Cold War: Origins, Policies & Key Events

Yalta & Potsdam Conferences

  • Yalta (Feb 1945): Allies (Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin) agreed on Soviet entry into the war against Japan and Soviet cooperation in the reconstruction of Eastern Europe.
  • Postdam: Truman didn't fully explain the Manhattan Project to Stalin, leading to Stalin feeling betrayed after Hiroshima.

Stalin's Actions

  • Imposed communism in Eastern Europe and crushed dissent.
  • Aimed to create a buffer zone of countries on Russia's periphery.

Cold War

  • Began in the 1940s and lasted until the early 1990s.
  • Fought with maneuvers, words, suspicion, and arms races rather than direct military conflict.
  • Key starting points: Hiroshima (1945), Iron Curtain speech (1947), Soviets get the bomb (1949).

Truman's Cold War Policies

  • Containment: Originated by George Kennan, aimed to prevent the expansion of Soviet communism.
    • Involved literal fighting often by proxy
    • Efforts to promote capitalism
    • Supporting non-communist governments
    • Espionage
  • Truman Doctrine: The U.S. would intervene anywhere to counter communist threats to free societies.

Division of the World

  • Emergence of Western and Eastern blocs.
  • NATO: A defensive treaty among Western nations to resist Soviet expansion.
  • Warsaw Pact: The Soviet counterpart to NATO.
  • United Nations: Intended to balance superpowers and ensure world peace through the Security Council.

Marshall Plan (European Recovery Plan)

  • The U.S. poured money into Europe to stimulate economic recovery and prevent the spread of communism.
  • Spent 13billion13 billion over four years, largely through debt forgiveness.
  • Aimed to provide food, housing, clothing, and employment to Europeans.

Post-War Japan

  • The U.S. occupied and rebuilt Japan, imposing a U.S.-style constitution and redistributing land.
  • Sought to create a bulwark against communism in Asia.

Berlin Airlift (1948)

  • The Soviets attempted to cut off access to Berlin, leading the U.S. and Britain to airlift supplies.
  • Lasted for 11 months until the Soviets relented.
  • Resulted in a divided Berlin and Germany.

China

  • Chinese Nationalists vs. Chinese Communists.
  • 1949 Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communists take control.

Korean War (1950-1953)

  • Communist North Korea invaded South Korea.
  • The U.S. intervened to push back against what it perceived as Soviet expansion.
  • Ended in an armistice with 33,000 American soldiers dead.

Eisenhower's Policies

  • Military-Industrial Complex: Warned against the growing power and influence of military industries on government policy.
  • Domino Theory: The belief that if one nation fell to communism, others would follow.
  • Massive Retaliation: Expanded containment into a policy.
  • Mutually Assured Destruction: Total destruction of the enemy if anyone strikes first.
  • Brinksmanship: Diplomatic activity always on the brink, ready to fall over into war at any moment.