COLD WAR origins to 1945 Flashcards
the situation between the West and Soviet Union by 1941
feared Russian influence e.g Comintern advocating Communism and helping Spanish Communists in Civil War
deep ideological differences as communism and capitalism on opposite ends of spectrum (Marx believed the collapse of the capitalist system was inevitable)
West angered by Nazi-Soviet Pact signed in 1939 as viewed communism as more similar to facism than democracy
Stalin regained Baltic states and lands in Poland at start of WW2 which West resented (linked to takeover of Eastern Europe)
tensions during WW2
Grand Alliance between the US, Britain and USSR against the Axis powers from December 1941 after Pearl Harbour
in 1941 the US and Britain signed the Atlantic Charter which pledged support for a democratic post-war world
1942 the Germans attacked Stalingrad which ammounted to heavy Russian losses. Stalin asked the allies to open a second front in northern france to relieve them but didn’t open it until June 1944. led to suspicion from USSR that the West wanted the dictatorships to fight each other to a standstill
Russia had lost nearly 17 million troops by the end (15% of population) whereas US and UK combined only lost around 1 million
Russians able to go on offensive after Germans failed in Stalingrad in Feb 1943. allowed Germans to destroy Polish resistance before Russia took Warsaw making future Soviet control and eastern expansion easier
Britain and US had collaborated closely during war e.g D-Day but no similar military operations with Russia and didn’t share key military secret - development of atomic weapons with USSR
Tehran Conference
Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt met at the Soviet Embassy from 28th November to 1st December 1943
decisions made which benefitted the Soviets:
new UN would include the USSR as one of the 4 many powers (weren’t important in the old League of Nations)
Russia given territories in eastern poland that they occuiped in 1939-40 and allowed to keep the baltic states
agreed Britain and US would invade France in May 1944 which met Stalin’s demands for a second front
outcome for US and USSR:
Stalin had gained allies acceptance for expansion into eastern europe and enabled re-emergence of Russia as a world power e.g UN
Roosevelt had established good personal relations with Stalin and had made him agree to declare war on Japan
Yalta Conference
when
4-11th February 1945
more tensions going into Yalta between big three as Stalin wanted West to accept that Russian future security needed a broad zone of eastern europe that they could controlas barrier against invasion
decisions made which built upon Tehran and highlighted tensions:
POLAND - free elections in Poland to avoid exclusion of democratic Polish representatives by pro-Soviet committee
GERMANY - Stalin wanted to take German machinery, food and goods but others disagreed as had previously resulted in WW2. Germany would be divided into 4 occupations (Stalin initially refused to allow France to be involved)
UN - Stalin wanted greater representation of republics of USSR as feared it would become anti-Soviet
JAPAN - Stalin demanded more than at Tehran in return for declaring war on Japan and Roosevelt forced to agree
tensions present and increasing that weren’t apparent over a year earlier in Tehran
Potsdam
when
situation with leaders
disagreements
17th july - 2nd august 1945
tensions built upon from yalta as issues of germany and reparations policies, soviet sphere of influence and poland still disputed
role of leaders: new president Truman more suspicious of Stalin & Attlee lacked Churchill’s rapport with Stalin
areas of tensions and disagreement:
aid to USSR under Lend-Lease scheme was cut off on 8th May and restored until september after Russian protests
Poland: having previously agreed on free elections, Stalin ordered arrest of 16 non-communists who had returned to take part in these elections
USA developed atomic bomb in july (just before Potsdam) and Stalin made aware by spies and Truman
Germany: soviets insisted on complete control of their zone
Eastern Europe: 10 million Soviet troops deployed in Europe and no firm agreement on western frontier made. west supported free elections in Soviet-held territory but no way of enforcing this
when did ww2 end
allies accepted germany’s surrender in may 1945
when was atmoic bomb dropped on hiroshima
6th august 1945
still an war with japan
liberation of eastern and western europe comparisons
annexation
political influence
exceptions
effects
liberation of western europe:
allies brought supplies to areas short of food and other resources
no thought of annexing territory or imposing ideology
once fighting stopped with Germany, aid was given to the citizens and didn’t seek revenge
liberation of eastern europe:
REVENGE
inflicted much harsher retribution on Germany and its allies e.g removed goods and machinery, deported prisoners for work in the USSR and commited sexual assaults on females
ANNEXATION (political control by a state over other countries)
presence of Red Army in Eastern Europe led to annexation of territory e.g in Poland and Germany
regained an area of 470 000 square km and 24 million people as a result (unparalled in West)
POLITICAL INFLUENCE - went against Declaration of Liberated Europe made at Yalta as having right to choose form of govn.
spread of Russian political domination in nations that were nominally independent but in practice dominated by USSR
gained over 1 million square km and 90 million people
russian forces deeply involved in politics e.g in Romania supported a coup forcing king to appoint a communist govn and soivet forces controlled Bulgaria in Allied in Control Council
widespread poltical repression e.g 47 000 anti-communist Poles arrested between 1944–45
much less direct aid than given by west
BUT DIDN’T INTERVENE IN GREECE AND LEFT FINLAND ALONE AFTER PEACE TREATY IN 1947
led to policy of containment in 1947 in US and in turn greater russian control imposed
relations between the big three
Churchill and Roosevelt: good relations intially as both agreed to Atlantic Charter and Churchill travelled to Canada to meet Roosevelt. worsened after 1943 as Roosevelt didn’t want to fight war for British Empire in North Africa
Churchill and Stalin: mutualrespect but years of past hostility to communism and underlying fear of soviet takeover of Eastern europe caused tension. unwillingness to open second front and fighting war in Poland for it to be dominated by USSR caused tension.
Roosevelt and Stalin:
accepted Russian domination of EE, gave Russia more influence in new UN but had safeguards against domination and got USSR to agree on war with Japan
Atlee, Truman and Stalin: 2 new leaders had little experience of foreign affairs and strong relations between big three could no longer guide international affairs. Truman had less inclination to make deals with Stalin and Atlee’s foreign minister Bevin disliked communism and was a tough negotiator. meant no general peace settlement ended the war and Truman and Stalin poised for confrontation
what did Gromyko, the Soviet Communist foreign minister say about the second front
‘secret Cold War when the allies delayed the opening of the second front in Europe’
percentages agreement
1944
dividing eastern european countries into spheres of influence for stalin
abused through salami tactics and terror used as aggressive expansion not ‘influence’
domination not influence
