Soviet takeover and reactions to it + MP and TD

• Soviet takeover


  Reasons for it
• Reasons for Soviet buffer zone in Eastern Europe


  • Natural barrier against Germany
  • Before 1939 most EE countries were hostile to USSR
• 20 million Russians died in WWII
• Why Stalin believed Churchill approved of Soviet takeover

  Percentages Deal
• How Stalin achieved control in Eastern Europe

  1. Set up coalition governments

  2. Have communists take over civil service, media, security and defense

  3. Arrest or force opposition to flee

  4. Fix potential elections

  5. Set up people's democracies
• Kennan Telegram: 'There can be no permanent peaceful coexistence<|>World communism is a malignant parasite'
• Iron Curtain speech


  Speech by Churchill which demanded an Anglo-American alliance to stop communism
• Iron Curtain speech happened in America

  March 1946
• How Stalin responded to Iron Curtain speech


  • He compares Churchill and his friends to Hitler and his friends
  • Said his actions were necessary and responded through Pravda
• What happened in Greece

  1. Allies agreed to help train and equip Greek Army

  2. Civil War with Greek Communists

  3. In March 1947 the British could no longer fund the forces

  4. Truman feared that communist Greece=communist oil rich Middle East
• Truman Doctrine


  • Asked Congress to use military/economic means to prevent communism (both internally/externally)
  • Released 400 million to Greece
  • Said it was for humanitarian reasons
• "If we falter in our leadership we may endanger the peace of the world"
• Marshall Plan


  • Proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall
  • To prevent poor countries becoming communist
• • £13.3 Billion in Europe over 4 years under the Marshall Plan
  • Large amounts were spent on defense and armaments
• Catch to the Marshall Plan


  As long as they opened their economies and markets to western goods and let their records to be inspected
• Reactions to the Marshall Plan

  • Caused Comecon and Cominform (1947)
  • Congress didn't approve until events in Czechoslovakia
  • Stalin described it as 'dollar diplomacy'
  • Britain and allied parts of Germany benefitted overseen by OEEC
• Comecon

  • Encouraged economic specialization within the Soviet side
  • E.g. East Germany and Czechoslovakia were encouraged to concentrate on heavy industry
• Cominform


  • Soviet-style economic policies
  • And a state-owned control of the industry
  • Examples include collectivisation of agriculture