The Cold War

1. The Cold War Please open your history binder to your COLD WAR notes. Begin reviewing.

2. Objectives • In this next two days, you will consider... • how the wartime alliance between USA & USSR broke down • how the Soviet Union gained control over eastern Europe and how the USA responded • the consequences of the Berlin Blockade in 1948 • Finally, I want you to make up your own mind about who was more to blame for the outbreak of the Cold War.

3. In May 1945 American troops entered Berlin from the west as Russian troops moved in from the east. They met and celebrated victory together. Introduction Yet three years later these former allies were arguing over Berlin and war between them seemed a real possibility. What had gone wrong? Who was to blame?

4. Historians have provided three conflicting explanations for the start of the Cold War: • The USSR was to blame. • Stalin planned for a communist take-over of the world. The take-over of Eastern Europe was the first step. • The USA was to blame. • Soviet actions were defensive. The USA wanted to control its area of influence but refused to allow the USSR to do the same. • Neither side was to blame. • The Cold War was based on misunderstanding and forces beyond the control of both sides.

5. Review

6. Review Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level

7. Review Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level

8. Review Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level

9. Review Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level

10. Review Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level

11. Review Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level

12. Roots of the Cold War

13. Roots of the Cold War: Reminders USSR team? Toss up between Allies or Axis. No real connection to either. USA & USSR = extremely different beliefs Each convinced world should follow THEIR example USA, Britain, France, all fear Communism Hostility suspended during WWII (only thing that made them friends)

14. Difference between American Capitalism and Soviet Communism Are you an American capitalist or a Russian communist?

15. Commies and Yanks! Please move to your sides of the world! I mean classroom.

16. Difference between American Capitalism and Soviet Communism

17. Which of these would they agree with? What would theirs say?

18. Roots of the Cold War: Reminders • USSR bitter because: • After WWI: USA & Brit tried to stop Red Army (1918-21) • 1930s: USA trusted Nazi's more than Communists! • WWII: didn't help in the east. USSR lost 20 million! • USA bitter because: • isolationism had ended in disaster. • NO MORE APPEASEMENT OF DICTATORS! • "America will have to take the responsibility for world collaboration or we shall have to bear the responsibilities for another world conflict." - FDR to Congress, 1945

19. Roots of the Cold War: Reminders End of WWII = decisions needed to be made about future of countries. USA and USSR disagreed. Both are superpowers. Being a superpower means you carry a lot of responsibility!

20. The Yalta Conference, Feb 1945 • Big Three: Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill • Meet to discuss what would happen to Europe after German defeat • Goal = shape post war world • Most time spent on Poland • Friendly on surface but conflict underneath

21. In some ways, it seemed like beginning of post-war cooperation Caption: "How are you feeling today?"

22. Yalta Agreements • Stalin agreed to join against Japan • Germany (and its capital city) would be divided - FOUR ZONES • Agreed to punish war criminals • Liberated countries would be allowed to hold FREE ELECTIONS to choose the government THEY WANTED • new United Nations Organization created • Stalin asks that eastern Europe be a Soviet "sphere of influence" 22

23. Sphere of Influence? What do you think a sphere of influence is? Stalin wanted this because of the losses they had suffered during WWI and WWII. "The following circumstances should not be forgotten. The Germans made their invasion of the USSR through Finland, Poland, and Romania. The Germans were able to make their invasion through these countries because, at the time, governments hostile to the Soviet Union existed in these countries. What can there be surprising about the fact that the Soviet Union, anxious for its future safety, is trying to see to it that governments loyal to their attitude to the Soviet Union should exist in these countries?" - Stalin 23

24. Yalta Agreements... Literally Declaration on Liberated Europe: “The [USA, USSR, and Britain] will assist the people in any European liberated state to form interim governments broadly representative of all democratic elements in the population and pledged to the earliest possible establishment through free elections of governments responsive to the will of the people.” Poland: “The Polish government shall be pledged to the holding of free elections as soon as possible. In these elections all democratic and anti-Nazi parties shall have the right take part and to put forward candidates.”

25. On the Surface... “I want to drink to our alliance, that it should not lose its intimacy, its free expression of views… I know of no such close alliance of three Great Powers as this … May it be strong and stable, may we be as frank as possible.” - Stalin, toast at Yalta dinner

26. But Behind the Scenes... • Different interpretations of agreements • False expectations in the USA (they trusted Stalin to hold free elections and they were wrong) • Tried to accomplish compromise over Poland. This was not possible (even with attempted democracy)

27. Behind the Scenes... "The Soviet Union has become a danger to the free world. A new front must be created against her onward sweep. This front should be as far east as possible. A settlement must be reached on all major issues between West and East in Europe before the armies of democracy melt." - Churchill to FDR right after Yalta “Perhaps you think that just because we are the allies of the English we have forgotten who they are and who Churchill is. There is nothing they like better than to trick their allies.” – Stalin speaking to a fellow Communist

28. Yalta in Practice • Majority Poles ignored • Communism forces take-over • “The British went to war on account of Poland. They can never feel this war will have ended rightly unless Poland has a fair deal in the sense of independence and freedom, on the basis of friendship w/ Russia. It was on this that I thought we agreed at Yalta.” – ? • “ At Yalta it had been agreed that the existing government of Poland was to be reconstructed Anyone with common sense would see that this means the present (Lublin) govt was to form the basis of the new got. No other understanding of the Yalta agreement is possible. The Russians should not be treated as fools.” - ?

29. Harry Truman takes over • Very different from Roosevelt • Much more anti-communist • Personality = large part of tougher American policy • Insisted that Soviets MUST carry out free elections in Poland “We’ve got to teach the Russians how to behave.” - Truman “Molotov left [saying] ‘I have never been talked to like that before in my life.’ To which Truman said ‘Carry out your agreements and you won’t get talked to like that.”

30. The Postdam Conference, July-Aug 1945 • Second Conference to discuss the post-war world and what it would like once the war ended. • Many things had changed: • Stalin’s armies were occupying most of eastern Europe • Refugees were fleeing a communist takeover! • America had a new president • feared Soviet take-over of ALL Europe • The Allies had tested the atomic bomb

31. Disagreements at Postdam • Did not go smoothly • Halfway through conference Churchill replaced by Clement Attlee • Conference dominated by rivalry between Stalin and Truman • Disagreements: • What to do about Germany: • Cripple to protect USSR or avoid repeating the past? • Reparations: • 20 mil Russians died in war and USSR devastated. Stalin wants compensation and Truman resisted. • Soviet policy in eastern Europe: • Truman unhappy about Stalin’s intentions. Stalin says get over it. • Postdam ends without complete agreements.

32. Soviet take-over of Eastern Europe Debate: Was it a defensive move or a step towards take-over? Well.... All opposition was destroyed. Secret police imprisoned anyone who opposed Communist rule or might oppose it later on! All opposition was destroyed. Elections were rigged. People ignored.

33. The Iron Curtain • What was it: A phrase used to describe the division between the capitalist west countries and the communist east countries. • w/i 9 months, dominates all eastern Europe (by 1946) • Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Czecholslovakia • Churchill wants USA-British alliance to fight comm. threat “…An iron curtain has descended. Behind that line lie all the states of central and eastern Europe. The Communist parties have been raised far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control. This is certainly not the liberated Europe we fought to build. Nor is it one which allows permanent peace.” - Churchill

34. The Iron Curtain

35. Pop Quiz What are Marxists? Who was the leader of the Bolshevik Party that took over Russia after WWI? Who were the Big Three that met Yalta? Name all three leaders. What were the leaders trying to accomplish at Yalta? What is one agreement decided upon at Yalta? Why was Truman mad at the Soviet Union in the months after Yalta? When the leaders met at Potsdam, what is one thing that had changed since the Yalta Conference? What is one thing they disagreed about at Potsdam? How did Stalin defend his need for a "sphere of influence" in Eastern Europe? What was the iron curtain?

36. Review

37. Yalta - Feb 1945 FDR, Stalin, Churchill. Agree on free elections and division of Germany into four zones. Biggest source of tension = Poland. Poland Largest country in Eastern Europe... what happened to it would probably happen to others. USA & Britain support the London Poles (anti-communist) and the USSR supported the Lublin Poles. Stalin allowed the London Poles to be defeated by the Nazis during the war so that the Red Army could take over. Then, the USSR refused to allow real elections. Many Polish opponents of communism simply disappeared! Potsdam - July-Aug 1945 Truman, Atlee, Stalin. USA now had atomic bomb. Disagreements over Germany. Decided on reparations (each would take reparations from their own area of occupation). As they liberated countries, they took them over. They used rigged elections and destroyed opposition with violence. Defence = war time contribution and Russian losses. They felt they had won the war and should therefore shape the future of Europe. Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia Stalin's Takeover: Review

38. USA - 1945 The world's leading nation - not destroyed by war at home - not in debt like others - world's richest and most successful country - annoyed by Soviets who tried to stop the spread of American capitalism - Nuclear "monopoly" - saw the problems of the last decade as caused by |1) evil dictators| |2) economic crisis of the Depression|

40. Leaders at the Potsdam Conference 43

41. End of Friendship – Start of Cold War Replaced by suspicion and accusation A propaganda war developed Both built up arms American Cartoon Russian Cartoon

42. Reaction of the West USA builds OWN “sphere of influence” = group of pro-American states that included all of world’s richest industrialized countries Every communist action would meet an American reaction Example: Greece - US supports British troops who support anticommunist Result: new era in USA’s attitude towards world politics

43. Truman Doctrine - 1947 • Friends in Western Europe = economic crisis, need help • Offered support - $$$$$, equipment, advice to any country under threat of Communist take-over • Became known as CONTAINMENT = USA would use wealth to stop communism from spreading further PREVIEW!! Connection to later unit? Initially, applied to Europe and Middle East. But WIll LATER BE Extended and Lead to war in Korea and Vietnam!

44. Truman Doctrine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-azZDCjAKus&feature=related

45. Marshall Plan - 1947 • Based on belief that Communism succeeds only when people faced poverty and hardship • (This is because it is less attractive to people with good jobs who are well paid) • Needed Western Europe to become wealthy (facing extreme shortages, debt, chaos) • General George Marshall organized plan to offer massive economic aid • Proposed $17 Billion to rebuild Europe • Enormously generous • Also motivated by American self-interest • How would it work? Countries would apply for aid "Millions of people in the cities are slowly starving. Without further prompt and substantial aid from the US, economic and political dislocation will overwhelm Europe." - American reporting on conditions in Europe in 1946. “Our policy is directed against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos.” – Marshall

46. Remember: Key Change Truman wants the USSR to faced with an “iron fist.” “I’m tired of babying the Soviets.”

49. Marshall Plan 16 countries met (including leaders western Germany) Stalin forbids eastern countries from applying Why? Ruining his Communist aims. USA trying to dominate & push American ideas. First step in dividing Germany. Western Germany (economically) functioning as separate country from eastern sector. Marshall Plan European Recovery "Can he block it"

50. The Soviet Response Organized conference Set up Cominform (The Communist Information Bureau )- to strengthen links between different communist countries Set up Comecom (Council for Mutual Economic Aid) - a trading organization of communist countries Nowhere near success of Marshall Plan