Causes of the Cold War

1. Wartime Conferences (1945)

Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)

  • Leaders: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin

  • Key points:

    • USSR already dominant in Eastern Europe

    • US wanted Soviet help against Japan → concessions in Manchuria

    • Agreement to create United Nations

    • No clear resolution on Poland or Germany

Potsdam Conference (July 1945)

  • Leaders: Harry S. Truman replaces Roosevelt

  • Outcomes:

    • Increased tension; little agreement

    • Truman issues ultimatum to Japan

    • Atomic bombs dropped:

      • Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

      • Atomic bombing of Nagasaki

    • Beginning of nuclear age → arms race foundation

2. Roots of Conflict

Ideological Differences

  • US: capitalism, democracy

  • USSR: communism, authoritarianism

Power Vacuum in Europe

  • WWII destruction left Europe weak

  • USSR expands influence in Eastern Europe

  • Churchill describes division as Iron Curtain

Mutual Distrust

  • USSR delays troop withdrawal (Iran, 1946)

  • Soviet support for communist movements (Greece, Turkey)

3. Containment Policy

Key figure: George F. Kennan

  • Strategy: prevent spread of communism

  • Basis of US Cold War policy

4. Truman Doctrine (1947)

  • Announced by Harry S. Truman

  • Provided aid to Greece and Turkey

  • Established US role as global anti-communist force

5. Economic Strategy: Marshall Plan (1947)

Led by: George C. Marshall

  • Also called European Recovery Program

  • ~$13 billion aid to rebuild Western Europe

  • Goals:

    • Prevent spread of communism

    • Stabilize economies

  • USSR and Eastern Bloc refused participation

6. Military Alliances

NATO (1949)

  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization

  • Collective defense: attack on one = attack on all

  • Members: US + Western Europe

7. Berlin Crisis (1948–1949)

Berlin Blockade

  • USSR blocks access to West Berlin

Response: Berlin Airlift

  • 270,000+ flights supply city

  • Western success forces Soviet withdrawal

Result

  • Germany divided:

    • West: Federal Republic of Germany

    • East: Soviet-controlled state

8. Escalation of Cold War

NSC-68 (1949)

  • Policy paper calling for:

    • Massive military buildup

    • Global containment

Triggers for adoption:

  • Soviet nuclear test

  • Communist victory in China

  • Korean War → accelerates militarization

9. Key Patterns (APUSH Framing)

  • Shift from isolationism → global intervention

  • Economic aid + military alliances = containment system

  • Emergence of bipolar world (US vs USSR)

  • Start of:

    • Arms race

    • Proxy wars

    • Permanent military readiness

Core Thesis

The Cold War emerged from post-WWII power imbalances, ideological conflict, and mutual distrust, solidified through US containment policies and Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe.