Outline study: International Relations, 1945-2003

The Cold War

The Yalta Conference: February 1945

The Yalta Conference: February 1945

-Big three attending: Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill

-Churchill aims: ensure British Empire survival

-Roosevelt: Establish UN and curb British Empire

-Stalin: security after war and buffer-zone in Eastern Europe

Decisions at Yalta

-Germany and Berlin to be split into 4

Germany to pay reparations

-UN established

-USSR declare war on Japan by August

-New borders for Poland

-EE under soviet influence but with democratic elections

The Potsdam Conference: July 1945

-many changes since Yalta

-soviet troops in central Europe

-Truman replaces Roosevelt hes very anti communist)

-Attlee replaces Churchill (lost election)

-US and British attitudes harden against USSR because of their actions in EE.

Decisions at Potsdam

-Berlin and Germany split into 4

-Austria also slip into 4 zones

-provide goods across the zones

-general disagreement for future of Europe

Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the start of the Cold War

-6 August 1945: ‘Little Boy’ dropped on Hiroshima (c.250,000 killed) (2 mile radius from bomb destroyed)

-9 August 1945: ‘Fat Man’ dropped on Nagasaki (people directly underneath were vaporized)

-14 August 1945: Japan surrendered

-the bombs were developed in SECRET-USSR not included and Stalin was furious; made speech accusing US of trying to start a new empire

-Soviet bomb developed in 1949: nuclear arms race began = Cold War begins

Ideological differences between the superpowers

-USA: economic superpower

-USSR: military superpower

-both were suspicious of each other:USSR feared atomic bomb, USA feared Red Army

-USA believed Stalin wanted to build an empire and move westward over Europe, but Stalin saw it as SECURING the USSR against invasion

The Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe

soviet actions:-The Red Army remained in countries after the war

-elections were held BUT all countries chose communism… suspicious

-Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania controlled

-how?: - their own people took key gov. positions

-suggesting radical changes for economic recovery

-secret police

-rigged elections

- press/media

Response of USA and allies of the Soviet takeover

-perceptions raised tensions

-George Kennan in his ‘Long Telegram’- he was a diplomat in Moscow and he claimed that the Soviets would have to expand and spread communism in order to survive; Thought that the US would have to act to contain this spread

-Truman accepted this: new US policy formed- CONTAINMENT, which lasted through the Cold War

-this incorrect interpretation increased fear, tension and hostility between the two superpowers

Greece (brief)

-Controlled by Britain after the second World War

-civil war between Communism and Greek gov.

-Britain couldn’t stay; CONTAINMENT tested for the first time: it worked!!

The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan

-‘Iron Curtain’: Churchill touring Us making speeches, condemned Soviet takeover of EE, called for the alliance to stop it (put pressure on Truman to stay in Europe).

-Stalin acted angrily to this: his only concern was security.

-Truman could test containment in Greece (civil war): he didn’t want communism to spread into Middle East and Africa.

-12 March 1947: Truman speech to Congress

-Congress agreed and gave Greece $400 million: ended threat of communism; Containment worked! :D

-’Marshall Plan’: Truman and George Marshall believed communism spread to poor countries, so economic recovery could stop the spread.

-Marshall proposed a massive investment of $13.3 BILLION for Europe

-Offered to all countries, but had to: 1. open their markets to trade with the US and 2. Allow US to inspect their economic records

-WESTERN BUFFER-ZONE : DOLLAR CONTAINMENT

-Congress were doubtful at first but after the fall of Czechoslovakia in 1948 they agreed on the 31st of March 1948.

-(impact) USSR made their own version (Comecon and Cominform) which strengthened their control over EE

The Berlin Blockade

-Stalin wanted to starve the West so that they would all move East, and he also was paranoid of espionage so he put up a blockade

-the West nearly broke it but that would be bad (could start a full on War) so they decided to do an airlift

-’Impact’: tensions increased further

-NATO established in 1949: 12 members

-West Germany (GDR) and East Germany (DDR): Germany now PERMANENTLY DIVIDED

-May 1955: WARSAW PACT

Khrushchev and Geneva Summit (brief)

-Khrushchev: de-stalisation; ‘secret speech’

-The Geneva Summit: 1955 World leaders met to discuss trade, arms race and disarmament;

no stockpile of weapons and motoring activity from the air= high point in relations :D

Hungary 1956

-causes: Poland and Czechoslovakia revolt and reforms

-poverty: all their good go to USSR

-oppression: censorship

-Western promises: UN/US help

-events: Khrushchev couldn’t allow them to leave the Warsaw Pact: so he sent the Red Army and killed 30,000. 250,000 fled to the West

-results: Nagy arrested and executed

-NATO did nothing; No Action, Talk Only

-impact: ‘thaw’ in relations that had been developing in 1955 ended

- USSR show leaving the Warsaw Pact is NOT an option (gap in iron curtain)

Berlin, 1959-1961

- East Berliners wanted to go to West Berlin because they were young and educated: no opportunities for them in the East; Jobs in the West

- Push: East was poor and oppressed. Pull: West Berlin was a living advertisement for capitalism. By 1962 c. 2 million had moved from the East to the West

-Espionage was occurring (number stations) : Khrushchev wanted to stop this

-Force the West out (same as Stalin with the blockade)

-1960 Paris Summit supposed to happen to discuss Berlin but didn’t (U2 spy plane): tensions increased

-west response: Vienna summit 1961: JFK ordered a massive increase in the armed services: $6.4 billion

-13th August 1961; The Berlin Wall is built (separated families, people lost jobs, if caught crossing=shot)

-impact: made communism look bad, Soviet victory as it stopped people from crossing, US complained but didn’t take action (secret victory for them)

Czechoslovakia 1968: Dubcek and the Prague Spring

-causes of the Prague Spring: wanted to raise living standards and less censorship of press, Dubcek saw he need for limited democratic reform; introduced changes.

-Soviet response: Brezhnev not convinced; worried other countries, may follow and USSR collapse.

-1968-Brezhnev Doctrine: ‘if any communist state appeared to be abandoning communism, the Soviet Union had a duty to intervene.’

-August 20th 1968: 400,000 troops from the Warsaw pact invaded

-Radio instructed to carry out ‘passive resistance’ but there were some violent protests=a few deaths

-Results: Dubcek forced to resign

-country was returned to its old ways -

-East West relations damaged further but NOT seriously (wouldn’t go to War over this)

-Showed the West was powerless to stop the USSR from doing as it pleased behind iron curtain.