Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91

• Cold War

  A new kind of conflict in which America and the USSR never formally declared war on each other or fought each other on a battlefield, but had characteristics of an actual war
• Cold War

  • Arms race (building up nuclear weapons as well as armies, navies and air forces)
  • War of words, fought through diplomacy, propaganda and spying to persuade their citizens that they were under threat and that the military build-up and creation of alliances with similar thinking countries were necessary
• Superpower

  A country or state that has great global power. In 1945, the USA and Soviet Union were classed as superpowers
• Both sides were scared of one another. There was lots of fear and distrust
• Ideological differences between the superpowers

  • USA believed in capitalism, freedom and democracy
  • USSR believed in communism and put the needs of the state before human rights
• USA was scared that the USSR were trying to spread communism across the world


  USSR was scared that the USA would try to invade it to wipe out communism
• USA disliked Stalin even more when he signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939 as they thought (rightly) that this meant Stalin wanted to seize part of Poland
• Grand Alliance

  The USA, USSR and Britain joining forces to defeat Germany during World War II
• Even though they joined forces to defeat Germany, the USA, USSR and Britain never trusted each other and, by the end of the war, their relationship had completely broken down
• Conferences between the Allies (USA, USSR and Britain) during the war

  • Tehran Conference (Nov 1943)
  • Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)
  • Potsdam Conference (July 1945)
• Tehran Conference

  • The Allies agreed that the USA and Britain would open up a second front by attacking Germany in western Europe, which pleased Stalin as it would ease the pressure on his troops in the East
  • Stalin was told he could keep the land he seized from Poland in 1932, which would secure his western border
• Tehran Conference

  Caused some tension between the USA and Britain as Roosevelt and Stalin had got on well leading to Churchill worrying about the Big Three becoming the Big Two once the war was over
• Yalta Conference

  • They agreed to establish the United Nations, to help maintain peace
  • Agreed to divide Germany into four zones once the war was over, with Britain, the USA, France and the USSR controlling one zone each, with Germany paying $20bn in reparations, half of which would go to the Soviet Union
  • Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan, 3 months after the defeat of Germany
  • Stalin agreed that future governments of countries in Eastern Europe would be decided in free elections
• Yalta Conference

  They disagreed about Poland, with Stalin wanting a friendly Polish government to protect the USSR from Germany, while the others feared this would be a Soviet-controlled government and preferred the non-communist London Poles
• Potsdam Conference

  • They agreed to divide Germany, and Berlin, into four zones with the economy being run between them
  • Make Germany pay reparations, with each ally taking reparations from their own zone, although the USSR should also be given 25% of industrial goods from the other zones as it controlled the poorest zone
• Potsdam Conference

  Truman wanted free elections in the countries of Eastern Europe that were now occupied by Soviet troops, but Stalin refused to do this, which made Truman very angry
• Tensions between the leaders were high and some insiders at the Potsdam Conference were worried about a new war
• Atomic bomb

  Exploded by the USA over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing an estimated 120,000 Japanese civilians
• Use of the atomic bomb

  • Made Truman more confident and determined at the Potsdam Conference, believing he held the 'master card' and could tell the others what to do
  • Made Stalin even more determined to protect the USSR by creating a buffer zone of communist-leaning countries
  • Led to an arms race as the Soviet Union successfully tested their own atom bomb in 1949
  • Increased tensions as the Cold War now included the potential use of atom weapons that could kill millions
• Long Telegram

  George Kennan, based in the US embassy in Moscow, reported that the Soviet Union was aggressive and suspicious, and recommended firm action against Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe
• Long Telegram

  The American government believed there should be a determined policy of containment to stop Communism from spreading
• Novikov Telegram

  Nikolai Novikov, based in Washington, accused the USA of trying to achieve world domination and believed the American people would support their government if tensions led to war
• Novikov Telegram

  The USSR would need to develop as much protection as possible in Eastern Europe
• Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech


  • Churchill made it clear that he thought the Soviet Union was a threat to freedom and world peace, and that the USA and Soviet Union were enemies - no longer allies
• Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech


  Intensified the growing hostility between East and West
• Creation of satellite states in Eastern Europe


  • The Soviet Union expanded its influence in Eastern Europe, creating Soviet controlled states as a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Germany
  • Elections were held in each Eastern European country but these were rigged so that Soviet controlled Communist governments took over
• Creation of satellite states in Eastern Europe


  • The Soviet Union now had a secure buffer zone to protect it from future invasions
  • It also had control of Eastern Europe, confirming the divisions stated in Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech
  • The creation of satellite states increased conflict with the West as Britain, France and America all viewed Stalin's actions as political, believing he was encouraging Communism to spread
• Truman Doctrine

  Truman declared that communism was evil and should not be allowed to grow, and that America was prepared to send troops and economic aid to countries trying to resist communism
• Truman Doctrine

  • Signaled a new approach to international relations for the USA - isolationism was no more
  • The USA had firmly established itself as the leader of the fight against communism
  • Containment became US policy
• Marshall Plan

  Providing economic aid to Europe to help war-torn countries stop communism from taking over. To qualify for money, these countries then had to trade with America, helping the American economy
• Marshall Plan

  • Europe became even more divided into East and West as Stalin prevented Eastern European countries from accepting aid
  • Stalin was furious at Marshall Aid, claiming the Americans were trying to dominate Europe and bribe countries to be allies with the USA
  • European countries that accepted Marshall Aid were now tied to supporting the USA
• Cominform

  A political organisation that gave Stalin a way of directing and controlling the governments of the satellite states, and encouraged Communist parties to only trade with other Cominform members and not accept Marshall Aid
• Comecon

  Provided aid to communist countries and arranged trade between member countries, with Stalin hoping this would keep satellite states under control
• In response to Marshall Aid, Stalin established Cominform in 1947 and Comecon in 1949
• The west created NATO in the same year as Cominform, in 1947, in response
• Berlin Crisis, 1948-49


  • Stalin shut the land routes across Soviet controlled Germany into Berlin in June 1948, hoping to cut western Germany off from its capital so that the new government, based in Berlin, could not control its territory in western Germany
  • Truman responded with Operation Vittles, otherwise known as the Berlin Airlift, transporting supplies such as food and coal into West Berlin around the clock
• Berlin Crisis

  • The prevented the blockade from succeeding was a peaceful action and made Stalin's blockade appear highly aggressive
  • It led to the permanent division of Germany into two countries, with the USA, Britain and France joining their zones together to become the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), and Stalin creating the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in response
• NATO

  Set up in 1949, with members agreeing that if any one of them was attacked, all the other members would help them. The USA, Britain, France and 9 other western countries joined, showing the west was prepared to use military force and that the USA would keep soldiers in Europe
• Warsaw Pact

  Set up in 1955, with the Soviet Union and 7 satellite states as members, agreeing to defend each other in the case of a war. It was seen as a threat by the West, and showed that Europe was now completely divided in two militarily
• By 1949, Europe was divided into two armed camps that wanted to be the more powerful, so they began a race to make bigger, better weapons