Origins of the Cold War

The Cold War

The Cold War: The Superpowers The Cold War ( ) was one of mainly one between the two superpowers: USA and USSR. The Cold War was one of (mis)perception where neither side fully understood the intentions and ambitions of the other - it was an ideological war.

The Cold War: The Superpowers This led to mistrust and military build-ups. Each side feared the expansionist aims of the other. Each side tended to depict the other in the worst possible light whereby both sides misread the other's intentions and overestimated each other's capabilities.

The Cold War: A Bipolar World A bipolar world is used as a shorthand description of the world during the Cold War. By 1950, Europe and some parts of Asia were roughly divided into two blocs: one supporting the western liberal democratic capitalist system. the other pursuing the creation of a pan- communist world.

Development of the Cold War: USA United States U.S. thought that Soviet expansion would continue and spread throughout the world. They saw the Soviet Union as a threat to their way of life; especially after the Soviet Union gained control of Eastern Europe.

Development of the Cold War: USA United States The USA promoted the view/speculated that if one land/country in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect.

Development of the Cold War: USSR Soviet Union They felt that they had won World War II. They had sacrificed the most (25 million vs. 300,000 total dead) and deserved the “spoils of war.” They had lost land after WWI because they left the winning side; now they wanted to gain land because they had won.

Development of the Cold War: USSR Soviet Union They wanted to economically raid Eastern Europe to recoup their expenses during the war. They saw the U.S. as a threat to their way of life; especially after the U.S. development of atomic weapons.

Cold War Mobilization by the U.S. Alarmed Americans viewed the Soviet occupation of Eastern European countries as part of a communist expansion, which threatened to extend to the rest of the world. In 1946, Winston Churchill gave a speech at Fulton College in Missouri in which he proclaimed that an “Iron Curtain” had fallen across Europe.

Iron Curtain – A term used by Winston Churchill to describe the separation of those communist lands of Eastern Europe from the West.

The Truman Doctrine (1947) In March 1947, U.S. president Harry Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine. Reasoning: Threatened by Communist influence in Turkey and Greece. “Two hostile camps” speech (Stalin, Moscow, 1946).

The Truman Doctrine (1947) Financial aid “to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation.” Sent $400 million worth of war supplies to Greece and helped push out Communism. The Truman Doctrine marked a new level of American commitment to a Cold War.

The Policy of Containment Policy of Containment definition: By applying firm diplomatic, economic, and military counter pressure, the United States could block Soviet aggression.

The Policy of Containment Formulated by George F. Kennan as a way to stop Soviet expansion without having to go to war. Ironically, the Soviets were looking for insulation from the capitalist West.

NSC-68 The Containment Doctrine would later be expanded in 1949 into the NSC-68, which called for a dramatic increase in defense spending. From $13 billion to $50 billion a year, to be paid for with a large tax increase.

NSC-68 National Security Council Report 68 (NSC-68) was a 58-page formerly-classified report issued by the United States National Security Council on April 14, NSC-68 served as the framework for American policy over the next 20 years. War damage and dislocation in Europe invited Communist influence = US was going to stop this.

The Marshall Plan ( ) Economic aid from the USA to all European countries offered in the Marshall Plan/European Recovery Program (ERP) from $17 billion to Western Europe. Soviets refused aid – the blame for dividing Europe fell on the Soviet union, not the United States.

The Marshall Plan ( ) The Marshall Plan proved crucial to Western Europe’s economic recovery.

Dividing Germany Until 1948 the Cold War had not drawn the two superpowers into open conflict. U.S., Britain, and France merged their zones in 1948 to create an independent West German state. The Soviets wanted to block the establishment West Germany, in fact they wanted a united Germany under Soviet control.

The Berlin Blockade The Soviets responded by blockading land access to Berlin (blocked all rail, canal, and road links into West Berlin). The rationale: the Soviets took very high casualties to capture Berlin in May 1945.

The Berlin Blockade They spent the early occupation trying to take over all zones of the city but were stopped by German democrats such as Willy Brandt (became Mayor of West Berlin) and Konrad Adenauer (became the first Chancellor of West Germany).

Berlin Airlift To the Western powers this was a test of their commitment to West Germany, if they backed down here it would weaken their position world wide. Britain and the U.S. responded to the blockade with a massive airlift: The Berlin Airlift (1948).

Berlin Airlift 24 hours a day for 11 months thousands of tonnes of supplies (7,000 tons a day) were flown into West Germany until the Soviets lifted the Blockade.

East and West Germany In May 1948 Stalin lifted the blockade; conceding that he could not prevent the creation of West Germany. Reluctantly the Soviets had to admit the Americans, French and British to their respective zones.

East and West Germany Thus, East and West Germany was created. West Germany was created in May East Germany was created in October 1948.

Allied Control Council By standing up to the Soviets during the Blockade the West demonstrated their resolve to stand up to the Soviets. The blockade strengthened the West’s ties to West Germany.

Allied Control Council To oversee the division/occupation of Germany the Allied Control Council (created in 1945) or Allied Control Authority, also referred to as the Four Powers, was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany. The members were the USA, the UK, and the USSR. France was later added with a vote, but had no duties.

NATO Stalin’s aggressive actions accelerated the American effort to use military means to contain Soviet ambitions/expansion. The U.S. joined with 12 other countries including Canada, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg to establish NATO.

NATO NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization = a mutual defense pact, in 1949 to counter the perceived threat from the USSR. Pledged signers to treat an attack against one as an attack against all – collective resistance.

Warsaw Pact When West Germany joined NATO in The Soviet Union countered by creating its own alliance system in eastern Europe – the Warsaw Pact ( ).

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Treaty was the informal name for the Mutual Defence Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance commonly known as the Warsaw Pact. Eight communist states in Eastern Europe signed the Pact including Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic (GDR/East Germany), Hungary, Poland, Romania.

Satellite States These eight communist, Eastern European states of the Warsaw Pact are often referred to as satellite states (sometimes referred to as a client states).

Satellite States This is a political term that referred to a country that was formally independent, but under heavy influence or control by another country (the USSR). These states were also referred to as “buffer states”, as Stalin wanted to surround himself with “friendly” countries. These became known as the Eastern Bloc of the Iron Curtain.

Backyards This is also a political term that referred to the countries that were in the “backyards” of the two Cold War superpowers. Backyards were states that were near in proximity to each of the two superpowers. Both the USA and the USSR made sure that they had “friends” in their backyards/near their borders.

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (1961 – 1989) was a concrete barrier built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) that completely enclosed the city of West Berlin, separating it from East Germany (including East Berlin) to stop immigration from East to West Berlin (2.6 M from ). The Wall included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches and other defences.

Berlin Wall The separate and much longer Inner German Border (the IGB) demarcated the border between East and West Germany. Both borders came to symbolize the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc = the wall “fell” in 1989.

The Stasi The Stasi (Ministry for State Security) were essentially the East German/GDR Secret Police who watched and took extensive notes on everyone. They also tortured and killed many East Germans and prevents thousands from escaping over the Berlin Wall into West Germany. Were regarded as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies in the world.

The Cold War Heats Up: Problems of the Atomic Age The most frightening aspect of the Cold War was the constant threat of nuclear war. Russia detonated its first atom bomb in Truman ordered construction of the hydrogen bomb. There was also a call for buildup of conventional forces to provide alternative to nuclear war.

Global Nuclear Confrontation The Soviet army had at its command over 260 divisions. The United States, in contrast, had reduced its forces by 1947 to little more than a single division. American military planners were forced to adopt a nuclear strategy in face of the overwhelmingly superiority of Soviet forces. They would deter any Soviet attack by setting in place a devastating atomic counterattack.

The Cold War: To be continued... For the next quarter century, the U.S.A. and the USSR would engage in a nuclear arms race that constantly increased the destructive capability of both sides.