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The origins of the Cold War II - Coggle Diagram
The origins of the Cold War II
Division of Germany
Potsdam division
Germany was reduced in sice, and lost all land gained after 1937
Each of the four allies were to administer their own zones
Germany economy was to be managed as a hwole
Aim was to reuinted Germany as a whole
Berlin was also split into four
Reparations
To be taken in materials, labour and goods
Stalin wanted to punish Germany and keep it weak
USA wanted to help Germany recover
Soviets controlled the poorest zone, and it as agreed that they could have 25% of the industrial equipment in the other zones in return for raw materials for their own zone
Poland
Soviets wanted to secure Poland
USA and Britain didn't want Russia to expand and get their hands on Poland, Britain had gone to war to defend Poland
East wanted a communist Poland, West wanted a Capitalist
Sphere of influence
Allies agreed on sphere of influence maintained by east and west
East: Poland Chechoslovakia, Baltic states, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia provided a soviet buffer
West: Western Europe, Greece and Italy were to remain pro-western
Soviet expansion
How did Stalin take control
USSR agreed to free elections in it's sphere of influence at Yalta and Potsdam
By the end of the war, the Soviet Red Army was in control of much of Eastern Europ, which encourage communist parties
USSR fixed elections to make sure communists won
Once in power, communists shut down opposition parties and each country because a single party state
USA saw this as a betrayal of the Yalta agreement
USSR argued it needed to control Eastern Europe as a buffer zone, protecting itslef from attack from the west
Growing soviet influence
Bulgaria - Communist govt elected in 1946, elected non-communists were executed
Albania and Yugoslavia - eastablished communist govts independent of the USSR
Romania - communists led coalition took power, but by 1947, Romania was a communist one party state
Poland - communists won the 1947 elections after Stalin arrested non-communist leaders
Hungary - By 1948 was a communist state
Czechoslovakia - By 1948 was communist
East Germany - because communist by October 1949
US policies
Why did the USA change its policy?
Europe was devastated after the war
Communism was attractive to people with no money, no jobs and were feeling hopeless
Many in Eastern Europe had beenliberated from Nazi Rule by the soviets
Countries like Poland, Romania and Bulgaria had already had communist governments, Truman feared that this could spread
Countries like Greece and Turkey were too poor to combat communist revolutions, Greece was already experiencin civil war between Greek communists and the govt
If greece abd Turkey became communist, the other countries across Europe would follow, know as the domino theory
Truman Doctrine
A speech in 1947, set out why the USA should be involved
Was all about stopping the spread of communism, USA was prepared to use military and economic methods to prevent this
Communism was bad because it meant that people weren't free
USA should provide money and tropps to help free govts from communist takeovers
Marshall Plan 1947
$13 billion of aid from the USA was given to help rebuild and stabilise and unify Europe
Communism appealed to most people with nothing to lose, Marshall Plan hoped to stop communism by making the capitalist system provide for the people
Countried had to trade with the USA, which would boost the US economy
16 Western European countries took money, including Britain, France and West Germany
USSR criticised the Marshall Plan as an attack on them
Stalin's reaction
Cominform
Stalin set it up in 1947
Got rid of any opposition to the USSR's control
It encouraged communist partied in Western countried to block Marhall Plan assistance
Organised all communist parties in Europe and their leadership so they would do what moscow told them
Comecon
Stlain set it up in 1949
USSR's alternative to the dollar imperialism (using money to control other countries) of the Marshall Plan
Built up trade linkes between Comecon countries
Prevented Comecon countried from signing up to the Marshall plan
Included countries like Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland
Consequences
Western Europe was now in one camp, It was linked to the USA throuhg the Marshall Plan and containment of communism
Eastern Europe was tied to the USSR and satellite states, USSR believed the socialist revolution would spread worldwide
Europe was divided into two spheres on influence, the line that divided them was known as the iron curtain, and there was almost no contact, trade or tourism that crossed the line
Yugoslavia
Wasn't liberated by the red army
A communist uprising hd taken control, under Marshal Tito in 1946, so Tito had no particular tied to Stalin
Ttio repeatedly ignored Stalin's wishes and kept his independence
Tito fell out with Stalin despire continuing to support communist ideology
Tito's approach to the USA for Marshall Plan aid challenged Stalin, so he expelled Yugoslavia from Cominform
Yugoslavia was the only communist state in Europe outside the Iron Curtain
Berlin Blockade
USA wanted a united, Capitast Germany that it could trade with and which would help prevent the spread of communism
USSR wanted Germany to be weak, communist and divided so it would never be able to attack the USSR again
West Germany
Stalin thought that the USA wanted to permanently devide the richer Western Germany and the poorer East Germany
The introduction of a new currency in West Germany further angered Stalin
British an US zons joined together, to be easier to administer, the area was called Bizonia and was included in the Marshall Plan. The French zone was later added to create West Germany
Blockade
Wester Powers responded with an airlift, between 26 June 1948 and 30 September 1949, thousands of tonnes of supplies were flown into Berlin daily
In June 1948, the USSR closed all road, rail and canal links to West Berlin to force the British, French US troops to leave
West Germany outcome
USA appeared peaceful and generous
In september 1949, West Germany was formed
In April 1949, Western European countries and the USA formed NATO to countre the Soviet Military threat
East Germany outcome
Blockaed made the USSR appear agressive and threatening
In October 1949, East Germany was officialy formed as a Soviet State
In May 1955, USSR formed the Warsaw Pact to counter the military threat from NATO