2.
Communism had a great appeal in those conditions, as it was believed that wealth would be shared with the poor under communism.
Why did the Truman Doctrine develop?
- The Greek conflict and fears for Turkey highlighted the risk of communism spreading and had wider implications, as outlined in Truman’s speech
- It was a policy of containment. The USA was not aiming to change countries that were already communist, but instead contain communism and prevent it from spreading
- The USA was agreeing to send money, weapons and advisers to any country, anywhere in the world, that felt threatened by communism.
- The USA was not going to return to a policy of isolationism, like it had after WW1.
- It outlined the ‘Domino Theory’: if one country was allowed to become communist, then others will follow
