Causes of the Cold War
Yalta Conference (February 1945)
Goals of conference:
- Promote world peace * Establishment of the United Nations will help achieve this
- Provide emergency relief to those who have been severely impacted by the war (ex. Food and medicine)
- Help form interim governments in countries where the Axis Powers were in control until elections can be held after the war
One of the decisions made at the Yalta conference was to break up Germany into 4 zones.
- Each zone would be controlled by the US, USSR, France, or Britain. Berlin would be split into four zones as well.
Over time Britain and France gave control of their zones to the US. The area controlled by the US was known as West Germany and the area controlled by the Soviets was known as East Germany.
Potsdam Conference (July 1945)
At this conference now that Germany is defeated, they will only accept the unconditional surrender of Japan or they will utterly destroy it with use of atomic bombs
- Truman reveals the Manhattan Project - the project that was used to create the atomic bombs which was top secret
Stalin announces that there will be no free elections in Eastern Europe which breaks his previous agreements with Churchill and FDR
Post-War World Politics
Some countries were able to rebound quickly after war: Belgium, Holland, and Denmark because little fighting took place in their countries.
Germany, Italy, and France had a difficult time re-adjusting, but had a lot of aid
Communist parties became popular in weakened areas, specifically in Eastern Europe
- Communism promised for an easy way to rebuild a nation and provide for the people equally with millions displaced from the war it became very tempting
Satellite Nations
Soviet Union wanted to protect itself from invasion from the West because of what happened in World War II
As Soviets pushed Germany back during WWII, they acquired Eastern European countries (satellite nations) along the Soviet border
Soviets used these countries as a buffer for protection (known at the “Soviet Bloc”)
Stalin ignored agreements in the Yalta Conference and incorporated Communism into areas such as Albania, Bulgaria, and Poland
United States
After the war, the U.S. became a stronger world power than ever before.
- Patriotic and nationalist feelings were stronger than ever.
- People on the homefront welcomed back the soldiers with love and open arms
The U.S. economy boomed because of wartime production!
World Superpowers
USA vs. USSR
- Regardless of UN, both nations stopped working together after war
- U.S. did not suffer as many fatalities as the Soviet Union; U.S. cities and factories were still intact
- Soviet cities were demolished
- Contrasting situations led to different postwar goals
- Capitalism/Democracy (U.S.) vs. Communism/Dictatorship (U.S.S.R)
United States and Soviet Union Post War Goals
| United States Post War Goals: | Soviet Union Post War Goals: |
|---|---|
| Encourage democracy and prevent communism | Encourage communism; discourage capitalism |
| Gain access to raw materials to fuel booming industries | Rebuild economy focusing on Eastern Europe’s industrial equipment and raw materials |
| Rebuild European government to promote stability and create new markets | Control Eastern Europe to protect Soviet borders (bloc) |
| Reunite Germany to increase security of Europe | Keep Germany divided to prevent further war |
Iron Curtain
- Europe was clearly divided into East and West
- Germany was split into sections
- Soviets control Eastern half- including half of Berlin
- Allies controlled Western half- the Republic of Germany
- Allies split half over 3 zones between France, GB, and U.S.
- Churchill described the division as an “iron curtain”
- Democratic Western Europe and Communist Eastern Europe
“Containment”
- As the “iron curtain” became more evident, and communism became more prevalent, U.S. President Truman (1945-1953) knew he needed to do something to stop the threat of all of Europe becoming communist
The Policy of Containment:
- Prevent communism from spreading to other countries!
- Known as the “Truman Doctrine” as Truman passed this proclamation
Truman Doctrine
The policy of “containment”
- Blocking Soviet influence and stopping the spread of communism
Truman gave support for countries following policy of containment– “Truman Doctrine”
- Congress gave $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey in return for their promise to not follow a communist government
Some Americans and foreign countries objected to U.S. interference
Start of a Cold War
Increasing conflicts led to the start of the Cold War
By 1949, both powers used spying, propaganda and secret operations against one another
Both powers were also building up the amount of nuclear weapons they had for use