Cold War Part 1 - 1945 - 1949

Conferences, who started the cold war & GERMANY

The main reason why communism had spread across Europe by 1948 was because Stalin was aggressive and expansionist.

Assess the validity of this view. 

Stalin was seen as agressive and expansionist especially by the West due to his hostile actions, however Stalin’s overiding security need drove his decisions.

Agressive, expansionist policies can be seen in 1944 & 1945 in E. Europe

• Red Army replaces Nazis in E, increasing Soviet influence

• At Yalta, Stalin goes against the DOLE - free elections and no spheres of influence

GERMANY

• The USSR had suffered greatly after WW2 and so they wanted reperations from Germany to compensate for their 20 million dead

• This is an agressive policy as they never wanted Ger to recover

• In East Ger, Ulbrict takes power and strips East Ger of resources

• Lublin Government created in 1944 where they were majority communist candidates

POLAND

• The Polish Uprising (1944) the USSR refuses to help the Poles and allow the West to use their airbases to supply the Poles - agressive

• Harsh policy in the East, Poland - communist opposition arrested and killed since 1944, internal struggle for power

HUNGARY

• Harassing opposition in Hungary

NO - There was misunderstanding from the West as they didn’t understand the USSR’s security needs

WW2

• Soviets bore the brunt of the Second World War, losing more men than the entire war losses of the Western Allies put together

• The USSR had been invaded twice through Poland in the last 30 years

US being hostile

• Stalin faced hostile, capitalist encirclement so was defensive

• The soviets wanted a 2nd front - Roosevelt promised but kept delaying, Soviets felt vulnerable

• Long Telegram & Iron Curtain speech - “confirming” that the USSR was expansionist, whilst this can be seen as true, these events also showed how the US was stuck in their own capitalist ideology

• Berlin Blockade happened because the USSR wanted to force the US into reversing Bizonia, they were afraid of Western Control

NO - communism spread on its own

• Yugoslavia was communist but not controlled by Stalin (Tito)

• Finland was allowed some freedom

• Czechoslovakia felt betrayed by the West so they turned to communism. Stalin wasn’t sure about complete control so made sure to have some london-based authority

• Bulgaria - Communists had been active for a long time. Sept 1944 RA invaded, Stalin wanted a moderate policy but communists wanted control

• Romania - 1944 the Red army was welcomed

• Communism in Italy & France, Fr wanted support against the powerful Brit & US,

• Italy - the USSR helped them be liberated

• Even if Stalin isn’t pushing communism, it still reinforces the idea that he is expansionist - Monolith theory

The Cold War developed in Eastern Europe because of Stalin’s intention to dominate postwar Europe.

Yes - Even though it was security needs

• USSR was invaded twice in the last 30 years

• Harsh expansion into Eastern Europe

• Red Army replaced Nazi control

• Communist candidates were arrested and killed (Poland)

• East Ger resources were stripped

• Communists had been active for a long time

No - US actions

• Didn’t value Stalin’s security need

• Set on Western ideology

• Roose

FID

It was the USA’s commitment to a post war democratic Europe that caused both the Yalta and Potsdam conferences to end in failure.

YES

NO

The Marshall Plan marked the beginning of the Cold War. 

Showed US ideology

• The Marshall plan was to give economic aid to countries resisting communist rule

• In return for purchase of US goods and sharing economic information

• Containment - if countries were ecomically strong they would be less likey to fall to communism

• It creased a US spehere of influence, economic imperialism (countries dependant on them)

• Marshall Aid was offered to countriescontroleld by the USSR - trying to create division, countries may be tempted to get rid of soviet control by taking aid

• It was the first physical step in split from the Grand Alliance - Marhsall aid was offered to countries in the Soviet sphere of influence

• The Truman Doctrine (1947) held the same ideas but the Marshall Plan put it into practise

• Kennan said that the main issue in Europe was the economic impact of WW2 rather than communist activities (contradicting Long Telegram)

• Led to Cominform in September

No - tensions had been going on for a long time MAIN FACTOR

• There had always been FID - the Grand Alliance was more of an anti-hitler coalition, so when WW2 ended there was not a common enemy to unite the powers

• At Yalta and Potsam, there were major tensions

• Yalta - personalities clashes - pragmatist, naive and mistrusful

• Lend Lease was cancelled, the USSR had only joined the alliance due to the Lend Lease. US ingnored the USSR’s plea

• Potsdam - No medium to long term decisions were made, Truman uses the atomic bombs to pressure Stalin & Stalin is determined not to give into this pressure

• Disagreements over Ger - US wanting reconstruction, USSR wanting recunifiaction & reperations

• Kennan’s long telegram & Iron Cutain - mistrust of USSR

• Novikov telegram - Shows USSR’s mistrust of West

• Clifford-Elsey report Sep 1946, saying Ideology motivated soviet f.p not security, there was always mistrust from the US about security needs

Soviet actions had been hosile for a long time, pressuring the US into creating a method of containment.

• Soviet actions were hostile and contributed to the creation of the Marshall plan

• Expantion into E.Europe from 1944-1947(?)

• 1946, Soviets had agreed to withdraw from Iran but when they didn’t the US immediately took this up with the UN.

• Greek Civil War, Britian had to stop supplying the anti-communists (Feb 1947)The Truman Doctrine then came in March 1947 and M.P in June. Stalin had agreed Brit would have influence there, US was afraid that Greece would fall to communism

• Yugoslavia was expelled from the Cominform which allowed the US to give them economic aid - opportunities on both sides

  Although the Marshall Plan did create an extreme reaction from Stalin

How important were differences over Germany between the USA and USSR in the development of the Cold War by 1949?

Berlin Blockade

The USA was responsible for the division of Germany into two separate states by 1949.

USA

Felt threatened

• 1949 - threatened by USSR getting A bomb and loss of China

Going against agreements

• Reperations from all zones agreed at Yalta the US stopped giving reperations in May 1946

• US wanted to avoid a central administration as it would lead to a Soviet controlled Ger

• They wanted Ger to be economically strong which directly contradicts France’s views

• Promoting Western ideology - free elections INCORRECT: FREE PRESS & SPEECH WAS AGREED AT POTSDAM

Actions

• Bizonia. Britian stuggling to feed their zone, US afraid of communism spreading

• Currency reform. Ostmark replaced the Deutschmark Knew this would economically impact the Soviet Zones

• Creation of the FRG in May 1949

USSR

• Never wanting Germany to recover

• Wants a unified germany - easier to become communist

• Promoting Communist ideology - compulsory russian lessons, nationalisation, land reform

• Blockade

• Didn’t allow talks

• Creation of the GDR in Oct 1949

Lack of firm decisions 

• Yalta & Potsdam weren’t decisive over Germany 

• Yalta - agreed on 4 power control, agreed on reparations but undecided, US wanting economic reconstruction, USSR wanting Ger to stay weak forever

• Potsdam - 25% reparations from all Western states

• ACC didn’t work because decisions had to be made unanimously which meant nothing was decided 

• March 1947 Council of Ministers no firm decisions - USSR demands for reunified Ger is rejected

• Nov 1947 another conference also results in failure

Economic interests were the main reason for the division of Germany into two separate states

Ideology was the main reason for the division of Germany although this was intensified by ecnomic problems and interests.

Economic interests

• As part of Britian’s zone it inlcuded the Rhur - the industrial heart of Germany.

• USSR wanted severe reperations from Germany to compensate its 20 million dead. Agreed 25% reperations from every zone, but the US stopped reperations in May 1946 general Clay

• at the council of foreign ministers the USSR brought up concerns that the USSR was unjustly denying them of their reparations

• Marshall Plan The US believed that economic recovery in Germany would lead to the whole of Europe’s economic recovery. (marshall aid given to West Ger not Soviet zone) and it was a plan to undermine Soviet sphere of influence

• Both France and USSR wanted access to the Rhur - agressive

• Currency reform 1948. The Deutsch mark economically harmed the USSR’s zone, so they did the Blockade. It was a way to shape the two seperate states

• Airlift ?

Ideology

• In Yalta & Potsdam ideology was clear - USSR eventually wanted Ger untied under Comm control. West wants a split to avoid this.

• Communism had been expanding across eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania)

• Monolith theory

• Britian couldn’t afford to feed their zone (22 million)- US afraid of communism spreading

• Bizonia in Jan 1947. This idea was supported by Kennan in the summer of 1945

• FRG (May 1949 - Adenauer ) & GDR (Oct 1949 - bc of FRG)

• Hallstein Doctrine 1955, FRG would not recognise any country that recognised the GDR

Lack of firm agreements

• Yalta & Potsdam. At Potsdam no medium to long term agreeements were made

• ACC - France. Allowed everyone to do their own thing FREE PRESS & SPEECH WAS AGREED AT POTSDAM

• Promoting their ideology - US free speech and elections, USSR - compulsary russian, nationalisation and land reform, censorship

• Council of Foriegn ministers met in March 1947 USSR demands for reunified Ger is rejected

• Council of Foreing ministers met in Nov 1947