TOPIC 3 Flashcards
Stalin’s Bolshoi Theatre Speech: 9th February 1946 (Moscow)
Stalin declared the USSR would have to produce an atomic bomb and that capitalism made war inevitable. The USA believed it was a delayed declaration of war
Orthodox: this speech serves as evidence for the fact that the USSR had expansionist ambitions. They wanted to control the world and saw capitalism as their enemy
Revisionist: Stalin only made a speech to please his audience. This wasn’t a declaration of war
Post-revisionist: these see a misunderstanding on behalf of the US
Post-post-revisionist: Stalin showed the lack of ambition he had in having positive relationships with the West
Kennan’s Long Telegram: 2nd February 1946
George Kennan: Diplomat at the American Embassy in Moscow
February 1946: he received a routine enquiry from the State Department about Soviet activity
Kennan produced an 8000 word telegram analysing the roots and nature of the Soviet foreign policy
He concluded that:
- Conflict with the USSR was inevitable
- The USSR had a determination to expand communism worldwide
- Soviet leaders worked around the assumption that they were surrounded by capitalist enemies who they would one day have to fight
- It was the American’s duty to stop the spread of communism
- The American public needed to be re-educated on their view of the USSR – through propaganda and media focus on negative views of the USSR
Orthodox: it is believed that Kennan crystallised the issues that the USSR was creating and the policies it should implement to tackle the communist threat
Revisionist: this was a clear attack on communism and the USSR – could escalate into conflict
Post-revisionist: the USA misunderstood the USSR
Post-post revisionist: the USA took this policy to control the communists, not to destroy the capitalists
Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech: 5th March 1946 (Fulton, Missouri)
This painted a negative image of an Iron Curtain dividing Europe into communist eastern democratic West. It recognised the communist threat and summoned to stand up for it.
He also spoke of how Stalin shouldn’t be appeased like Hitler was in the past.
The American press mostly criticised the hostile image of the USSR that Churchill had presented.
Churchill’s purpose was to gain U.S. military help in Europe against the power of communist Russia. He wanted an Anglo American military alliance (NATO)
Stalin felt this speech was a “belligerent call to arms” as he had intended to respect the declaration on liberated Europe.
Orthodox: they see the speech as a positive thing as Churchill went on to shape the US policy to take a better approach to the Soviet threat
Revisionist: they are sceptic of this speech and interpret this as an almost direct attack on the USSR
Post-revisionist: they believe that the speech was only made for Churchill to start an alliance with the US
Post-post-revisionist: they sought to see Stalin as responsible for this speech as it was some sort of answer to the Bolshoi theatre speech
Truman Doctrine: 12th March 1947
February 1947: British government announced to the US that it would have to end its military obligations in Greece and Turkey. Truman feared that the communists win the Greek civil war so he thus decided to step in to replace Britain
12 March 1947: Truman announced his new policy in a speech to the isolationist Congress. He sought support for $400 million to help Greece and Turkey
- To gain the Congress’ approval, Truman spoke about the need for the US help the people struggling against the USSR’s communist aggressive expansionism
Congress: opponents to the bill to aid Greece and Turkey. Pointed out that the Greek government was corrupt and that Turkey was by no means a democracy
Kennan in the State Department: criticised the proclamation of an apparently universal commitment to free peoples when in reality it was only two countries who needed help.
- It was linked with Kennan’s long telegram as it was one of the first measures adopted by the US to contain communism
It was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives by large majorities
Orthodox: see this policy as adequate and a good way to tackle communism in Europe
Revisionist: The US peaking the Soviet bear
Post-revisionist: it was an entail of misinterpretations by the US who sought to help the Greek royalists to win the civil war
Post-post-revisionist: the USSR didn’t act against them - it didn’t pose a vital threat to Soviet interests and Stalin wouldn’t have been prepared to press the demands on Turkey for a base at the Straits
Marshall Plan: 5th June 1947 (Harvard University)
1947: US Secretary of State, George Marshall
- Casual conversation with Stalin: his intention was to cheer the Secretary of State about the long-drawn-out discussions
o Marhsall interpreted this negatively and believed the Russians were being deliberately difficult
1947: crisis in Europe
- Winter of 1946-7 was very harsh and another poor harvest was expected
5th June 1947: announced his scheme at an award ceremony
- The US would offer economic help to those countries that required it, mostly through loans and gifts
The American terms for the European Recovery Programme were specific:
- European countries would have to work together and coordinate what they need to recover
- The help would be available until 1952
- The aid would be in products and raw materials needed in Europe. This stimulated a boom in the US economy and led to future European clients
- US officials would supervise the distribution of the aid to guard against waste and corruption
- Aid would be given to help Germany via the 4 occupying powers
This was offered to the whole of Europe, including Eastern Europe and the USSR.
- 27th June 1947: GB, France and the USSR arranged a meeting
o Molotov suggested that countries should draw up separate lists of needs rather than coordinating their requests – secretive and suspicious
o He also suggested Germany should be excluded from the scheme
o These ideas were rejected and thus the USSR didn’t participate
Orthodox: the USSR were those who didn’t accept the Marshall Plan and the result can be seen in Eastern Europe
Revisionist: this was seen as an attempt of imperialistic power. The US used Marshall Plan to exert its dominance over the Eastern European countries and to avoid other countries falling under the Soviet sphere of influence
Post-revisionist: the US launched this operation in order to tackle the rise of communism in Europe and to help the European countries to recover
Post-post-revisionist: this was a justified intervention the US was trying to help Europe in recovering
