1. Lecture One: Why was There a Cold War?
Objectives:
To define the term “Cold War”
To identify the early origins of the cold war
To explain why there was tension between the Ussr and major capitalist countries

2. What is a Cold War?
The term “Cold War” is most often used to refer to the rivalry between the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR) from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the collapse of the USSR in 1991.
The two “superpowers” remained enemies throughout this entire period, however unlike the first half of the twentieth century, the tension between the two most powerful nations in the world did not result in a global war.
The historian David Williamson therefore defines the Cold War as being “extreme tension between states between two states stopping just short of war.”
The writer George Orwell predicted in 1945 that the USA and USSR would exist in “a peace that is no peace.”
Pause for thought:
Based on your summer reading, how would YOU define the term “Cold War?”

3. Historiography
The term “Historiography” refers to the study of how history is written and how different ideas can be developed about the same historical events.
Academic historians frequently challenge each other’s ideas and express new interpretations of their own through their books and journal articles.
As IB students, you will need to be able to comment on how different historians have produced differing views of the issues we will study.
The questions of what the Cold War was, when it began and why are good examples of a Historiographical debate.

4. The Idea of Communism
During the 19th Century, much of Europe went through major social change as new technologies meant that workers moved from food production in the countryside to factory work in towns and cities. This is known as the Industrial Revolution.
Two Germans, named Friederich Engels and Karl Marx believed this way of running society could not last, as it depended on workers being exploited by their employers. They proposed that a new system, communism, would replace it by revolution.
According to their theory, the workers (or proletariat) would overthrow the ruling classes (or bourgeoisie) and break up the old order. This meant that society would have to be ruled by a dictatorship of the proletariat for a time to protect the revolution.
Eventually, this would lead to a true communist society developing. In this society, money would not be needed and “each gives according to their ability to those according to their need.”
In a society like this, Engels and Marx suggested, crime and jealousy would disappear because they were traits of a capitalist society.
This meant that from the start, communism was by its own nature, hostile to capitalism.

5. Marxism-Leninism
In 1917, a communist revolution finally took place in Europe. It happened not in Britain, or Germany or any other industrial country that Marx believed it would, but in Russia, a country in which most people still worked in agriculture and in which there was only a small industrial proletariat.
When Lenin’s Bolshevik party seized power, he faced the challenge of how to turn Marx’s theory of communism into a working system of government.
His solution was to use terror and force against all individuals and organisations who opposed the new order. Lenin saw this as imposing the dictatorship of the proletariat which Marx foresaw.
One of Lenin’s first steps was to take Russia out of the First World War, which he saw as a capitalist “imperialist” war. This immediately earned enemies in the outside capitalist world.
Inside the country, Lenin turned the new USSR into an authoritarian state, in which the government controlled all aspects of business and life. No elections were held, and freedom of speech was non-existent.

6. A Battle of Ideologies
In both communism and capitalism, freedom and democracy are important ideas. However, each ideology has differing ideas about what they mean.
Capitalist states believe that democracy is achieved by representative government. Rulers are elected by the people that they rule, and industry is mostly run by private companies, with minimal interference from the government. Individuals are free to achieve success within this system.
Communist states believe that democracy is achieved when society is equal, and there are no extreme differences between rich and poor and poverty is eliminated. Industry is run by the government for the collective good of the country and its people. Individuals contribute to this system according to their abilities.
Pause for thought:
Why might these beliefs make conflict between capitalism and communism more likely?

7. Early Conflict: The Russian Civil War 1918-1922
Attempts at counter-revolution led to a civil war in Russia in Those resisting the communist revolution, the Whites, were helped by a number of major capitalist countries, such as Britain, France, Japan and the United States.
This meant from the moment of its birth, the communist state in Russia fought against the forces of capitalism.
However, the Communists held on to power, and despite this early encounter with the USA, the Americans quickly retreated to a policy of international isolationism.
Pause for thought:
Could you give a reason FOR and a reason AGAINST considering this the start of the Cold War?

8. Soviet Priorities,
Lenin, and his successor Joseph Stalin, realised that worldwide communist revolution was not likely in the 1920s. They therefore sought to consolidate communism in Russia.
They did however, attempt to support communist activities and parties in other countries and Lenin set up an organisation called the comintern to direct Soviet efforts in this area.
When Stalin became leader after Lenin’s death, he concentrated on building up the USSR’s industrial and military strength.

9. A New Threat The collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the
Nazis presented Stalin and the USSR with its biggest threat to
date.
Hitler’s ruthless persecution of communists and hatred of the USSR, as well as his rising power led Stalin to be prepared to set aside his differences with the capitalist west to create a defensive alliance against Germany.
The USSR joined the League of Nations in 1934, and the following year made a pact with Czechoslovakia and France. Stalin had hoped for large scale military cooperation with France, but their distrust of Stalin and communism in general prevented this.
In 1938, Stalin was ready to step in when Hitler threatened to invade Czechoslovakia. However, Britain and France chose to compromise with Hitler, and agreed he could invade the Sudetenland. Stalin briefly worried that the three countries might ally against the USSR.

10. A Marriage of Convenience
When Britain and France realised Hitler had no intention of keeping his word, they negotiated with Stalin for an alliance, however they still didn’t trust communism and would not agree to allow the USSR to invade countries on its border to prevent Hitler gaining control of them.
Stalin then decided to make a deal with Hitler. This was not an alliance, but a non-aggression pact.
The pact included an agreement about which parts of Europe the Nazis and USSR would control, with each agreeing not to interfere in the other’s sphere of influence. This was very similar to the relationship which Stalin and the USSR would later have with the USA and its allies in Europe.
Stalin (correctly) believed the pact did not mean Hitler would not attack the USSR eventually. As Germany took control of Western Europe, Stalin invaded and annexed parts of Eastern Europe such as Latvia, Estonia and areas of Romania.

11. A Grand Alliance?
In 1941, the USSR entered World War Two when Hitler launched a surprise invasion. Despite Stalin’s preparations, the Germans made huge advances into Soviet territory at a cost of hundreds of thousands of Soviet lives.
By the end of 1941, the United States also entered the war after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbour. The three major nations now fighting against the Nazis – the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain formed the Grand Alliance.
Despite cooperating against their common enemy, there were key differences between the allies from the start which put in question how long their alliance would last after the war.
The United States wanted to defeat Germany and restore stability to Europe as quickly as possible, and to create conditions it could trade and be successful in.
The Soviet Union wanted to inflict a decisive defeat on Germany which would ensure it would not be able to do such devastating damage to the USSR again. They also wanted to create a “sphere” of communist friendly countries around its border.
Britain wanted to preserve its empire and to remain a major power in Europe. Churchill wanted to avoid the USSR using the war to massively expand its territory.
Key Issue:
Why could there have been tension between the USSR and its allies, even during World War 2?