Cold war

• The Grand Alliance


  USA (Roosevelt), Soviet Union (Stalin), GB (Churchill) during WW2. Formed June 1941.
• Leaders met 3 times

  1. Tehran, Nov 1943

  2. Yalta, February 1945

  3. Potsdam, July-August 1945
• Tehran Conference


  • Aim - To plan winning strategy to WW2
  • Agreements: 1. USA & GB open 2nd Front in Western Europe to ease pressure on Eastern Front. 2. Stalin to declare war on Japan once European war over. 3. Germany to remain weak after war and give land to Poland. Soviet Union to keep land seized from Poland. 4. International body should be set up in future to settle disputes.
  • Disagreements: 1. Churchill wanted to open 2nd Front in Balkans not the West. Meant they could contain Communism. FDR sided with Stalin.
• Yalta Conference


  • Aim - To discuss winning war and planning for post-war Europe
  • Agreements: 1. Post-war Germany to be split into 4 zones, pay $20 billion reparations, Nazi party banned and war criminals prosecuted. 2. UN to be set up. 3. Stalin to join war against Japan. 4. Eastern European governments to be decided by free elections. 4. Polish borders returned to 1921.
  • Problem: Stalin expected elections in Poland to result in Communist government.
• Potsdam Conference


  • Context - Truman replaced FDR; Attlee replaced Churchill. Germany had surrendered and atomic bomb had been developed by USA.
  • Agreements: Germany and Berlin to be divided into 4 zones. Each country would take reparations from its own zone. Soviets could take ¼ of industrial equipment from other zones as its zone was poor.
  • Disagreements: Truman objected to Soviet control over Eastern Europe but didn't want to start a war. Also objected to Polish agreements reached at Yalta.
• Differences between USA/GB and Soviet Union

  • Ideological: USA & GB: Capitalist. Soviet Union: Communist.
  • Attitudes: FDR – Believed in democracy but also need for Soviet Union to be a partner in peace. Churchill – Suspicious of Stalin. March 1946 – Gave 'iron curtain' speech making it clear Soviets were a threat to freedom and peace. Stalin – Believed West was trying to destroy communism. After use of A-bomb on Hiroshima, Stalin more determined to make Soviet Union secure through a buffer zone. Truman – Tough on Communism. As a result of A-bomb, more confident at Potsdam. Hoped it would be easier to persuade Stalin to allow Eastern Europe more freedom. W.Europe more confident about being under U.S protection rather than Soviet agreement.
• George Kennan's Long Telegram: Moscow ambassador warned that Stalin wanted to destroy Capitalism and felt West wanted to destroy Communism. However, Stalin would back down if faced with strong resistance.
• Novikov Telegram: Soviet diplomat in Washington. Warned that USA wanted to dominate the world and did not want to cooperate. American public would support government in war.
• Soviet satellite states: Stalin wanted a buffer zone against Germany. Truman saw this as evidence of spreading communism. Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Romania and Bulgaria all had communist governments installed.
• The Truman Doctrine


  • 12 March 1947 in a speech to US Congress Truman announced $400 million to aid Greece and Turkey in fight against communism. He also said communism should not be allowed to grow and that the USA was prepared to send troops and economic aid to stop it. Policy of isolationism was not replaced with containment.
• The Marshall Plan


  • Provided economic aid to help war-torn countries to contain communism. Gave $12.7 billion in aid between 1948-52. Gave $13 billion prior to Marshal Plan. Soviets called this 'dollar imperialism' and Stalin said it was an attempt to spread American influence and undermined UN.
• Cominform


  • Members – Communist parties of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, France & Italy. Yugoslavia expelled in June 1948.Enabled Stalin to direct & control satellite states, encouraged trade between members and contact with non-communist countries discouraged. Rejected Marshall Plan at first meeting and spread anti-American propaganda.
• Comecon


  • Provided aid in line with communist principles. Membership - Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, East Germany. Albania joined 1950.Organised trade & credit agreements and from 1953 industrial planning across all satellite states with 5 year plans on industry and collectivised agriculture.
• Berlin Blockade


  • Causes - 4 zones of occupation. Soviets wanted to take as much out of its zone – others wanted Germany to recover. Talks broke down in December 1947. 'Bizonia' had already been created (GB & US zones), French now joined to make 'Trizonia'. Single currency, the Deutschmark, was created for Trizonia. Stalin believed this was a way of forcing the Soviet zone into poverty. Events: Stalin shut off the land routes across soviet zone into Berlin to show divided Germany wouldn't work. Western Allies launched the Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles). Food, coal, necessities flew in to Allied zones. 1,000 tonnes of supplies a day. Jan 1949 – 170,000 tonnes. Stalin gave in after nearly a year. Consequences: Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) formed with capital in Bonn. Stalin responded by creating the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). GDR refused to recognise split until 1970s.
• NATO


  • April 1949, USA, Britain, France and 9 other Western countries joined together to protect themselves from the Soviet Union. If any member was attacked, all members would come to their assistance. Resulted in an on-going American military presence in Europe.
• The Warsaw Pact


  • Following West German's joining of NATO in May 1955, Stalin's fears of a powerful Germany on Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe borders were increased. Within a week the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact was formed. A Soviet equivalent of NATO. Members were Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and East Germany. Members became known as the 'Eastern bloc'
• The arms race


  • Both sides developed more deadly weapons. Soviets developed Atomic bomb in 1949. Hydrogen bombs and ICBM's developed by both sides. Weapons were being developed to act as a deterrent.
• The Hungarian Uprising, 1956


  • Causes: Protests due to fuel shortages and poor harvest led to riots. Order restored by Soviets but Khrushchev replaced Rakosi as leader with Nagy. Nagy announced reforms ending one-party state in Hungary, release of political prisoners and end to Soviet troops in Hungary.
  • Events: Nagy announced Hungary's withdrawal from Warsaw Pact. Khrushchev couldn't allow this as threatened Soviet security. 4 Nov – 1,000 tanks sent into Budapest and up to 20,000 Hungarians killed in fighting. A new pro-Communist government set up under Kadar. Nagy promised safe passage but kidnapped after leaving Yugoslav embassy , tried and executed.
  • International impact: USA sympathetic but would not militarily interfere in existing communist country as feared nuclear war. Khrushchev's position made more secure but West had not backed up words of encouragement with action. Superpower relations became strained again.
• Soviet Union's desire


  To remove the Western Allies from Berlin
• Crisis created


  1961
• Problems in East Germany


  • Between 1949 and 1961 about 4 million East Germans fled to the West through Berlin
• Berlin Ultimatum


  1958 Khrushchev accused allies of breaking the Potsdam Agreement
• Summit Meetings


  1. May 1959 - failed to reach an agreement

  2. September 1959 - Camp David summit meeting

  3. May 1960 - Paris summit conference - 9 days before USSR shoot down an American spy plane

  4. Vienna June 1961 - Khrushchev demand Western forces leave West Berlin. Kennedy refuses
• Peace talks between the USA and the Soviet Union broke down
• Khrushchev closed the borders between East and West Berlin


  13th August 1961
• A makeshift wall was built and would be replaced by a permanent one
• The USA and its Allies did nothing to stop the wall being built
• The USA had strong economic interests in Cuba
• Fidel Castro led a successful revolution to remove the pro-American government (Batista)


  1959
• USA banned Cuban imports and refused to recognise the government due to its communist links
• The Bay of Pigs - USA attempt to overthrow Castro, total failure for President Kennedy


  1961
• The Bay of Pigs failure

  Forced Cuba to grow closer to Khrushchev, who agreed to station Soviet nuclear weapons on Cuba
• The Cuban Missile Crisis

  1. 16th - Kennedy learns about the proposed missiles

  2. 20th - Kennedy imposes naval blockade around Cuba

  3. 23rd - Khrushchev sent letter to Kennedy

  4. 24th - Khrushchev states their intention to use nuclear weapons in the event of war

  5. 25th - Kennedy writes to Khrushchev asking for the withdrawal of weapons

  6. 26th - Khrushchev responds - he will withdraw missiles if USA agrees to not invade and removes missiles in Turkey

  7. 27th - US spy plane shot down over Cuba, USA will withdraw missiles if kept secret

  8. 28th - Khrushchev accepts the deal
• These events become known as the 'Thirteen Days'
• Consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis


  • Hotline
  • The Limited Test Ban Treaty 1963
  • The Outer Space Treaty 1967
  • The Nuclear Non-proliferation 1968
  • Relations between the superpowers improved