Zusammenfassung der Ressource
1946-47: Beginning of the Cold War
- War of words
- Feb 46 Stalin said peace
between capitalists and
communists was
impossible as capitalist
competition would
inevitably lead to a war
- Viewed by the West
as an ideological
attack on them
- Kennan's Long Telegram:
argued USSR was
increasing their military
capability to spread
communism, that the US
were the only ones who
could stand up to them
and should begin a policy
of containment
- Novikov's telegram to Stalin:
argued since Roosevelt's
death US had stopped their
policy of cooperation and
begun a propaganda campaign
against USSR to prepare the
US public for a war with USSR
- Iran Crisis: March 1946
- During WWII Iran was occupied by Britain and USSR
- USSR had agreed to withdraw their
troops by March 1946 and hand over their
territory to Britain
- By the end of March it was clear
the Soviets had no intention of
withdrawing
- US and Britain united in condemnation
of this "aggressive imperialist policy"
- Led to a clear division in
the Grand Alliance
- Led US and Britain to
believe USSR was
expanding it's influence
- Iron Curtain: March 1946
- Churchill argued:Europe had been divided by a metal curtain
- that Soviet influence in the East was
increasng
- Feared Stalin was trying to stir up revolutions
throughout Europe and win power that way
- Called on Western nations to resist this
- Truman Doctrine 1947
- Truman exaggerated claims to get
support
- Difficulties in Western Europe
- Bad harvest then harsh winter led to
chronic food shortages in Germany
- The problems were multiplied by the
lack of trade between the East and
the West of commodities e.g. grain
- West worried this would
discredit capitalism
- Marshall Plan 1947