Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Origins and Developments of the Cold War - Coggle Diagram
Origins and Developments of the Cold War
Impact of WWII on Europe
Europe left in ruins
36 million Europeans killed
Extensive infrastructure damage such as road, railways, bridges and canals
Lack basic amenities such as gas, electricity and water
Widespread disease and malnutrition
At least 50 million homeless, displaced
New Political Landscape: Decline of Western Powers & Emergence of Superpowers
1939: 3 great European powers
1945: Britain exhausted resources, people and bankrupt
France occupied
Germany in ruins -> defeated
USA and SU emerged as superpowers
-> Due to their geographical size, population, economic output and military strength
Early Tensions between US and USSR
Competing Ideologies
USA: Democracy and Capitalism
-> Vision: Spread democracy & Freedom of speech, religion, assembly
-> Control: Free Elections
-> Wealth creation: Free Market Economy, Private own businesses & properties
-> Valued individual freedoms
USSR: Communism
-> Vision: Destroy capitalism & create utopian world with property and work shared
-> Control: One-party Dictatorship
-> Wealth creation: Command Economy, Goods allocated to people based on needs, government controlled resources
-> Valued societies interest
History of Suspicion and Mistrust before 1939
1917: Communist Revolution in Russia - called for worldwide communist revolutions to overthrow capitalism
1919: Paris Peace Conference: Germany not broken up to prevent spread of Russian communism
1918-1921: Russian Civil War - US & British troops fought for the Whites [Anti-Communists] against the Reds [Communists]
1930s: British appeasement was in the hope of using Germany to curb spread of communism in Europe [Munich Agreement]
A Marriage of Convenience
An emergency arrangement due to a command enemy (Nazi Germany)
Tensions resurfaced during alliance - Stalin wanted allies to open a second front as soon as possible
Only agreed at Tehran Conference to do so in 1944 via Operation Overlord
Stalin felt that delay was to weaken SU
Wartime Alliance Breaks Down: Yalta and Potsdam
The Yalta Conference, February 1945
Allies were clearly winning the war
USA and USSR dominating discussions
United States
Views:
Prioritised peace, safety and prosperity
Democracy and capitalism as template for international development
Recovery of Western Europe is essential
Reasons:
Alarmed by Soviet-supported communist parties in Eastern Europe seizing power
Trade with Europe was disrupted
USSR
Views:
Buffer states in Eastern Europe to prevent another invasion
Wanted a friendly eastern Europe
Massive war reparations from Germany
Reasons:
Russia was invaded by Germany twice through Poland
WW2: 20 million dead & devastation of industries & cities
Agreements Made in the Yalta Conference
USSR enter war against Japan once Germany was defeated
Germany divided into 4 zones
Liberated countries allowed free elections
Big 3 join United Nations
Eastern Europe to be Soviet sphere of influence -> Stalin wanted a buffer zone
Disagreements & Compromises
Stalin wanted Soviet border to move westwards into Poland
Churchill persuaded Roosevelt to accept as long as Stalin did not interfere in Greece
Despite apparent warm relations, conference exposed their differences
Potsdam Conference, July-August 1945
Change in Leadership
Truman replaced Roosevelt who had died -> did not enjoy good relations with Stalin and viewed him as a threat
Churchill lost elections and replaced by Atlee who was inexperienced in foreign affairs
Increasing Soviet Control
Stalin did not withdraw Red Army on Eastern European countries that he liberated from Germany
Stalin set up a communist government in Poland, ignoring wishes of the Poles
Britain had gone to war to save Poland from occupation -> Polish leaders hid in London were arrested upon their return
Similar strategies [Salami Tactics] employed by Stalin to install communist government in Eastern Europe
Manhattan Project
State-funded nuclear development programme called the Manhattan Project
Truman privately informed Stalin -> Stalin not surprised as he had spies involved
Stalin viewed US decision not to share about project with suspicion
Major Disagreements
Over Germany
Stalin wanted to cripple Germany
Truman wanted to avoid another TOV - leading to a repeat of WWII
Stalin wanted extensive compensation which Truman disagreed
Over Eastern Europe
At Yalta it was agreed that Eastern Europe would be a Soviet sphere of influence
To Stalin, this meant setting up communist governments
Truman saw this as a plan to control all of Europe
Atomic Bomb
Decision to drop the bomb on Japan was partially motivated to impress the Soviet Union on how advanced US technology was
Stalin had already been working on a similar technology prior to Potsdam
The Iron Curtain and Soviet Control of Eastern Europe
Stalin determined to control the governments of Eastern Europe despite the presence of free elections
Employed salami tactics and removed political opponents and installed pro-Soviet local leaders
-> E.g. In Czechoslovakia, Jan Masaryk was a popular politician who had defeated the communists in several elections
-> His phone was tapped by Soviet agents who had tried to kill him with a parcel bomb
-> Later found dead below his bedroom window, likely assassinated
To Stalin, it was necessary to create these buffer zones
Truman arranged for Churchill to give a speech in Fulton Missouri [Iron Curtain Speech]
-> Gave Truman the support to be involved in international affairs
Superpower Rivalry Intensifies: Development of the Cold War, 1947 - 1955
Truman Doctrine (1937) and Containment
Kennan's Long Telegram
Truman influenced by it
USSR was intent on spreading communism across world & destroying democracy, captialism
Truman Doctrine
The United States would provide political, military and economic support for democratic countries under external or internal threat from authoritarian forces
Developments in Greece
Greece was occupied by Britain after WW2 until Greeks could take over
Greek communists against Greek royalists who wanted the return of the monarch -> led to civil war in 1946-1949
Britain overwhelmed and announced withdrawal in 1947 -> possibility of another country falling to communism
Developments in Turkey
Stalin trying to gain influence in Turkey
-> Wanted access to Turkish Straits so Soviet ships could sail from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea in order to gain access to the oil-rich Middle East
Truman exaggerated the threat to gain public support and Congress support for Greece and Turkey Aid Bill of US$400 million
Increasing Tensions between US and USSR
Confirmed US commitment to world affairs unlike after WWI in order to curb the spread of communism
Stalin responded by creating Cominform
Marshall Plan
US $13 billion set aside to help Europe's shattered economy
From April 1948, food, machinery, animals, etc were shipped to democratic countries in Europe
-> Wanted to reduce appeal of communism
-> US allies viewed this as a generous gesture
1) US need Europe to recover so that its industries had a market to export to
2) Largest amount of aid went to their closest allies such as Britain and France
3) Non-communist countries did not receive aid
-> Italy only received aid in 1948 after non-communist government got elected
Massive boost to Western Europe and brought about speedy recovery [Br, Fr, West Germany]
USSR Response to Marshall Plan: Cominform and Comecon
Cominform
Made up of leaders of Communist Parties in Eastern Europe
Published propaganda that would unite communist states in Europe
Ensured consistency in policies aligned to USSR
-> Rejecting Marshall Plan
-> Stop trade with non-Cominform countries
No real debate except for Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia who argued with policies
-> Expelled in 1948
Comecon
In response to Marshall Plan
Members to trade with one another than with the West
Satallite states promised benefits
In reality, Comecon favoured USSR more
-> Poland forced to sell coal at one-tenth of the market value
Berlin Blockade
Escalation of Tension
Germany divided into 4 zones based on 1944 Morgenthau Plan which was designed on dismantling its industries
Due to emerging tensions with the USSR, West Germany was seen as an ally
-> Britain and France continued occupation as an economic burden
-> Formation of Trizone and intro of current currency
Stalin wanted to take revenge by forcing them out of Berlin
-> Blocked rail and road links from Allied zones
-> Disrupted water and power supplies
-> Aim was for West Berliners to demand Allied forces to leave
Berlin Airlift
USA and its allies supplied West Berlin with coal, food, medicine by air
Western media celebrated these efforts
Soviet media criticised this as unsafe
Eventually, Stalin gave up and called it off in May 1949
Consequences of the Berlin Blockade
Creation of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, 1949
All members agreed to go to war if any member attacked
US forces could be stationed in military bases in Western Europe
USSR viewed this as a threat
Continuing Tensions, 1949-1950
The Warsaw Pact
1955: West Germany joined NATO
Communist states joined the Warsaw Pact where all members would help if one state was threatened
Significance
Strengthened the USSR as it gave USSR command of armies of satellite states
Heightened tensions -> Europe divided into 2 camps
For the next 35 years, each side put much energy into plants to stop invasion
-> Thousands of US troops, tanks, aircrafts, weapons in bases such as West Germany
Entrenched Soviet rule in satellite states
Nation-wide protest in Hungary on 4 Nov 1956 quelled by Soviet tanks and troops leading thousands dead