The Cold War
Origins and Basic Principles of Communism
1848—Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels—Communist Manifesto
Concepts came to be known as Marxism
Materialistic concept of history as class struggles, classes determined
by means of production
Feudalism gave way to capitalism in 19th century
Opening lines: “A specter is haunting Europe—the specter of
communism.”
Closing lines: “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their
chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries,
unite.”
Capitalism’s bourgeois society contains within it the “seeds of its
own destruction.” Proletarian will be raised to level of ruling class.
Communism essentially atheist—“religion is the opiate of the people”
Soviet Communism
1917—Soviet Communism born with overthrow of Tsar Nicholas
Combination of Marxism and Russian revolutionary tradition as
interpreted by Vladimir I. Lenin
Preliminary stage of revolution—bourgeois democratic regime to
replace autocracy of the tsars.
Revolution by people themselves (Populism)
Lenin accepted the Marxist concepts of the class struggle and the
intermediate stage of capitalism
By 1921, Communists in Soviet Union a single, disciplined party which
controlled all aspects of Russian life
Communism in China
Maoism—named after Mao Zedong (or Tse-Tung)—distinct revolutionary
outlook not necessarily dependent on Marxist-Leninist concepts
Early 20th century—China weak, divided
Mao nationalist, anti-Western, anti-imperialist—highly martial in spirit
Unlike Marxist-Leninists, believed peasantry capable of revolution—
virtually no proletariat (urban working class) in China
1949—Communist Party formed, attempted to follow Stalinist example
Rigid, bureaucratic Party
Managerial and technocratic elites
Great Leap Forward—mobilized masses into small-scale industries
Cultural Revolution—squash bureaucrats—anti-intellectual—
egalitarian—“class education” of city workers—agricultural labor w/
peasants
Mao died in 1976, having failed to achieve sustained economic growth.
By 1980s, Maoism had essentially died.
Cuba
1961—Fidel Castro led overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista
Cuban Communist Party the only permissible party, Fidel Castro the
leader, along with his brother Raúl (his named successor)
What Was the Cold War?
The rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union which dominated the
post-World War II era
Antagonism started before the war ended
Lasted until collapse of communism in the late 1980s (1945-1989)
Thus a historical phase has recently ended—what’s to follow?
Ethnic and regional violence has immediately followed
What Started It?
Ideology—initial factor
1917—beginnings of the USSR—US suspicious of first communist
state
US world’s foremost capitalist and democratic power
Communism was dictatorial and anti-capitalist
US did not recognize USSR diplomatically until 1933
World War II—warming of ties—common enemy
Life Magazine 1943—friendly Stalin on cover—“look like
Americans, dress like Americans and think like Americans.”
Conflicting interests soon generated suspicion
At end of war, US and Soviet Union only two superpowers remaining
Inevitably colliding ambitions of great powers
Basic hostility unavoidable, but mistakes and misunderstandings on
both sides raised level of tension needlessly
Yalta Conference—starting point of the rivalry
Summit of Big Three—Soviet resort, February 1945
Shape of post-war Europe in question
FDR on Poland:
FDR Wilsonian idealist to a large degree (Asst. Secretary of
the Navy under Wilson). He supported Wilson’s stance on the
Treaty of Versailles in the 1920 campaign
FDR for democracy, self-determination, international
organization
FDR wanted free elections in Poland—both principle and
weight of Polish Americans
Stalin on Poland:
Brutal realist—expansion of communism, security of Soviet
Union
Does not believe in self-determination but in sphere of
influence—Poland and Eastern Europe should be under Soviet
hegemony—buffer zone for Soviet Union against future attacks
Churchill on Poland:
Somewhere between the two—a realist—preserve the British
sphere—the Empire
Could work with Stalin to protect British interests in Eastern Med
But had entered WWII to protect Poland
Yalta Agreements:
Stalin “appeared to agree” to free elections in Poland—no
intention of following through—breakdown of trust US/Soviet
Union
Soviet Union would join the United Nations—Security Council
decisions had to be unanimous
Soviets to enter war against Japan 3 months after Germany
surrenders
FDR did best he could—Soviet armies all over Eastern Europe—
could have led to World War III. George Patton was willing
Early Trouble Spots between US and Soviet Union
Eastern Europe—free elections never happened. By 1948, all are
“Satellite States” of the Soviet Union (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia,
Rumania, Bulgaria and Albania)
Germany—divided into 3 zones—temporary in theory, but permanent in
fact, until reunification of East and West Germany in 1990
Near and Middle East—major British concern
Suez Canal
Oil—growing importance—discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938
Russian desire to control access to warm waters of Med
Communist-led rebellion in Greece
Communists pressuring government of Turkey
Iran—first Cold War confrontation—Soviet soldiers still there in
March 1946—Truman told them to get out, and they did
The Far East—China—immediately caught up in civil war—Communists
and non-Communists (Mao Tse Tung vs. Chiang Kai-Shek)
Japan also caused friction—Stalin declared war on August 8, 1945,
between bomb blasts—rush for Japanese territory. Truman excluded
them from post-war occupation of Japan
Atomic Energy—Manhattan Project joint Anglo-American project—kept
from Soviet knowledge—Stalin wanted technology
By 1949—a nuclear arms race—prospect of global destruction—MAD
or mutually assured destruction kept prospect of hot war remote
Containment Policy
Harry Truman applied a policy of containment.
February 21, 1947—British no longer able to aid Greece and Turkey
because of financial woes
Truman on March 12 requested financial and military assistance—
Truman Doctrine--$400 million granted
Marshall Plan—Secretary of State George Marshall—June 5, 1947—
speech at Harvard—called for massive aid program for war-ravished
Europe.
By 1950, $12 billion pumped into Western Europe
European economies 25% above pre-war production levels, enhanced
trade with US
How did this fit with containment? Fear that France and Italy would go
communist—appealing due to economic misery of populations
George Frost Kennan—career diplomat, expert on Soviet affairs—
counterforce at constantly shifting geographical and political points.
Soviets push, we push back—concedes control to Soviets of what they
already have
Results of Containment:
Berlin Blockade, June 1948—Berlin Airlift—blockade lifted in May
1949
NATO launched in April 1949—US, Canada and most of Western
Europe—military alliance against future Soviet thrust—collective
security
Greece and Turkey turned back communist threats, joined NATO
Marshall Tito of Yugoslavia broke with Stalin in 1948, declared
country non-aligned—good commercial relations with West—
communism not monolithic—US can take advantage of splits within
communism