The Start of the Cold War

Post WW2 ConferencesYalta

• Feb. 1945

• Create UN

• USSR help US against Japan

• USSR occupy Eastern Europe

• USSR must allow for free elections in E. Europe

Potsdam

• July 1945

• USSR gets reparations for war

• Communist gov. established in Poland

• Establish Occupation zones for Germany

– West Germany = US, GB, France– East Germany = Soviet Union– Berlin (in E. Germany) = Split into

4 zones occupied by each country

What is the Cold War?

• Cold War – conflict between the US and SU– the state of hostility short of direct military

confrontation that developed between the two superpowers

– dominated global affairs until break up of SU in 1991.

Difference in GoalsTruman Stalin

Plans for Eastern Europe

Self – Determination, Democracy, Capitalism, wanted to establish trade in favor of US economy

Establish Friendly Communist Governments, wanted raw materials, buffer zone from West Europe

Plans for Germany Rebuild Germany, Reunite Germany

Strip of Industries, High Reparations, Keep Germany divided

Post- WW2 State US only had 405,000 soldiers killed, war caused booming economy

Devastated region, 19 million civilians dead, 7.2 million soldiers dead

Stalin’s Reaction• Stalin created Communist Governments, known as SATELLITE NATIONS

in:– Albania– Bulgaria– Czechoslovakia– Hungary– Romania– Poland

• Seized satellite nations industrial assets (factory equipment, etc) to rebuild Soviet Union

• 1946 Stalin announced – “Communism and Capitalism were incompatible and that another war was inevitable” so Soviet Union had to produce war goods, not consumer goods

• US interpreted as literally a declaration of War

Policy of Containment

• Truman wanted to “stop babying the Soviets”

• George F. Kennan, American diplomat in SU, proposed Containment

• Containment – an effort to block the Soviets’ attempts to spread their influence by creating alliances and supporting weaker countries

• Guide for Truman’s foreign policy

Iron Curtain Speech

Churchill came to US to describe situation in Europe

“A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victory…From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across continent, behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of central and Eastern Europe…all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in the Soviet sphere and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence, but to a very high and increasing measure of control from Moscow.”

A Race to spread political/economic influence all

over begins

Truman Doctrine

• TRUMAN DOCTRINE– Truman declared US should support free people throughout the

world who were resisting takeovers by “armed minorities” or “outside pressures” (aka Communism)

– March 12, 1947 – Truman asked Congress for $400 mil in aid

• Opponents objected to interfering in internal affairs of other nations– Some did not want US spread too thin– Others opposed helping dictators of any kind, even anti-

communist dictators

• Congress agreed w/ Truman Doctrine sent aid to 2 countries, reducing danger of Communist take over.

Marshall Plan• Europe in Chaos: War Damage, Winter of 1946-1947, Electricity Limits,

Food Shortages

• June 1947, George Marshall said US should provide aid to all European countries needing it and was directed “not against any country or state, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.”

– Stipulations: any country receiving aid had to remove trade barriers and cooperate economically with one another (purpose: achieve US economic goals)

• Congress did not like giving away $12.5 billion

• Feb. 1945, SU tanks rumbled into Czechoslovakia and took over, proved to Congress need for stable governments in Europe to resist Communism, so plan was approved.

• Plan was great success politically and economically– Nutrition improved– Industry grew– by 1952, W. Europe flourishing, communism lost appeal to many W. Europe

voters

Superpowers’ Struggle Over Germany

• Clashes over German Unification

• SU wanted to keep Germany weak and divided

• GB, US, France believed Europe would be more stable if German industry were productive and the German people were not agitating for unity.

• 1948, combined 3 Western zones into what will be known as Western Germany

• SU maintained control over Eastern Germany

Berlin Airlift• Soviet retaliated to the unification of W. Germany by holding W.

Berlin hostage which was also divided into 4 zones– Cut off highway, water, and rail traffic into W. zones of Berlin = no

supplies could get in, city faced starvation– Stalin hoped this would force Allies either give up on reunifying

Germany or surrender control of Berlin

• W. Berlin’s 2.1 million inhabitants would run out of food in 5 weeks

• In attempt to break blockade, US and GB began the BERLIN AIRLIFT – to fly food and supplies into W. Berlin

• For 327 days, planes brought supplies to W. Berlin

• 277,000 flights brought 2.3 million tons of supplies (food, fuel, meds, to Christmas presents that plane crews bought with own $)

Results of the Berlin Airlift

• Mission to aid Berlin gave large boost to American prestige around the world, dropping SU prestige

• May 1949, SU realized it was beat, lifted Berlin blockade

• May 1949, W. Germany approved constitution, created Federal Republic of Germany, capital was Bonn

• SU turned E. Germany into the German Democratic Republic, capital E. Berlin

Peacetime Alliance – NATO• Berlin Blockade increased fear of Soviet aggression

• Creation of a Defensive Military Alliance - NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION (NATO)

• Members: Belgium, Denmark, France, GB, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, US and Canada

• Agreed attack on one would be an attack on all

• Opposition in US said it would cause an arms race and massive American military aid to Europe, but Senate overwhelmingly approved

• FIRST TIME US entered military alliance w/ other nations during peace

• Cold War ended US isolationism