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Origins of the Cold War - Coggle Diagram
Origins of the Cold War
Early tensions
In 1941, Britain, the USA and the USSR formed the "Grand Alliance" to fight Nazi Germany. Once Hitler was defeated, tensions quickly began to show between the communist USSR and liberal democratic USA
There were 3 wartime conferences to agree on what would happen after the war
- Tehran, Iran (1943): Britain and USA agree to open a second European front, USSR would fight Japan once Germany was defeated, boundaries of Poland moved westwards, agreement to set up the UN
- Yalta, Ukraine (Feb 1945): Germany would be reduced in size, divided and demilitarised, Germany would pay reparations, Free elections promised in Eastern Europe
- Potsdam, Germany (Jul-Aug 1945): Nazi party banned, members prosecuted, Germany to be split into 4 zones, Berlin also divided, Soviet Union to receive 25% of output from other 3 zones
There were various tensions between powers, al of which had different needs and desires for the post-war world:
- British PM Churchill feared the USSR and spread of communism
- Stalin felt threatened by the A-bomb
- The USA and UK saw communism as enslavement of the people. The USSR saw capitalism as oppressive of the majority
- Tensions worsened with the long and novikov telegrams. The Long telegram was written by a US diplomat in Moscow, and the Novikov telegram was written by a Soviet diplomat in D.C. Both warned their higher ups that the other had plans of global domination and spreading their respective ideologies.
Cold War intensifies
Comecon and Cominform
- Cominform was set up in 1947 and included all European communist parties
- Encouraged sharing of information and cooperation between the governments and parties involved
- Gave the USSR more influence of Europe
- Comecon was the Soviet alternative to Marshall aid.
- It was set up by Stalin in 1949.
- It prevented Marshall aid form influencing most of Eastern Europe as it forbid trade with the US.
- Consisted of USSR, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Albania, and East Germany (from 1950)
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Warsaw Pact
- The Warsaw Pact was created in 1955 it was a collective defence treaty of communist European countries, including East Germany
- Communist response to NATO
- Led to 2 large alliances dominating and splitting Europe, "Iron Curtain"
- Set up after FRG joined NATO
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