The origins of the Cold War, 1941–58

• Tehran Conference November 1943

  Meeting of the Grand Alliance. Mainly supported Stalin eg Britain and France agreed to open a second front by invading France in 1944; USSR agreed to fight Japan once war ended in Europe; United Nations was planned for after the War; an area of eastern Poland was added to USSR
• Yalta Conference February 1945

  • Grand Alliance met as Germany was close to defeat. Germany was the main topic under discussion – agreed Germany would be divided into four zones, as would Berlin;
  • on the treatment of Nazi war criminals; USSR would help fight against Japan; importance of free elections for liberated countries;
  • USSR would have a sphere of influence in the east. BUT disagreement re level of reparations Germany should pay and Poland i.e. the location of the western border with Germany and the nature of government
• Stalin’s takeover of Eastern Europe 1945-1948

  • Stalin helped to orchestrate the takeover of eastern Europe with Communist governments loyal to the USSR.
  • This involved coalition governments being formed; the Communist takeover of main offices in the countries eg civil service and the media; the removal of opposition leaders and then rigged elections to consolidate Communist rule.
  • By 1948 all countries behind the so called “iron curtain” (Churchill, March 1946) were Communist
• Truman Doctrine March 1947

  • On 12 March 1947, Truman made a speech in which he outlined the new policy of containment i.e. that the USA would intervene financially and militarily where needed to protect the free.
  • This was a direct result of the British plea for help over supporting the Greek government in the civil war against the Communist rebels. NB this was a major change in US foreign policy from isolationism and non- interest in European affairs
• Cominform 1947

  • Communist Information Bureau was set up in 1947 to enable the Soviet Union to co-ordinate communist parties throughout Europe. It was a response to the TD.
  • This ensured that all eastern European countries followed the same foreign policy and economic systems eg collectivisation of agriculture and nationalisation of state industry.
  • There was also an element of terror attached as the organisation was use to purge any potential rivals eg Marshall Tito in Yugoslavia was expelled from Cominform.
• COMECON 1949

  • Council for Mutual Assistance funded in 1949 – a response to the Marshall Plan.
  • The plan was the Soviet Union supported the eastern bloc countries financially.
  • In reality it was used to control the economies of the eastern bloc; give the Soviet Union access to their resources and to build up a specialism system in which parts of the eastern bloc had specialist areas intended to support the whole so Czechoslovakia and East Germany concentrated on heavy industry; Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria specialised on the production of food and raw materials
• the US had an advantage over the USSR as it was richer, more industrialised and had access to oil
• the USSR had an advantage over the USA as it had a large population and land area which meant that they could produce more soldiers and weapons than the USA
• Berlin Crisis 1948-9

  • Berlin’s division following the Potsdam Conference in 1945 meant there was an issue. The western sectors were united in their desire for free elections; trade and access to the Marshall Plan.
  • In the western zones in Germany, this was encouraged as it was within Berlin. Between January 1948 and June 1948, the Soviets were angered by the aid coming into the West;
  • in March 1948 the Soviet representative walked out of the Allied Control Commission that had been established to rule Germany.
• Berlin Crisis 1948-9

  • By June, the west had united their zones administratively and then economically, introducing a new currency, the Deutschmark, for use in the west – this had not been discussed with Stalin.
  • On 24th June Stalin blockaded Berlin by road, canal, and rail transport in an attempt to force the allies to surrender control of their zones in Berlin.
  • The western response was the Berlin Airlift – June 1948-May 1949 flying 275 000 flights with an average of 4000 tonnes of food a day.
  • The west Berliners survived; the allies won when Stalin called the Blockade off in May 1949
• NATO 1949

  • Military alliance of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) was formed in April 1949 – a defensive organisation set up by the USA with Britain, France and nine other nations signed up.
  • The idea was to protect themselves from Soviet aggression.
  • The Soviet Union viewed this as an aggressive action so further deepening division and mistrust, especially when West Germany was admitted to NATO in 1954.
• Warsaw Pact 1955

  • Established in 1955 by the Soviet Union. It was a military alliance of 8 nations headed by the USSR and designed to counter the threat of NATO. Members included USSR, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria.
  • Aimed to mutually support each other if there was an attack.
  • A joint command structure was set up under the Soviet Supreme Commander
• Arms Race

  • The Arms Race was a key symptom and also cause of the Cold War intensifying.
  • The development of new technology and the quantity of weapons needed meant that the conflict would continue as neither side trusted the other.
  • In 1945 the USA detonated the first Atomic Bomb; the USSR followed in 1949. The USA funded research to develop the Hydrogen Bomb by 1953; the USSR exploded their first H Bomb in the same year.
• Arms race


  • Missiles were developed that be fired from country to country (Medium Range Ballistic Missiles) and across continent (Inter- Continental Missiles) .
  • Conventional weaponry was also kept at a high level as both sides felt they needed to be prepared for localised conflict eg in places like Korea; Vietnam.
  • To protect nations eg Warsaw Pact countries