1. History IGCSE
4 Whowas to blame for the ColdWar?
Why didthe USA-USSRalliance begintobreakdownin1945?
- WithGermanydefeatedthe USA andthe USSR nolongerhad a commonenemy tofear.
- The differentideologiesof the twocountries –capitalismandcommunism –made ithard for
themto trust eachother.
- The Yalta Conference ( 1945 )
The 1945 summitconferencesandthe breakdownof the USA-USSRalliance in1945–6
Roosevelt–democracyinEasternEurope and good relationswiththe USSR
Churchill –to stop StalinimposingcommunismonEasternEurope
Stalin– Securityof the USSR and wantedPolishterritory
Yalta February1945
- Divide Germanyintofour‘zones’,whichBritain,France,the USA andthe USSR wouldoccupyafter
the war.
- BringNazi war-criminalstotrial.
- Setup a PolishProvisional Governmentof National
- Helpthe freedpeoplesof Europe setupdemocraticand self-governingcountries
- Setup a commissiontolookintoreparations.
- AtYalta, the negotiationswentverymuchinStalin'sfavourdue tothe fact that Rooseveltwanted
Russianhelpinthe Pacific
PotsdamJuly1945
- To setup the four‘zonesof occupation’inGermany.
- To bringNazi war-criminalstotrial.
2. - To recognize the PolishProvisionalGovernmentof National Unityandhold'free andunfettered
electionsassoonaspossible'.
- Russiawasallowedtotake reparationsfromthe SovietZone,andalso10% of the industrial
equipmentof the westernzonesasreparations.
- AmericaandBritaincouldtake reparationsfromtheirzonesif theywished.
- AlthoughYaltaseemed successful,behindthe scenes,tensionwasgrowingparticularlyabout
reparations,andaboutPoland
- Relationsbetweenthe superpowershadworsenedconsiderablysince Yalta.
- Roosevelthaddied,andAmerica’snew presidentTrumaninsistedthathe would‘gettough’with
the Russians.
- Soonafterhe had arrivedat Potsdam, Trumanknew that Americahadtestedthe firstatomic
bombgivingAmericaahuge militaryadvantage overeveryone else
- The worseningrelationsbetweenthe USSRandthe USA came out inWinstonChurchill’s“Iron
Curtain“ speech,accusedthe USSR of dividingEurope byan“ IronCurtain“
How hadthe USSR gainedcontrol of EasternEurope by 1948?
- Stalinwasdeterminedtosetupa “bufferzone”to preventanotherinvasionfromthe West
- The BalticStates were annexedbythe USSR
- The USSR annexedmuchof EasternPoland,andby 1947 itwas totallyincommunisthands
- In1945 Romania’sKingwasforcedby the USSR to appointa communistprime ministerleadingto
a complete communisttakeover
- Communistwonariggedelectionin1945
- InCzechoslovakiaacoalitiongovernmenttookpowerafterthe wargraduallythe communist
underminedthe governmentandeventuallytalkingfull control.
- AtYalta and Potsdamitwas agreedEast Germanywouldbe giventothe Soviets
- Hungaryin 1947 a riggedelectionwasheldresultingincommunistcontrol.
How didthe USA react to Sovietexpansionism?
3. - The USA interpretedthe Soviettakeoverof EasternEurope asthe start of an attemptto spread
communismaroundthe world
Truman Doctrine - March 1947
- TrumandeclaredAmericansupportforanyone fightingcommunism
- The US woulduse theirpowerandwealthtopreventthe spreadof communism
Marshall Plan – June 1947
- George Marshall declaredthatfinancial aidwouldbe giventopreventcommunism
- 16 Europeancountrieswere fundedwith$13 billion
Economiccost of notgiving
- Europe wouldhave collapsedeconomically,aidwasthe cheaperoption
US economybenefiting
- Europeanswouldspendthe moneytheyreceivedonAmericangood
Political move
- It gave the US more poweroverEurope
Preventcommunism
- Withoutaiditwouldhave beenhardto remainfree fromcommunism
The occupationof Germanyand the BerlinBlockade
- The US wantedtorebuildthe Germaneconomysotheyintroducedthe new “Deutschmark”in
June 1948
- RussiaretaliatedbyblockingWestBerlinon21 June 1948
- WestBerlincontainedaroundtwoanda quartermillionpeople whohadonlysix weeks’worthof
foodso BritainandAmericadecidedtoairliftsuppliesthroughthe aircorridor(2000 tonnes/day)
- HoweverStalinwasafraidof the atomicbombwhicheventuallyforcedhimtolife the blockade
- WestBerlinwasnowpoliticallytiedtothe West
4. What were the consequencesof the BerlinBlockade?
- Tensionbetweenthe USandthe SovietUnionincreased
- Inresponse towhatthe US deemedthe threatof communismNATOwasestablishedasan
alliance againstthe SovietUnion
- The ColdWar situationgotworse anditalmostledto full scale war
- East and WestGermanywere splitup.InMay 1949, America,BritainandFrance unitedtheir
zonesto formBizonia/Bizone.
- In1955, the SovietUnionsetup the Warsaw Pact whichwasan alliance of all Communiststates.
Who wasthe more to blame forstartingthe ColdWar: the USA or the USSR?
Yalta/Potsdam:
USA
- Threateningthe Russianswiththe atomicbomb
- Wanteda free andfair democracyineasternEurope
- StrongGermany
Russia
- Polandtobecome communist
- Weakenandcripple Germany
Stalin/Truman:
USA
- Trumandid notwant to compromise
- Keentoimpose limitationsandbullythe Russians
Russia
- Stalinkilledmillionsof hisown, he wasparanoidandfearful whichresultedinhimwanteda
“bufferzone”
5. SovietexpansioninEasternEurope:
USA
- TrumanDoctrine
- Marshall aidpumpingmillionstopreventthe spreadof communism
Russia
- “Bufferone”
- Riggedelectionstoensure the spreadof communismoverEasternEurope
BerlinBlockade:
USA
- US and Britishjoiningoccupationzones
- Introducingthe Deutschmarkwithoutconsultingthe Soviets
Russia
- Blockade itself
- Buzzedtransportplanes
- Ost-mark
- The Russiaare ultimatelytobe blamed
- Russiansvisionforexpansionwasmore harmful
- LeavingStalinalone wouldmeanhe couldstormthroughandconquerEurope
- RussiansconstrictedeasternEuropeansfromfreedom
- However….Americanactionswere still aggressivebutsubtle
