The Cold War: Expansionism and Containment Study Notes

Expansionism and containment

  • The Soviet Union(USSR) favored communism

  • The U.S favored democracy

2 Key conferences that brought the world to the Cold War

  1. Yalta Conference(1945)

  • Key Players:

    • USSR - Joseph Stalin

    • USA - Franklin D. Roosevelt

    • Britain - Winston Churchill

  • Results:

    • Divided Germany into 4 zones of occupation (France, Britain, USA & USSR)

    • Reparations from Germany

    • Determined the post-war boundaries of Poland

    • USSR entered into the war on Japan to end WWII

  1. Potsdam(1945)

  • Key Players:

    • USSR: Joseph Stalin

    • USA: Harry Truman

    • Britain: Winston Churchill then Clement Attlee

  • Results:

    • Discussed outstanding issues, including a disagreement between the USA and USSR over the treatment of Germany and Poland.

    • Split Berlin into 4 zones of occupation. 

The Emergence of Superpowers

  • Superpower: A very powerful and influential nation

    • The Soviet Union and US emerged as the only two world superpowers

United States

  • Richest in the world in 1945

  • Strongest and largest air force, navy, and atomic bombs

  • Capitalist

  • Believed Stalin was trying to be the next Hitler and attempt to takeover the world

Soviet Union

  • Bigger army than the USA.

  • Controlled all of Europe from the center of Germany, eastward. 

  • Communist

  • Believed the USA hated communism so much that they would use nuclear weapons. 

Cold War(1947-1991)

  • Cold War: A rivalry after WWII between democratic countries and the Soviet Union and its allies. 

    • Political ideological war

    • Did not involve a single battle

    • Rather it was a period of tension and fear of war between the USSR and the US and their allies

The world was separated into Spheres of Influence between the US and the USSR

  • Sphere of Influence: A territorial area in which one nation has the main political or economic influence. 

    • Communist East vs Democratic West

  • Iron Curtain: An ideological line drawn between the communist countries and the democratic countries in Europe. 

    • Many western European countries were concerned about Stalin’s expansionist policies, fearing communism will spread across Europe as much as Nazi fascism had

  • Expansionism: The policy of expanding a nation’s territory or sphere of influence.

    • Americans wanted to create a balance of power between the USSR and its allies, leading to the American Policy of containment

  • Containment: An American policy which aimed to limit communist expansion in Europe and Asia. 

Containment and the Truman Doctrine

  • Introduced in 1947

  • Truman Doctrine would apply be applied in all countries threatened by communism

  • Definition of Truman Doctrine:

    • A policy to provide economic assistance to war-torn countries that needed to rebuild and to countries threatened by or attracted to communism.

    • This allowed the Americans to contain and limit communist expansion.

The Berlin Blockade and the Marshall Plan

  • Context:

    • After the agreed division of Germany and Berlin, access to Berlin was threatened by Soviet actions.

  • Events which resulted in the Berline Blocka:

    1. Stalin's Actions:

    • As of June 24, 1948, Stalin closed all routes to Berlin, including railroads and highways.

    • Objective: To starve the populace of West Berlin into submission and gain control over Berlin.

    1. Response of the West:

    • Under the Marshall Plan, West Berlin received economic aid.

    • Marshall Plan Defined: A U.S. initiative to provide economic assistance to European countries affected by WWII and under communist threat.

    • Over 5,000 tons of essential supplies (food, water, coal) were airlifted into West Berlin daily for a year.

Expansionism and Containment During the Berlin Blockade

  • Analysis of Actions:

    • The rivalry illustrated how both the USSR and the USA endeavored to establish and protect their spheres of influence aligned with their ideologies.

    • Stalin's blockade was an attempt to safeguard Soviet influence while Americans promoted Western migration to bolster their own influence in the region.

  • Construction of the Berlin Wall:

    • East Germany erected the wall around West Berlin intending to restrict migration and maintain control over East German citizens, preventing them from seeking opportunities in the West.

  • Key Response from the Americans:

    • The airlift operation demonstrated U.S. determination in confronting Soviet pressure and asserting its stance against communism.

Events That Could Have Led to All-Out War

  • A series of significant Cold War events that had the potential to escalate into outright conflict:

    • Berlin Blockade (1948 – 1949)

    • Czechoslovakia Coup D'état (1948)

    • Foundation of COMECON and NATO (1949)

    • The Korean War (1950 – 1953)

    • Establishment of the Warsaw Pact (1955)

    • Hungarian Uprising (1956)

    • Construction of the Berlin Wall (1961)

    • Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

    • Vietnam War (1957 – 1975)

    • Events in Czechoslovakia (1968, 1980s)

    • Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979 – 1989)

    • Events in Iran during the 1980s.