Cold War leaders

List Stalin impacts on the Cold War

• Consolidation of Eastern Europe

• Berlin Blockade and division of Germany

• Nuclear and military impact

• Expansion into Asia

Describe consolidation of Eastern Europe

Consolidation of Eastern Europe:

• Between 1945–48, Stalin imposed communist regimes in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia through “salami tactics,” eliminating opposition step by step.

• The Red Army and NKVD guaranteed control, with elections manipulated (e.g. Poland’s 1947 vote rigged to secure a pro-Soviet government).

• The creation of a Soviet buffer zone met Stalin’s security needs but convinced the West he sought expansion, fuelling mistrust.

By 1949, the Eastern bloc was firmly under Moscow’s grip, cementing the division of Europe into two spheres.

Describe Berlin Blockade and division of Germany

Berlin Blockade and division of Germany:

• In June 1948, Stalin cut road, rail, and canal links to West Berlin after the Western Allies introduced the Deutsche Mark.

• Aim: force the West to abandon efforts to consolidate West Germany.

• Backfired: the Berlin Airlift (1948–49) delivered 2.3m tons of supplies in 277,000 flights, humiliating the USSR.

• Consequence: NATO founded (April 1949), institutionalising Europe’s military division.

Evaluation: The blockade hardened division: instead of pushing the West out, it accelerated their integration and made Germany the frontline of Cold War rivalry.

Describe nuclear and military impact

Nuclear and military impact:

• The first Soviet atomic bomb test (Aug 1949) ended the US monopoly, sparking the nuclear arms race.

• COMECON (1949) bound Eastern states into a Soviet-led economic system, strengthening bloc cohesion.

• Soviet conventional forces remained the largest in Europe, fuelling Western fears.

• Stalin’s policies laid the foundations for the Warsaw Pact (1955), created after his death.

Evaluation: Stalin’s nuclear breakthrough and bloc-building escalated the Cold War from political confrontation to a militarised rivalry, ensuring long-term bipolarity.

Describe expansion into Asia

Expansion into Asia:

• Backed the Chinese Communist Party with arms and advisers, contributing to their victory in October 1949.

• Approved Kim Il-sung’s invasion of South Korea (1950), providing tanks, aircraft, and training.

• The Korean War internationalised the Cold War, provoking a direct US–China confrontation.

• The conflict pushed US defence spending to triple and institutionalised containment as a global strategy.

Evaluation: Stalin’s greenlight for Korea escalated the Cold War from a regional European rivalry to a global conflict, locking the US into permanent containment worldwide.

List Truman’s impacts on the Cold War

• Ideological framing: containment 

• Economic policies: Marshall Plan 

• Military measures: NATO and Berlin Airlift

• Atomic diplomacy and arms race 

• Asia and globalisation of the Cold War

Describe ideological framing: containment

Ideological framing: containment

• The Truman Doctrine (Mar 1947) pledged $400m in aid to Greece and Turkey, portraying the Cold War as a defence of “free peoples” against subjugation.

• It was the first explicit US commitment to oppose communism worldwide.

• Defined the ideological battleground in moralistic, binary terms, escalating confrontation with Moscow.

• Stalin responded with the creation of Cominform (Sept 1947), enforcing bloc discipline.

Evaluation: Truman’s doctrine turned wartime alliance into ideological confrontation, locking both sides into a zero-sum struggle.

Describe economic policies: Marshall Plan

Economic policies: Marshall Plan

• The Marshall Plan (1947–52) channelled $13.3bn into Western Europe, aiding recovery. Key recipients: Britain ($3.3bn), France ($2.3bn), West Germany ($1.4bn).

• Tied Western Europe firmly to the capitalist system and US markets, embedding long-term dependence.

• Stalin rejected the plan, forcing Eastern bloc states such as Czechoslovakia to withdraw, hardening division.

Evaluation: Marshall Aid rebuilt Europe but also institutionalised economic bipolarity, making division irreversible.

Describe military measures: NATO and Berlin Airlift 

Military measures: NATO & Berlin Airlift

• Truman authorised the Berlin Airlift (1948–49), which supplied 2.3m tons over 11 months, showcasing Western resolve to defend West Berlin.

• In April 1949, Truman oversaw the creation of NATO (12 members), the first US peacetime military alliance.

• Both measures institutionalised bipolarity and signalled a permanent US role in Europe’s defence.

Evaluation: Truman’s decisions ensured US commitment to Europe, militarising containment and formalising the Cold War divide.

Describe atomic diplomacy and arms race 

Atomic diplomacy & arms race

• Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan (Aug 1945) deepened Soviet mistrust and spurred Stalin’s nuclear programme.

• Between 1945–49, the US nuclear monopoly gave Washington implicit diplomatic leverage.

• NSC-68 (1950) called for a massive military build-up; the defence budget grew from $13bn (1950) to $50bn (1953).

• These measures locked the US into a global arms race and containment strategy.

Evaluation: Truman’s nuclear diplomacy escalated mistrust and ensured the Cold War would be militarised, global, and costly.

Describe Asia and globalisation of the Cold War

Asia and globalisation of the Cold War

• Truman committed US forces to the Korean War (1950–53) under the UN flag, the first major test of containment.

• Framed the conflict as part of the global struggle for freedom, extending Cold War rivalry beyond Europe.

• The war tripled defence spending and embedded the military-industrial complex as a permanent feature of US policy.

• Set the precedent for deeper US intervention in Asia, notably Vietnam.

Evaluation: Truman’s choices globalised the Cold War, transforming it from a European rivalry into a worldwide ideological and military confrontation.

Compare the two leaders

Stalin	Truman
Consolidation of Eastern Europe (1945–49): Imposed communist regimes in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia via “salami tactics,” with Red Army and NKVD ensuring control. Presented as a defensive buffer zone but seen by West as expansionism.	Ideological framing – Truman Doctrine (1947): Pledged $400m to Greece and Turkey, committing the US to global containment. Cast Cold War in moralistic terms of “free peoples” vs tyranny, escalating ideological confrontation.
Berlin Blockade (1948–49): Attempted to expel Western Allies from Berlin by cutting land access. Backfired: Berlin Airlift supplied 2.3m tons of goods; blockade ended in humiliation. Reinforced division of Germany.	Berlin Airlift & NATO (1948–49): Truman authorised the 11-month airlift, demonstrating resolve. Oversaw NATO’s creation (12 members), the first peacetime US military alliance, institutionalising bipolarity.
Nuclear and military policy: Tested first Soviet atomic bomb (1949), ending US monopoly and triggering arms race. Built conventional superiority in Europe; COMECON (1949) consolidated bloc economy.	Atomic diplomacy & arms race: Use of atomic bomb on Japan (1945) spurred Soviet mistrust. Nuclear monopoly (1945–49) used as leverage. NSC-68 (1950) expanded US defence budget from $13bn to $50bn, embedding arms race.
Expansion into Asia: Backed Chinese communists’ victory (1949) and approved Kim Il-sung’s invasion of South Korea (1950), internationalising Cold War into Asia.	Globalisation of Cold War: Committed forces to Korean War (1950–53) under UN flag. Framed as global defence of freedom, tripling defence spending and embedding military-industrial complex.
Evaluation: Stalin entrenched a Soviet sphere in Europe and helped trigger the globalisation of Cold War rivalry through Berlin and Korea. His policies, presented as defensive, convinced the West he was expansionist and drove them toward containment.	Evaluation: Truman transformed containment into permanent US policy: ideological, economic, and military. His actions globalised the Cold War, ensuring the US was locked into Europe and Asia. Together, Stalin and Truman set the Cold War’s bipolar structure.