Summary notes - Origins of the Cold War
- Even before end of WWII there was much suspicion and mistrust between West and East.
- Russian revolution of 1917 - brings communist ideology - West suspicious (it's anti-capitalist) - they support the Tsar's forces in the civil war. 1920's strikes etc in west blamed on communism - Red scare in USA- anti eastern European immigration policies.
- 1930's criticism by West of Stalin's regime - Stalin thinks appeasement is the West's way of pushing HItler east! West don't launch second front until June 1944? why not?
- Long term suspicions and mistrust were ‘buried’ as the Grand Alliance of the USA, USSR and Great Britain set about defeating Germany. ⚒
- The ‘Big 3’ held 3 wartime conferences - Tehran in Iran (1943), Yalta in the Crimea(Feb 1945), Potsdam in Germany (July/August 1945)
- Ay Yalta the Big 3 set out to determine what the post war world would look like - WW2 was still going on.
- By Potsdam, the war had ended, Truman was President, the US had the atomic bomb, the division of Germany into 4 occupation zones was agreed.
- The USSR occupied Eastern Europe and were establishing ‘friendly communist states on their borders, including Poland. (Salami Tactics!)
- Truman was heavily influenced by George Kennan’s ‘long telegram’ 📄- and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech. (The USSR respond with the Novikov telegram)
- Truman adopted a policy of Containment - his Truman Doctrine - commits the USA to ‘active global foreign policy’ 🌏
- Truman Doctrine followed up with $13 billion of Marshall Aid. 💰Stalin called it ‘dollar imperialism’
- Divisions over the future of German erupt into a flashpoint over Berlin. Stalin blockades it, the West carry out an airlift for 318 days.
- Each others’ actions and political rhetoric serves to create new tensions - which is coined the ‘Cold War’.
- Who was to blame? That’s for you to decide and argue - was it long term factors, differing ideologies, a clash of personalities a lack of understanding of Soviet needs? 🤪
