Cold War Part 1

• The Cold War (1945-1991) saw most of the world split into two sides: thos nations allied with the USSR and communism, and those allied with the USA and democratic liberalism 
• In february 1945, the Allied Forces could see that WWII would soon end and the “Big Three” met at Yalta (on the Black Sea) to plan both their remaining wartime actions and the future for postwar Europe 
• The Big Three: Churchill (UK), Roosevelt (US), and Stalin (USSR)
• Yalta - The Big three were redrawing the map of Europe and their decisions would have implications for many years to come 
• After Yalta - The Cold War: Numerous events, agreements, and conflicts resulted in growing tensions between the USSR and the USA.
• Potsdam -In July 1945 in Potsdam, Germany, the leaders of the UK, US and USSR again met to plan for postwar Europe. They determined the future course of world history 
• The Iron Curtain: A line in Europe between self-governing nations of the west and nations in eastern europe under communist Soviet control.
• The Americans viewed the iron curtain as a barrier to contain those oppressed by communism, a restriction to civil and economic freedoms.
• Soviets saw the Iron Curtain as a protective measure, a means of protecting themselves from capitalist influences and the potential expansion of fascism. After all, Russia has been invaded twice in the first half of the 20th Century
• The USSR and US emerged from WWII stronger than they were before they entered it. They were considered superpowers.
• Propaganda -Truman and Stalin sought to avoid another war but they also recognized each other as rivals for domination over Europe and Asia 
• Propaganda -Both sides feared that the other would win the “war of ideas” convincing the populations of Europe and Asia that liberal capitalism on the one hand, or communism on the other, was the only legitimate system of governance
• Essentially much of the Cold war was fought through propaganda 
• Expansionism is the attempt to enlarge territorial and ideological influence beyond a country's borders.
• Expansionism and Containment - At the end of WWII, bot the U.S. and the Soviet Union began to establish spheres of influence (countries or territories over which a powerful country dominates) in europe 
• Each of the superpowers responded to its fears with containment (attempts to thwart another country’s expansionism without going to war).  
• Expansionism and Containment - President truman called upon the US to “support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” Truman wanted to stop Soviet expansionism to contain the communist influence and rather than fighting direct war (hot war) with the USSR, the US fought its ideological conflict by creating alliances and giving aid. Called “Truman’s Doctrine” 
• The Marshall Plan example US responded with $400 million to aid postwar Greek and turkish governments when they asked for support in defeating the appeal of communism in their countries 
• The biggest aid plan was the Marshall Plan, a $13 billion plan to aid the recovery of countries ravaged by war in Europe. This offer was for all countries of Europe, communist or democratic 
• Soviet satellite states rejected Marshall Plan aid due to the diplomatic pressure applied by the US. The Americans required all recipients of aid submit to economic assessment and participate in a unified European economy, conditions that were incompatible with Soviet ideology 
• The Marshall Plan - This aid may have been a hollow gesture by the Americans as it is unlikely they would have approved aid to a nation under communist influence 
• The Molotov Plan - Soviet response to the Marshall Plan
• The Molotov Plan - Eastern European nations under Soviet influence. It involved bilateral trade agreements that helped consolidate the economies of socialist countries and solidify USSR presence in Europe
• Berlin 1945-1949: After WWII, Berlin was divided into 4 sectors (A British, french, American and Soviet sector).  However, the city fell 176 km inside Soviet controlled East germany
• Berlin 1945-1949: The  Marshall Plan was eagerly accepted into Western zones of Germany but rejected in the Soviet zone 
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift: On June 24, 1948 Stalin blocked all road, rail, and canal transportation to West Berlin leaving 2.1 million West Berliners cut off from all supplies. Berlin Blockade. The western response was to fly in supplies to West Berliners; at the height of these flights planes are landing every 3 minutes. The Berlin Airlift 
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift: Over 11 months, the Americans, British and french flew in all supplies needed by West Berliners. On May 12, 1949, Stalin finally lifted the blockade 
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift: Due to a history of invasion, the Soviets had long been sensitive to the security of their borders, and this increased after WWII. Countries that shared a border with the USSR were under pressure to maintain political and economic ties with the Soviet, and the Soviets were not receptive to the encroachment of capitalism or democracy. This was the first ideological battle between the USSR and the United States 
• The Berlin Wall: At midnight on August 12, 1961, East German troops locked down the border between East Germany and West Berlin. The city of West Berlin was essentially surrounded
• Alignment: In the interests of security, some countries aligned themselves with one of the superpowers 
• Examples of superpower influence 

  • After WWII the CIA was part of a major covert operation to influence an Italian election so that a communist-socialist coalition would not win. 
  • Also, postwar Czechoslovakia was interested in accepting Marshall Plan aid but the USSR did not allow it to do so. 
• Non-ALignment: Some countries chose or tried to follow their own ideologies outside of those of the two superpowers
• Non-ALignment: April 1955, the Bandung Conference held in Indonesia saw representatives from 29 African and Asian countries meet to promote economic and cultural co-operation and to oppose the colonial and imperialist intentions of the superpowers. This conference was the start of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) 
• Non-ALigned Movement (NAM): In 1961, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia leaders from Ghana, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Yugoslavia officially began the NAM. Despite their desired neutrality, the superpowers still tried to influence the ideologies within these nations 
• Non-Aligned Movement (NAM): Countries of NAM sought unsuccessfully to use the UN to challenge the dominance of the US and USSR
• The "Three Worlds" of the Cold War: First world, Second World and Third World
• First World: Countries aligned with the Western Bloc, led by the United States 
• Second World: Countries aligned with the Eastern Bloc, led by Soviet Union
• Third World: The Non-ALigned Movement, led by India and Yugoslavia and other neutral countries
• Deterrence:  a cold war strategy involving the building up of one’s capacity to fight such that neither opponent will fight because of the expected outcomes