End of WWII and the Beginnings of the Cold War

Introduction

• The Cold War predominantly begins in Europe.
• Direct contact between the US and Soviet Union at the end of WWII.

End of WWII

• Joint invasion of Germany from the West by the US, British, and French.
• Russian pushback from the East into Germany.

Post-War Europe

• Eastern Europe and Germany devastated:
  • 13 million Germans expelled from Eastern Europe.
  • 20 million homeless in Germany, 25 million homeless in the Soviet Union.
  • Major cities like Berlin and Cologne largely destroyed.
  • High mortality and displacement rates.

Unconditional Surrender

• Defeated nations must accept terms without conditions.
• Division of Germany into four zones (American, British, French, Soviet).
• Berlin, the capital, also divided into four sections.

Cold War Overview

• Standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1947-1990.
• No direct military conflict but numerous proxy wars and indirect conflicts.
• Europe divided into Western allies and Soviet-influenced Eastern regions.

Theories on Cold War Origins

1. Orthodox Perspective
   • Soviet Union is aggressive; the US/West are defensive.
   • Soviet actions in Eastern Europe seen as imperialistic.
2. Revisionist Perspective
   • US aggression; Soviet Union is defensive.
   • Critique of Western actions during the 1960s.
3. Post-Revisionist Perspective
   • Synthesis of both views; emerges post-Soviet Union fall.

Factors Leading to Cold War

1. Ideology
   • Different political and economic systems.
2. Geography
   • Division of Germany and Berlin.
3. End of WWII
   • Conditions set by WWII's end.
4. Leaders
   • Personalities and distrust among leaders.

Key Players

• US Leadership Changes
  • FDR dies; Harry Truman takes over.
  • Truman unaware of many post-war plans.
  • Initial distrust between Truman and Stalin.
• Important Conferences
  • Yalta Conference: FDR's agreements with Stalin.
  • Potsdam Conference: Disagreements on Germany and Poland.

Major Issues and Policies

• Reparations
  • Disagreement on whether Germany should pay.
• Poland
  • Western insistence on an independent Poland.
  • Soviet interest due to geographical proximity.
• American Policies
  • Truman Doctrine: Support against communism.
  • NSC-68: Building military dominance.
• Soviet Policies
  • Buffer states for protection against Germany.
  • Establishment of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

Key Events

• Berlin Blockade (1948)
  • Soviet blockade leads to the Berlin Airlift.
  • Western Allies resupply Berlin by air.
• Development of Nuclear Weapons
  • Both sides develop nuclear capabilities.
  • Leads to mutually assured destruction (MAD) doctrine.

Conclusion

• The Cold War emerges from a complex interplay of geopolitical, ideological, and personal factors.
• Initial conditions set the stage for decades of tension without direct conflict.