Cold War Issues
The opening of the Second
Front (1943)
How did it add tension between the East and West?
It created distrust between the East and West, even
though the second front was eventually created. It is
because USA decided to invade North Africa and Italy,
before helping the Soviet Union relieve pressure off
the soviet union. Therefore, Stalin believed that the
Allies wanted the USSR to be weakened, creating
distrust and raising tensions
The Warsaw Uprising (1944)
The Polish resistance home army rose up to liberate
Poland themselves, after the red army forced the
Germans to retreat. They had been encouraged to do
so by the Soviets and believed that they would be
assisted the Red Army. But Stalin didn't, so the
Germans counter-attacked and more than 15 000
member of the Polish resistance army were killed and
thousands more injured. Stalin didn't help because he
wanted to crush civilian resistance to future his
control. An influential American diplomat in Moscow,
George Kennan, said this situation is ‘when US policy
should have changed’ towards the USSR.
Tensions at Yalta (1945)
Stalin was already going back on his word – he began
supporting communist groups across Eastern
Europe. This increases tensions between East and
West
Clear Divisions at Potsdam
(1945)
It is very clear that the East and West definition of
‘democracy’ was different, and both sides were
unhappy with Yalta conference. Trumann demanded
that the Polish government be ‘re-organised’ – more
London Poles within government and ‘free elections’.
Going against USSR, in addition Trumann didn’t want
Eastern Europe to become a Soviet ‘sphere of
influence’. USSR didn't budge. There’s also increasing
distrust because USA’s creation of a nuclear weapon.
All this disagreements, lead to tensions rising and a
gradual break of trust.
After USA used the nuclear bomb on Japan, Trumann
boasted about it to Stalin. Stalin feels like Trumann is
black mailing and threatening him. Distrust and
tensions increases.
The red army was beginning to look like an army of
‘occupation’ to the Americans, because they are trying
to turn Eastern Europe into a soviet ‘Sphere of
Influence’
Hiroshima
(1945)
The Red Army in Eastern
Europe (1945-1947)
Salami Tactics
(1946)
Germany (1944)
By slicing off political parties one by one, USSR wants
to steadily increase its control over Eastern Europe.
The west viewed this as aggressive occupation, and
tension rose.
The Soviets had very different views about the future
of Germany from those of the USA and Britain. Many
of these differences stemmed from their widely
differing ideologies.
Iran
(1946)
USSR tried to increase its political control in the
aftermath of the war was Iran. At the Tehran
Conference, it had been agreed that both the British
and the Soviets would withdraw their troops from
Iran after the war. The UK took its troops out, but
Stalin left his claiming that they were needed there to
help put down internal rebellion. However, these
Soviet troops encouraged a Communist uprising, and
the Iranian government complained to the USSR’s
former allies. The British and Americans demanded
that Stalin remove his troops immediately. They also
saw this as another breach in the wartime
agreements. Iran had made a formal protest to the
UN concerning the continued presence of Soviet
forces. Under this new pressure, Moscow finally
pulled its troops out.
Kennan's Long Telegram
In Kennan’s telegram he argued that the USSR’s view
of the world was a traditional one of insecurity and
the Soviets wanted to advance Muscovite Stalinist
ideology (not simply ‘Marxism’). Kennan also
mentioned that The Soviet regime was cruel and
that view of a hostile outside
environment would
sustain the internal Stalinist system, in addition the
USSR was fanatically hostile to the West. The soviet
ambassador to the US, sent a Novikov telegram, it set
out his concerns about US actions he saw as
imperialist and thus a threat to the USSR. Both the
Kennan and the Novikov telegrams indicate the
suspicion that was emerging in both the USA and the
USSR regarding each other’s actions. Churchill's Fulton Speech
Churchill used the phrase ‘iron curtain’ to warn the
world about the Soviet take-over of Eastern Europe,
this lead to Stalin comparing Churchill with Nazi. The
Grand Alliance had finally broken down – they both
now viewed each other as enemies. Tensions were
very bad.
Instability in Greece and Turkey There were anti-imperialist, nationalist and procommunist rebellions in Greece and Turkey
Churchill's was particularly annoyed at Stalin’s
disregard for their ‘Percentages Agreement’ – since
Greece and Turkey was supposed to be under the
West’s ‘sphere of influence’. Worsen relations
between UK and USSR
Communist Party success in
Italy and France
Communist parties in Italy and France grew stronger
and they were threatening to take over western
democracies, this was because of the economic
The Truman Doctrine
The Marshall Plan
COMECON
deprivations and hardships experience at the war.
The Americans an British were suspicious that these
newly popular communist parties were receiving
encouragement from Moscow. This gave the
impression that the Communists were trying to takeover Western Europe as well.
Britain can no longer support Greece and the United
States did not want to risk a potential Communist
takeover of a strategically important European
country, so Truman issued his ‘doctrine’ The Soviets
saw this as evidence of the determination of the
United States to expand its sphere of influence, and
they did not agree with new American involvement in
Europe. As already mentioned, this doctrine marked a
departure from the United States’ traditional policy of
isolation, and it was the beginning of the American
policy of ‘containment’ of Communism.
USSR view it as ‘dollar imperialism’ and rejected the
plan, this shows the increase in tension between the
East and West, since USA wants to ‘contain’
communism. They are obviously enemies now.
In response to the marshal plan, USSR designed it to
control their economic and industrial development,
and to support collectivities in agriculture.
COMINFORM
It was created as an instrument to increase Stalin’s
control over the Communist parties of other
countries. The West was concerned that this
organization would actively spread Communism (and
destabilize the democratic governments) in the
West’s own sphere of influence – Western Europe.
Mr X Artical
‘Mr X Article’ hardened the West’s view towards East,
the article calls for a policy of ‘vigilant containment’ of
the USSR. The West’s viewed Czechoslovakia falling in
a communist coup as aggressive occupation and a
breach of the agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam.
Increased tensions
Czechoslovakia had fallen under Stalin’s control, this
severely raised tension between West and East, since
the West view this as aggressive occupation and a
breach of agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam.
Leading to the creation of the Marshall plan.
Czechoslovakian Coup