Development of Cold War 1946-55

Iron Curtain speech Churchill March 1946

High significance as sum up developing fears in USA

Europe is firmly divided, West need to negotiate from place of strength, USSR wants to expand its power without limit

Impact: spur to US policies of opposition to spread of communism

Soviet control of Eastern Europe

High significance

Salami tactics: enter with pacts with political parties, force mergers with socialist parties, elections controlled with violence

Extensive propaganda of police, by 1948 unrepresentative pro-Moscow leaders were established, opps destroyed by arrest, intimidation, by 1947 it was clear he wasn’t keeping to the agreement made at Yalta about elections in Eastern Europe

Impact: tyrannical impression of USSR, extent of USSR power, prompt containment escalate Cold War

Soviet control of Baltic states

High significance

1945 50k resist Soviet occupation, forests used as base for guerrilla war, some Western support

Impact: Soviet demonstrating harsh reaction to resistance

Soviet control of Poland

Culminated significance

June 1945 Soviet forces set up new Provisional government dominated by communists with little support in country, non communist peasant party representatives resigned in protest

Impact: impression of Russia as an absolute regime which will stop at nothing to achieve power

Soviet control of Hungary

Nov 1945 Free elections, 1947 leading opposition leader arrested thus increased Soviet control established, Mar 1648 socialists forced to merge with communists to form the Independent Front which was the only party

Impact: reinforce western fears of Russian expansion and imposition of control over Eastern Europe

Soviet control of Czechoslovakia

Mar 1946 free elections gave communists 38% of vote, leader Benes work with Czech communists, more pressure in 1947 for communist control

pressure to prevent Czech from accepting Marshall aid, 1948 communist coup with Soviet support took place

Impact: USSR seem unreasonable in forbidding another country getting help,

Soviet control of Romania

low significance

Stalin created a new communist dominated National Democratic Front in 1946, by violence and pressure won 80% of vote Nov 1646, Dec 1947 King forced to abdicate and April 1948 Communist’s People’s Republic formed

Impact: highlight Soviet communist domination, make western countries more alert

Soviet control of Greece

Low impact

Stalin didn’t interference in civil war in Greece

Soviet control of Yugoslavia

Low impact as it is furthest away from the Soviet border so Stalin can afford leaving it out and they don’t have sufficient forces

Tito led a successful partisan movement and have 800k+ in army so strong position, most Yugoslav communists are only loyal to Tito

Expulsion of Yugoslavia from Cominform in 1948 after Tito and Stalin rift

Truman Doctrine 12 March 1947

High significance

Free will in west versus will of minority forced on majority by USSR by terror, policy of USA to support free peoples who resist oppression

Impact: directly attack the Russian influence, sets out an openly hostile view and solidarity with UK in being against USSR, Red scare, highlight that expansion of communism was a threat to US economic interests, poverty is owed to expansionist regimes like USSR

Marshall Plan June 1647

High significance

Stalin forbade the Soviet dominated nations to attend a meeting in Paris, support re industrialisation of west Germany thus promote its political stability after 1949

Impact: hostility in communist bloc which sees US attempts to use dollar diplomacy to exercise power and bolster its existing allies, aid went to 17 counties inc West Germany, UK, long term as after 1951 still $7b per year to Europe

Cominform Sep 1947 and Comecon formed 1949

High significance

Cominform: propaganda to undermine Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan in France and Italy and to maintain socialist unity in East, abolished in 1956

Comecon: create economic alliance among USSR Albania Bulgaria Romania Hungary Poland DDR joined 1950, lasted into 1990s, Eastern bloc provided an outlet for Soviet manufacturers and supply of raw materials,

Impact: forces Stalin to create an east west division as his control of Eastern Europe would have been threatened if countries like Poland accepted Marshall Aid, Cominform highlight Moscow control of information and ideologies, boost USSR control of satellites

Berlin Blockade 23 June 1948-May 1949

High significance to Cold War

To retaliate Deutchsmark, Stalin imposed a blockade on road and rail links to West Berlin and cut off its electricity

Allies supported the city by air, each day 2k tonnes of supplies flew in, and stationed 60 B29 bombers in eastern England as a threat to USSR

Impact: separate east and West Berlin, confirm West ideas of Soviet sovereign control, West provocation of USSR

East and west Germany created 1949

High significance

West approve Basic Law, constitution for new West German state Spring 1949, new republic known as FRG

Stalin reluctant to have independent East German as if leaves the richer and more industrial part of Germany the Ruhr to the west, the official SED coalition(socialists and communists) is in practice dominated by pro-Moscow Marxists, May 1949 elections offered from SED candidates only

Impact: fear and dislike of SED lead to establishment of Western Berlin city government and elected assembly Nov 1948, East Germany became the most closely controlled both economically and politically out of all satellite states with pro Moscow leadership, East German and Berlin became impoverished, West German and Berlin became a model for capitalist development and great success story of the Allies

NATO April 1949

High significance on Cold War

Treaty to mutual defense for ‘freedom, common heritage and civilisation, aid to support defense capacity

Grew when in Sep 1949 it was learnt Stalin has atomic weapons

Warsaw Pact 14 May 1955

High significance

Signed by USSR and most Eastern Satellites, DDR signed in 1956, response to the integration of FRG into NATO

Promises consultation on issues of mutual interests and assistance in event of attack

Policy move by USSR

Impact: confirm divisions between Europe, little changed as Moscow already controlled foreign and defence policies of its Eastern European allies, strengthen determination of Russian leaders to prevent any criticism, suppression of discontent by Warsaw Pact not USSR alone

What is the key focus

Impact on Cold War like increased tensions

Positive, negative military, political, social, economic, domestic, foreign, impact long or short

USA containment

Prevent communism spreading beyond its existing borders

Long Telegram Feb 22 1946

High impact

8k words telegram analysing Soviet behaviour, influence US policy of containment during Cold War