Download the Soviet Union (USSR)

Unit 9: The Cold War Begins
Superpowers??
• WWII saw the end of very powerful empires
• The British Empire came out of WWII suffering
severe economic shortages and soon would lose
most of its colonies
• This left the world in a power vacuum---who
will lead the world now?
• Into this power vacuum stepped the U.S. and the
Soviet Union (USSR)
• The U.S. and USSR played the most decisive
roles in defeating the Axis powers and they
emerged from WWII confident and strong
• These two powers so dominated the postwar
world that they became known as
“Superpowers”
A Clash of Interests
• 1946-1990 became known as the
• Historical Background:
• The alliance between U.S. and Soviet Union began to
break apart even before the end of WWII.
• The United States and the Soviet Union became increasing
hostile toward each other after the war.
• This led to an era of confrontation and competition.
A Clash of Ideologies:
Despite their alliance during WWII, the U.S. and Soviet Union
had little in common
• The United States was a
capitalist democracy. The
American people values
freedom and individual rights.
• The Soviet Union was a
communist dictatorship. Stalin
and the Communist Party
wielded total control over the
lives of the Soviet people.
Postwar Goals
U.S. and Britain
USSR
• Strong and United Germany
• Independence for the nations of
Eastern Europe
• Weak and divided Germany
• Maintain Soviet control of
Eastern Europe
The Big Three at Odds
• When the Big Three met at Yalta,
Stalin agreed to allow free
elections in Eastern Europe
(Poland)
• Free elections were not held
Poland
• After the Germans invaded Poland, their government leaders left and fled to Britain.
• When the Soviet troops drove back
the Germans and entered Poland, the Soviets
encouraged Polish Communists to set up a
new government.
• Two Governments!
• One communist
• One non-communist
• Both Roosevelt and Churchill
argued the Poles should be free
to choose their own government
• Stalin wanted a government friendly to
the Soviet Union!
Compromise
• Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to recognize the Polish government
set up by the Soviets.
• Stalin agreed that the new government would include members of
the old democratic Polish government and that free elections would
be held as soon as possible.
Declaration of Liberated Europe:
The Declaration of Liberated Europe is a declaration that was created by
Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin during the
Yalta Conference.
“The right of all people to choose the form of government under which
they will live.”
1. Democratic institutions of their own choice.
2. Free elections
Tension
• The King of Romania was pressured by Soviets into
appointing a Communist government.
• U.S. accused them of violating the terms of the Declaration of
Liberated Europe.
• Soon Soviets only allowed no more than 3 non-communist
Poles to serve in the Polish government.
• AND NO FREE ELECTIONS
Truman Takes Control
• With FDR’s death in April 1945, the new American president enters this
tense situation with his own ideas.
• “We must stand up to the Russians”
• Strongly anti-communist
• Demanded Stalin hold free elections in Poland as he promised at Yalta.
Stalin
can’t be
trusted!
• This sets the stage for further confrontations!
Potsdam Conference, July 1945
• Truman meets with Stalin (USSR) and
Atlee (Britain)
• Near Berlin.
• To work out a deal on Germany
• Truman believed the German economy
would have to recover or the rest of
Europe would never recover.
• German people might turn to
communism.
• Stalin and his advisors needed
reparations from Germany.
• Meanwhile….
Russians were stripping their zone in
Germany of its machinery and industrial
equipment for use back home.
War Reparations
• Stalin demanded Germany pay heavy reparations.
• Truman agreed but he insisted payments be based on Germany’s
ability to pay.
• Both agreed that trade goods and products could be used instead of
cash.
Potsdam
• Truman took a firm stand against heavy reparations.
• Germany should be allowed to recover.
• Truman suggested that the Soviets take reparations from only their
zone.
• Stalin didn’t like Truman’s proposal
• Soviet zone was mostly agricultural.
Deal or No Deal?
• Truman offered Stalin a small amount of German industrial
equipment from the other zones but required the Soviets pay for part
of it with food shipments from their zone.
• Stalin didn’t like Truman’s proposal.
• Truman told Stalin about test of the atomic bomb.
• Stalin thought Americans were trying to keep the Soviets weak.
No way!
The Iron Curtain
“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain
has descended across the continent.” Winston Churchill
• The nations of Eastern Europe and
the Eastern part of Germany
became satellite states of the
Soviet Union
• Separated from the free world
by an “iron curtain”
• Occupation of the Soviet army in
Eastern Europe ensured pro-Soviet
Communist governments would be
established in:
•
•
•
•
•
Poland
Romania
Bulgaria
Hungary
Czechoslovakia
Containment
• After the Big Three split at Potsdam, the Cold War struggle between
the world’s two superpowers began.
• Containing communist expansion became the United States’ top
priority.
•1947: British help Greek government
Truman Doctrine
fight communist guerrillas
•They appealed to America for aid,
Truman began shaping foreign policy
and the response was the Truman
based on his priority to contain Soviet
Doctrine.
expansion
• America promised it would support
free countries to help fight
communism.
• Greece received large amounts of
arms and supplies, and by 1949 had
defeated the communists.
•The Truman Doctrine was significant
because it showed that America, the
most powerful democratic country, was
prepared to resist the spread of
communism throughout the world.
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Marshall Plan
•In 1947, US Secretary of State
Marshall announced the Marshall
Plan.
•This was a massive economic aid
plan for Western Europe to help
it recover from the damage
caused by the war.
•There were two motives for this:
• Helping Western Europe to
recover economically would
provide markets for American
goods, so benefiting American
industry.
• A prosperous Western Europe
would be better able to resist the
spread of communism. This was
probably the main motive.
Secretary of State George
Marshall.
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The Marshall Plan:
The US sent about $13 billon to Western Europe
under the Marshall Plan
• The Money
provided
food, fuel,
and raw
materials to
help rebuild
war-torn
cities and
towns