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Revision: the cold war. 1945-1955. Short-term causes for the cold war. Ideological differences ( capitalism-communism): Open Door Policy Disagreements / suspicions during WWII -opening of the the second front ( the Tehran Conference, 1943)
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Revision: thecoldwar 1945-1955
Short-term causes for the cold war • Ideological differences ( capitalism-communism): Open Door Policy • Disagreements / suspicions during WWII -opening of the the second front ( the Tehran Conference, 1943) - The Percentages Agreement, 1944/ Spheres of Influence, p.54 - Yalta & Potsdam, 1945: the German question - questions on Eastern Europe - questions on Turkey and Greece - USA- ATOMIC BOMB, Stalin was not informed
Economic disaster • Soviet losses on p. 58 • Soviet Union wanted to get reparations from the whole German area • Dollar diplomacy
Long-term causes, 1917-41 • Isaac Deurscher, Howard Roffman, R. C. Nation: The Bolshevikrevolution, 1917 pavedtherway for the Great Contest • S.U seen as a hostilecountry: an outcastwhichwassupposed to beisolated • From 1917 to -28 : the rivalrybetween the economic and politicalsystems * Lenin and Trotsky international revolutionaries * Russian civilwar 1918-21; foreigninterventions
L.-T. Causes • Polish-Russo war 1920-21 ( backed by BR. and FR); ;In the Treaty of Riga Russia lost significant areas • Soviet isolation; Bolshevik Government excluded from the Peace settlements , agreements and The League of Nations Antagonism and co-operation, 1929-41 • Stalin´s approach more on the ” Socialism in one country” • Great Depression in the west • The Rise of Hitler: relations between the U.S and S.U began to improve ( official recognition, membership in the League)
Realpolitik and ideology • Realities bacame more important than ideology ( examples: Rapallo, 1922, Stalin´s approach: an agreement with the West against the Nazis could be a solution, Nazi-German Pact, 1939) • Ideology still mattered: The Munich Conference, 1938, Spanish civil war; U.S businessmen supported the Fascist Franco, Anti-semitic Polish government supported by France & Britain ( feared communism so much), The impact of the Great Purge of Stalin..
WWII and the co-operation • Operation Barbarossa, 1941: The Soviet Union joined the Allied forces • Roosevelt´s approach: the Nazi Germany is more dangerous than the Soviet Union→ the formation of the Grand Alliance ( even there were examples like the Winter War, annexation of the Baltic states..)
Historians • Orthodox view: William Hardy Mcneill, Herbert Feis: The resbonsibility for the outbreak of the Cold War rested with the Soviet expansionist policies ( Marxism-Leninism to be blamed) • Reviosionist view: W. A Williams; USA was to be blamed: Soviet Union too weak • Post-Reviosionist: Martin Mc Cauley; Both sides to be blamed:mistunderstandings, the role of the advisors..
How? • A) The Iron Curtain desdended across Europe between 1945-48 * Communism established in Eastern Europe * principles of US. Foreign policy: containment and the Truman doctrine * The Marshall Plan, 1947
B) The Germanquestion - Germanydivided into zones ( also Berlin, situatedwithin the Sovietzone) - Western zonesunited in 1947; new currency, pricecontrolsended → Stalin announced the Berlin blockade, June 1948-May 1949: ALL ROAD, RAIL AND CANAL LINKS BETWEEN WEST-BERLIN AND WEST-GERMANY WERE CLOSED! →FOR 10 MONTHS supplieswereairlifted to the blockaded city, in May 1949 the Russiansadmitted the failure of the blockade: The greatpsychologicalvictory for the West
Result/ Berlin blockade • Establishment of two Germanies: BRD and DDR ( socialist) - SU drained DDR´s resources, governed its policy ( Satellite states of the SU) - The Economic rise of BRD with the help of the US, joined EEC and NATO ( in 1955)
c) Establishment of Military alliances • NATO, 1949 • The Warsaw Pact, 1955 • The Korean War , 1950-1953 • the hottest war of the cold war” • The DOMINO theory • Background, the war and its effects (hand-out)
Effects of the Korean War (1950-53) • Implementation of NSC 68 • Strengthening of NATO ( new members; Greece, Turkey, the organisation was given an expanded secretariat and an unified command structure working under US Supreme commander) • Rearmament of BRD • Restoration of sovereignty to Japan • Increased aid to French in Vietnam • Resumption of aid to Taiwan • ANZUS pact ( Australia, New Zealand, US: agaist Japan and on the other hand against communism) → MILITARIZATION AND GLOBALIZATION OFTHE COLD WAR!
THE THAW ( 1953-55) • WHY? • End of the Korean War • Stalin´s death • Khrushchev´s ” Peaceful Coexistence” and Eisenhower´s ” New Look” • In 1954 Soviet Proposal dealing with the unification of Germany