THE COLD WAR
12.1 Origins of the Cold War
May 2010: Evaluate the role of the policies of the United States in the origins of the Cold
War between 1945 and 1949.
May 2010 TZ2: To what extent were the policies of the United States responsible for the
outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?
Nov 2010: Compare and contrast the roles of Truman and Stalin in the breakdown of East–
West relations.
May 2011: For what reasons, and to what extent, did the Yalta Conference of February 1945
contribute to the origins of the Cold War?
May 2011 TZ2: For what reasons, and to what extent, did the Potsdam Conference of July
1945 contribute to the development of the Cold War?
Nov 2011: “The Potsdam Conference marked the end of the wartime alliance and laid the
foundations for post-war hostility.” With reference to the period up to 1949, to what extent do
you agree with this statement?
May 2012: Assess the role of Truman and Stalin in the origins and development of the Cold
War.
May 2012 TZ2: “Conflicting views about the treatment of Germany were a major cause of
the Cold War.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Nov 2012: Evaluate the importance of each of the following in the breakdown of East–West
relations, 1945–1949: the Potsdam Conference; the sovietization of Eastern and Central
Europe; the Marshall Plan.
May 2013: Post-war enmity was the product of longer term ideological differences.” To what
extent do you agree with this statement on the origins of the Cold War up to 1949?
May 2013 TZ2: “Mutual fears and the search for security were the reasons for the
breakdown of East–West relations between 1945 and 1949.” With specific reference to
developments in this period, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
May 2014: “The conferences of 1945 at Yalta and Potsdam marked both the high point and
the breaking point of the wartime alliance of East and West.” To what extent do you agree
with this statement?
May 2014 TZ2: Evaluate the reasons for the change in East–West relations from the Yalta
conference to the end of the Potsdam conference.
Nov 2014: To what extent did decisions about post-war Germany contribute to the
breakdown of East–West relations between 1945 and 1949?
May 2015: Evaluate the successes and failures of the Marshall Plan.
May 2015: “Truman caused the Cold War and, in 1962, Kennedy resolved its greatest
crisis.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Nov 2015: “Stalin and Truman were equally responsible for the emergence of the Cold War.”
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
May 2016 TZ2: To what extent did mutual fear and suspicion contribute to the development
of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?
Nov 2010 (Paper 3): Assess the impact of Cold War tensions on Western Europe between
1945 and 1955.
May 2013 (Paper 3): Assess Stalin’s role in the collapse of the wartime alliance.
Timeline
1939 - German invasion of Poland, Br + Fr declare war on Germany
1940 - Hitler takes over Norway, Denmark, Ned, Belg, France
1941 - German operation Barbarossa → invades USSR, Pearl harbor brings USA into war
1942 - German attack on Stalingrad
1943 - German defeat at Stalingrad, allied invasion of Italy, Cairo and Tehran Conference
,1944 - D-Day landings by Br + US forces begin in Normandy
1945 - Warsaw falls to Soviet troops, Yalta conference, Roosevelt dies, Truman replaces
hm, UN’s first meeting in San francisco, Germany surrenders, Potsdam conference, Nukes
in Japan (Aug 6th and 9th), Japan surrenders
1946 - Kennan Telegram, Iran Crisis, Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech at Fulton Missouri
1947 - Truman doctrine announced to Greece + Turkey, Marshall Plan for economic
recovery proposed, Creation of Cominform
1948 - Marshall plan implemented, Czechoslovak Coup, Berlin Airlift
1949 - COMECON established, NATO established, Berlin blockade ends, USSR explodes
first atom bomb, Federal Republic of Germany established, German Democratic Republic
established
Overview
American Journalist Walter Lippmann coined the term ‘Cold War’
When did it start?
o Some say July 1945 at Potsdam
o Others argue dropping of atom bomb in August 1945 (USA didn’t inform ally
USSR)
Between 1945-48, Stalin violated promises of free elections in Eastern Europe
^ This + Civil war in China (w/ CCP winning) caused Truman to announce Truman
Doctrine
o Initially a commitment to Greece + Turkey… but extended globally
USA TRADITIONALLY ISOLATIONIST (Containment = opposite)
Truman Doctrine followed by Marshall Plan (US pledge to lend econ support)
Germany = TROUBLE SPOT
o Berlin located in Russian controlled Eastern zone
o (Capitalist land in communist area)
o 1948, Stalin implemented a blockade… US had to airlift supplies
o Now clear that it wd/ be impossible to unite the two zones
1949, Germany divided into independent EAST/WEST zones
1949 - China became a communist nation (MAJOR blow for USA)
1949 - Russia exploded their first atomic bomb (another MAJOR blow for USA)
After having ‘lost’ Europe + China to communism… USA turned the cold war into a
‘hot’ war in Korea 1950-53
Between 1945-53, ‘the two superpowers had gone from cautious optimism to fighting
a fierce struggle for world domination’
Different Ideologies
Cold War = state of permanent hostility between two systems.
Communism Capitalism/Liberalism
State controls means of production s In a capitalist society, private
Aimed for ‘equal’ society w/ people ownership/private businesses =
working collectively for greater good cornerstones of the society
The Communist party in the USSR Competition + free market
claimed to represent interests of the produce wealth
working class masses → argued there (Russian’s saw this as a new
was no need for other parties form of imperialism)
USSR blamed West for richer classes In the West, multi-party system
influencing political parties + media in guarantees a democracy
the West Freedom of speech/press etc. =
, Religion = means for upper classes to vital
oppress poor classes Church/State sep. in US
USSR = ‘dictatorship of proletariat’, ie constitution… but USA had a
took dictatorial measures to ensure strong Christian tradition
socialism USA = leader of the free world
vs. ‘Godless communism’
USA/USSR rivalry existed since 1917
Ever since Bolshevik revolution… USA suspicious of communism/USSR
o Bolsheviks believed in world revolution
o Comintern set up in 1919 to promote this
o USA helped the Whites in Russian civil war
USSR wasn’t allowed to join League until 1936
Munich Agreement 1938 increased Stalin’s hatred towards West… they betrayed him
USSR/USA represented two FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT systems and
ideologies
How did WWII Contribute to the Cold War?
USA came out of war as econ. superpower, USSR in ruins
USA also had a nuclear monopoly
Still… USA + USSR two new superpowers (Br + Fr in decline … old imperial powers)
o Both had military victories
Enormous power vacuum in Germany → Decisions at Yalta/Potsdam were made to
divide Germany into ‘zones of occupation’
Red Army had liberated most of Eastern Europe … Stalin believed that since USSR
occupied these territories, they had the right to impose control
o 1944, Churchill + Stalin agreed on Percentages Agreement (Romania,
Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia)
During war, Japan occupied Korea, China, Indochina
o In 1943, Churchill + Roosevelt issued the Cairo Declaration, saying Korea
wd/ be independent + Japan wd/ be expelled from all territories
o USSR confirmed this commitment at Potsdam
o Korea/Vietnam were to be temporarily divided + later unified
o … left a Power Vacuum
Grand Alliance in WWII = marriage of convenience/necessity
o Rivalry from wartime conferences was ROOTED IN WARTIME
ANTAGONISM
West blamed Stalin for signing Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939
Stalin blamed USA/Britain for failing to open a second front soon
enough, he needed one in 1941 after the German invasion, but allies
opened one in 1944
Stalin convinced that they had purposefully stalled
90 Russians for every single American … Stalin was bitter
USA suspicious that Stalin didn’t join the war in Asia earlier
Wartime Conferences
Tehran and Cairo 1943
At Cairo, Cairo Declaration was formed… allies wd/ continue war vs. Japan, Japan
wd/ lose all conquered lands + no allies wd/ gain land on mainland Asia
At Tehran, no clear resolutions made… but relations were cordial. They solidified
certain war plans, eg: Soviets wd/ eventually join war w/ Japan… agreed on need for
new intl. org to replace league, agreed on weak post-War Germany
12.1 Origins of the Cold War
May 2010: Evaluate the role of the policies of the United States in the origins of the Cold
War between 1945 and 1949.
May 2010 TZ2: To what extent were the policies of the United States responsible for the
outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?
Nov 2010: Compare and contrast the roles of Truman and Stalin in the breakdown of East–
West relations.
May 2011: For what reasons, and to what extent, did the Yalta Conference of February 1945
contribute to the origins of the Cold War?
May 2011 TZ2: For what reasons, and to what extent, did the Potsdam Conference of July
1945 contribute to the development of the Cold War?
Nov 2011: “The Potsdam Conference marked the end of the wartime alliance and laid the
foundations for post-war hostility.” With reference to the period up to 1949, to what extent do
you agree with this statement?
May 2012: Assess the role of Truman and Stalin in the origins and development of the Cold
War.
May 2012 TZ2: “Conflicting views about the treatment of Germany were a major cause of
the Cold War.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Nov 2012: Evaluate the importance of each of the following in the breakdown of East–West
relations, 1945–1949: the Potsdam Conference; the sovietization of Eastern and Central
Europe; the Marshall Plan.
May 2013: Post-war enmity was the product of longer term ideological differences.” To what
extent do you agree with this statement on the origins of the Cold War up to 1949?
May 2013 TZ2: “Mutual fears and the search for security were the reasons for the
breakdown of East–West relations between 1945 and 1949.” With specific reference to
developments in this period, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
May 2014: “The conferences of 1945 at Yalta and Potsdam marked both the high point and
the breaking point of the wartime alliance of East and West.” To what extent do you agree
with this statement?
May 2014 TZ2: Evaluate the reasons for the change in East–West relations from the Yalta
conference to the end of the Potsdam conference.
Nov 2014: To what extent did decisions about post-war Germany contribute to the
breakdown of East–West relations between 1945 and 1949?
May 2015: Evaluate the successes and failures of the Marshall Plan.
May 2015: “Truman caused the Cold War and, in 1962, Kennedy resolved its greatest
crisis.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Nov 2015: “Stalin and Truman were equally responsible for the emergence of the Cold War.”
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
May 2016 TZ2: To what extent did mutual fear and suspicion contribute to the development
of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?
Nov 2010 (Paper 3): Assess the impact of Cold War tensions on Western Europe between
1945 and 1955.
May 2013 (Paper 3): Assess Stalin’s role in the collapse of the wartime alliance.
Timeline
1939 - German invasion of Poland, Br + Fr declare war on Germany
1940 - Hitler takes over Norway, Denmark, Ned, Belg, France
1941 - German operation Barbarossa → invades USSR, Pearl harbor brings USA into war
1942 - German attack on Stalingrad
1943 - German defeat at Stalingrad, allied invasion of Italy, Cairo and Tehran Conference
,1944 - D-Day landings by Br + US forces begin in Normandy
1945 - Warsaw falls to Soviet troops, Yalta conference, Roosevelt dies, Truman replaces
hm, UN’s first meeting in San francisco, Germany surrenders, Potsdam conference, Nukes
in Japan (Aug 6th and 9th), Japan surrenders
1946 - Kennan Telegram, Iran Crisis, Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech at Fulton Missouri
1947 - Truman doctrine announced to Greece + Turkey, Marshall Plan for economic
recovery proposed, Creation of Cominform
1948 - Marshall plan implemented, Czechoslovak Coup, Berlin Airlift
1949 - COMECON established, NATO established, Berlin blockade ends, USSR explodes
first atom bomb, Federal Republic of Germany established, German Democratic Republic
established
Overview
American Journalist Walter Lippmann coined the term ‘Cold War’
When did it start?
o Some say July 1945 at Potsdam
o Others argue dropping of atom bomb in August 1945 (USA didn’t inform ally
USSR)
Between 1945-48, Stalin violated promises of free elections in Eastern Europe
^ This + Civil war in China (w/ CCP winning) caused Truman to announce Truman
Doctrine
o Initially a commitment to Greece + Turkey… but extended globally
USA TRADITIONALLY ISOLATIONIST (Containment = opposite)
Truman Doctrine followed by Marshall Plan (US pledge to lend econ support)
Germany = TROUBLE SPOT
o Berlin located in Russian controlled Eastern zone
o (Capitalist land in communist area)
o 1948, Stalin implemented a blockade… US had to airlift supplies
o Now clear that it wd/ be impossible to unite the two zones
1949, Germany divided into independent EAST/WEST zones
1949 - China became a communist nation (MAJOR blow for USA)
1949 - Russia exploded their first atomic bomb (another MAJOR blow for USA)
After having ‘lost’ Europe + China to communism… USA turned the cold war into a
‘hot’ war in Korea 1950-53
Between 1945-53, ‘the two superpowers had gone from cautious optimism to fighting
a fierce struggle for world domination’
Different Ideologies
Cold War = state of permanent hostility between two systems.
Communism Capitalism/Liberalism
State controls means of production s In a capitalist society, private
Aimed for ‘equal’ society w/ people ownership/private businesses =
working collectively for greater good cornerstones of the society
The Communist party in the USSR Competition + free market
claimed to represent interests of the produce wealth
working class masses → argued there (Russian’s saw this as a new
was no need for other parties form of imperialism)
USSR blamed West for richer classes In the West, multi-party system
influencing political parties + media in guarantees a democracy
the West Freedom of speech/press etc. =
, Religion = means for upper classes to vital
oppress poor classes Church/State sep. in US
USSR = ‘dictatorship of proletariat’, ie constitution… but USA had a
took dictatorial measures to ensure strong Christian tradition
socialism USA = leader of the free world
vs. ‘Godless communism’
USA/USSR rivalry existed since 1917
Ever since Bolshevik revolution… USA suspicious of communism/USSR
o Bolsheviks believed in world revolution
o Comintern set up in 1919 to promote this
o USA helped the Whites in Russian civil war
USSR wasn’t allowed to join League until 1936
Munich Agreement 1938 increased Stalin’s hatred towards West… they betrayed him
USSR/USA represented two FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT systems and
ideologies
How did WWII Contribute to the Cold War?
USA came out of war as econ. superpower, USSR in ruins
USA also had a nuclear monopoly
Still… USA + USSR two new superpowers (Br + Fr in decline … old imperial powers)
o Both had military victories
Enormous power vacuum in Germany → Decisions at Yalta/Potsdam were made to
divide Germany into ‘zones of occupation’
Red Army had liberated most of Eastern Europe … Stalin believed that since USSR
occupied these territories, they had the right to impose control
o 1944, Churchill + Stalin agreed on Percentages Agreement (Romania,
Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia)
During war, Japan occupied Korea, China, Indochina
o In 1943, Churchill + Roosevelt issued the Cairo Declaration, saying Korea
wd/ be independent + Japan wd/ be expelled from all territories
o USSR confirmed this commitment at Potsdam
o Korea/Vietnam were to be temporarily divided + later unified
o … left a Power Vacuum
Grand Alliance in WWII = marriage of convenience/necessity
o Rivalry from wartime conferences was ROOTED IN WARTIME
ANTAGONISM
West blamed Stalin for signing Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939
Stalin blamed USA/Britain for failing to open a second front soon
enough, he needed one in 1941 after the German invasion, but allies
opened one in 1944
Stalin convinced that they had purposefully stalled
90 Russians for every single American … Stalin was bitter
USA suspicious that Stalin didn’t join the war in Asia earlier
Wartime Conferences
Tehran and Cairo 1943
At Cairo, Cairo Declaration was formed… allies wd/ continue war vs. Japan, Japan
wd/ lose all conquered lands + no allies wd/ gain land on mainland Asia
At Tehran, no clear resolutions made… but relations were cordial. They solidified
certain war plans, eg: Soviets wd/ eventually join war w/ Japan… agreed on need for
new intl. org to replace league, agreed on weak post-War Germany
