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The Cold War: Origins and Impact on World Politics

Explore short-term and long-term causes, ideological differences, major events, and historians' views on the Cold War from 1945-1955, including the Berlin Blockade, Korean War, and the establishment of military alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Discover the effects of the Korean War, implementation of policies like NSC 68, and the Thaw period from 1953-1955.

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The Cold War: Origins and Impact on World Politics

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  1. Revision: thecoldwar 1945-1955

  2. 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

  3. Economic disaster • Soviet losses on p. 58 • Soviet Union wanted to get reparations from the whole German area • Dollar diplomacy

  4. 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

  5. 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)

  6. 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..

  7. 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..)

  8. 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..

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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)

  12. 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)

  13. 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!

  14. 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

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