Cold war 1945-1972

Yalta conference date

February 1945 (before end of WWII)

who attended the Yalta conference?

Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin

disagreements at Yalta

borders with Poland, Stalin wanted more space, Churchill + Roosevelt unhappy but couldn’t do anything

agreements at Yalta

• Stalin would enter war against Japan once Germany surrendered

• Germany + Berlin divided into 4 zones

• UN would be set up + they would join

• eastern europe seen as ‘Soviet sphere of influence’ (buffer zones for Stalin - geography)

Potsdam conference dates

17 July 1945 ( after end of WWII in europe)

who was at the Potsdam conference

Stalin, Truman, Attlee

disagreements at Potsdam

• reparations (Stalin wanted $10 bill compensation, Truman didn’t want another Treaty of Versailles mishap)

• Soviet policy in Eastern Europe (Stalin wanted buffer zones, Truman saw it as a threat)

• Truman had the A-Bomb (stalin had known about it since 1942 through spies)

Iron Curtain speech

1946, by Churchill, described the border between Soviet-controlled countries and Western Europe

what was Cominform

• established in 1947

• Communist Information Bureau

• to coordinate Communist parties of eastern Europe

• Stalin can tighten control + make himself secure

• Europe no longer reliant on $$

how did Truman view Cominform

the spread of Communism, europe no longer reliant on the American dollars (Marshall Aid 1948)

Truman doctrine

• March 1947

• containment of communism

• e.g. Marshall Plan, broken in Korean war (became offensive as the attacked over prev. boundaries)

Problems in post WWII europe

• homelessness

• costs of rebuilding damaged homes

• damaged infrastructure

• refugees ( thousands fleeing Easter europe fearing communist takeover)

• food/clothing/fuel shortages

• debts from cost of war effort

Marshall Plan

• 1948-52

• $17 billion

• created new markets of USA

• made Europe dependant on $$

• only allowed to happen after events in Czechoslovakia ( Jan Masaryk killed, communist takeover)

Stalin’s reaction to Marshall Plan

• Comicon (1949 - favoured the USSR)

• Cominform (1947)

• refused satellite states to ask for aid

causes of Berlin Blockade + Airlift

• Trizonia formed w/ new currency

• Stalin saw this as provocative

why was Trizonia formed?

• W Germany economy crippled, Allies needed to rebuild the industries to feed people

• Formed in 1948, became W Germany in 1949pp

Events of Berlin blockade

• June 1948 Stalin blocked all transport links to W Berlin, cutting off 2 mill people from food + supplies

• Allies flew in coal, flour + supplies

• 1 plane every 3 mins / 24 hrs

• ended in May 1949

importance of Berlin blockade (international crisis?)

• Allies couldn’t ram through road / rail blockades ( act of war)

• would USSR shoot down first planes

• Truman refused to be forced out of Berlin (feared rest of Germany would be next —CONTAINMENT)

• Berlin became a symbol for CW

• not willing to go to war w each other directly

• NATO formed

NATO formation

• April 1949 (during Berlin Blockade)

• finalized split between 2 sides (capitalism vs communism)

why did Truman want NATO?

US forces can have secure bases in Europe so if USSR attacked then forces wouldn’t have to cross atlantic

China goes Communist

• 1949 Mao took control

• 1950 Treaty of Friendship, Alliance + Mutual Assistance

• USA containment (Truman Doctrine) had failed in Asia — fears of the Domino theory

Korean War dates

1950-53

Why was the USSR not there for the vote on entering the Korean War

UN refused to acknowledge Mao as leader of China, so USSR was boycotting UN, this led to them missing the vote and losing their veto power

who invaded in Korea first

Communist dictatorship north invaded anti-Communist (but not democratic) South

UN intervention in Korean War

General MacArthur and Un troops stormed Ichon in Sept 1950, retaking the whole of South Korea to 38th parallell

Significance of MacArthur going beyond 38th parallel

• Ignored Truman doctrine as no longer containment

• warnings from Mao that if they did then China would join (funded by USSR)

when did China intervene in Korean War

• October 1950

• when MacArthur went beyond 38th parallel

• supported by USSR w weapons + tanks

importance of Korean War (international crisis)?

• Proxy war between USA + USSR

• UN proved that it could act (although only when USSR wasn’t there)

• USSR resumed security counsel + wouldn’t make same mistake again

timeline of Korean war

1. June 1950 - NK invades SK, Truman commits USA forces to defend SK

2. July ‘50 - UN approves resolution to make this a UN force

3. Sept ‘50 - Un forces land in Ichon + push back NK

4. Nov ‘50 - Chinese forces cross into SK to push back UN

5. Jan ‘51 - Communists take the capital, Seoul

6. March ‘51 - UN retakes Seoul, MacArthur sacked after disagreements w Truman (wanted to advance into China ect - Truman though it was too risky)

7. June ‘51 - peace talks begin

8. July ‘53 - ceasefire

when did Stalin die

march 1953

Warsaw pact

• 1955

• made by Khrushchev

• communist NATO

Arms race overview

• 1945 A-bomb USA

• 49 A-bomb USSR

• 52 H-bomb USA

• 53 H-bomb USSR

• developed into Space race & vice versa

Bomber gap

Triggered by USSR Bison jet bomber and TU-95 bomber - 52/53 ish (check this)

EIsenhower ordered B-52 to close gap

didnt really exist - evidence of soviet propaganda working? Eisenhower knew this though U2 spy planes so couldnt tell anyone

Sputnik date

October 1957

men in space???

April 1961, Yuri Gagarin, hero in USSR

USA response to Gagarin ect..

Apollo mission (61-75), 69 USA had men on moon

importance of space/arms race

• best political system = more money = best tech

• propaganda tool - massive talk about it worldwide

• tech sending people to moon could send nukes

• space tech led to ICBM (USSR in 57 then USA in 59)

Krushchev’s 'Thaw’

peaceful coexistence and de-stalinisation

Destalinisation

• brought in by Krushchev (55)

• attacked Stalin at conference in 56 (public display, change in tone, evidence of purges)

• released political prisoner

• took troops out of Austria

• closed down Cominform (reconciliation w Yugoslavia)

• Invited MArshal Tito to Moscow

• ‘if a man cannot have a pair of shoes or a glass of milk after 40 yrs of communism then he will not believe it is a good thing’

Leaders of of Hungary

• Rakosi (v communist)

• Gero (riots w students bc Moscow put him in)

• Nagy

• Kadar

Nagy’s demands

• free elections

• impartial courts

• private ownership of farmland

• leave Warsaw pact - hungary neutral in CW

Significance of Nagy’s demands

leaving Warsaw pact would leave USSR exposed physically georgraphy, but would also send message to other countries e.g. Czechoslovakia or East Germany

Response to Nagy’s demands

• Nov 56

• Soviet tanks moving into Budapest

• Nagy imprisoned and executed

• thousands of deaths in fighting

• fragility of SU? only response is violence and has no political control

Response to Gero being put into power (Hungary)

• Oct 56

• huge student demonstration

• stalin statue pulled down

Why did West not intervene in Hungary

• Suez canal crisis - busy even though Eisenhower said he would back Hungary’s reforms

• Hungary geographically to close to USSR so couldn’t send help without threat of triggering major war in USSR territory (would be surrounded and outnumbered)

how was response to Hungary uprising bad for USSR

viewed as weak from USA as the only control they had over the population was through army and violence, no real political influence, therefore no power to system. attacking point for USA.

when were U2 planes active?

began in 1950 without permission from Truman, and then banned as thy violated soviet air space

56-60 active w orders from Eisenhower, and with new U2 planes which couldnt be shot down from the ground. Khrushchev furious about flights but coudnt stop them

Four Powers Summit dates

Paris (Peace Summit), USA UK France USSR ( all had a stake in Berlin - needed to sort this out before it got worse (Berlin wall) )

May 1960

U2 crisis facts

• Gary Powers Shot down and captured

• USSR accused USA of spying

• USA said it was a NASA weather plane, and refused to admitt he was spying

• Eventually admitted when USSR came out with evidence

• Eisenhower refused to apologise of stop flights

• Khrushchev pulled out og Peace summit

Short term consequences of U2 incident

• Khrushchev pulled out of Paris meet

• Eisenhower and party critisized and pop felt they had been too soft w soviets ( after McCarthyism and Red Scare )

long term effects of U2 crisis

• Kennedy elected as President after Eisenhower

• increased diplomatic tensions

• didnt fix Berlin issue, or bombs issue, or Cuba - missed summit

MAD policy

Mutually Assured Destruction, from ICMBs creates a stalemate

Why did Khrushchev put up Berlin wall?

• Aug 1961

• brain drain from east to west - losing smart and able workers - crippling economy

• Khrushchev though he could bully new, young, inexperienced JFK

• K said there were spies in East Berlin

Checkpoint Charlie incident

• Oct 61

• US tanks going back and forth - generally being a nuisance - trying to irritate USSR?

• Standoff when soviet tanks didnt let them in

• 18 hours

• eventually moved back inch by inch

how did Berlin wall become a symbol of division in CW

• physical representation of division in political attitudes, split of Berlin and Europe

• Communist v Captalist

leader of Cuba before CAstro

Batista - dictator, supported by USA ( he hated communism - cubans hated him )

Castro taking control of Cuba

• Jan 1959

• won over most Cubans

• nationalised USA businesses and took land and distributed to supporters in Cubans peasant farmer populations

• accepted financial aid from USSR summer 1960

issues USA govt had from Cuba in 61

• Cuban exiles from Castro forming pressure groups asking JFK to do something

• Castro stealing US businesses and land

Bay of Pigs causes

• USA didnt want satellite state in own sphere of influence

• JFK wanting to make a statement as new President

• Pressure from Cuba exiles

Bay of Pigs events

• April 61

• 1400 Cuban exiles trained by CIA, with arms, equipment and transport went into Bay of Pigs

• met by 20,000 Cuban troops and immediately lost - died or captured within days

Bay of Pigs consequences

• K thought JFK unwilling to get involved in Cuba

• K scorned JFK’s pathetic attempt to get Communism out Cuba

• Suggested JFK was weak

• Castro and Khrushchev suspicious of US policy

• encouraged spread of communism

• Cuban missile crisis!!