Cold War Origins and
Nature
Important knowledge and themes
When did the Cold War start?
• Although it is generally accepted that the Cold War started within 100 days of the end of World War II in
Europe (i.e. by the Potsdam Conference), some historians argue it started before this time
• Did it begin in 1917? The Bolsheviks (Communists) took power in a bloody revolution, fought nonCommunist forces (comprising of and supported by Western powers) in the Russian Civil War (1918-22)
and formed the USSR or Soviet Union in 1922. This immediately created friction with the West as many
believed that Capitalism and Communism were incompatible systems
• The Soviets believed that Western countries were greedy, corrupt, decadent and imperialist countries
who were responsible for WWI, a view they believed was confirmed by the Great Depression and WWII.
They believed that history was on their side and that it was inevitable that Communism would triumph
• The West saw the Communists as not just anti-business, but anti-freedom and anti-democratic,
prepared to takeover other countries and suppress citizens in the name of Communism
• Did it begin in 1938/9? Stalin saw the Western policy of Appeasement as an attempt to encourage
Hitler to attack the USSR.
• Did it begin in 1943? Stalin was angered by the UK/US decision to delay the opening of the Western
Front in Europe. Instead of liberating France (which did not happen until 1944), Churchill and Roosevelt
decided to attack through Italy. Stalin believed they were deliberately prolonging the war on the
Eastern Front to maximize Soviet casualties.
Yalta Conference- Feb 1945
• Churchill (UK), Roosevelt (USA) and
Stalin (USSR)
• Made a number of post-war
agreements including punishment of
Nazi war criminals and the creation of
the UN
• Disagreements over how to treat
Germany (the USSR wanted punitive
compensation) but agreed to split the
country and Berlin into 4 zones of
occupation
• Compromise made over Poland- it
could be in the Soviet sphere of
influence as long as Greece remained
in the Western sphere
Potsdam- July 1945
• Atlee (UK), Truman (USA) and Stalin
(USSR)
• Change of leaders crucial to unravelling
agreements- Truman/Atlee
inexperienced and Truman more
aggressive than Roosevelt
• Truman angry at pro-Soviet
governments set up in Eastern Europe
• Truman informs Stalin of the
development of atomic bomb and his
intention to use it
Where did it all go wrong? Yalta and Potsdam
• Change of leadership- were Churchill and Roosevelt able to control Stalin?
• Was Truman overcompensating and overly aggressive? Was Stalin
misunderstood and merely being pragmatic?
• Was the Cold War inevitable? Ideological/geopolitical rivalry and
Superpower status
• Do elements of the post-war conferences support this? On some level were
the leaders establishing post-war ‘rules’ (e.g. spheres of influence)?
Hiroshima and Nagasaki- August 1945
• While ostensibly an act to
bring about the surrender
of Japan in WWII, many saw
it as a act of ‘atomic
diplomacy’, designed to
intimidate the USSR
• USSR begin to develop a
nuclear bomb (do so in
1949)
“Iron Curtain” Speech- 1946
• Churchill’s speech highlighted
the advent of the Cold War
• While the West viewed it as an
attempt to publicize the
‘Sovietization of Eastern
Europe”, the USSR saw it as an
aggressive speech blaming
them for causing the Cold War
when they were merely trying
to protect Soviet interests
“Sovietization” of Eastern Europe- 1945-6
• This refers to the construction of a Soviet
sphere of influence and the establish of
Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe
• This was usually accomplished through the
use of “salami tactics”
• Stalin (through the coordination of
Cominform) encourage Communists in
Eastern European countries to form
coalition governments with other parties
• Gradually, the Communists would slice off
non-Communist elements until the
government was purely Communist
Truman Doctrine- 1947
• During the Greek Civil War, Britain could no
longer afford to keep supporting nonCommunist factions
• The US agreed to replace the British in Greece
• Concerned by the spread of Communism in
Europe, the Truman Doctrine promised to
contain Communism and committed the USA to
intervene in different parts of the world if
necessary
• Containment was based on the ideas put forward
in George Kennan’s ‘Long Telegram’, which he
also discussed in an article for Foreign Affairs
magazine under the pseudonym ‘Mr X’
• The Truman Doctrine eventually was a major
factor behind wars in Korea (1950-53) and
Vietnam (1964-75), as well as support for the
Mujahedeen in Afghanistan (1979-89)
Marshall Aid Plan-1948
• To investigate how to contain the threat of Communism in Europe,
Truman sent Secretary of State George Marshall on a fact-finding
mission
• Marshall concluded that because of the physical damage to
infrastructure, industry and agriculture as a result of World War II,
combined with the high levels of debt, Europe was more at risk to
embracing Communism
• Marshall proposed that the USA lend money to European countries
to rebuild their economies and infrastructure
• Truman accepted this recommendation but Congress at first
refused to authorize aid
• When there was Communist coup d'état in Czechoslovakia,
Congress changed its mind
• The aid was given to individual countries to use as they saw fit but
they any goods they purchased with the aid had to come from the
USA or Canada
• Marshall Aid was offered to Eastern European countries but Stalin
refused to allow them to accept it- this led to Tito leaving the
Soviet sphere of influence
• The USSR formed COMECON in response to Marshall Aid
The roots of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall
Aid Plan
• Mistrust of the Soviets and post-war conditions in Europe
• Soviet troops in Iran- UN ordered withdrawal
• Soviets suggested joint Turkish-Soviet defense of the Dardanelles- USA
persuaded Turkey to reject this
• Greek Civil War- Containment (as outlined by Kennan’s Long Telegram)
• Czech coup (1948)- Marshall Aid Plan
What to do with Germany?
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Crush Nazism and put war criminals on trial
Remember the lessons of 1919- the US and UK did
Stalin wanted to crush Germany (similar to Clemenceau at Versailles)
US/UK- how can Germany pay reparations (USSR demanded $10 billion) if they
cannot afford to support themselves? US demanded Germany reach a trade surplus
that could cover cost of food before reparations could be paid. This issue was
discussed at both Conference of Foreign Ministers in 1946 and the Moscow
conference in 1947
Communist actions in Germany created suspicion in the West- Stalin ordered the
KPD to merge with the Social Democrats (SPD). After stories of communist
brutality were heard in West Germany, this was rejected by SPD voters. 82% of SDP
voters in West Berlin sectors rejected this proposal.
US and UK introduced economic reforms that the USSR saw as threatening“Bizonia” in 1947 and currency reform in 1948.
Berlin Blockade and Airlift- 1948-9
• Stalin saw the creation of ‘Bizonia’ and currency reforms
in West Germany as aggressive
• He was also concerned about migrant flows from East
to West Berlin
• He decided to close all road, rail and canal links from
Western sectors of Germany to West Berlin in an
attempt to eventually seize West Berlin
• In response, the UK and USA decided to airlift supplies
into West Berlin
• Although flying over Soviet-controlled airspace was
technically an act of war, Stalin decided not to order the
shooting down of any British or American planes
• After 10 months of the airlift, realizing that his blockade
of West Berlin had failed, Stalin decided to open
transport links from the Western sectors of Germany
again
The “new” Germany
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France also saw the unification of a strong Germany threatening but gradually
came on board with US/UK views- this was largely because the French recognized
economic benefits of a strong Germany and because the US agreed to station
troops in Western Europe to maintain peace.
In 1948, “Bizonia” united with the French sector. Currency reforms introduced in
the West (creation of a new deutschmark) led to the creation of the Ostmark in the
East.
Two separate German states were being formed- the Federal Republic of Germany
(West Germany or FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany or
GDR).
The Berlin Blockade was a response to the formation of West Germany
Creation of NATO- 1949
• Following the success of the
Berlin Airlift and lifting of the
blockade, the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO)
was formed
• This was an anti-Communist
security alliance comprising
of the USA, Canada and
Western European countries
• In 1955, the USSR and its
satellite states formed a rival
organization to NATO- the
Warsaw Pact
All well in both blocs?
• Western Europe benefitted significantly from US aid- by 1950 industrial
output in France and the FRG had reached pre-war levels. Significantly, aid
was given to national governments to distribute as they saw fit.
• Stalin had already seen the need to blockade West Berlin
• There was a Yugoslav-Soviet split. Stalin distrusted Tito, who was
attempting to form a Balkan federation. Tito was a rival to Soviet influence
in the Balkan region and other Eastern bloc countries voted to remove them
from the organization. Economic pressure (and even military threats) was
used against Tito but he resisted and acted independently of the USSR.
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Cold War origins conclusions
There was mutual distrust of actions- FRG, Greece etc.
Both sides interpreted events differently- how much was this based on different
interpretations of the events of the 20th century (TOK)?
Both sides had a “sphere of influence”
Leaders were important- was Stalin pragmatic or expansionist? Was Truman
overly-aggressive or merely responding to Stalin’s exploitation of post-war Europe?
Berlin became the epicentre of the Cold war in the late ’40’s. It would be again in
the early ’60’s. It was a Cold War “flashpoint”.
Europe was different to Asia and Latin America- how?
Who was to blame for the outbreak of the Cold War?