Conflict and Tension between the East and West part 1: the 1940s

The Cold War - background knowledge
1. Causes of the Cold War
  1. Wartime alliance breakdown
    1. In WWII, Russia was allied with the allies with a common goal of defeating Hitler
      1. Then Hitler was defeated. What next?
        Yalta
      2. Nobody helped Russia on the Eastern Front
      3. Russia lost 29 million compared to 400,000 from US
        Military and civilian
  2. Different values
    1. USSR
      1. Totalitarianism
      2. Equality
      3. Communism
    2. US
      1. Freedom
      2. Individualism
      3. Capitalism
      4. Democracy
    3. Both wanted to prove their values are the best
2. Russia unhappy after WWI
  1. They leave the war early
    1. Not invited to Treaty of Versailles negotiations
      1. :(
      2. Didn't like its terms
        Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia gain independence
        Wanted to be harsher
    2. Have to sign treaty of Brest-Litovsk
      1. Lose 1/3 of their land
3. US didn't accept Communist government in USSR until 1933
  1. Helped white army during revolution
Conferences
1. Yalta - Feb 1945
  1. Participants
    1. Stalin
    2. Roosevelt
    3. Churchill
    4. A lot of distrust between them
      1. Stalin hated Churchill
        Trickster
      2. Churchill hated Stalin
        Thought he was dangerous
        Wanted to be ready to fight him
      3. Roosevelt didn't like Stalin much
        Thought he was dangerous
      4. Stalin didn't care much about Roosevelt
        Thought he was weak
      5. Churchill didn't like Roosevelt
        Too pro-Russia
      6. Roosevelt trusted Churchill
  2. Attitudes
    1. Optimistic
      1. The war was coming to an end
      2. Stalin seemed cooperative
        Offered to help US in Japan
  3. Decisions made
    1. Partition Germany into zones
    2. Germany pays only some reparations
    3. Free elections for Poland
    4. Stalin to join in in fighting Japan
    5. Stalin to join UN
    6. Germany to be demilitarised
2. Potsdam - July/Aug 1945
  1. Participants
    1. Truman
      1. More anti-communist
    2. Stalin
    3. Churchill
      1. Replaced by Attlee
    4. Decisions made
      1. Germany to be split into 3
      2. Not much else
      3. Disagreements
        Stalin wanted Germany crippled
        Truman didn't
        Stalin wanted Germany to pay loads of reparations
        Truman didn't
        Stalin wanted pro-USSR governments in Eastern Europe
        Sphere of influence
        Truman didn't
  2. Provenance to the conference
    1. Stalin's armies over most of Eastern Europe
      1. He had lots of power over the conference
    2. WWII is gone
    3. US tested an atomic bomb at the start of the conference
      1. Blatantly trying to intimidate Stalin
        He already knew from spies
        Bad relations from the start
  3. Significance
    1. Highlighted disagreements and hostility
      1. Truman very suspicious of USSR
Development of the Communist bloc
1. The USSR widens its sphere of influence
  1. Why?
    1. Wants to have 'buffer states'
      1. Protect from invasion
    2. Get resources from them
    3. Physically keep Western culture away
  2. Where?
    1. Eastern Eurpoean countries
      1. Army already there
        Popular because liberated from Nazis
      2. Poor economic condition
        More likely to accept communism
      3. Poland
      4. Czechoslovakia
      5. Yugoslavia
        Ran by Tito
        Wanted Communism his own way
        Didn't allign self with USSR or West
        Kicked out of Cominform - 1948
      6. East Germany
      7. Hungary
      8. Bulgaria
      9. Romania
      10. Albania
      11. Became puppet states of the USSR
      12. Kidnapped/killed/banned other leaders there
    2. Other countries at risk of becoming communist
      1. France
      2. Italy
      3. Greece
        The Brits and USA came in to help the royalists during the civil war there
        Increased tensions
        Act of defiance against USSR
2. Western reaction
  1. Fear
  2. The Long Telegram - 1946
    1. George Kenan, at US embassy in Moscow, sent a telegram toTruman
      1. 8,000 words
      2. Worried Soviets saw US as enemy
      3. Soviets had very high ambitions
        Spread influence worldwide
      4. Attempted communication would fail
    2. Significance
      1. Echoed Truman's worries
      2. Shaped US policy on Communism
  3. Iron Curtain speech - 1946
    1. Given by Churchill
      1. Defeated in elections but still active
    2. Criticised the USSR
      1. Described the growing border between East and West as an 'Iron Curtain'
        'Iron Curtain' was used a lot throughout the war
        Ended all communication between sides
      2. Angered Stalin
  4. Truman Doctrine
    1. Try to help 'at risk' countries by giving aid
      1. They getter better economies
        Less likely to turn to Communism
      2. Those countries grateful to US
      3. Those countries become reliant on the aid
    2. The help given to Greece marks the start of this
    3. Policy of containment
      1. Domino Theory
        Countries near communist ones are more likely to turn communist
      2. Stop Communism spreading
    4. Escalated tensions
      1. West actually taking tangible action against communism
      2. Not too bad
        More indirect
Plans to increase influence
1. USA
  1. Marshall Plan -1948
    1. US gives assstance to European countries
      1. They had been hit very hard by WWII
        Bad economic position
        Communism growing there
      2. US doesn't want to be alone against communism
2. East

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Conflict and Tension between the East and West part 1: the 1940s

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