Developments of the Cold War in Europe

Imapcts of WW2 on Europe

Early tensions between US and USSR

Superpower Rivalry

Continuing Tensions

Berlin Blockade

Wartime alliance breaks down (conferences)

Europe in ruins

New political landscape

36 mil killed in war

1945: Brit no resources, France occupied, and Germany defeated in war

Infrastructure destroyed (eg roads, canals, bridges)

Lack of basic amenities (food. water. electricity)

At least 50 mil homeless

USA and USSR became new superpowers (bc of overwhelming economic, military and geographic scale)

1939: 3 Great Europian powers (Brit, France. Germany)

USA

USSR

Spread democracy, freedom of speech, religion

Free elections (citizens vote)

Free market economy, privately owned businesses and properties

Values individual freedom of citizens

One-party Dictatorship

Command Economy, Goods allocated to citizens based on needs (controlled by govt)

Destroy capitalism, utopian world with property and work shared

Values larger society interests

History of Suspicion and distrust

!919: Paris Peace Conference -- Germany not broken up to prevent spread of russian communist ideals

1918-1921: Russian Civil War -- US and Brits fought with the anti-communists against the communists

1917: Communist revolution in Russia, calling for worldwide communist uprisings (overthrow captialism)

1930s: British appeasement was in the hope of using Germany to curb spread of communism in Europe (Munich Agreement)

Marriage of Convenience

United by mutual goal of defeating Nazis in Germany

Tensions resurface during alliance,
USSR wanted another front ASAP

Only happened in 1944
via Operation Overlord

Stalin felt the delay was to weaken
USSR as much as possible

Potsdam Conference

Increased tensions after potsdam

Yalta Conference

USA and USSR dominating
discussions but differing priorities

USA: Wanted peace, safety and prosperity, using democracy and capitalism for international development and for Western Europe to recover

USSR: Wanted buffer/friendly states in Eastern Europe
to prevent another invasion from another country,
and wanted massive war reparations from Germany

Outcomes

Reasons: Worried about Soviet Supported communist parties taking more power and trade with Europe was disrupted because of the War

Reason: Germany invaded Russia through Poland, which resulted in a high death count and destruction of industries and cities in USSR after the war

Agreements

Disagreements

Divide Germany and Berlin into 4 zones

Liberated countries allowed free elections

USSR to fight against JP aft Germany defeated

Big 3 (UK, US, and USSR) to join the United Nations

Churchill persuaded Roosevelt to allow it as long as Stalin doesn't bother Grecce

Eastern Europe to be under Soviet influence (buffer states for USSR)

Stalin wanted Soviet border to move westwards into Poland

Despite apparent warm/close/friendly relations, conference implies differences

Increasing Soviet control

Manhattan Project

Change in Leadership

Major disagreements

Truman replaced Roosevelt after his death who did not like Stalin and disliked appearing to have good relations with USSR

Installed a communist ruling party in Poland, ignoring the wishes of the citizens

Truman privately informed Stalin, he was not surprised as he had spies

Disagreements over Germany

Churchill lost elections and was replaced by Atlee who was inexperienced in foreign affairs

Used Salami Tactics to install communist govts in E-EU

Stalin did not withdraw Red Army from Eastern Europian countries that he linberated

Stalin thought the decision not to share about the project was suspicious

Is a state funded nuclear development program

Disagreements over Eastern Europe

Truman wanted to avoid another Treaty of Versailles

Stalin thought this meant installing communist govts

Truman took his actions as trying to expand USSR control over EU

At Yalta, it was agreed that E-EU would be under Soviet Sphere of influence

Stalin wanted alot of monetary compensation which Truman disagreed

Stalin wanted to cripple Ger

Soviet control of E-EU

Iron Curtain Speech

Atomic Bomb

Decision to drop the bomb was partially motivated to
impress US how advanced US military was

Stalin had already been working on
nuclear technology prior to Potsdam

Used Salami tactics to remove political opponents and install
pro-Soviet local leaders

Example: Jan Masaryk was a popular anti-communist politician who went through many attempted assassinations as was eventually found dead, likely killed by Soviets

Stalin determined to control govts of E-EU despite free elections

To Stalin, it was necessary to create
these pro-communist buffer zones

Truman arranged for
Churchill to give a speech

The Speech caused the Western Public to
see that the r/s between USSR and US was
not as allies and was quite strained

The speech gave Truman the support
to be involved in international affairs


To Truman, Stalin was empire-building

Marshall Plan

USSR Response to Marshall Plan

Truman Doctrine and Containment

Stalin concerned that US help was first step into US total domination of Europe and was suspicious of W-Ger quick recovery (US ally owned) and made E-EU countries into satellite states and created Cominform and Comecon

Truman Doctrine

Long Telegram

Economic and military support was given to democratic countries that were in danger of having communist uprisings (Grecce, Turkey)

Truman influenced Kennan's Long Telegram (It stated that USSR wanted to destroy capitalism and democracy and for communism to take over the world}

Developments in Turkey

Increasing Tensions between US and USSR

Developments in Greece

Stalin wanted to gain influence in Turkey to have access to Turkish Straits so that Soviet ships could sail to and from the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea and have access to the oil rich middle east

Confirmed US commitment to solving world affairs and to curb the spread of communism, so Stalin created Cominform

Truman exaggerated the threat to gain more support and funding from the public and congress for Greece and Turkey Aid Bill of 400mil

Greece was occupied by Brits
until taken over by Greeks

Communist Greeks fought against Royalist Greeks who wanted return of monarch in a civil war (1946) Britain overwhelmed and withdrew (1947) which increased the possibility of a communist takeover of Greece

13 mil set aside to assist
Europe crumbling economy

Supplies like food, machines and animals were sent to democratic countries to lower the appeal of communism and was seen as a generous gesture by US allies

Reason: US needed Europe to recover so that their economies would improve and be able to trade

Largest amount of help was given to closest allies like Brit and Fr

Communist countries did not receive aid. (eg. Italy only received money in 1948 when a non-communist govt was elected)

Cominform

Comecon

Made out of Communist leaders of E-EU, published propaganda that would unite communist states in EU and had universal policies that all members that to follow (rej Marshall plan, no trade with non-Cominform countries)

Created in response
to Marshall Plan

No real disputes except for Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia who disagreed with policies and was expelled in 1948

Was an agreement to only trade with one another and promised benefits for Satellite state but in reality just favoured the USSR (eg. Poland forced to sell coal to USSR at a tenth of market price)

Escalating Tensions

Consequences of the Blockade

Due to increasing tensions with USSR, West Germany was seem as ally and since occupation was a burden on BR and FR, it lead to creation of Trizone (made of Brit, US and Fr occupation zones in Berlin) and current currency

Stalin wanted to take revenge by forcing them out of Berlin (because he felt unsafe about the West being in Soviet land) by blocking rail and road links, disrupted water and electricity supplies to cause W-Berliners to kick Allied forces out

Berlin Airlift

Allied forces supplied coal, food and
medicine by air which was celebrated in the
West and criticized by Soviets for being unsafe.

Eventually Stalin gave up and called it off (May 1949)

Creation of East Germany (1949)

Creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO), 1949

Trizone formed West Germany and Soviet
zone formed Germany Democratic Republic,
East Germany which lead to a divided Berlin

Division took on a physical form in a form of a concrete wall known as the Berlin Wall

US forces could be stationed in military bases of NATO members in W-EU

USSR viewed this as a threat

All members agreed to go to war if a member was attacked

The Warsaw Pact

West Germany joins NATO (1955)

Communist states joined the Warsaw Pact where all members would help if one state was threatened (like NATO)

Heightened tensions/More strained r/s as Europe divided in 2 camps, (supporters of Allied forces or satellite state of Soviets)

Strengthened USSR as it gave USSR command of the armies of satellite states

Significance

For the next 35 years, both sides
invested alot of energy in planning to
stop invasions from the other side

Established Soviet rule satellite states

Nation-wide protest in Hungary (4 Nov 1956) was stopped by Soviet tanks and troops killing thousands

Thousands of US military supplies (troops, tanks, aircrafts and weapons) in bases such as West Germany