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The Cold War History Notes

The Cold War was primarily a conflict between the ideologies of communism, represented by the Soviet Union, and capitalism, represented by the United States. Tensions arose during World War II and escalated post-war with the establishment of Soviet-controlled satellite states in Eastern Europe, leading to the US adopting a policy of containment to prevent the spread of communism. The Berlin Blockade in 1948-1949 exemplified the growing divide, as the Soviets cut off access to West Berlin in response to the introduction of a new currency by the Western Allies.

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7 views

The Cold War History Notes

The Cold War was primarily a conflict between the ideologies of communism, represented by the Soviet Union, and capitalism, represented by the United States. Tensions arose during World War II and escalated post-war with the establishment of Soviet-controlled satellite states in Eastern Europe, leading to the US adopting a policy of containment to prevent the spread of communism. The Berlin Blockade in 1948-1949 exemplified the growing divide, as the Soviets cut off access to West Berlin in response to the introduction of a new currency by the Western Allies.

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maliviwemtingi18
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THE COLD WAR

The Causes of the Cold War

Political differences: Communism vs. Capitalism

As it’s heart , the Cold War was a conflict between two different ideologies.
The Soviet Union was a communist country, where the state controls all the
property, industry and services and freedoms (of elections, of the media and of
the individual) are limited. The US was a Capitalist economy, where individuals
are free to acquire wealth,own private property and profit from business with
little to no interference from the government. It was also a democracy, where
there were various political parties, political parties, people could vote in
elections and the free press and free speech were protected.

Conflict and mistrust during World War Two

Although the Soviets and the Americans had fought as allies to defeat Hitler,
there were tensions between them during the war. Stalin, the Soviet leader,
believed that Britain and the US (the Western Allies) had deliberately delayed
the D-Day landings so that the Soviets would suffer more damage by fighting
the Nazis alone. In addition, the US refuse to share the secrets of the atomic
bomb with the Soviets when they used it to defeat Japan in August 1945.

The Iron Curtain

After World War II, Stalin wanted to create a ‘buffer zone’ to protect the USSR
from future invasions. This meant he would need states in Eastern Europe that
were loyal to the Soviets. He imposed communist governments on Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Belgaria. These were known as the
‘satellite states’ as they were under the control of Moscow. The West believed
that the Soviets were aggressively expanding their control of Europe. Many
feared that they would try to take over the rest of Europe as well.

‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an ‘Iron


Curtain’ has descended across the continent. Behind that
line lie all the capitals of the Ancient States of Central and
Eastern Europe. [They] lie in what I must call the Soviet
sphere and all are subject, in one form or another, not only
to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases
increasing measures of control from Moscow.’
Winston Churchill (1946)

Containment

In response to Soviet actions, US President Harry Truman announced a new


policy called the Truman Doctrine . This declared that the US would aid other
countries to resist the spread of Communism. In a speech to the US Congress
in March 1947, Truman said “I believe that it must be the policy of the United
States to support free people who pressures”. The US promised to provide
military aid to any country that was fighting communist forces within its own
state.

In addition, the US government announced it would provide funds to help


Europe rebuild after World War 2. Under the Marshall Plan, named after the
US Secretary of State General George Marshall, the US spent over $15 billion
on helping Western Europe to rebuild. They believed that if these countries
were economically prosperous, they would be better able to resist
communism. Stalin refused to allow countries in Eastern Europe to receive the
aid, fearing it would weaken his control over them. President Truman
understood that he could not remove communism from countries where it was
already established, as this would mean war against the Soviets, but he did
believe that he could limit its spread. This became known as the policy of
containment.

The Berlin Blockade 1948-1949


Germany after World War 2

Durning the war, the Allied leaders had agreed how to deal with Germany after
it was defeated:
• Germany would be divided into four zones, occupied by the Americans,
British, Soviets and French.
• Berlin, although it was in the middle of the Soviet Zone, would also be
divided into four sectors, one for each of the allies
• The division of Germany would be temporary, until a new, peaceful
country was created.

Germany was devastated after the war and its people faced great economic
and social hardship. The Allies disagreed about the future of the country. The
USSR demanded compensation from Germany for the terrible damage it had
suffered during the war. It wanted a permanently weakened Germany that
would never be a threat again. The others wanted a strong, prosperous,
democratic Germany that would be an obstacle to communism and be the
economic anchor of Europe.

The Berlin Blockade


Tensions came to a head when the Western allies introduced a new currency
to their zones and sectors of Berlin. They intended the new Deutschmark to
help revive the economy. The Soviets refused to allow the new currency to be
used in their zone and sector of Berlin and retaliated on 24 June 1948 by
cutting off all road, rail and canal links to West Berlin. Stalin hoped that he
could force the Allies to leave the city.

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