Cold War c.1945 - 1991: The Origins of the Cold War

When was the percentages agreement agreed?

October 1944

What was the percentages agreement?

A secret agreement between Stalin and Churchill on how to divide E. European countries.

When was the Yalta Conference held?

4th-11th February 1945

What were Stalins main motives at Yalta?

- WW2 devistated USSR 25million troops dead

- Stalin and Molotov viewed GA allies as anti-USSR

- Stalin was a pragmatist so wanted to keep cooperatiuon open with the west

- Very interested in Poland

- Wanted to keep Germany weak in order to turn it communist later on

What were Roosevelts main motives at Yalta?

- Post-war should reflect American democracy

- Roosevelt was convinced Stalin shared the same understanding of the post-war world

- Sure he could secure a democratic non-communist future for Europe

- He had been criticized for a degree of naivety for underestimating the USSRs security needs

What were Churchill main motives at Yalta?

- Convinced of Stalin's efforts to expand Soviet power in Europe

- April 1944 he wrote to the foreign secretary Anthony Eden 'I cannot feel the slightest trust or confidence in them'

- USSR could threaten British imperial interests

- Churchill wanted to control and limit soviet expansion through the percentages agreement

What were Roosevelts and Churchills main objectives at Yalta?

- Collective security founded on the UN

- Long term cooperation with USSR

- National self determination & no SOI

- Germanys reconstruction & re-education

- World economic reconstruction through creation of world bank

What were Stalins main objection at Yalta?

- USSR to be in control of its own destiny

- Cooperation with Anglo-Americans where possible

- Security guaranteed through SOI

- Germany to remain weak forever

- Economic reconstruction of USSR at Germanys expense

What was agreed at the Yalta Conference?

- Germany to be divided into 4 zones of occupation

- Berlin would be similarily divided

- UN organisation would be ratified

- USSR would gain land from Poland

- Decleration of Liberated Europe was created

• Form ‘broadly representative’ democratic govs in countries they occupy

• Hold elections where needed

What did the Yalta conference reveal about the Grand Alliance?

- It was made to appear as if the GA were well and connected however it was beginning to show cracks

When was the Potsdam Conference held?

July-August 1945

Who replaced Roosevelt before the Potsdam Conference?

Roosevelt died and was replaced with Harry Truman

Who replaced Churchill before the Potsdam Conference?

Clement Atlee

What happened the day before the Postdam Conference?

USA decided to detonate the atomic bomb and Truman thought it would give them leverage

What did Truman believe in?

Atomic diplomacy

What were Trumans main motives at Potsdam?

- Wanted a world based on self determination and economic reconstruction

- Ensure USA geostrategic interests by limiting Soviet expansion

- Confrontation over cooperation

- Set on USA atomic diplomacy

What were Stalins main motives at Potsdam?

- Convinced USA & Allies were potential rivals for dominance in Europe

- Red Army continued presence in E.Europe

- Installed pro communist regimes in liberated states

- States in E.Europe were the bases of the Soviet SOI

What were Atlees main motives at Potsdam?

- Confirmed that Stalin was an expansionist

- Germanys geostrategic importance in Europe was vital

- Focused on Anti-communist stance

- Wanted to keep America close to help rebuild Germany

What were the agreements made at Postdam?

- 4 D's of Germany (Demilitirisation, Denazification, Decentrilisation and Democratisation)

- Germany treated as a single economic unit

- USSR to recieve reperations from its own zone plus 25% extra from the western zones

How did Stalin want to achieve Soviet Security in Eastern Europe?

By establishing a buffer zone based on Soviet satellite states divided from the West

What were USSRs actions in Poland?

- Set up the Pro-Stalin Lublin government in 1946

- Provisional Government of National Unity formed in June 1945

- Stalin used Salami tactics

- Communists won 78% of the vote in free elections in 1947

What were USSRs actions in Bulgaria?

- Rigged elections (75%) 1946

- April 1947 all political parties in Bulgaria were banned

What were USSRs actions in Hungary?

- Rigged elections (60%) 1947

- 1949 All political opposition to Moscow had disappeared

What were USSRs actions in Czechoslovakia?

- Very industrialsied and had a united Working Class

- Communism was popular amongst the W/C

- Benes agreed to support a communist domintated government

- Feb-March 1948 Communists staged a coup d'etat and killed many non communist members

What were USSRs actions in Yugoslavia?

- Tito was a committed Stalinist

- Communist regieme in place by the end of the war 1946

- Refused to be Soviet puppets which resulted in disagreement between Tito and Stalin

- June 1948 Tito was expelled from Cominform

- Yugoslavia survived through help from USA's Marshall Plan

What was Kennans Long Telegram created in response to?

Stalin’s Bolshoi speech in February 1946

When was Kennans Long Telegram sent?

Febuary 1946

What was the main points of Kennans Long telegram?

- USSR views the west as hostile

- Peace between USSR and west in unlikely

- USSR foreign policy is agressive and politically motivated

- USA shouuld prepare to use force against USSR

- Prosperity in the west will undermine policies in the east

- USA should become more proactive in helping Europe

What did Truman launch as a result of Kennans Long Telegram + when?

The Truman Doctrine (Containment) in March 1947

When was the Iron Curtain speech delivered?

March 1946

What did Churchill declare in the Iron Curtain speech?

- 'From the Baltic to the triste in the Adriatic an Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent'

- He concluded that poverty was a breeding ground for communism

How was the Iron Curtain speech recieved by USA and USSR?

- The Speech helped push Trumans containment

- Stalin saw it as an attack on the USSR

When did the Greek Civil War start?

1946

How did Britain help in the Civil War?

Britain provided aid to the Monarchists in Greece and Turkey

What happened to British support in the Civil War?

By February 1947 British support dried up and USA had to take over

What did USA's involvement in the Greek Civil War show?

Their more proactive attitude to containment

When was Cominform founded?

September 1947

What was Cominform?

- created as a response to the west

- Cominform legalised the alliance of communist states in the Soviet SOI

What was the Zhandov Doctrine?

Zhandov believed the world was divided into '2 camps' Imperalists led by the US and democrats led by the USSR

When was the Marshall Plan announced?

June 1947

What was the aim of the Marshall Plan?

To provide financial aid to any country threatened by communism

How much money did the Marshall plan provide to Europe?

- $13 Billion to 16 different countries

- Most of the aid went to Britain and France

What did Stalin think about the Marshall Plan?

Stalin didn't want countries to accept this aid and some were ordered by Stalin to change their mind

What was the reaction of the Marshall Plan in the USSR?

Molotov stated that the Marshall Plan showed 'dollar imperalism'

What happened between Britain and America from 1947?

Promoted a 'special relationship' which helped Britain to retain it's global status as a world power

After 1947 what did USA realise about Europe?

That they would need to support Europe alot more to stop the spread of communism and Stalins Eastern Bloc