Origins of the Cold War: Revision Do Now: Explain why the Cold War, was known as the Cold War. There are some keywords below to help you: Propaganda, fear, nuclear weapons, ideologies, hegemony, threats. L.O: Can I revise everything I’ve learned about the Cold War?

Ideological Differences in 1945 When WW2 had ended in 1945, the USA & the USSR were on the same team, they had both been part of defeating Hitler. They were both incredibly powerful, and arguably, were the two biggest superpowers in the world at this time. The USA were staunch Capitalists and the USSR were staunch Communists. Task: Explain the ideological differences between these two countries & their political/economic/cultural beliefs The US President Roosevelt died in 1945. He was replaced by Truman who was strongly anti-Communist and, as the war came to an end, the relationship between America and Russia fell apart.

The Yalta Conference, Feb 1945 Was held just before the end of the war to decide what to do with Germany after its defeat: The outcomes were: Germany to be divided into four zones occupied by Britian, France the USA & the USSR. Although the capital, Berlin, fell into the USSR zone, it would be divided between the four countries too. Nazi war criminals to be hunted down and tried for their crimes. Free elections to be held in the states of Eastern Europe once they had been freed from German control. Stalin agreed to help the USA against Japan if he could have some land in the Far East (Asia). A UN should be set up. Germany should pay reparations for the war.

The ‘Big Three’ of the Yalta Conference Franklin Roosevelt President of the USA for a few months of 1945 before Truman took over. Aims: Soviet support in war against Japan Winston Churchill Prime Minister of Britain Aims: Free elections and democratic gov’ts in E.Europe Josef Stalin Leader of the USSR Aims: Soviet influence in E.Europe

The Potsdam Conference, July 1945 This conference happened after Germany had lost the war. Although there was only 4 months between Yalta and Potsdam, lots had changed: Roosevelt had died in April 1945, and was replaced by Truman who was far more suspicious of Stalin and unwilling to negotiate with him. Churchill was defeated in an election and replaced by Clement Attlee. Soviet troops had taken over much of Eastern Europe and stayed there, without any free elections. (against Yalta conference). On 16th July the USA had successfully tested the first atom bomb. It was clear they weren’t going to share the secret. Stalin became more suspicious. The division of Germany, into four and treatment of war criminals was confirmed at Potsdam. The alliance between the USSR & the West was over.

The ‘Big Three’ at the Potsdam Conference Harry Truman President of the USA Josef Stalin Leader of the USSR Clement Attlee Prime Minister of Britain

The dropping of the atom bomb and its effects The USA had developed the first ever nuclear bombs. President Truman decided to use these against Japan in the hope that it would end the War in the Pacific. They were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th & 9th August, causing long lasting damage and destruction. Stalin has not been told that the USA were planning on using these bombs and felt betrayed, and obviously, paranoid. The Soviets did join the war against Japan on 8th August and made some gains in the Far East, but were not allowed to take credit for the defeat of the Japanese.

The Iron Curtain The term ‘the Iron Curtain’ was a coin phrased by Churchill. It described the metaphorical curtain that split the Capitalist West from the Communist East,

The USSR and Communism had grown further when WW2 finished. Stalin was obsessed with building a ‘buffer zone’ to ‘protect the USSR from further invasion’. Rather than letting free elections happen in the Eastern countries that had been under Nazi control, Stalin made sure that Communist governments that supported the USSR were set up. Churchill feared this Soviet expansion from as early as 1945.

The Truman Doctrine & the Marshall Plan, 1947 In 1947, a civil war in Greece, highlighted how poor it was, and Truman decided to get involved. Britain had been trying to help Greece after they had freed it from Nazi control in 1944, but Britain just wasn’t wealthy enough. Communists were forming a resistance in Greece, and trying to turn it Communist too. Britain went to the USA for help. Truman went to congress, and they granted Greece and Turkey $400million to protect them from Communist influence. With the help of American arms and money the communist threat was defeated by 1949, and Turkey was able to resist Communist pressure too. This showed the world that the USA weren’t going to revert back to Isolationism, and Truman vowed to try and stop the spread of Communism, this was know as the ‘policy of containment.’

The Marshall Plan The Marshall plan was the other half of the Truman doctrine. The economies all over Europe were in ruins, and many European countries were being tempted by Communism. George Marshall, was sent by Truman to go to Europe and see first-hand what the situation was. He reported back to congress in the USA that he needed $17billion dollars in European aid. Congress was about to refuse when Jan Masaryk, a minister supporting the west and Capitalism was murdered. This was just after many non-communists were killed in the Czechoslovakia, and the USA were persuaded that they needed to act. Marshall aid was given to 16 countries to improve agriculture and build up industry. Stalin prevented any Communist countries in the East from receiving Marshall Aid. Stalin claimed that the USA were bribing countries , so they would depend on the USA and join them against the USSR.

Comniform and Comecon Stalin’s reaction to the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan was to set up Comniform (the Communist Information Bureau) in Sept 1947. All the Communist parties in Europe were involved in this. It had been created to defend Communism against the USA. It helped Stalin to have more control over other Communist countries. These countries were known as the satellite states. Stalin established his own plans for their recovery, and they were meant to trade with each other, rather than the West. Yugoslavia showed too much independence, and Stalin threw them out of the Comniform. The USSR offered aid to the satellite states in 1949. This was known as Comecon.

The Berlin Blockade: First Major Crisis of the Cold War When the war ended, Stalin had kept many German resources, wanting to keep it weak. Truman thought it would be better to keep Germany strong, to help defend Europe against the USSR, and gave Germany Marshall Aid. Britain, France & the USA merged their zones of Germany, and the USSR kept one. It was clear to see that the West of Germany was prospering, while the East remained poor and run down. Stalin decided this was unfair, and against the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. Berlin was in the soviet zone of Germany, and so Stalin stopped British, French and American access into West Berlin, and claimed that all of Berlin was his. By 23 June 1948 all routes into West Berlin had been closed. His plan was to force the west to give him Berlin, by starving the West Berliners.