Cold War - breakdown of the Grand Alliance

Post WWII military landscape

• USA and USSR emerged significantly more powerful than they were before the war

• USA became the #1 air force power in the world (to defeat Germany)

• USSR became the #1 land force power in the world (to defeat Germany)

• The “Old Powers” France and Britain’s inability to defeat the Axis powers signalled that they were now “second rank” powers

• The USSR lacked strong military neighbours, making it the regional power

Post WWII Economic landscape

• USA’s economy was strengthened by the war. It’s GDP almost doubled y 1944 and it could out produce all the other powers put together

• It’s economic strength was large enough to prevent a return to instability in Europe

• It was also committed to free trade and market competition, willing to actively prevent pre-war trade blocs and tariffs from occurring again

• Small Eastern European countries were not economically viable on their own, and needed the support of a strong neighbour; the USSR replaced Germany in that role.

Post WWII political landscape

• for the West, democracy and international cooperation triumphed over fascism, and USA’s political system was the superior one for the future

• For the USSR, communism had triumphed over fascism. Additionally, the communist resistance of Germans gained respect in Europe

• The USSR’s role in defeating the German’s and its presence in the Grand Alliance gave them much influence over forming the post-war world

• USSR was politically strong enough to prevent instability in Eastern Europe

Liberalism - USA

main emphasis is on the freedom of the individual

• economically - minimal interference by the state, support free trade and cooperation

• Ethically - universal suffrage, civil liberties (freedom of expression)

• Diplomacy rather than force

• Constitutionally - a parliamentary constitutional government with an independent judiciary

Socialism

• more egalitarian social system (equality of all)

• Governments providing more for needy members of society

• International cooperation and solidarity

Maoism Communism

• a form of communism adopted by Mao Zedong to suit China’s situation

• Revolution could be achieved by the peasants (not necessarily urban proletariats/working class)

• Revolution should be ongoing

Premise of the Grand Alliance

• Anglo - Russian relations began when when the Nazis attacked Russia in June 1941 (following the violation of the Nazi-Soviet non aggression pact) and both UK and US sent military aid to them

• However, the western states still felt hostility towards the Soviet Union, particularly Winston Churchill.

• The alliance with the USSR was more formed out of necessity; while the USSR was also a totalitarian regime, Germany’s aggressive foreign policy and aim of subjugating the entire Europe would largely threaten Britain

• An independent Russia was crucial for Britain’s security, and so following the lines of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” The UK allied itself with the USSr against a common enemy

• A month later on July 13, 1941, the UK and USSR signed the Anglo-Soviet agreement for joint action in the war against Germany

• After Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor on 7, December, the US officially joined the war, marking the formation of the “grand alliance”

Three historic conferences of the Grand Alliances

• held during WWII on (1) the state of war (2) status of Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe and Japan, and how Europe would be restructured after the war (3) the United Nations

• Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam conference

Tehran Conference - State of War

State of War -

• Allies were starting to win the war; Stalin pressed the UK and USSR to invade Northwestern Europe and create a second front to aid the USSR in fighting Germany

• Discussion on Japan, which was in its island hopping phase

Tehran Conference - Germany

• USSR had widely different opinions from USA and UK. However, they all agreed that the “unconditional surrender” of Germany was their objective

• Roosevelt supported “Operation Overlord” (the Allied invasion of northern France)

Tehran Conference - Poland

• Stalin wanted to secure USSR’s western border by gaining territory from Poland, and ensuring Poland had a pro-Soviet government

• USSR would gain the territory it seized from Poland in 1939, and Poland would be given territory back from the west part of Germany

• Sowed seeds for future hostility between Germany/Poland or the possibility of a puppet regime in Poland that relied on the USSR for security

Katyn Massacre

• after the Nazi-Soviet non aggression pact was signed in 1939, Germany invaded Poland

• Consequently, tens of thousands of polish military personnel fell into Soviet hands while the Polish government in exile relocated to London

• After Germany breached the non-aggression pact in 1941, the USSR agreed to cooperate against Germany with a Polish army on Soviet territory

• However, the Polish prisoners of war meant to be transferred to war efforts were declared missing after an escape to Manchuria

• On April 1943, Germans discovered a mass grave of Polish officers in the Katyn Forrest

• USSR denied any massacre and claimed the invading Germany army had killed them, even though the massacre took place in early 1940, when the area was still under Soviet control

Katyn Massacre - impacts

• This spiked tensions between the USSR and London poles, especially when the USSR refused to provide official reports on the missing prisoners.

• Consequently, the Soviets broke diplomatic relations with them on April 25, 1943, and began establishing a communist Polish group.

• Successive Polish governments accepted the USSR’s narrative that the poles were killed by invading Germans in 1941

• (In 1989 the government finally shifted the blame to the Soviet secret police, the NKVD)

Tehran Conference - Eastern Europe

• USSR demanded territories they seized between 1939 - 1940, which would give them control of the Baltic states, and parts of Finland and Romania

• (Slightly violated the 1941 Atlantic charter between US/UK

Tehran Conference - Japan

• US and UK pressed USSR to enter war with Japan and open a second Soviet front in Asia

• USSR refused until they won the war with Germany

Tehran Conference - United Nations

• USA advocated for the creation of a replacement for the League of Nations

• UK and USSR gave general approval

• The aim was to settle international disputes through collective security

• Structure of UN was to be improved upon from mistakes made in the League of Nations.

Yalta Conference - state of war

• Germany was on the verge off being defeated

• USSR drove Germans from Eastern Europe, and was poised to invade Germany from the East

• UK and US had driven Germany from France, and were ready to cross the Rhine and invade Germany from the West

• Japan was under heavy aerial bombardment from the west, and the USA had taken over most of the Pacific and ready to invade Japan

Yalta Conference - Germany

• Germany would undergo the 4D: disarmed, demilitarized, de-nazified, and divided

• Germany’s would be run as one country, but temporarily divided into 4 zones of occupation

• Split between USA, USSR, UK, and France

• The Allied Control Council (ACC) would govern Germany

• Stalin demanded a large amount and received 50% reparations. (10 billion)

Yalta Conference - Poland

• the three leaders decided on the new borders of Poland

• The east border of Poland was determined at the ‘Curzon line’ - territory was given to USSR and moved the territorial lines to what it was before the 11921 Russo-Polish war

• The west border of Poland was expanded to the Oder- Neisse line

• Given the new territory, Stalin agreed to a more democratic government in Poland, following ‘free elections’ - but this turned into a major contention with the western countries

Yalta Conference - Eastern Europe

• Stalin agreed that Eastern European countries would be able to decide who governed them in free elections

• For UK and US, this was one of the most significant wartime deals with the Soviet Union

Yalta Conference - Japan

• Stalin agreed to enter the war with Japan once the war in Europe was over, but demanded South Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and other territories as a ‘reward’

Yalta Conference - United Nations

• Stalin agreed that the USSR would join the UN

• P5 nations are decided, each with the power of veto

• Stalin demanded all 16 Soviet republics be given separate seats in the GA - UK and US agreed to only 3 seats, for Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Yalta Conference - main outcomes

• agreement of United Nations and establishment of p5 nation and veto powers

• Soviet participation in war against Japan

• Big Three signing the “Declaration on Liberated Europe” pledging support for democratic governments based on free elections in all European countries

Tehran Conference - main significance

• agreement on the establishment of the UN

• Agreement on the need for a weak post war Germany.

• Some tension over territory and politics within the Eastern European region.

• UK and USSR forces would both withdraw troops from Iran after war.

London Poles

• members of the Polish government and armed forces that escaped to France/London during the war

• Original leader General Sikorsky was left wing and open to Soviet relations, but his successor General Kazimeirz and other leading Poles were opposed to any deals with the Soviets

• Massive distrust with USSR fueled by the failed Warsaw uprising

• They were not very accepting of the territory change, and wanted cast-iron guarantees of a free Polish government after the war

Lublin Poles

• previously known as the Committee of National Liberation set up in July 1944 at Lublin

• Self described as democratic and patriotic forces who wished to work with the USSR

• Agreed to the Curzon line boundary (and accepted Russia’s alternate narrative of the Katyn Forrest massacre)

• USSR recognized this group as the only lawful authority, and the red army was instructed to only cooperate with the Lublin committee

• Grew to dominate post-war politics in Poland

• Leading members: Wladyslaw Gomulka and Boleslaw Bierut

Postdam Conference - Germany

• the allies could not agree on the 4D of Germany, so they decided to carry them out separately in their respective zones of occupation

• Germany was to be limited to domestic industry and agriculture

• soviets received 25% of the reparation bill from Western Zones

Postdam Conference - Poland

• Truman was unhappy about previous agreements about Poland and challenged the Oder-Neisse line

• Demanded a reconstruction of the Polish government (which was predominantly Lublin led)

Postdam Conference - Eastern Europe

• US was unhappy about the Percentages agreement of spheres of influence within countries in Eastern Europe

• However, without pushing the Red Army back with ground forces, the US could not change the USSR’s heavy presence in Eastern European countries

Postdam Conference - Japan

• Truman was told on the second day of the conference that the atomic bomb tests had been successful

• While the US and UK liaised on the atomic bomb attacks, they did not tell the USSR the full story about the bomb

• They also did not encourage the USSR to join the war against Japan.

Postdam Conference - main significance

• rising tensions between a less cooperative US led by Truman and USSR

• US and UK not fully sharing the atomic bomb with the USSR

• establishment of the UN

• Agreement for the control of defeated Germany

Salami Tactics

• described how the USSR gained political control over Eastern Europe step by step, like slicing off pieces of salami

  1. USSR supervised the organization of governments that were anti - fascist.

  2. Each of the parties was ‘sliced off’

  3. The communist core remained and local communists were replaced with Moscow trained figures if neccessary

Baggage Train leaders

Politicians who spent much of WWII in Moscow and were considered ‘trustworthy’ to the Soviets

(Including Bierut in Poland, Kolarov in Bulgaria, Parker in Romania, and Rákosi in Hungary)

• they would ensure that post-war governments would be dominated by Stalinist Communists

Delayed Free Elections in Eastern Europe

• Stalin promised free election would occur within weeks during the Yalta Conference (February 1945), but they weren’t held until 2 years later on 19 January 1947

• Prior to elections, there was a campaign off murder, censorship, and intimidation, with over 50, 000 people deported to Siberia

Postwar Elections in Poland

• Mikolajczyk’s Polish Peasant Party was significantly targeted

• 149 arrested, 18 murdered, and 1 million taken off the electoral register

1946 Iran Crisis

• Iran had been occupied by UK and Soviet forces since 1941

• The grand alliance agreed that all military would be withdrawn 6 months after the end of WWII

• Stalin left 30,000 troops in Iran, claiming that they were helping to put down internal rebellion

• The troops encouraged a communist uprising

• Stalin refused to withdraw troops due to “Soviet honour” and the 1921 Irano-Soviet Treaty

• Additionally, he demanded an oil concession

• Iran made formal protests to the UN, with the external pressure finally leading Stalin to pull out their troops on the 5th May, 1946

Iran Crisis - Significance

• the first crisis the UN had to deal with, and showed the importance of international institutions in global politics

• Viewed as one of the first major conflicts in the post WWII ladnscape

Kennan’s Long Telegram

• US diplomatic George F Kennan sends a telegram to the US State Department on the nature of Soviet conducted and foreign policy

Main Views

• USSR was insecure

• Justified its repression by perceiving the outside world as hostile

Kennan’s Long Telegram impacts

• helped harden attitudes in USA and helped develop US policy of containment

• Later, NV Novikov, the Soviet ambassador in the US, also sent a telegram (theirs concerned US’s imperil at intentions

»» rising mutual suspicion

Iron Curtain Speech - contents

• referring that by 1946, Eastern European states such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria had been dominated by Soviet dominated communist governments

• The red army was in countries ‘liberated’ from Germany by the Russians

Iron Curtain Speech - impacts

• emphasized the need for western states to uphold democracy and the UN charter

• Sparked USSR outrage

• Stalin compared Churchill to Hitler and retaliated politically

  • Withdrew from IMF

  • Increased the tone and intensity of anti western propaganda

  • Initiated a new 5 year economic plan of self strengthening

• Churchill had publicity defined a new front line of the Cold War, and both sides hardened their opinions of each other