The impact of Communist ideology on the development of the Cold War 1945-53

Question 1

What have orthodox, or traditional, historians argued?

Answer 1

The USSR’s adherence or loyalty to communism was the vital factor in the development of the Cold War from 1945 to 1953

Question 2

Why did the Soviet’s regime make conflict with the USA inevitable?

Answer 2

Commitment to the Marxist-Leninist doctrine of class struggle
Promotion of communist revolution on a global scale
Fundamental hostility towards the capitalist states, particularly the USA and Britain

Question 3

What Soviet action in Europe was motivated by a desire to spread communism?

Answer 3

Stalinisation of Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and East Germany between 1945 and 1947
Communist coup in Czechoslovakia (1948)
The Berlin Blockade of 1948-4

Question 4

What were signs of communist expansion in Asia?

Answer 4

Mao’s assumption of power in China (1949) held out the prospect of a monolithic Communist Bloc across Eurasia
USSR approved communist North Korea’s attack on pro-western South Korea. They supplied the North with weapons and military advisers

Question 5

How did the Soviets encourage left-wing dissent in non-communist countries?

Answer 5

Soviets instructed the French and Italian Communist Parties to begin a destabilisation campaign of strikes and demonstrations in their respective countries against the Marshall Plan.

Question 6

How did the USSR coordinate and control the wider communist movement?

Answer 6

Cominform (1947) - instrument designed to increase Soviet control over other Communist Parties
Comecon (1949) - a Soviet dominated agency, which co-ordinated and controlled economic development in the Eastern Bloc