Steps to Cold War
From the Tehran Conference to the Berlin Crisis, use this fool-proof guide to planning your very own Cold War!!! Anna Mylvaganam, Carolina Donoso, and JoAnnaDanielsen
Step 1: Post-war Conferences Tehran
Yalta
Potsdam
State of the War
By 1943, the Allies were winning the war after the 1942 turning point. Stalin was pushing for the other Allies to open a second front on the Western front to alleviate pressure on the Eastern front. Operation Overload, an operation planned to invade German occupation zones in the west.
As the Germans were being driven out of Eastern Europe, the Soviets were planning to invade Germany. The United States had recently gained control of the air and sea in the Pacific.
Germans issued an unconditional surrender before the Potsdam Conference. Americans were developing the an atomic weapon while considering tactics for invading mainland Japan.
Germany
At this point, the Allies were not certain how they would handle the consequences for Germany when the war was over. They only agreed that an unconditional surrender was necessary.
The Big Three agreed that Germany should and will be disarmed, demilitarized, deNazified, and divided into four zones of occupation, controlled by the US, USSR, UK, and France. This arrangement would only be temporary, as the country will still be run as one nation.
The Big Three could not agree how to carry out the consequences. The idea was to keep the economy intact with special concentration on the domestic and agriculture industry. However, each country that governed a quadrant of Germany could do so as they pleased.
Poland
It was evident that Polish borders would change post-war. Stalin’s main concern was creating a proSoviet government for security. USSR would keep their land and Poland would be given land from Eastern Germany.
The USSR-Poland border was decided to be moved to the Curzon Line--the line that was originally set before the RussoPolish War of 1921. With this, Stalin would establish free-elections in Poland.
With Stalin not implementing free elections until 1947, Truman became impatient. He called for Poland to be reorganized with more London Poles within the Lublin-led government.
Eastern Europe
Although the Atlantic Charter stated that no nation should benefit from the war, the USSR was looking to annex territory they seized in 1939 and 1940.
The promise of establishing freeelections in Eastern Europe was seen as a great victory for democracy.
Percentage Agreements were set up as a way to organize spheres of influence around Eastern Europe and Southeastern Europe. Although originally intended to deNazify Eastern Europe, the Red Army remained present all around.
Japan
FDR was interested in Soviet involvement in Japan. Stalin did not want to get involved until the war in Europe was over.
Stalin agreed to enter the war on the condition that the USSR would gain South Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands.
Truman received word that the atomic bomb testing was successful. Truman decided to not disclose everything to Stalin, and he did not urge Stalin to join up against Japan.
United Nations
Hoping to replace the League of Nations with another international organization, the United States suggested what would later become the United Nations. The Soviets and Brits both supported the idea.
It was decided that five nations would hold permanent seats. The USSR wanted sixteen individual seats, and the US and UK gave them three seats.
The United Nations was established in the Treaty of San Francisco in 1945. Permanent members of the UN Security Council included the United States, France, the United Kingdom, USSR, and Nationalist China.
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Step 2: Long Telegram ! ! George F. Kennan sent in a 2,200 word telegram of his concerns with the Soviet Union. In his telegram, Kennan included a few triggers he has noticed increased Soviet hostility toward the West. With hopes of wanting to advance Muscovite Stalinism. The Soviet regime had become more cruel and oppressive and the US needed to implement their foreign policy of containment.
Step 3: Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech “Hey, it’s Winston Churchill here! I’m here to warn you about all the new dangers in Europe. Did you know that in 1946, the Soviet Union dominated Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, and Bulgarian communist governments? I know the
How did the Soviets react?
Yalta Conference got us all hyped up for the hopes of all nations being free
- Withdrew from International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Stepped up the tone and intensity of anti-Western -
propaganda Initiated a new five-year plan of self-strengthening
and democratic, but the spread of Soviet influence and communism is upon us and we need to act now!”
Step 4: Truman Doctrine ■ Triggered change from traditional isolationist to containment policy ■ Truman’s speech to US congress March 12 1947:
“support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures” ■ Evidence of American desire to expand their sphere of influence ■ For Greece and Turkey
Iron Curtain Speech
Influences
Long Telegram
Step 5: Marshall Plan “Hey, Western Europe needs our help, and it’s not just Greece and Turkey! We can help them economically! We can’t let ’The patient is sinking while the doctors deliberate’!!!
“It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace.” Dollar Diplomacy - Argument whether to let USSR join→ stated
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that the Marshall Plan was purely economic and not for a greater ideological influence (ie halting spread of communism) Set strict criteria qualifying Americans for aid and allowing US to investigate financial records of specific countries
“Two Camps” Doctrine - Post WWII Stalin divided into 2 opposing -
camps First camp: anti-Soviet bloc of countries Second camp: USSR and “new democracies” in E Europe
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Aims - Revive European countries to ensure -
political and social stability Safeguard US economy
Soviet Reaction Soviet rejected it because they didn’t want to give Americans their financial records - Worried that they were establishing a European empire - Statement by Soviet Foreign Minister Vyshinsky at UN 1947 stated that it was “a glaring example of the way in which the principles of the UN are violated” Cominform: Communist Information Bureau set
up to increase Stalin’s control over communist parties internationally and it was created to counter the “sphere of influences.”
Step 6: Red Army Occupation of Eastern Europe 1945-1947 Red Army Occupation
Mr. X Article
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Soviets came into control by creating ‘satellite empire’, keeping separate legal identities from the USSR Tied to Moscow’s line because of:
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Soviet Military power ‘Salami tactics’ State police and security/ spy network COMECON
- Written by George F. Kennan - “It must continue to regard the Soviet Union -
as a rival, not a partner, in the political arena” By 1948 satellite states were economically and militarily under the control of USSR USA and Western allies viewed the ‘occupation’ of Eastern Europe as evidence of Soviet expansionist policies in practices
Step 7: The Czechoslovakian Coup, February 1948 Stalin pressures Czechoslovak coalition government
Formation of Coup Soviets agreed to consolidate their control over Eastern Europe while Czechoslovakia moves West, Czechs: - Expressed interest in receiving aid from MArshall Plan, worrying Stalin - Czechs ‘abandonment’ in the Munich Agreement of 1938
- 12 non-Communist members were forced to -
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resign Under Moscow pressure, coupled with loosely veiled threats of armed interventions Czech President (Eduard Benes) agreed, he felt the country was isolated Jan MasaMryk, Czech Foreign Minister was found dead - Truman responded quickly, calling the death a ‘coup’ Marshall Plan funding was not passed through Congress Berlin remained a key of weakness in regards to Stalin sphere of influence
Step 8: The Berlin Crisis of 1948 Origin of crisis
Germany fails to unify
Post Yalta and Potsdam it had been agreed that Germany were to be divided into four zones, under the power of Allied Control Council - By 1949 Germany had been divided into two separate states
- Location wise Germany is the center of Europe -
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Origin of crisis - West Germans established several political
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parties who would not vote for a Sovietcontrolled party. This would ultimately lead to minimal economic assistance and no chance of democracy East created their separate regime under the SED leaders
and had high economic potential, making it a vital asset to all countries causing turmoil Lack of trust between West and East increased as the Cold War unraveled Disputes between post-war powers within Germany revolved around: - Economic problems involving reparation (arranged at Potsdam) - Food scarcity - Coal distribution was another area of disagreement - Political conflicts
Berlin Blockade (1948) ———————-Its failure———————— - The division of Germany - The continuation of four-power control in Berlin - The formation of the NATO - No peace treaty had been signed with Germany, borders were not formalized - Western countries unified post Soviet threat
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