New Cold War History

Yalta and Potsdam 1945 From a new Cold war historian’s perspective both Yalta and Potsdam are significant as while most traditional 20th century Historians may have looked on them as Russia and the US establishing their own spheres of influence the importance of having a british delegation in the form of Churchill as it highlights how even this early on in the cold war both sides were aware of the cumulative power that third parties would wield in this new world that was being created. In addition to this Yalta and Potsdam are also significant in their importance in showing the growing importance of the bomb and negotiations which at thi spoint was held only by the US but which all sides knew would eventually be proliferated and as such is a good indication of the potential future implications of such an advancement and how it would affect future developments of the cold war.

The USSR recognition of the Lublin Polish government, summer 1945 In 1945, after the lublin Polish government recognition, it was eventually transformed into the provisional government of Poland, not only from the Soviet Union, but also Britain, France and many other countries marked the beginning of a new era in the life of post cold war. The developments which lead to the creation of the Lublin Government reflected a situation in which the demands of the Soviet Union clashed with the hopes of other allies such as Britain and France.

Operation Trinity, July 1945 Trinity was the codename of the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, conducted by the United States Army on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project.

USSR occupation of Northern Iran, 1946 The occupation of Northern iran was clearly an attempt by Stalin to try and take possession of their oil pathways which had until now been denied to them. However unlike an orthodox historian we must also observe the power that we can infer Iran held within the global community thanks to those same oil supplies. Furthermore the US’s immediate condemnation of this expansionism may also be related to their desire to remain on good terms with both Iran itself as well as Turkey who felt pressured by the presence that Iran would give the USSR navy in the black sea straits. In addition to this it highlights how increasingly both sides actions were being determined not by any ideology or even individual but rather that they were being controlled by interests and needs beyond their control and in particular the desire and need for oil to fuel their economies most of which was held by third parties not directly associated with etherpower forcing them into a position where they had to attempt to either take them over as Russia did or court them as the US attempted pulling power away from the superpowers themselves in this relationship.

Kennan’s Long Telegram February 1946 Kennan’s Long Telegram was a telegram outlining his opinions of communists and the Soviet Union. He wrote about how the United States policies and help of it’s allies to help stop the spread of communist aboard, this was a response by a series of moved to enlarge communist influence in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, Africa and Vietnam. While Eastern Europe, China, Korea, Africa and Vietnam had an equal role to play during Kennan’s Long Telegram due to their involvement and influence in communism, and any action taken by the USA would involve them.

The Baruch Plan, 1946 The Baruch Plan was a proposal by the United States government, written largely by Bernard Baruch but based on the Acheson–Lilienthal Report, to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission during its first meeting in June 1946.

The creation of Bizonia, Spring 1947 The creation of Bizonia from a New Cold War historical is particularly interesting as on the one hand a more traditional historian would put it down to the SU wanting a bulwark against communist aggression if we consider the other factors influencing this decision we must consider the unstable position of having two areas that were essentially british and American colonies with no independence and that one could not be given independence without angering the other so the most ideal solution was to unite the two showing how even without a state the German people were able to influence decisions being made by the US. Additionally we must consider the influence of Britain and other European countries who would want a return to Europe’s status quo as soon as possible and to end the US having direct control and influence in the heart of Europe.

The Truman Doctrine, March 1947 The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy created to counter Soviet geopolitical hegemony during the Cold War. In 1948, harry truman pledged to contain soviet threats to Greece and Turkey. The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy created to counter Soviet geopolitical hegemony during the Cold War. It was first announced to Congress by President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947 and further developed on July 12, 1948 when he pledged to contain Soviet threats to Greece and Turkey. No American military force was involved; instead Congress appropriated a free gift of financial aid to support the economies and the militaries of Greece and Turkey. The Truman Doctrine aimed to support nations threatened by Soviet communism.

The Marshall Plan, June 1947 The European Recovery Program, commonly known as Marshall Plan, is usually remembered for the economic support provided by the United States for the rehabilitation of European countries ravaged by the Second World War. But the US was motivated by more than just economics and today a far more important role is accredited to the Marshall Plan from the New Cold War perspective. The Soviet Union rejects participation in the Marshall Plan, with Stalin's Foreign Minister, V.M. Molotov, calling it an "imperialist" plot to enslave Eastern Europe.

The establishment of Cominform, September 1947 The creation of COminform as a centralised method of opening a debate with all communist states in eastern europe could be seen by some as the USSR officially creating an eastern bloc but alternatively it could be argued to highlight quite how reliant the USSR still was on its satellite states to retain its world power as it was established in reaction to the marshall plan and was designed to move them away from wanting to join it and therefore reduce USER control. Therefore it is a reaction to try and desperately keep these independent communist states under the thrall of the USSR as Stalin was still keenly aware of their significance in retaining influence and control over Eastern Europe.

The Communist coup in Czechoslovakia, February 1948 The Communist Coups significance in Czechoslovakia extended beyond the country’s borders, however, as it was a clear marker along the road to the Cold War. The shock with which the West greeted the event helped spur quick adoption of the Marshall Plan, the creation of a state in West Germany, vigorous measures by the Western Bloc to keep Communists out of power in France and especially Italy, and steps toward mutual security that would, in little over a year, result in the establishment of NATO and the definitive drawing of the Iron Curtain until the fall of Communism in 1989.

The Berlin blockade June 1948-May 1949 The Berlin blockade may seem a difficult situation to analyse through the lens of New Cold War historiography due to it being a case of direct action by the USSR however we could say that the only reason why the USSR felt compelled to act in such a direct way was because of how threatened they felt by the independent west germany and how that could have an impact on the free and democratic enclave within Eastern germany forcing them to act to end that threat to their rule as a united Germany allied with the west would threaten their entire eastern bloc. Additionally it may have been an attempt to test the limits of US commitment to Berlin considering the fact that they were on the cusp of creating their own nuclear bomb highlighting the importance that weapons developments played in controlling the actions of both superpowers.

The formation of NATO, April 1949 The Formation of NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance signed in April 1949. It was formed by Canada, USA, and 11 other Western nations to prevent further prospect of Communist expansion. It was also formed due to the Soviet Union’s threats towards Greece and Turkey meant that Western countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and the United States felt threatened if the Soviet Union were to try and occupy such big areas.

The detonation of the USSR Atomic Bomb July 1949 While the detonation itself can unfortunately not be blamed on any state but the USSR itself however the reasons for its detonation can be seen as an extension of an earlier point and in that orthodox revisionist and post revisionist historians frequently do not take into consideration the impact that nuclear weapons developments had on both superpowers actions and this intense desire for nuclear parity controlled and influenced much of the USSR’s foreign policy leading up to its detonation and this pattern then repeated itself following each major weapons development throughout the cold war.

The establishment of the People’s Republic of China, October 1949 In 1949,the People’s Republic of China was formally established, located in the Capital of China; Beijing. This introduced a more communist China. The creation of china is a major contributor to New Cold War historiography in that it represented the creation of what would become a third major superpower and act as both a bridge between the two nations and at times a further wedge between the two.

The Korean War, 1950-53 New Cold War historian David Painter said it is necessary to examine the interaction between changes in the global distribution of power, advances in weapons technology, shifts in balances of forces within and between nations, the evolution of the world economy including the transformation of the Third World. Dismissed as the ‘forgotten war,’ Korea was in actuality one of America’s most significant conflicts. Although born of a misapprehension, the Korean War triggered the buildup of U.S. forces in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and began American involvement in the Vietnam War.

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