9.28.3 The Cold War in Europe: Part 1

The Cold War in Europe  The guns of World War II did not go silent before Joseph Stalin and the U.S.S.R. began to occupy the Eastern European nations of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, and eventually, East Germany. After the conference at Potsdam became clear to the world that Stalin and the Soviet Union were a threat to world security The proverbial line in the sand was drawn between the free world (the United States and Western Europe) against the Communist Bloc (the Soviet Union) Caught in the middle of these two “worlds” was the “Third World.” Those nations that did not ally with the free world or the Communist bloc were the objectives of the opposing sides These third world nations included areas of Africa, Asia, and South America and were rich in resources, manpower, and strategic locations but poor in economic development and political strength The Soviet Union wanted to spread Marxist ideology and protect themselves from the United States by surrounding themselves with satellite nations that would provide a barrier of protection wanted to be able to build bases on occupied land, gain seaports for commerce, and extend the atheistic ideology where the state controlled the private sector The Iron Curtain Descends  The creation of buffer governments began as the Russians advanced west against the Germans during World War II Stalin promised western leaders he would allow the Eastern European nations, occupied by Russia at the end of World War II, to rebuild their lives and have democracy However, elections in Eastern Europe were rigged to just give the appearance of democracy the Soviets had no intention of giving the people of Eastern Europe an independent voice. As the Communists took control of the nations of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, and East Germany multitudes of people who threatened the philosophical and governmental ideologies of the Soviets were killed or imprisoned to prevent a threat to Soviet power March of 1946 at Westminster College Winston Churchill said an “Iron Curtain” had fallen over Eastern Europe Churchill warned the US and Western Europe of the threat of Russia and that Soviet dominance could spread People began to look at Stalin as the new Hitler Under his leadership the people of the Soviet Union were brutalized If one was suspected of being an enemy of the Soviet Regime, then he or she was taken in the middle of the night and thrown in a gulag (camp) or executed Sometimes the government would make up stories about a person to show the Soviet citizens that there was a threat and the citizens needed to be protected Sometimes these lies would be made up of close friends, surprising neighbors, and family People convinced themselves that their government would tell the truth because if they could lie about that person, then they could lie about anyone People did not know whom they could trust One of the main issues the people of Eastern Europe had was the constant anxiety of living in that arbitrary atmosphere The United States Responds to the "Iron Curtain"  The United States responded to the Iron Curtain with the Truman Doctrine due to the threat of Soviet takeover in Turkey and Greece Russia had always wanted a warm water port and would have that access to the sea if the Soviets occupied Turkey and Greece The world was concerned because that would allow Soviet expansion to threaten the oil-rich Middle East United States President, Harry S. Truman announced that the United States would supply money and weapons to groups fighting against Russia This policy known as the Truman Doctrine provided 400 million dollars in economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey The Truman Doctrine did prevent the spread of communism into Greece and Turkey, and the policy evolved into a policy known as Containment. Under this policy, the Communists could retain their hold on territory they already possessed, but they could not spread. This policy would eventually lead to various conflicts around the world like the Korean War (1950-1953). In addition, the Marshall Plan and NATO were all implemented as a response to the spread of Communism This tension led to the Berlin Airlift in 1948 that signaled the official beginning of the Cold War