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