Cold War

Historiography on origins

strong lobbying in the US to maintain large defense budget, which required a real or a created enemy

Isaa Deutscher saw the events of 1917 as the start of the ‘Great Contest’ and ‘cordon sanitaire’ isolating it

Fred Halliday argued was a structural clash between two incongruous economies and societal systems

Gar Alperovitz argues that US excluding USSR in development of the Atomic Bomb was detrimental to their relations

Orthodox view: due to soviet expansionist policies, therefore the US and Europe had no choice but to fight back

Revisionist view: USSR had followed a foreign policy of conservative defencism to weak to pose a threat, but made aggressive due to US actions, wanting to impose free market economies.

USSR in 1917-1928

Lenin and Trotsky formed the comintern, trying to spread communism spreading fear

Poland invaded Russia with French and British support, resulting in Treaty of Riga where Russia lost many territories

Not a serious rival to US capitalism due to Stalin’s failure of economic policies

USSR in 1929-1941

Great depression, survival for capitalist countries was more important than antagonism to the USSR during it

Growing fear of the rise of NAZI Germany also subordinated tensions

US gave official recognition to the USSR in 1933

Riga axioms, views and policies of the US

Molotov-Ribbentrop pact broke trust creating mutual suspicions; nevertheless, USSR was pushing for an alliance beforehand with Britain and France

WW2

Creation of grand alliance which led to cooperation between Soviet Union and US through lend and lease act

USSR repeatedly pressured for a second front, however allies frequently delayed and invaded Italy first

USSR was wary of Open Door policy which involved the establishment of free trade and helped set US global domination

Death of Roosevelt led to Harry S Truman becoming president and having a much more hardline approach

Soviet union lost 25% of its pre war capital stock and 30 million people died while the US got richer because of the war

Baruch Plan

Plan set forward by the US to eliminate all atomic weapons

Created by the US but rejected by the Soviet Union as it viewed it as intrusive

Economic conflicts

US used $5700million to stabilize economies outside of soviet sphere, however did not cooperate with the USSR

Famine and poor harvests in 1946 and 47

USSR opposed “Dollar Diplomacy”

Kennan long telegram

Argued that can’t reason with the USSR

Soviet Union was an imperialist nation that needed to be contained

Stalin would back down when he was meet with determined resistance

Cominform

Intend to coordinate different communist governments of Easter Europe and the communist parties in western Europe. Abolished by Kruschchev.

Marshall plan

Revive economies of western European states as an anti communist tool

17 Billion approved by Congress by 1948

Although was open to everyone required audits, which Soviet Union refused

Complemented containmen

Conflicts over Germany

At first split into four regions, each being the victors in WW2

Introduced the Deutschmark without in west Germany consulting the Soviets (as before they tried to reform the currency but Stalin sabotaged the effort by printing money)

Soviet Union wanted reparations of 10 Billion but US did not want to give, also wanted Coal which the US did not give

France joined the Bizonia of UK and US in 1948, creating Trizonia, in contrast to soviet block

Soviet Union opposed divided Germany but reluctantly create east german state

Tried to convince western powers to unite Germany can be said was because of propaganda or simply because of security concerns

Stalin response to Long telegram and Iron Curtain speech

Branded Churchill as an anglophile and compared him to Adolf Hitler

Formerly withdrew from the IMF

Nuclear arms race

Started in August 1949 when the Soviet Union exploded the first atom bomb

US created the Hydrogen bomb in 1952 and the USSR matched it in 1952

Stalinization of Eastern Europe

Witch hunt of Titoist accused of working with Western power

Establishment of comecon (mutual economic assitance) heavily favored the soviet union

NSC-68

Report where there was a complete review of cold war policies ordered by Truman

Andrew Bacevich states that it views it as an excuse for an US expansionism as exaggerated Soviet Union expansionism

Caused by need for pax Americana and capitalist expansion

Increased military spending, especially nukes, development of hydrogen bond

Broadly agreed with the Long Telegram

Containment should be replaced by confrontation

Importance of Japan

US saw Japanese control as important if it wanted control in the whole Asian region

Rebuild its economy and gave $500 million worth of aid

Truman Doctrine

Countries had to choose between the freedom of the west or the subjugation of communism

Congress immediatley approved $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece

Commitment to containment

Adopted due to communist uprising in Czechoslovakia, popularity of communism in Europe, and needed a new enemy

Greek Civil war

Churchill intervention in greek civil

Afraid that Britain's path to oil would be blocked

Stalin said he had no interest in communist Greece so Britain moved in to intervene

Stalin left greek communist to die, showed that he wasn’t always expansionist and could be reasoned with

Two Camps doctrine

Soviet response to the Truman plan

World irreconcilably divided into two camps communist and capitalist

Foreign policy of Stalin 1949-53

Satellites are completely subservient to Moscow

Repeatedly offered a reunified, democratic Germany

Rolf Steininger Argues that it was lost opportunity, that could have eased tensions

Peter Ruggenthaler Argues that it was designed to stop Germany joining the western block

Sponsored worldwide mass peace movement and disarmament propaganda

Cautious expansion in Asia

Red Scare

McCarthy stated that he had a list of 205 department of state workers that were communist.

Leading to senseless witch hunts

Mcarthy later censured by the Senate

Public opinion on this approach turned when the military began being targeted

Executive order 9835, formal loyalty test for government employes

Origins of Berlin Blockade

At first split into four regions, each being the victors in WW2

Introduced the Deutschmark without in west Germany consulting the Soviets (as before they tried to reform the currency but Stalin sabotaged the effort by printing money)

Soviet Union wanted reparations of 10 Billion but US did not want to give, also wanted Coal which the US did not give

France joined the Bizonia of UK and US in 1948, creating Trizonia, in contrast to soviet block

Soviet Union opposed divided Germany but reluctantly create east german state

Tried to convince western powers to unite Germany can be said was because of propaganda or simply because of security concerns

Germany and problem of reparations:

At first split into four regions, each being the victors in WW2

Soviet Union wanted reparations of 10 Billion but US did not want to give, also wanted Coal which the US did not give

France joined the Bizonia of UK and US in 1948, creating Trizonia, in contrast to soviet block

Soviet Union opposed divided Germany but reluctantly create east german state

Korean War Significance:

Increase military spending from 5 to 14.2% of GDP in 1950 to 1953

Red army increased from 2.8 to 5.8 million

Soviet perspective was a loss

Pushed mutual defense treaty between Taiwan and USA, US/Japan close relations and ANZUS pact

Helped bring China and the Soviet Union together economically and militarily as the Soviet Union gave assitance

By the end of the war all key proposals of NSC-68 were put into action

Start of the move of hostilities from Europe to Asia

Proved that the United States was willing to go to war

Korean War Impact (1950-1953)

Early victories from the north in 1950

3 to 5 million casualties, leveled infrastructure in North and South

US through Soviet Union boycott of security council was able to send a UN mission to liberate South Korea

Ambitions amphibious landing at Incheon by MacArthur and continued invading North Korea

As US was getting closer to the Yalu river Mao got increasingly scared and pressured by Stalin and CCP leaders to counteract

China went back (250,000 soldiers) and retook Seoul, US pushed back to retook Soul (Outnumbered and had weak supply lines),

MacArthur wanted to use nuclear bombs against China however disuaded scared of outbreak of world war

Soviet military was actually involved, but made sure it was secretive didn’t want the US to know

1951-1953 turned into a brutal war of attrition until 1953,

Eisenhower presidency, wanted to end the war, led to ceasefire as pressured China

Permanent division of Korea, isolated communist north capitalist and authoritarian south

Berlin Blockade impact

Soviets troops encircle Berlin, airlift for 15months and 2.4 million tons delivered

Soviet Union tried to pressure US by putting a blockade, however western powers circumnavigated through the Berlin Airlift (200,000 flights)

In May of 1949 Stalin seeing the failures stopped the Berlin Blockade

Split East and West Germany permanently and different currencies

Chinese Civil War US actions:

Gave Chiang Kai Shek $200 million dollars in financial aid

Transported troops to important areas

However Mao won was huge blow to the US seen as weak on communism

ROC recognized rather than the CCP, by countries and UN

Marshall Mission

Failed US mission to have a permanent peace between CCP and GMD in China

Brokered a truce between them in 1945 but broke down in 1946

Faced heavy criticism as was too soft and helped the CCP take over China.

Increased the need to be seen as as strong on communism

Truman doctrine

Countries had to choose between the freedom of the west or the subjugation of communism

Congress immediatley approved $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece

Commitment to containment

Adopted due to communist uprising in Czechoslavkia, popularity of communism in europe, and needed a new enemy

Korean War origin

Several border clashes were over 100,000 preceeded the actual invasion

Encouraged by Acheson speech where the US stated that it would not defend South Korea in case of an invasion

Bruce cummings argued that the invasion was because of Kim strong nationalistic and revolutionary ideals (had to persuad Stalin)

Berlin Blockade significance

Worsened relations between USSR and the US

Led to the creation of Nato in 1949, mutual defense pact

Restraint, Stalin would back down when faced with a though opposition

Help bring together former wartime enemies of Nazi Germany and Britain

Both showed restraint, Truman did not send ground troops, Stalin did not attack the planes