Cold War: Rivalry, Mistrust, and Accord (1943–1991)

Why did the Grand Alliance (USSR, USA, UK) break down after WWII?

Key Causes of Tension:

• Ideological Differences:

  • USSR: Communist, one-party dictatorship.

  • USA/UK: Capitalist democracies.

  • Each feared the other would spread its ideology.

• Mutual Suspicion:

  • USSR resented Western delay in opening a second front during WWII.

  • USA suspicious of Stalin’s expansionism in Eastern Europe.

Year	Event	Description
1943	Tehran Conference	First Big Three meeting (Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill); agreed on second front and post-war zones.
Feb 1945	Yalta Conference	Agreement on Germany's division, free elections in Eastern Europe, UN created. Tensions over Poland.
July 1945	Potsdam Conference	Truman replaces Roosevelt; atomic bomb tested. Stalin angry over not being informed. Tensions spike.
1946	Iron Curtain Speech (Churchill)	Declared Soviet control in Eastern Europe a threat: "An Iron Curtain has descended..."
1947	Truman Doctrine	US promises to support nations resisting communism (e.g., Greece, Turkey).
1947	Marshall Plan	$13 billion in US aid to rebuild Europe and stop spread of communism. USSR sees this as economic imperialism.
1947–49	Cominform & Comecon	USSR's response: Cominform to coordinate communist parties; Comecon to provide Soviet-style economic aid.
1948–49	Berlin Blockade & Airlift	USSR blockades West Berlin; Allies respond with airlift. First major Cold War crisis. Success for the West.

Key Foreign Policies: 🇺🇸 US:

• Truman Doctrine (1947):

  • Commitment to contain communism anywhere it threatened.

  • Prompted by Greek Civil War & fear of Soviet influence.

• Marshall Plan (1947):

  • $13 billion in aid to rebuild Europe.

  • USSR saw it as US economic imperialism → refused it & banned Eastern Bloc states from accepting it.

• NSC-68 (1950):

  • Recommended major US military buildup to counter global Soviet threat.

🇷🇺 USSR:

• Salami Tactics:

  • Gradual takeover of Eastern European states (Poland, Hungary, Romania, etc.) through rigged elections & suppression of opposition.

• Cominform (1947):

  • Coordinated communist parties globally to follow Moscow.

• Comecon (1949):

  • Economic integration of Eastern Bloc, counter to Marshall Plan.

🌍 Flashpoints of Breakdown:

1. Iron Curtain Speech (March 1946):

   • Churchill: “An iron curtain has descended across the continent.”

   • Stalin saw it as a declaration of ideological war.

2. Greek Civil War (1946–49):

   • First use of Truman Doctrine.

   • Britain withdrew; US stepped in to stop a potential communist victory.

3. Berlin Blockade & Airlift (1948–49):

   • Stalin cut off West Berlin in response to currency reform in West Germany.

   • Allies responded with airlift (275,000 flights).

   • Stalin failed → NATO formed (1949).

Leader	Role in Breakdown
Stalin	Expansionism in Eastern Europe; repressed opposition; broke promises of free elections; deeply suspicious of the West.
Truman	Took a hardline stance after Roosevelt’s death (April 1945); distrusted Stalin; promoted containment.
Churchill	Advocated early opposition to Soviet expansion; gave Iron Curtain speech; replaced by Attlee at Potsdam.
Roosevelt	More conciliatory toward Stalin, believed in post-war cooperation; died before he could manage Cold War tensions.

How did superpower relations evolve from 1947 to 1979?

• Containment (US):

  • Prevent spread of communism: Truman Doctrine, NATO (1949), Korean War (1950–53), Vietnam.

• Sino-Soviet Split (1950s–60s):

  • Initially allies: Sino-Soviet Treaty (1950).

  • By 1960, Mao and Khrushchev split over ideology and strategy.

  • 1969: Border clashes between USSR and China.

• Peaceful Coexistence:

  • Khrushchev’s 1956 doctrine → shift from direct confrontation to ideological competition.

  • Events like the Kitchen Debate (1959) and Camp David (1959) with Eisenhower showed thaw attempts.

• Détente (late 1960s–1979):

  • Easing of tensions, especially between US and USSR.

  • Key agreements:

    • SALT I (1972): Limited nuclear weapons.

    • Helsinki Accords (1975): Human rights + borders recognized.

  • Nixon’s 1972 visit to China signaled a US-China thaw and pressure on USSR.

What caused the end of the Cold War?

Confrontation (1980–85):

• Reagan’s “Second Cold War”:

  • Aggressive rhetoric (“Evil Empire”), military buildup, Strategic Defense Initiative (1983).

  • Afghanistan War (1979–89) and Soviet crackdowns (Poland, etc.) kept tensions high.

• Economic Issues (USSR):

  • Military overspending + stagnating economy = crisis.

  • Decline of Eastern Bloc economies.

• Ideological Dissent:

  • Resistance movements in Eastern Europe (e.g. Solidarity in Poland, 1980).

  • Increasing internal criticism under Gorbachev.

Reconciliation & Collapse (1985–91):

• Gorbachev's Reforms:

  • Glasnost (Openness): more transparency & free speech.

  • Perestroika (Restructuring): economic decentralization.

• End of Confrontation:

  • Reykjavik Summit (1986) & INF Treaty (1987) with Reagan → major arms reductions.

  • USSR began to withdraw from Eastern Europe.

• 1989 Revolutions:

  • Communist regimes collapse across Eastern Europe.

  • Fall of the Berlin Wall (Nov 1989).

• End of USSR (1991):

  • Gorbachev resigns (Dec 25, 1991).

  • USSR formally dissolved → Cold War ends.

how was it?

hopefully good