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Reasons for the Cold War in Europe - Coggle Diagram
Reasons for the Cold War in Europe
Reasons for the Cold War
Ideological Conflict & Differences
Economic System
Capitalist (Class System)
FREE MARKET ECONOMY:
-> Private ownership of businesses and property
-> Freedom to own and develop your own resources (able to have your own freedom)
-> MINIMAL government regulation: only to ensure that competition is free and fair
Communist
(Classless and Equal System)
COMMAND ECONOMY:
-> Government has ownership of ALL resources, property or businesses (govt controls & commands everything)
-> NO such thing as private property (all are state-owned property)
-> The state authority decides who produces what
Political System
Democratic System
-> More than 1 political party for people to choose from
-> Government COMPROMISES (accepts) representatives elected by the people (they represent the people)
Authoritarian System
-> It is ruled by a SINGLE political party
-> There are NO alternative parties to vote for
-> Political power is CONCENTRATED in the party leadership
Ideological Differences
USA
(Democratic & Capitalist)
VISION:
-> To create and sustain the conditions where people have the freedom to govern themselves
-> To allow PRIVATE ownership as well as the freedom of expression
AS A RESULT:
-> Concerned that OTHER COUNTRIES would be INFLUENCED by Communist ideas
-> Provided aid to anti-communist groups during the Russian Civil War
-> Did NOT recognise Soviet Union until 1933, and only allowed them to join the League of Nations (LON) in 1934
Soviet Union
(Authoritarian & Communist)
VISION:
-> To incite (stir up) world revolution and DESTROY capitalism through class struggle
-> To create a world where ALL people are EQUAL
AS A RESULT:
-> Became Communist in 1917 (was the root of the reason)
-> Saw USA's actions as a threat to the survival of communism and Russia
-> Founded Communist Internation (Comintern), aimed at creating an international Soviet Republic by ALL means, including FORCE (would use force if they had to)
Distrust between USA and USSR from WW2
Delay in opening up a second front
-> With German as their COMMON ENEMY, Britain, USA and the Soviet Union formed an alliance
-> The British was fighting Germany on the WESTERN front while the Soviet Union was fighting Germany on the EASTERN front
-> The Germans had REDIRECTED a large amount of their resources to fight the Soviet Union on the eastern front
-> The Soviet Union was under a lot of pressure from the attacks and growing WEAK
-> The Soviet Union sought help from the Allies to relieve the pressure by opening up a SECOND FRONT in France
-> The Allies continued to provide ECONOMIC AID and MILITARY SUPPLIES but it was not until June 1944 that a second front was opened with the D-Day Landings in Normandy, France
-> The Soviet Union thought that the delay to open the second front was ON PURPOSE, that USA and Britain wanted the Soviet Union to bcome weak (misunderstanding caused)
Disagreements during negotiations
for post-war settlements
Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)
-> Refine (made minor changes to) the Atlantic Charter (August 1941), signed between USA and Britain
-> To decide on the FINAL strategies against the Nazis
-> Arrangements for POST-WAR Europe (disbanded the LON and came up with the United Nations)
-> Formation of the United Nations (UN)
-> DISAGREED about Poland, Germany and Europe (miscommunication and misunderstandings among USA + Britain and USSR)
AIMS OF THE 3 LEADERS:
Stalin (Soviet Union)
-> wanted the future and SECURITY of the Soviet Union
Churchill (Britain)
-> to have a CLOSE relationship with the USA to DETER the rise of the Soviet Union (stop communism)
Roosevelt (USA)
-> needed the Soviets help to fight Japan and END the war in Asia-Pacific
-> as such, he made many CONCESSIONS to Stalin (accepted Stalin's demands)
SIGNIFICANT AGREEMENTS AT YALTA:
-> The establishment of the United Nations (UN)
-> Divided Germany, Austria and Berlin into temporary zones of occupation
-> FREE elections in Eastern Europe (Red Army were present)
-> The Soviet Union was to join war against Japan, in return for receiving some of Japan's ISLANDS in the Far East
Potsdam Conference (July 1945)
-> Between the Yalta and Potsdam Conference, the relations between the Soviet Union and the Western powers WORSENED
-> Instead of free elections in Poland, Stalin arrested the NON-COMMUNIST leaders and set up a communist government in Poland (did not keep to his agreement)
-> USA by then had also developed and tested the FIRST atomic bomb, and they NO LONGER needed Soviet Union's help against Japan (Manhattan Project)
-> Stalin insisted that there should be NO GOVERNMENT in Eastern Europe HOSTILE to the Soviet Union
GERMANY:
-> Was to be MILITARISED and all Nazi influence REMOVED
-> To be divided into 4 TEMPORARY ZONES of occupation
-> It was to be administrated by the Allied Control Council compromising of the Soviet Union, USA, Britain and France, until the FORMATION of a NEW Germany would no longer THREATEN the peace of Europe (temporary arrangement)
American nuclear advantage
-> The Americans had been SECRETLY developing the atomic bomb
-> When the Soviet Union found out, they were SUSPICIOUS about USA's intentions for the bomb
-> Truman wanted to use the bomb to GAIN POLITICAL LEVERAGE against the Soviet Union when the A-bomb was successfully tested on 16 July 1945 (wanted to scare the USSR)
-> The Soviet Union chose to enter into a ARMS RACE with America
Post World War 2 competition (worsening relations)
Competition between USA and USSR for global influence
-> After World War 2, Europe was POLITICALLY and ECONOMICALLY DEVASTATED. They were not able to REBUILD themselves without external help
-> There was a POWER VACCUM for the USA and USSR to fill
-> Both countries wanted political and economic influence over Europe through RECONSTRUCTING the countries devasted by World War 2
(COMPETITION --> WORSENING RELATIONS)
End of wartime alliance --> Tensions between USA and USSR
USA:
-> Feared that the Soviet Union would stir up COMMUNIST MOVEMENTS and establish communist governments in Europe
-> The USA would LOSE trading markets
-> USA would also have to deal with countries that OPPOSED its ideology
Soviet Union:
-> Feared for its OWN SECURITY and survival if it was surrounded with anti-communist, capitalist countries in Europe
-> Stalin began establishing a RING OF SATELLITE STATES round the Soviet Union through the use of 'SALAMI TACTICS'
-> This was a DEFENSIVE measure to STRENGTHEN the security of the Soviet Union
-> But the USA saw this as an AGGRESSIVE plan to EXPAND communist influence (spread comunist influence)
Soviet Response to Containment
Cominform
COMMUNIST INFORMATION BUREAU:
-> Economic aid was offered to the STATELLITE STATES to tighten control
-> The states were to implement SOVIET-STYLE communism
-> Trade was only to be done with COMINFORM members
Comecon
COUNCIL OF MUTUAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE:
-> Was set up to coordinate Cominform's economic politics
-> United the economies of Eastern Europe and Soviet Union so as to help each other RECOVER from the war
-> However, the Soviet Union was NOT ABLE to offer aid on a SIMILAR SCALE to the Marshall Plan
-> The arrangements also tended to DISADVANTAGE the satellite states and profit the Soviet Union
American adaptation of the
containment policy
Conflict between capitalism and communism
-> Stalin made a speech in 1946 about the INHERENT CONFLICT between capitalism and communism
-> Churchill responded with the 'IRON CURTAIN' speech in 1946
-> The speech influenced how the world viewed Europe as a CONTINENT SPLIT between 2 OPPOSING IDEOLOGIES and SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
-> USA responded with the Containment Policy which involves FIRM and VIGILANT containment of Soviet EXPANSIONIST TENDENCIES, and this was perceived by the Soviet Union as AGGRESSIVE
USA Containment Policy
Financial (Reaction)
TRUMAN DOCTORINE & MARSHALL PLAN IN 1947
-> The Truman Doctrine was to render (give) ECONOMIC assistance to GREECE AND TRUKEY where communism was gaining influence.
-> The Marshall Plan was to GRANT aid to ALL countries in Europe
Military (Reaction)
NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANISATION (NATO):
-> The American-European alliance to CURB the spread of communism where member states agreed to come to each other's defence if they were under attack
Soviet Union Reactions
Financial (Reaction)
COMINFORM (1947) & COMECON (1949):
-> Cominform was set up to UNITE the Communist states in Europe and Comecon was to set up to CORRDINATE Cominform economic policies
Military (Reaction)
WARSAW PACT:
-> Formed by Soviet Union where member countries would DEFEND each other when under attack
Manifestations of the Cold War
Political and Economic Spheres of Influence
Berlin Blockade
Forming Military Alliances
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Warsaw Pact
Extension and International Impact of Cold War