Cold War: Beginnings
Background
Soviet Union USA and Britain
- Socialist/communist USA and Britain:
- State controlled economy - Capitalism (individual over collective) and
- State owned and ran industry liberal democracy many parties
- Dictatorship, one-party state ruled by terror - Businesses and property owned by individual
- State controlled every aspect of life with no - Democracy, individual freedom, defined by
individual rights or freedoms law
- Everyone is equal, quality of life is lower - Divide between rich and poor
- Wants over nations to adopt Soviet-style - Wants over nations to adopt democratic
communism and stop the spread of governments (capitalism) and stop the spread
capatalism of communism
- Most Americans thought that freedom from
government control was more important than
equality
Pre-exiting tensions:
- 1917 Russian Communist Revolution: USSR pulls out of war. Big 3 sent forces
to Russia to fight them - harbours mistrust with West
- 1930 Munich Conference: Britain, France and Italy allowed Hitler to take some
of Czechoslovakia, pushing Germany closer to Russia - Stalin feels betrayed
- Nazi-Soviet pact: Britain and France were horrified that Soviet Union occupied
half of Poland as a result. Expansion of communism into Poland.
- Soviet Union fear: West will impose beliefs on soviet people
- West fears: Soviet Union will spread beliefs worldwide
- Tensions on how to govern post war Europe
- Russia had been invaded by Eastern Europe twice in the past 40 years - Stalin
wanted a buffer zone
Second World War
- 1939-1941: Britain and Soviet Union have fought against each other
- Grand Alliance: Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
- Stalin refused to share wartime strategies with Britain and the USA
- Churchill did not share his knowledge of German troop movements with Stalin
, - 1941: Soviet Union had been invaded, USA and Britain had provided weapons,
ships, aircrafts and food to resist German invasion
- 1945: Winning war - Britain and France attacking in the West and USSR the East
- 25th April 1945: Soviet and US forces meet at the River Elbe (central Germany)
- Suspicious of each other, Stalin wants to enter Berlin before the US
- Stalin wants control of important military sites, developing atomic weapons
- End of April 1945: Soviet troops control Berlin
- 8th May 1945: Germany surrendered
- The alliance seemed positive and united to the public
- 80% of all German soldiers that died died fighting the soviets
- 17, 000 Soviet towns and cities destroyed; 70, 000 Russian villages destroyed
Second World War: Atomic Bomb
- Western allies continue to fight Japan
- August 1945: Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Japan
- The atomic bombs had been a secret from Stalin - he worries that they plan to
use them against the USSR (he had spies)
- Why a secret?: USA believe in sovereignty, ethical concerns/be stopped, trigger
arms race
- Threat of nuclear weapons becomes a constant theme = arms race
- 1949: USSR become a nuclear power - up research
- 1964: Britain, France and China had acidic bombs
- Loss of trust and ideological differences lead to strained relations
Second World War: Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam
, Discuss:
- How to defeat Germany and Japan
- How to govern post-war Europe
- What will happen to Germany post-war
Personal Tensions:
- Known as the ‘Big Three’
- 1941 - 1945 (R’s death): Beliefs and ambitions dominate world politics
- 1941 onwards: The suspicions of another shaped relations
- Differences in political beliefs lead to the breakdown of relations at end of WW2
Wartime Conferences
November 1943: Tehran
Present: Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt
Agree:
- Open a second front in France to ease pressure off USSR in West
- USSR to join war against Japan after Germany’s defeat
- Discussion of post war borders (Poland receiving some of Germany’s land)
- A UN will be formed to prevent war
Disagreements: Few major disputes, hints at disputes over Poland + post war influence
Relations: Co-operative, allied and strong
February 1945: Yalta
Present: Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt
Agree:
- Germany divided into 4 zones (USSR, USA, UK and later France)
- Berlin to also be divided
- Germany to be de-nazified, war criminals hunted down and put on trial
- Creation of UN
- USSR promise to join war against Japan
- Free elections in occupied Eastern European countries after the war
- Eastern Europe would be a part of USSR’s sphere of influence
Disagreements:
- Stalin wanted to absorb East Poland into the USSR
- Poland USSR want a communist government, UK + USA want free elections
Relations: Still co-operative but some cracks
- In return for a compromise on the Soviet border with Poland. Soviets promised
not to interfere with Greece (where Britain is trying to prevent a communist
takeover)
Background
Soviet Union USA and Britain
- Socialist/communist USA and Britain:
- State controlled economy - Capitalism (individual over collective) and
- State owned and ran industry liberal democracy many parties
- Dictatorship, one-party state ruled by terror - Businesses and property owned by individual
- State controlled every aspect of life with no - Democracy, individual freedom, defined by
individual rights or freedoms law
- Everyone is equal, quality of life is lower - Divide between rich and poor
- Wants over nations to adopt Soviet-style - Wants over nations to adopt democratic
communism and stop the spread of governments (capitalism) and stop the spread
capatalism of communism
- Most Americans thought that freedom from
government control was more important than
equality
Pre-exiting tensions:
- 1917 Russian Communist Revolution: USSR pulls out of war. Big 3 sent forces
to Russia to fight them - harbours mistrust with West
- 1930 Munich Conference: Britain, France and Italy allowed Hitler to take some
of Czechoslovakia, pushing Germany closer to Russia - Stalin feels betrayed
- Nazi-Soviet pact: Britain and France were horrified that Soviet Union occupied
half of Poland as a result. Expansion of communism into Poland.
- Soviet Union fear: West will impose beliefs on soviet people
- West fears: Soviet Union will spread beliefs worldwide
- Tensions on how to govern post war Europe
- Russia had been invaded by Eastern Europe twice in the past 40 years - Stalin
wanted a buffer zone
Second World War
- 1939-1941: Britain and Soviet Union have fought against each other
- Grand Alliance: Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
- Stalin refused to share wartime strategies with Britain and the USA
- Churchill did not share his knowledge of German troop movements with Stalin
, - 1941: Soviet Union had been invaded, USA and Britain had provided weapons,
ships, aircrafts and food to resist German invasion
- 1945: Winning war - Britain and France attacking in the West and USSR the East
- 25th April 1945: Soviet and US forces meet at the River Elbe (central Germany)
- Suspicious of each other, Stalin wants to enter Berlin before the US
- Stalin wants control of important military sites, developing atomic weapons
- End of April 1945: Soviet troops control Berlin
- 8th May 1945: Germany surrendered
- The alliance seemed positive and united to the public
- 80% of all German soldiers that died died fighting the soviets
- 17, 000 Soviet towns and cities destroyed; 70, 000 Russian villages destroyed
Second World War: Atomic Bomb
- Western allies continue to fight Japan
- August 1945: Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Japan
- The atomic bombs had been a secret from Stalin - he worries that they plan to
use them against the USSR (he had spies)
- Why a secret?: USA believe in sovereignty, ethical concerns/be stopped, trigger
arms race
- Threat of nuclear weapons becomes a constant theme = arms race
- 1949: USSR become a nuclear power - up research
- 1964: Britain, France and China had acidic bombs
- Loss of trust and ideological differences lead to strained relations
Second World War: Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam
, Discuss:
- How to defeat Germany and Japan
- How to govern post-war Europe
- What will happen to Germany post-war
Personal Tensions:
- Known as the ‘Big Three’
- 1941 - 1945 (R’s death): Beliefs and ambitions dominate world politics
- 1941 onwards: The suspicions of another shaped relations
- Differences in political beliefs lead to the breakdown of relations at end of WW2
Wartime Conferences
November 1943: Tehran
Present: Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt
Agree:
- Open a second front in France to ease pressure off USSR in West
- USSR to join war against Japan after Germany’s defeat
- Discussion of post war borders (Poland receiving some of Germany’s land)
- A UN will be formed to prevent war
Disagreements: Few major disputes, hints at disputes over Poland + post war influence
Relations: Co-operative, allied and strong
February 1945: Yalta
Present: Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt
Agree:
- Germany divided into 4 zones (USSR, USA, UK and later France)
- Berlin to also be divided
- Germany to be de-nazified, war criminals hunted down and put on trial
- Creation of UN
- USSR promise to join war against Japan
- Free elections in occupied Eastern European countries after the war
- Eastern Europe would be a part of USSR’s sphere of influence
Disagreements:
- Stalin wanted to absorb East Poland into the USSR
- Poland USSR want a communist government, UK + USA want free elections
Relations: Still co-operative but some cracks
- In return for a compromise on the Soviet border with Poland. Soviets promised
not to interfere with Greece (where Britain is trying to prevent a communist
takeover)
