Transcript Document

Selected documents
Origins of the Cold War
Molotov's Speech, 31 August 1939 about singing the
‘The Molotov-Ribentrop Pact, 1939
Why did the Soviet Union conclude a pact with Germany in
1939?
1)
2)
3)
Problems with Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations for the
conclusion of a pact of mutual assistance against aggression in
Europe
A denial of Poland to admit the Soviet military assistance
A need to establish good neighborly relationship with Germany
Tehran Conference, 1943: Memorandum on Conversation between
Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt, 30 November, 1943
What were the major points of agreement and conflict between the Big
Three at the Teheran Conference in 1943?
Poland: agreement of all the participants – Poland should be friendly to
the Soviet Union and its “division” is enviable.
Disagreement: the line of division;
Germany: agreement of all the participants – Germany must be parted
into several small weak states.
Tehran Conference: Roosevelt-Stalin Meeting
What did Roosevelt recommend Stalin to
implement in Eastern European states?
The president – referendum,
Stalin – “in accordance with the Soviet
constitution but that he could not agree to
any form of international control.”
Memorandum from the Maisky Commission to Molotov,
January 1944
What does the Maisky’s memorandum
reveal about Soviet plans for post-war
Europe?
1) Germany and Poland –are permanent
problems
2) we could cooperate with the USA, Great
Britain
W. Churchill’s recounts about meeting with Stalin in
Moscow, October 1944 and famous ‘percentage
agreement ‘with Stalin
What do you think was the significance of
the Stalin-Churchill’s October agreement?
Kennan’s telegram from Moscow, 22 February 1946/The
Novikov Telegram
Evaluate Kennan’s and Novikov’s appraisal of Soviet and
American foreign policy conduct?
Kennan: ‘we have here a political force committed fanatically to the
belief that with US there can be no permanent modus vivendi [way
of living together] that it is desirable and necessary that the internal
harmony of our society be disrupted, our traditional way of life be
destroyed, the international authority of our state be broken, if Soviet
power is to be secure.” (USSR is a threat for inside life of the U.S.)
Novikov: Careful note should betaken of the fact that the preparation by
the United State for a future is being conducted with the prospect of
war against the Soviet Union, which in the eyes of the American
imperialists is the main obstacle in the path of the United States to
world domination. (US is main threat for USSR in international
arena)
Stalin's Reply to Churchill
Did Stalin have a convincing answer to the
accusations in Churchill’s speech about
Iron Curtain?
Report, "American Relations With The Soviet Union" by
Clark Clifford, September 24, 1946.
What kind of measures did Clifford suppose to ‘prevent
additional Soviet aggression’?
Restraint the Soviet Union by military means
Zhdanov on the Founding of the Cominform,
September 1947
What was the purpose of the Cominform
when it was founded in September 1947?
To stop a crusade against the USSR
announced by the U.S.
German question: from friendly to
hostile division
What is “German question” in the reality of 1950s
1.
During the 2 WW and during the initial cold war
context:
• How to divide and create new a weak, agrarian,
demilitarized Germany>>
The Big Three – created the discourse about
1) “Zones”,
2) reparations
3) democratization of “Zones” +
4) high authority and free hands of zonal military
administration.
What is “German question”?
2. In historiography:
It is process of finding the answers on the following
questions:
– Why the allies could not unify Germany or why they
did not want to do it?
– Who was responsible for the long division of nation?
>>
German question: the turning points, 1943-61
I) 1943-45:
• The idea to divide and to weaken (Tehran conference)
was suitable for both Soviets ad Americans:
– Stalin – to prevent a new aggression
– Roosevelt – to give Germans a lesson
• Dissent voices:
– Moscow: European Advising Commission, London: a Soviet draft
of unification after short period of democratization by the Allied
Control Council, 1944
– Washington: Department of States: to integrate Germany in West
world
• Potsdam conference, August 1945:
– Soviet demands for huge reparations will be later against
Marshal plan;
– Too much authority was attributed to the Zonal military
administrations;
– Indefinite words about future unification.
German question: the turning points, 1943-61
II) 1945-1946: the chances for unification have been lost:
• Zones with independent administrations, where own,
uncoordinated reforms were imposed
• Development and reinforcing the political parties >>
communists\social-democrats
• Absent of a native German government like it was in
Japan;
• Soviet high demands reparations from American Zone;
• James Burns’ speech about development of the
democracy in One Zone.
• Now in literature: Stalin was ready to change the
implantation of the Western style of the democracy in
East Part for getting huge reparations from the West
Zones +
• Stalin was against to build a socialism in the Zone until
1952
German question: the turning points, 1943-61
III) 1947-1949:
• Marshal Plan and European economic integration became against
Soviet reparations received from the West Zone >> to keep own
Zones
• Bizone- unification of British and American zones and independent
currency reform, 1947-1948 and Trizone >> West German federal
state
• European military alliance with the U.S. became against
demilitarizating and weakening Germany >> to keep own Zone
• As s result, the currency reform in Western parts of Germany, + and
Berlin blockade, 1948-1949 >>
• The edge of American-Soviet war in Germany.
• “A disintegrated atom created a divided Germany”
• Formal establishment of FRG and GDR, 1949
German question: the turning points, 1943-61
IV) 1950-52
• Domestic affairs in two parts: positive economic
development against economical crisis; Strong
democratic parties against unpopular communist
parties >>
• Stalin’ diplomatic note, March 12, 1952 :
– This is letter + a draft of German Peace Treaty;
– Neutrality and unification with withdrawal of all military
forces.>>
• Answer of the West: April 2, 1952
– Referendum for neutrality and unification
– Independent elections
– USA were not ready to unify Germany, because W.
Germany had become a part of north-Atlantic defense
system;
Two citations from documents
• Note as a Soviet draft for German Peace
Treaty: “….Germany is re-established as a
unified state, all armed forces must be
withdrawn…”
• Department of States memorandum about
potential German Unification: “the U. S. is
likely to unify Germany as a part of European
Defense Community, and we should avoid the
talks with the Soviet Union…”
German question: the turning points, 1943-61
IV) 1950-52
• A meeting with the German communists, April 1952
– Stalin pushed them to build a socialist state
Problem in historiography: generous step or
propaganda?
– No answer.
– Two opinions:
• Stalin was afraid of West Germany as a member of
a new West military alliance >> any Germany, but
neutral Germany was suitable for him
• A pure bluff
German question: the turning points, 1943-61
V) 1953-1961: the rejection to unify Germany, because all
participants were interested in keeping what they have obtained
• New concept elaborated by the Soviet leadership - German question
is not international problem but it is the question of German people
>>
• Berlin crisis 1958 -1961:
– Khrushchev’s ultimatum: to start talks about peace treaty with Germany
and Free Berlin;
– Khrushchev built the wall during one night, august 1961
– From 1961 Soviet Union began process of building the socialist society
in GDR.
– 1964: the Treaty with East Germany
What is “German question”: historiography
ANSWERS:
1) Concept of complete impossibility to resolve the GQ
2) Concept of untapped (missed) chances
3) Responsibility approach
Shared points of view:
1) The Big Three did not elaborate the acceptable political
formula and mechanism how to unify the Zones before
Marshal plan, 1947 and Blockade of Berlin, 1948;
2) The Soviet leadership should not blamed alone for the
division, because its activity was more consistent to
the previous agreements, but the West initiated new
politics like EU, Marshal Plan, NATO with including
Trizone.
Homework
Analysis of documents: reading and
questions
File “ Documents_2”
Final assessment of the Cold War
Origins
• 3 major interpretations regarding the origins
of the Cold War:
1) the orthodox interpretation - a responsibility
for the breakdown of the wartime Grand Alliance
to the Soviet Union:
• Stalin expanded communism in Europe, the
Middle East, and the Far East, and
• The U.S. had no choice but to check Soviet
expansionism.
• So, ideological clash
Soviet historians - the United States exaggerated
any threat the Soviet Union may have posed to
the United States at the end of World War
1 famous alternative view in orthodox: Hans
Morgenthau and Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
• traditional goals of Russian expansionism, rather
than communist ideology, was premises for the
Cold War;
• Americans failed to appreciate the nature of
Stalin's ambitions,
• and the Soviets could not understand the cause
of American sensitivity. >>
• the Cold Wary was the product of mutual
misunderstanding.
• Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Hans J. Morgenthau,
The Origins of the Cold War (1970)
Final assessment of the Cold War
Origins
2) Revisionist (Gabriel Kolko):
• Economic factor - the Truman administration
supported for a interventionist strategy designed
to make the world safe for American
capitalism:
• global open door policy of equal trade,
• investment opportunity,
• private enterprise,
• multilateral cooperation in foreign commerce
• freedom of the seas
Final assessment of the Cold War
Origins: revisionists
• The Soviet Union: did not want to
subordinate its economic system
• Losing control in countries with strong
communist parties resulted in American
support of conservative establishments.
Gabriel Kolko and Joyce Kolko,
The Limits of Power: The World and United
States Foreign Policy, 1945-1954 (1972)
Final assessment of the Cold War
Origins
• 3) post-revisionism (John Gaddis):
• both internal and external influences
important in explaining the breakdown of
the Grand Alliance:
• domestic politics,
• bureaucracy,
• personality,
• specific perceptions of Soviet intentions
Final conclusion of N. Tsvetkova
• ideological differences are insufficient to
explain the Cold War after World War II
• Soviet and American interests now collided as
both nations attempted to fill the power vacuum
created by the collapse of Germany and Japan:
Europe, Asia
• Misunderstanding: Russian political
expansionism clashed with American global
economic policy