Download Key Question 4: Who was to blame for the Cold War

Key Question 4: Who was to blame for the Cold War?
Focus Points
1. Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
2. How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?
3. How did the USA react to Soviet expansionism?
4. Who was more to blame for the start of the Cold War, the USA or the USSR?
Specified Content
The origins of the Cold War; the 1945 summit conferences and the breakdown of the USAUSSR
alliance in 1945-6; Soviet expansionism in Eastern Europe; the Iron Curtain; the Truman Doctrine
and the Marshall Plan; the Berlin Blockade and its immediate consequences.
Focus Point 1 – Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
As the war came to an end, the long standing differences between the West and the USSR, emerged.
Differences
In the West
In the USSR
The West: Capitalism and democracy The USSR: Communism and dictatorship
Conflicting Systems
1. Free elections. Many political
1. Led by a dictator, Joseph Stalin.
The societies of the
parties
Only the Communist Party was
USSR and the West
2. Most industry and agriculture
allowed to exist
were organised on
was owned by private
2. Industry and agriculture was
very different
individuals
owned by the State. People were
principles
3. Limits on government
encouraged to work for the
interference in people’s lives
common good.
4. Freedom to speak and write
3. The government controlled most
freely.
aspects of people’s lives
4. Restrictions on what could be
said or written.
Western mistrust of the USSR
Soviet mistrust of the West
Mutual mistrust
1. Communism threatened the
1. Communists believed the
This had built up
Western values and way of
Capitalist system was evil since
since 1918
life.
the rich prospered at the expense
2. Dislike of Stalin’s
of the poor
dictatorship which had led to
2. In 1918-19 Western states had
many deaths of his own
briefly intervened against the
people.
Communist government in the
3. Stalin had signed the NaziRussian Civil War
Soviet pact 1930 and divided
3. In 1938-9 Stalin suspected that
Poland with Hitler.
France and Britain did not want to
protect the USSR against Hitler
4. In 1942 Stalin was angry that
Britain and the USA refused to
invade Europe quickly and thus
open up a second front to take
pressure off the USSR.
Western Allies
USSR
Conflicting aims in
1. Support democracy. Hold
1. Create a ‘buffer’ of friendly states
Central and Eastern
free elections in all states
between Germany and the USSR.
Europe, 1945.
2. Keep Poland’s western
Ensure all new governments
During the fighting
boundary as it was
support the USSR.
the USSR had
3. Help Germany to produce its
2. Re-draw Poland’s western
suffered by far the
own goods and food again
boundary
greatest loss of lives
and
to
take
part
in
world
3.
Keep Germany weak.
and property. It was
trade.
determined to protect
itself in the future.
These differences could be seen in the increase in tensions between the Yalta Conference, February 1945,
and the Potsdam Conference, July 1945.
YALTA
Yalta was held with German still undefeated.
Present were Stalin (USSR), Roosevelt (USA), Churchill (Britain)
There was much AGREEMENT:
 Germany was to be defeated and disarmed, and split into zones of occupation, and to pay
reparations.
 Eastern European countries were to hold free elections to choose their governments
 USSR to join the war against Japan after the defeat of Germany
 United Nations to be set up
There was little disagreement over the borders of Poland
POTSDAM
Potsdam was held after the defeat of Germany
Present were Stalin (USSR), Truman (USA), Churchill then Atlee (Britain)
There was DISAGREEMENT:
Over what to do with Germany. Truman did not want to repeat the mistakes of the Treaty of Versailles and
cripple Germany too harshly.
Over reparations. Stalin want more compensation from Germany than Truman.
Over suspicions of Soviet policy in Eastern Europe. Stalin had imprisoned non-Communist leaders in Poland
and set up a Communist government.
Truman did not tell Stalin than he intended to drop an atomic bomb on Japan
The end of the war meant that cooperation to defeat a common enemy was replaced by tension between the
West and the USSR.
Points of tension
The atomic bomb
Eastern Europe
Germany
The ‘Iron Curtain’
speech, March 1946
1. Stalin was angry that Truman had not told him before using the bomb against
Japan
2. Suspicious of the USSR, the USA and Britain then refused to share the secret
of how to make an atomic bomb
3. This infuriated Stalin who feared the USA would use the threat of the atomic
bomb to win world wide power. He ordered his scientists to develop a
Soviet bomb.
4. The USA, in turn, saw this as a possible threat.
1. Rather than allowing free elections, the USSR began to impose Communist
rule on the countries it had occupied.
Disputes arose over
1. Reparations. The Western Allies accused the USSR of breaking agreements
about what could be taken from Germany as reparations. In 1946 they
stopped the arrangement giving reparations to the USSR from their zones.
2. Reconstruction. The Western Allies wanted to help Germany recover as
quickly as possible, whereas the USSR wanted a weak Germany.
3. Democracy. The Western Allies wanted elections to be held throughout
Germany. The USSR blocked moves to do this.
Churchill described the frontier of Soviet occupied Europe as an ‘iron curtain’.
1. He said that Eastern Europe was dominated by the Soviets and losing their
democratic freedoms
2. Stalin replied a few days later, accusing Churchill of stirring up a war against
the USSR, and said that the USSR had to have loyal governments in Eastern
Europe to ensure its future safety.
Focus Point 2 – How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?
At the end of WWII Eastern Europe fell under the domination of the USSR – Poland, East Germany,
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria – how?
1944-5
The Red Army drives German forces west and occupies Eastern Europe. By May 1945 Soviet
troops controlled all states but Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece.
Communist Parties in these countries welcome the Red Army and receive its support. Pro-German
groups were executed or debarred from power. Despite being a minority, Communists exercise
strong influence.
1945 Coalition governments are set up. They include Communists and non-Communists. Since Eastern
Europe was mainly agricultural with land worked by peasants, most non-Communists came from the
popular political parties representing peasants and small farmers.
1946-9 Backed by Moscow and the Red Army, the Communists gradually force non-Communists out of
power. Methods include intimidation, vote rigging, show trials, imprisonment, and executions. By
1949 all countries behind the Iron Curtain are one-party Communist states taking orders from the
USSR.
Why did this happen?
The USSR
Eastern Europe
Western Europe
The USA
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
wanted to ensure its security
intended to keep control of Eastern Europe
needed to rebuild houses, factories, roads, and railways destroyed in the war.
was exhausted by the war
occupied by the Red Army
was being taken over by communists
was exhausted by the war
had very little money
had to repair damage done to houses, factories, and communications
had withdrawn most of its troops by 1947
many in America did not want any further European involvement
Focus Point 3 – How did the USA react to Soviet expansionism?
The Truman Doctrine – March 1947
What did it say? – that the USA should support free peoples who were resisting attempts to overwhelm them
by armed minorities or by outside forces.
Why did Truman make this policy?
1.
In February 1947 Britain said it could no longer afford to support Greece and Turkey. Both
appealed to the USA for money.
a) In Greece, although rejected in elections, Greek Communists were fighting a guerrilla war
against the Royalist government. Britain was supporting the Royalists with money and 40,000
troops
b) Stalin demanded a naval base in the Turkish Straits, and the return of land seized by Turkey
in 1918. Soviet troops threatened the border. Britain was supporting Turkey with money.
2.
Truman decided the USA should help. He believed
a) if one country fell to Comunism, those nearby would be at risk. This became known as
Domino Theory.
b) the USA should adopt a policy of containment. This meant supporting nations in danger of
Communist take-over with economic and military aid.
What were the consequences?
1.
Greece defeated the Communists and Turkey successfully resisted Soviet pressure.
2.
The rivalry between the USA and the USSR increased.
The Marshall Plan, June 1947
What was it?
A programme of aid to help war-torn Europe to re-equip its factories and revive agriculture and trade.
1.
The USA offered money, equipment and goods to states willing to work together to create
economic recovery.
2.
In return, they would agree to buy American goods and allow American companies to invest
capital in their industries
3.
Marshall invited European states to meet together and decide how to use American aid
What did the USA aim to achieve?
A strong and prosperous Europe to bring:
1.
economic benefits to both the Europeans and the USA through the revival of trade
2.
political benefits. The Americans believed that unless living conditions in Western Europe
improved quickly, people might vote for Communist Parties. Prosperous countries would resist
the spread of Communism.
What were the consequences?
1.
Sixteen Western European states set up the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation
(OEEC) to put the Plan into action
2.
By 1953, the USA had provided 17 billion dollars to help them rebuild their economies.
3.
Europe became firmly divided between East and West.
4.
Stalin accused the USA of using the Plan to dominate Europe and create a strong West German
state hostile to the USSR.
The Berlin Blockade, 1948-9
In 1945 all the Allies agreed to divide Germany, and Berlin into four zones. Germany was to be kept as one
country and for their to be free elections. However, tensions rose.
Democracy
Reconstruction
Reparations
Berlin
The USSR gave political authority in its zone to the minority Communists and
blocked Western attempts to create democracy throughout Germany.
The war left Germany devastated. While the USA and Britain wanted to help
Germany recover its prosperity as quickly as possible, the USSR wanted to keep
Germany weak.
In 1946 the Western Allies stopped giving the USSR reparations from their zones.
1.
Berlin was within the Soviet zone. Soviet troops were able to control all
access. Western Allies were allowed access to their sectors by road, rail,
canal and air corridors.
2.
The USSR believed the Western Allies had no right to be in Berlin. It
saw their presence as a threat because they had a base inside the Soviet
zone, and the Capitalist way of life was on show there.
3.
Western Allies wanted to be there to prevent the USSR controlling the
capital, and to observe Soviet activity behind the Iron Curtain.
A series of events highlighted these tensions in 1948. The Allies:
Cooperated between their zones, included them in the OEEC and the Marshall Plan, introduced a new
currency into their zones, and announced their intention to set up a democratic new state of West Germany.
These actions were viewed with suspicion by Russia, seeing a country that was a threat. They cut off all
road, rail and canal links with the Western sectors of Berlin.
Soviet aims
Western Options
To force Western Allies to pull out of their sectors, and to abandon their plans for the
separate development of their German zones.
Abandoning Berlin would mean handing two million West Berliners over to
Communist rule, losing their only base behind the Iron Curtain, and opening the way
for Soviet domination of Western Germany.
Using troops to force the routes open might mean war with the USSR.
Using planes to supply West Berlin by air, which the USSR could only stop by
shooting the planes down.
The airlift
Round the clock airlift of food, fuel, medicines.
In 11 months a total of 275,000 flights delivered an average of 4000 tonnes of
supplies a day.
West Berliners continued to support the Western Allies
May 1949, the USSR reopened the land routes to Berlin.
The results of the Berlin Blockade
Two Germanys
The three Western Zones became the anti-Communist Federal Republic of Germany,
and the Soviet zone became the pro-Communist German Democratic Republic.
NATO
In 1949 the Western Allies decided to set up the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(NATO) a defensive alliance against the USSR. (the USSR set up a counter
organisation with the Communist countries of Eastern Europe called the Warsaw
Pact).
Cold War
The crisis made it clear that Europe was now divided between the superpowers, a
state of permanent hostility existed between them – a Cold War – hostility that fell
short of actual fighting.
Focus Point 4 – Who was more to blame for the start of the Cold War, the USA or the USSR?
Both sides were to blame for the Cold War, because it was based on mutual mistrust of the others intentions.
Differences in their systems of government, Communism versus Capitalism.
Fear of aggression from the other side, Soviet domination of Eastern Europe versus Western support for a
prosperous Germany, NATO and its atomic bomb.
Mutual hostility of leaders, mutual distrust of Truman and Churchill, and Stalin.
Tension over issues such as Eastern Europe, Greece and Turkey, the Marshall Plan, Germany and Berlin.
What was seen by one side as a justified act of self-defence, was seen as a threat by the other.