Transcript Origins of the Cold War, Part I

Origins of the Cold War
Origins of the Cold War –
#1 Ideological Differences
Different philosophies/ideologies:
– Democratic capitalism
– Marxist communism
United States – Soviet Union
Free elections
Democratic
Capitalist
“Survival of the
Fittest”
Richest world power
Personal freedom
Freedom of the media
No elections or fixed
elections
Dictatorship
Communist
Everyone helps
everyone else
(collective good)
Society controlled by
the secret police
Total censorship
Represents views of
workers
Origins of the Cold War –
Prior to WWII
No Soviet representative
participated in the Treaty of
Versailles
The U.S. had intervened in the
Russian Civil War against the
Bolsheviks by supporting the
“Whites” – tsarist forces
The U.S. did not establish
diplomatic relations until 1933
The Soviets were not invited to
join the League of Nations until
1934
Origins of the Cold War –
Prior to WWII
The Western Allies had
appeased the growing power of
Hitler partly in the hope that
he would destroy the Soviet
state for them. The U.S. and
Britain believed that Stalin was
a bigger threat than Hitler
The USSR signed the NaziSoviet Pact (MolotovRibbentrop Pact) to delay a
German invasion
Origins of the Cold War –
#2 Delay of Second Front
Delays in opening a
second front angered
the Soviets
Western leaders
promised it in 1942 &
43, but only delivered
in mid-1944
From the fall of France
until mid-1944, most
of the fighting was left
up to the Soviets
What message is the Soviet
cartoonist conveying?
In the cradle of German fascism –
“Good Day Adolf Hitler” – 1933
Origins of the Cold War –
#3 Atomic Bombs
Britain and the U.S. didn’t help the
Soviets in developing atomic weapons
The U.S. had used nuclear weapons on
Japan and Stalin was fearful of nuclear
blackmail or an attack
This led to the arms race
Origins of the Cold War –
#3 Atomic Bombs
1949 – The Soviets exploded
an atomic bomb
In response, Truman ordered
the development of the “Hbomb” (hydrogen bomb),
which is 750 times more
powerful than an atomic bomb
1952 – The U.S. tested its first
H-bomb at Bikini Atoll in the
Marshall Islands
1953 – The Soviets tested
their first H-bomb
Each side tried to outdo the
other in the scramble to build
more destructive weapons
#4 – Teheran Conference
(Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 1943)
First meeting of the “Big-Three”
– Stalin
– Churchill
– F. Roosevelt
Its purpose was to set the direction of
WWII in Europe:
– The 2nd front was discussed
– Possible entry of the Soviets into the war
against Japan
– Possible creation of an international
organization to maintain peace after the war
#4 – Yalta Conference
(Feb. 3, 1945)
Most of the discussions involved the
arrangement of Europe following the end
of the war
Peace meant different things to each
leader:
– Stalin – an increase in Soviet power and
safeguards against further attacks
– Churchill – a free and democratic Europe with
Britain at its head
– Roosevelt – world democracy headed by the
U.S.
#4 – Yalta Conference
(Feb. 3, 1945)
The decisions at Yalta were:
– Germany will be dearmed, denazified,
demilitarized and divided
– Temporarily divide Germany into four zones
of occupation, but it was to eventually be one
country
– Stalin agreed to free, democratic and secret
elections in Poland and all European
countries
– Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan
– Agreed on the UN
#4 – Potsdam
(Jul. 16-Aug. 2, 1945)
Truman, Atlee, and Stalin. The Western
leaders didn’t get along well with Stalin.
Their decisions were:
– To denazify and demilitarize in their own
ways in their own zones
– The Soviets were to receive reparations
(25% from the West zones) and the rest in
food from the East zone
– The U.S. felt like there had not been a “free
and democratic” vote in Poland
– United Nations was created
Origins of the Cold War –
Immediate Aftermath of WWII
With the serious weakening of Britain
and France as world powers, only the
U.S. and USSR were left as
superpowers
Origins of the Cold War –
#5 Sovietization of
Eastern Europe
Soviets want buffer zone for protection
All countries in Eastern Europe became
communist
East Germany and other countries
became marginally independent
“satellite” states bound to the Soviet
Union
How to Make a Country Communist
– Salami Tactics
The local military, police, and society
would be infiltrated by Soviet Military
Intelligence
Each of the parties was “sliced off”
one after the other
– Eliminated anti-Communist leaders
before elections
– Forcefully installed a Communist
government
Case Study –
Sovietization of Poland
Russia and Poland never got along:
–
–
–
–
Poland had been partitioned three times
Poles invaded Russia
Katyn Forest Massacre
Red Army halts
Case Study –
Sovietization of Poland
At Yalta, it was determined that Poland
would hold free elections to determine
their government
In Jan. 1947 in Poland, elections
distinguished by massive voter fraud
gave the Communists 93% of seats
– Deportations to Siberia
– Winning candidates from democratic parties
were murdered, were arrested, or fled
– Millions of voters were taken off the register
Iran Controversy (1946)
After WWII ended, Stalin broke an
agreement to remove his troops from
Iran’s northernmost province
He had occupied the land during WWII
with British and American approval
Why?
–
–
–
The Soviets needed the oil
It was a supply line to the USSR
The Shah was pro-German during the war
When Truman protested to the UN,
Stalin backed down
Italy
In Italy, the Communists were showing signs
of great strength going into the April election
Def. Sec. Forrestal worked closely with the
Catholic Church, which feared the Vatican
falling behind the Iron Curtain
Prominent Italian archbishops proclaimed that
anyone who voted for the Communists would
not be allowed to receive holy absolution
The U.S. funded democratic parties in Italy
In the days before the voting, he ordered
Navy planes to fly over major cities in a show
of force
When the election came, the Communists
were defeated
France
Communists had organized campaigns
of looting and vandalism in major cities
and a mammoth strike involving 3
million workers that brought the
country’s economy to a virtual stop
13,000 troops had been needed in
Marseilles
The Marshall Plan would help to subdue
any notion of a Communist France
Origins of the Cold War –
#7 Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech
In March 1946, Churchill addressed
the American people with his famous
Iron Curtain speech, “From Stettin in
the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic,
an iron curtain has descended across
the Continent of Europe”
These words marked the beginning
of the Cold War
Origins of the Cold War –
#7 Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech
Soviet Reaction –
– Thought it was “racist” and a “call to
war with the Soviet Union”
– Withdrew from the IMF
– Stepped up anti-West propaganda
– Initiated a new 5-year plan