Unit 2: Topic 1 - How did the Cold War Develop?

Question 1

What was the Cold War?

What is the difference between an actual war and the Cold War?

Answer 1

The Cold War was a new kind of conflict where neither Americans nor Soviets directly fought each other. In fact, much of the Cold War was a ‘cold peace’ - a stand-off between the USSR and America would develop into a nuclear war.

The Cold War had the characteristics of an actual war. There was many features such as:

• ARMS RACE - the military build up of nuclear weapons and advanced technology was key to compete against an opponent. Although, this technology was not used, it was often used as a way to show their power to warn their opponent.
• PROPAGANDA - Propaganda was particularly important for governments to persuade their own citizens that they were under threat and they were fighting against evil.
• ALLIANCES - These were used to spy on other countries and used as bases for superpowers to place nuclear missiles to warn their opponents.

Question 2

Why did the Cold War Begin? (Part 1)
Breakdown of Grand Alliance

Tehran Conference

Answer 2

TEHRAN, IRAN CONFERENCE (1943)

• Churchill (UK)
• Stalin (USSR)
• Roosevelt (USA)

SPHERES OF INFLUENCE

This was not officially signed but each leader made sure others were aware of their ‘spheres of influence’.

USSR wanted to influence Poland, Czechoslovakia, Baltic States, Hungary and Romania. This would be known as ‘buffer states’ between the USSR and the West.

Whereas UK and USA wanted to influence Western Europe, Greece and Italy.

WHAT AGREEMENTS WERE MADE?

• Agreement of second front in Europe in June 1944. UK was not so supportive of this but USA was.
• Russia was declare war on Japan.
• Poland should be given more land from Germany but lose some to USSR.

DISAGREEMENTS?

• Churchill wanted an invasion of the Balkans which would help war effort but stop USSR advance in the Eastern Europe. This was denied as USA supported USSR at that time.

Question 3

Why did the Cold War Begin? (Part 2)
Breakdown of Grand Alliance

Yalta Conference

Answer 3

YALTA, UKRAINE CONFERENCE (1945)

• Churchill (UK)
• Stalin (USSR)
• Roosevelt (USA)

On 4-11 February, they agreed on the same changes as Tehran but with some differences.

• Germany would reduce size, demilitarised and would pay reparations to allies.
• Plans were begun on dividing of Germany.
• The rebuilding of Europe was to be done along the Atlantic Charter agreed between USA and UK that the most important policy was that it was the right of countries to choose their own governments.
• Nazi party would be banned and war criminals tried in an international court.
• UN would replace League of Nations. It would meet for the first time on 25 April 1945. It was decided who would be members. Soviet Republics of Ukraine and Belorussia was seen to be separate countries from the USSR and had their own voting rights. The USA would draw up a charter.
• USSR would declare war on Japan 3 months after the defeat of Germany. There was outline of how land was to be divided after the war.
• Poland (at present communist, under Soviet Control) should be in the Soviet sphere of influence but ran under a broader democratic basis.

The meeting was a success due to Stalin and Roosevelt’s understanding established in Tehran in 1943. Roosevelt worked well with Churchill but USA had been reluctant to agree to Poland becoming communist.

Britain had entered the war to defend Poland, while America wished to avoid communism spreading, antagonising any Americans who had Polish origins. Stalin wanted Poland as a buffer as USSR had been invaded 3 times that century.

Question 4

Why did the Cold War Begin? (Part 3)
Breakdown of Grand Alliance

Potsdam

Answer 4

POTSDAM, GERMANY CONFERENCE (1945)

Atlee (UK)
Truman (USA)
Stalin (USSR)

Truman delayed this meeting until the first ATOMIC BOMB had been tested. Stalin had not been informed about this and because Germany was defeated, the 3 leaders were not united by a common enemy.

AGREEMENTS

Many agreements had been reached in the meeting:

• Set up a council of Foreign Ministers to organise rebuilding of Europe.
• Ban Nazi party and prosecute surviving Nazis as war criminals in a special court in Nuremberg.
• Reduce size of Germany
• Divide Germany into 4 zones as well as Berlin into 4 zones.
• Russia was provided with industrial goods but Russia had to provide them with raw materials such as coal.

DISAGREEMENTS

• REPARATIONS - USSR wanted to impose heavy reparations on Germany but USA wanted to rebuild it. This was so that no Germans could begin another revolt.
• ATOMIC BOMB - America ‘generally bossed the whole meeting’ from the words of Churchill. Truman believed the atomic bomb was the ‘master card’ of the meeting.

As early as 1940, Stalin began to create his own.

POLAND - Truman’s arrogance and Stalin’s determination soured the alliance.

Stalin broke his word on how he said he would set a government that would include both communist and capitalist.

GREECE - When the Germans left the country in 1944, Monarchists and Communists fought each other to rule the country. Britain was sent in but soon pulled out when USSR complained to the UN. The US stepped up the king’s government.

Question 5

Why did the Cold War Begin?

Fear of War

Answer 5

During 1946, it had become clear that Europe was torn between capitalism and communism.
Churchill described this war as the ‘war of words’.

Both Stalin and Truman requested secret reports to help understand what their opponents were thinking. These reports were called:

• The Long Telegram from Moscow (US)
• The Novikov Telegram from America (USSR)

The reports suggested a war was imminent.

Because of this fear, Truman organised a plan to counter USSR with the ‘Truman Doctrine.

Question 6

Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid

Answer 6

TRUMAN DOCTRINE (1947)

Truman Doctrine stated 4 main thing:

• The world had a choice between democratic freedom and communist tyranny.
• America had a responsibility to fight for liberty wherever it was threatened.
• America would send troops and economic resources to help governments under communist threat.
• Communist should not be allowed to grow.

SIGINIFICANCE?

• Reversal of the traditional policy, ‘isolationism’.
• Stated clearly that capitalism and communism were in opposition.
• America had a responsibility over the world rather than the UN.
• Realistic foreign policy called ‘containment’.

MARSHALL PLAN (1947)

Truman described these two plans as ‘two halves of the same walnuts’. There was two methods in order to beat communism: military and economic domination.

The Marshall Plan of 1947 committed $13 billion to rebuild shattered economies of Europe. The idea is that this would make the idea of capitalism more attractive. Also, European countries had to agree to trade freely with America so that their economy would survive.

INITIAL REACTION TO MARSHALL PLAN

The Paris conference of 1948 was the congregation between European leaders to discuss America’s offer. 16 countries welcomed this offer, however USSR and its sphere of influence refused.

Question 7

How did Stalin organise the Satellite states?

Answer 7

He would choose leader that he was sure they would obey Moscow.

He would create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust so that it was difficult for people who wanted to oppose Soviet rule to trust each other enough to work together.

He would ruthlessly use the Soviet Secret police to stamp out any opposition.

He would arrange economies of satellite states so that they would not be independent.

YUGOSLAVIA

Yugoslavia took Marshall Aid and were communist but wanted to remain separate from USSR. By 1948, Marshall Tito separated.

COMINFORM (COMMUNIST INFORMATION BUREAU)

In 1947, cominform was established as an international organisation that represented communist parties across Europe and brought them under the direction of USSR.

Cominform was first used to oppose Marshall Aid. For example, 2 million workers went on strike in France who were sympathetic for communists demanded that the government should reject the aid.

Cominform was also used to ensure the loyalty of Eastern Europe of the satellite states.

COMECON (COUNCIL FOR MUTUAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE)

In 1949, Comecon was the answer to the Marshall Aid. It had political and economic implications:

• Politically, it would minimise American influence in Eastern Europe and the USSR.
• Economically, it ensured that the benefits of Eastern Europe and USSR remained within the Soviet ‘sphere of influence’. Eastern Europe also did not have access to prosperity of Western Europe.

The Marshall Aid and Comecon made the two superpowers official economic alliances.

Question 8

First Confrontation: Berlin, Germany

Answer 8

The triple entente agreed to split Germany is quarters, as well as Germany itself which lay in Soviet’s part of Germany.

By 1947, the Bizonia (American and British territory of Germany) acted as one. Bizonia and French territory was in good terms and so these three territories were know as ‘Trizonia’.

Stalin was not consulted about changes of the and he opposed the division of Germany for the following reasons:

• He was reluctant for further capitalist influence over Germany.
• He realised Germany’s most valuable resources lay in West Germany.
• He did not want American troops to remain stationed in Germany.

THE BERLIN BLOCKADE (1948-1949)

Seeing that Berlin was situated in East Germany, Stalin created a blockade around West Berlin in June 1948. His plan was to cut supply routes and eventually force Trizonia to move out.

THE BERLIN AIRLIFT

Truman responded with the ‘airlift’ which transported supplies to West Berlin around the clock.

Within a couple of weeks, 1000 tonnes of supplies were being dropped within 1 day.

Truman’s response was peaceful and made Stalin’s approach highly aggressive. In this way, the Berlin Blockade was a propaganda success for the Americans.

In May 1949, Stalin ended the blockade.

By September 1949, West Germany (FDR) was an independent state. A month later, the USSR established a second independent state called East Germany (GDR)

Question 9

Following Berlin Blockade (1949 - 1955)

Answer 9

NATO and the WARSAW PACT

Because of the first military confrontation of the Cold War, Western European nations established an alliance.

If any European nation was under attack, all members of NATO would come to their defence.

The Marshall plan was an economic alliance whereas NATO was a military defence.

In 1955, USSR mirrored this with their own ‘NATO’ called the ‘Warsaw Pact’, further binding satellite states.

ARMS RACE

The arms race encouraged the technology growth.

By 1949, USSR developed their own nuclear bomb, which prompted the Americans with the Hydrogen bombs. By 1943, both countries had hydrogen bombs.

Question 10

Hungary Rebellion

Answer 10

In 1949, Cominform imposed a heavy oppressive regime on Hungary:

• Hungarian land redistributed
• Food shipped to Russia but Hungary were left hungry.
• Non-communist parties abolished
• Russian officials, police and the army controlled the country.
• Cominform began a reign of terror, executing popular political leaders and their supporters.
• MATTYAS RAKOSI was their dictator.

MATTYAS RAKOSI was dictator from 1949 to 1956. He was nicknamed ‘the bald butcher’ using salami tactics and taking his opposition out slice by slice.

He imprisoned under 400,000 and was responsible for 2,000 deaths.

STALIN’S DEATH (1953) - DESTALINISATION

In 1953, a new leader had been appointed called Nikita Khrushchev who had a far more liberal approach and promised the end of Stalinism throughout the Soviet Sphere of Influence.

THE NEW LEADER - IMRE NAGY

Nagy was leader of Hungary from 1953 to 1956. Although he was prime minister, Rakosi had much of the real power.
Nagy was thrown out of the communist party for his opposition of Rakosi’s tactics. Rakosi became prime minister again.

NAGY’S PROGRAM OF REFORM

• Khrushchev’s ‘secret’ speech gave hope but gave nothing else to people of Hungary.
• Rakosi was forced out of power in July 1956, but still nothing happened.
• Riots began in Budapest due to food shortages on 23 Oct 1956. This caused a major conflict between students and police and so Khrushchev was forced to replace Nagy as leader again.
• On Oct 31, Nagy announced his reforms:
• He asked the UN to recognise them as a neutral country. This is so that if USSR invaded, UN had the power to remove them. The UN tried to intervene but the USSR took no notice.
• USA tried to support Eastern European countries, however no military help was given to prevent nuclear war.
• Janos Kadar set up a rival government in Eastern Hungary.

KHRUSCHEV’S RESPONSE TO NAGY