International Relations-Emerging superpow rivalry and its consequences, 1945-49

• Buffer zone

Stalin wanted to create a ‘buffer zone’ of countries surrounding the USSR to protect it from a future invasion. He wanted these countries to be loyal to the Soviet Union, he took over the countries by:

• Making sure communists got important positions in post-war governments

• Suggesting changes to help economic recovery and gain support for the communists

• Controlling elections to ensure communist victory

• Controlling the population using secret police.

Containment

Each side(USSR & USA) were very suspicious of what the other side was doing.

Why did the iron curtain speech make staling angry?

In Missouri, march 1946, Churchill said that Stalin had spread communism behind an ‘iron curtain’. He argued that the USA and the USSR should stop communism from spreading, which made Stalin angry as he believed he was just protecting his own country.

Truman Doctrine

Truman told the US congress that it would now be America’s policy to use military or economic means to stop countries becoming communist through invasion or revolution. This was called the Truman Doctrine. Congress released $400 million to end the communist threat in Greece.

• The Marshall Plan

Truman believed that if America could help build up the economies of poorer countries, they would not become communist and could not start trading with the USA. US Secretary of State, George Marshall, wanted to invest $13.3 billion into Europe, if countries agreed to open their markets to American goods. The money was spent on defence and armaments, as well as roads, machinery, and factories.

Reactions:

• Congress- not sure. They changed their mind after communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948.

• Sixteen countries benefited from plan, overseen by the organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC).

• Stalin argued that USA was trying to gain influence over countries by controlling their economies. He rejected the offer of money. Instead, he:

  • Established the Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) in 1947 to get communist countries working together.

  • Set up the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon) in 1949 to encourage economic co-operation behind the iron curtain.