Title: Cold War Origins
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# The Origins of the Cold War Paper 1; Question 1; Source-Based End of WWII The Axis Powers (Germany and their allies) were able to occupy much of Europe for the first few years of WWII. This was until the united Allied front (USA, Britain, USSR etc) were able to push Germany back to its eventual defeat through a number of attacks/strategies including the Normandy and D-Day offensive. The Allies were in a race to get to Berlin first - a sign that the Cold War was already beginning. Yalta Conference - Feb 1945
With Allied victory was in sight, representatives of the Allies met in Yalta (USSR) to discuss Germany and Europes postwar reorganisation Agreements: Germany to be divided into 4 occupation zones (UK, French, US,& Soviet) Free elections to be held in countries previously occupied USSR to help USA fight against Japan Nazi war criminals to be tried (Nuremberg Trials) Disagreements/grey areas: Polands borders
The general attitude/atmosphere at the Yalta Conference was co-operative (see body language in photo above)... This would later change!
Big Three: Winston Churchill; Franklin D Roosevelt; Premier Joseph Stalin Potsdam Conference
- July-August 1945
Changes since the Yalta Conf: Britain had a new prime minister - Clement Attlee America had a new president : Harry Truman (who was anti-communist) America had successfully tested an atomic bomb Stalin had control of most of eastern Europe and had set up a puppet-communist government in Poland Further discussions wrt Germany: incl. division of Germany and division of Berlin into 4 Occupation zones
Clement Atlee; Harry Truman; Joseph Stalin
When Truman informed Stalin of the atomic bomb, he said that the USA "had a new weapon of unusual destructive force ", but Stalin had full knowledge of the atomic bomb's development due to Soviet spy networks inside the Manhattan Project, and he told Truman at the conference to "make good use of this new addition to the Allied arsenal". Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
6 & 9 August 1945
Ended the war in the Pacific
Showed the power and destructive nature of the atomic bomb
Killed many but long-lasting effects of radiation exposure, cancer, birth defects and brain abnormalities were most felt Division of Germany
Despite the division in zones, Germany was still supposed to be treated as an economic unit, with the idea that it would be politically reunited into one state as soon as possible. However, Germany and specifically Berlin became the symbol of Cold War tensions and divisions between the West and the East. The creation of spheres of influence
Spheres of influence:
The superpowers attempt to maintain and strengthen control over parts of Europe: the USSR in eastern Europe and the USA In western Europe. This later goes for territories all over the world.
Satellite States:
USSR extended control over much of Europe Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and east Germany - ALL had Soviet-friendly / communist governments Free elections were not held in these countries
1948: Communist coup in Czechoslovakia confirm Western suspicions that the USSR was trying to extend its control and influence The Iron Curtain
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended. Behind that line lie all the capitals of Central and Eastern Europe. The communist parties have been raised to power far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control. This is certainly not the liberated Europe we fought to build. Nor is it one which allows permanent peace. -Winston Churchill, 1946 NATO - 1949
Military alliance between US and its western European allies Military bases in Britain, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey Protection against Soviet expansion and the spread of communism
The Soviet Union viewed the formation of NATO as an attempt by the west to gain more influence and eventually to attack the Soviet Union.
In retaliation, they created the WARSAW PACT. Warsaw Pact - 1955
Between USSR and its satellite states Warsaw Pact agreement: Soviet troops remain in satellite states Included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine became the basis of American policy during the Cold War. Truman announced to US Congress that the US was prepared to send money, military equipment and advice to any country that was threatened by a communist takeover.
Policy of Containment: to contain or check the spread of communism Initially, the US Congress did not support this until Greece and Turkey were under threat of a Communist takeover. Marshall Plan
George Marshall was sent by Truman to investigate the post-war situation in Europe. Marshall reported that much of Europe had been destroyed by the war and people were suffering. As such, they are more susceptible to communist ideas of political and economic stability. Marshall Plan: $17 billion to rebuild post-war economies and destroy conditions under which communism would spread. Dollar Diplomacy
Soviet Union saw the Marshall Plan as
Dollar Diplomacy or Dollar Imperialism
indebting European countries to the west. This increased Cold War tension Stalin forbid any Soviet countries to accept aid from America Stalin set up Comecon &
Cominform to maintain economic and political control over communist countries Berlin Crises - 1948-61
The underlying tensions of the Cold War became most apparent in Berlin, which lay deep with the Soviet zone Although the Allied leaders at Potsdam agreed that Germany would remain united, they introduced different political and economic systems in their zones
Soviet Zone: a communist dictatorship was established; nationalised industry; established state collective farms
Western zones: different political parties were formed & local elections were held; free enterprise was encouraged; rapid economic recovery (Marshall Plan); Western zones united; new currency introduced Berlin Blockade and airlift 1948-49
Stalin became concerned about the growing economy of West Germany. In an attempt to force negotiations and/or reduce western involvement in Berlin, Stalin set up a blockade that stopped road, rail and canal links between Berlin and the West. 2.5 million people in West Berlin were cut off from supplies and communication with the West The USSR sent generous rations into West Berlin to try persuade its inhabitants to agree to Soviet control West = worried Doing nothing shows weakness and means Berlin falls to communism Taking action might result in war
Airlift:
The West decided to airlift and drop supplies including food, fuel, building materials and medicine Upon realising the West would not give up, Stalin called off the blockade in 1949 Tensions continued between the west and east
> Watch: What were the Berlin blockade and airlift of 194849?
# Berlin Wall - 1961
From 1949, over 3 million people had fled East Germany
By 1961, roughly 10 000 people/week were leaving East Germany for the higher income, higher standard of living in greater freedoms available in the West . Many were young and highly skilled To stop the loss of people (and control), the Soviet government and East German authorities built a wall prohibiting movement
between east and west