Cold War

• A cold war is when two countries are enemies but do not directly fight each other with their militaries
• Grand alliance- Britain

  The first of the three members of the grand alliance to join the war, declaring war in 1939. Britain briefly fought Germany on their own in 1940 surviving an invasion attempt in the Battle of Britain. Many British cities were heavily bombed during the war, especially London. The Germans also attempted unsuccessfully to starve Britain into submission by sinking ships brining food to the island. Britain's largest contribution to the war may have been the vital intelligence its codebreakers provided from the German Enigma code
• Grand alliance- USSR

  Second member of the grand alliance to join the war. The Germans invaded the USSR in 1941 in an attack that nearly go to Moscow. The fighting in the east was brutal and the Germans were frequently genocidal towards the civilians. Over 27 million total citizens died in the war, of which 8 million were soldiers the rest were civilians. Nevertheless the Red Army was able to change the entire war by defeating the Germans at Stalingrad. The Red Army killed 1.1 million Germany soldiers in the war (out of 1.6 million total German deaths) and ultimately captured Berlin.
• Grand Alliance- America

  The last member of the grand alliance to join the war. They sent a huge amount of soldiers and weapons to Europe for their own army but lent many more to their allies. Through the Lend-Lease programme the Americans gave the British and the Soviets trucks, tanks and planes as well as other essential supplies such as food and oil. The American prospered during the war as the economy boomed from the increase in demand for manufacturing for the war effort. America was never under any kind of threat of invasion or of bombing
• The Big Three were the leaders of the three allies. Winston Churchill was the prime minister of Britain (1940-45). Franklin D Roosevelt was the US president (1933-45) and Josef Stalin was the dictator of the USSR (1924-53)
• Winston Churchill 1940-1945

  Worked with Roosevelt during WW2 because they both believed Nazism was evil

  Defended Britain's right to have an empire

  He was a traditionalist and the leader of the Conservative Party. He was very suspicious of the USSR

  After the war, he wanted to see a 'free' Europe. He was especially keen to see a free Poland, because Britain went to war in 1939 to protect Poland
• Franklin Roosevelt 1933-1945

  Worked with Churchill during WW2 because they both believed Nazism was evil

  After the war, he wanted to see a 'free' Europe. He wanted the USA to be able to trade freely with any other country, because that would make the US richer and more prosperous

  Passionately believed in freedom and democracy. Leader of the democratic party

  Didn't think any country should have an empire - he said that those countries should be free to self-govern

  Did not fully trust the USSR but was prepared to work with them (he knew that this was the only way to secure long term peace)
• Josef Stalin 1924-1953

  He was a Marxist and leader of the communist party

  Hugely distrustful of everyone, even people in his own political party- many people called him paranoid

  Very aware that neither the USA nor Britain had ever liked or worked with the USSR before

  He wanted to control the government of Poland, because the USSR had been invaded three time through Poland during the period 1914-1941

  He worked with Churchill and Roosevelt in WW2 because the USSR was invaded by Germany

  After the war, he wanted to ensure that Europe could not attack the USSR ever again
• Tehran 1943

  Leaders- Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill

  Agreed- UK and USA agreed to open a second front against Germany in North-western Europe. The USSR was to wage war against Japan once Germany was defeated

  Disagreed- Churchill wanted the second front to be in the Balkans (South-eastern Europe) but Stalin wanted it to be in North-western Europe. Churchill doesn't want Stalin to get Poland but Stalin wanted some of Poland
• Yalta February 1945

  Leaders- Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill

  Agreed- After the war Germany would be split into four zones. They would each be controlled by a different power USA, Britain, France and USSR. Stalin agreed to join in the war against Japan three months after the defeat of Germany. Stalin agreed the future governments of countries in Eastern Europe would be decided in free elections.
• Yalta February 1945

  Disagreed- Poland proved to be the stumbling block at the conference. It was agreed that the borders of Poland would be returned to their position in 1921 (which would give the USSR significant gains) and that there would be free elections. However, Stalin expected those elections to bring about a pro-communist government whereas the British supported the non-communist London Poles
• Potsdam July-August 1945

  Leaders- Stalin, Harry S Truman, Clement Attlee

  Agreed- Berlin would also be divided into four zones controlled by different countries even though it was based well inside the USSR controlled Germany. Germany would be divided into four zones administered by the USSR, the USA, Britain and France but the German economy would be run as a whole. Nazi leaders would be tried for war crimes at Nuremburg.
• Potsdam July-August 1945

  Disagreed- Agreement was not reached over the government of Eastern Europe. Truman objected to the control that the USSR had over the countries it had liberated from Nazi rule. He was beginning to see the Red Army as an army of occupation. However, without risking further war, there was little Truman could do. Truman also objected to the arrangements for Poland and the borders that had previously been agreed. He wanted to see a new government with less communist influence
• America test first atomic bomb

  Japan was on Germany's side in the war, and continued to fight after Germany surrendered in May 1945. In August 1945 the USA dropped two atom bombs on Japan- destroying the cities of Hiroshima and Nagaski

  The atom bombs meant that military help from the USSR wasn't needed to defeat Japan. President Truman also refused to allow the USSR to take part in the US occupation of Japan. The USA had kept the exact nature of the bomb a secret from the USSR at Potsdam in July 1945 (although Stalin's spies had passed on many details)
• America test first atomic bomb

  These nuclear weapons boosted the status of the USA. For four years it was the world's only nuclear power. Stalin saw the development of the atom bomb as an attempt to intimidate the USSR, and was angry that the USA had managed to surpass Soviet technology.

  The atom bombs increased the rivalry between the USA and the USSR. The USSR sped up the development of its own atomic bomb, starting an arms race between the two countries.
• The USSR became influential in Eastern Europe

  At the end of WW2 the Red Army occupied Eastern Europe. These countries would pass into the USSR's sphere of influence after the war. Between 1945 and 1948, Stalin installed pro-Soviet 'puppet' governments in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. For a while it seemed that Czechoslovakia might remain democratic. But when the communist party seemed likely to lose ground in the election, it seized power in February 1948.
• The USSR became influential in Eastern Europe

  The exception to Soviet domination was Yugoslavia, which had freed itself from the Germans without the Red Army. Yugoslavia was communist but more open to the west, Its leader Tito argued with Stalin over political interference. Stalin cut off aid but didn't invade
• There was an Iron Curtain between the east and west

  Increasing tensions between the USA and USSR became known as the cold war. There was no direct fighting- both sides were afraid of another war, especially after 1949, when the USSR had its own nuclear weapon.

  Countries in Western Europe tended to support the USA. Most countries in Eastern Europe were dominated by the USSR. In a famous speech in 1946, Winston Churchill warned there was an 'Iron Curtain' dividing Europe.
• By 1946, tensions between the superpowers were high. Each country issued secret telegrams about the other. The telegrams were detailed reports describing the motivations and intentions of the other country.

  Neither country seemed to know for certain what the other was thinking. The reports panicked the Russian and American governments and accelerated the Cold War
• The Long Telegram (February 1946)

  Issued to President Truman about the USSR

  It said that Stalin had given a speech in favour of the destruction of capitalism

  It warned of the USSR trying to weaken and divide Western powers, while building the strength of its own military
• The Novikov Telegram (September 1946)

  Issued to Stalin about the USA

  The report claimed that the USA was pursuing world supremacy

  It warned that the USA was trying to limit the influence of the USSR in Europe
• The Truman Doctrine (March 1947) announced that the US' policy towards communism would be that of containment. The policy of containment was the idea that while the US would not attempt to remove Communist governments where they already existed it would seek to stop any further expansion of communism.
• The Truman Doctrine (March 1947)

  Containment would be achieved by various means. Typically, the US would provide support to anti-communist governments and political parties in non-communist countries. This support might be in the form money and/or propaganda.
• The Truman Doctrine (March 1947)

  Sometimes this support would be so massive and aggressive that some complained the elections were no longer fair contest- this was the complaint of the communist in the 1948 Italian elections for instance. Truman agreed that he was on the side of defending Freedom and Democracy from communist attack and that sometimes a bit of ruthlessness was worth it to achieve that goal.
• The Truman Doctrine (March 1947)

  Later in the Cold War containment would also be achieved through the use of military force but that was not Truman's declared intention in 1947.

  In the short term, the Greek government was able to successfully defend itself against the communist. In the longer term the Truman Doctrine, greatly escalated Cold War tensions and solidified the division of Europe into two hostile camps.
• The Truman Doctrine (March 1947)

  USA gave $400 million of aid to Turkey and Greece to stop communism from spreading
• The Marshall Plan (June 1947)

  Truman's biggest idea for how to contain communism was to use American money to rebuild Europe after its WW2 devastation. Most of Europe had been completely destroyed by WW2 and its people were struggling. On the theory that unemployed, starving people were much more likely to see the appeal of communism than rich people with good jobs, he decided rebuilding Europe's economy would be vital to containing communism
• The Marshall Plan (June 1947)

  Therefore, in June 1947 Truman's chief diplomat of State George Marshall announced the Marshall Plan. This was the US donation of $17 billion of US aid to European countries. This was offered to all of the countries of Europe including the communist countries of Eastern Europe. Stalin refused to allow these countries to participate despite some- such as Poland and Czechoslovakia- having wanted to accept. Most aid went to American allies such as (in descending order) Britain, France and West Germany.
• The Marshall Plan (June 1947)

  Stalin argued that the purpose of Marshall Plan aid was not to help out other countries in need but to enable American companies to buy up the economies of European countries on the cheap. He called this 'dollar imperialism'. Certainly, it was absolutely true that the US did have a self interested motive of creating European customers for their products. But on the other hand, Marshall Plan aid was absolutely vital in lifting millions of Europeans out of poverty and hunger
• The Marshall Plan (June 1947)

  The fact that Marshall aid almost exclusively went to Western European countries further increased tensions and solidified the division between capitalist western Europe and communist eastern Europe
• Greece and Turkey

  1944 October- There is a civil war in Greece with Britain helping the royalist government to fight against communist forces

  1945 February- At Yalta, it is agreed that Britain would have influence in Greece

  1946 March- In the Greek election of 1946 the communist were heavily defeated by royalists but the communist refused to give up

  1946 September- The British agree to provide 40,000 troops stationed in the country and gave money to the Greek government as well as Turkey which was also under threat from communism rebels
• Greece and Turkey

  January 1947- The British tell the USA they could no longer afford to support the Greece and Turkish government. The USA stepped in with the necessary financial aid fearing that these two countries would come under Soviet influence

  March 1947- President Truman announces US support for Greece in an important speech
• Cominform means Communist Information Bureau and it was set up on the 22nd September 1947. The organisation brought together all European communist parties and placed them under the control of the USSR. It was the answer to the Truman Doctrine. Cominform members were communist party of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia (they left in June 1948), France, Italy and the USSR.
• Cominform allowed Stalin to direct and control the government of the satellite states. The satellite states were encouraged to concentrate on trading with other Cominform members and all contact with non-communist countries were discouraged.
• Comecon (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) it was established in 25th January 1949. It countered the Marshall Plan by nationalising industries, collectivising agriculture and offering economic aid in line with communist principles. From 1953 the USSR used Comecon to organise industrial planning across all the satellite state.
• Comecon members were discouraged from trading with the USA and Western Europe. Members were USSR, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, East Germany, Albania (1950). Each state had a five year plan, nationalised industry and collectivised agriculture
• Berlin

  February 1945- at Yalta, a temporary agreement was made. This temporary agreement said that Germany would be divided into four zones. Each zone was controlled by one of the allies- the USSR, USA, France and Britain. Eventually, Germany would become a united independent country

  1946-1947 Ongoing disagreements between the allies. The ongoing disagreements were based on different priorities. The Americans wanted Germany to receive Marshall aid and economic recover. The Soviets wanted Germany to remain weak so that Germany could never attack the USSR again
• Berlin

  January 1947- Britain and America combined their zones in West Germany forming an economic unit called Bizonia. Bizonia proved to be controversial because the USSR thought that the Americans were trying to separate West Germany. They thought that America would invest lots of money into West Germany to make it more prosperous- and more desirable- to Germans living in the Soviet zone
• Berlin

  March 1948- discussions over how to run Germany in the future broke down. The Soviets walked out of talks at the Allied Control Commission. They said that the West's attitude towards a permanent agreement was unhelpful and divisive. They said that they could not make an agreement with the West
• Berlin

  The Americans and British began to provide more economic support for Bizonia. In April 1948, they started to provide Marshall aid and. The Soviets were suspicious of this and started searching trucks and boats bringing Marshall aid through the Soviet zone. This currency proved very successful in improving the economy in Bizonia.