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Selected documents

Explore the origins of the Cold War, from Molotov's speech to the Tehran Conference, Churchill-Stalin meeting, Kennan's telegram, and more pivotal moments shaping post-WWII Europe. Understand the major agreements, conflicts, and policy decisions that led to the division between the Soviet Union and the West.

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Selected documents

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  1. Selected documents Origins of the Cold War

  2. Molotov's Speech, 31 August 1939 about singing the ‘The Molotov-Ribentrop Pact, 1939 Why did the Soviet Union conclude a pact with Germany in 1939? • Problems with Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations for the conclusion of a pact of mutual assistance against aggression in Europe • A denial of Poland to admit the Soviet military assistance • A need to establish good neighborly relationship with Germany

  3. Tehran Conference, 1943: Memorandum on Conversation between Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt, 30 November, 1943 What were the major points of agreement and conflict between the Big Three at the Teheran Conference in 1943? Poland: agreement of all the participants – Poland should be friendly to the Soviet Union and its “division” is enviable. Disagreement: the line of division; Germany: agreement of all the participants – Germany must be parted into several small weak states.

  4. Green Line – Curzon Line after the I WW Orange Line – 1939 Read Line – Poland after II WW Yellow space – territories transferred from Germany to Poland Red space – from Poland to the USSR (Ukraine, Lithuania) Division of Poland

  5. Tehran Conference: Roosevelt-Stalin Meeting What did Roosevelt recommend Stalin to implement in Eastern European states? The president – referendum, Stalin – “in accordance with the Soviet constitution but that he could not agree to any form of international control.”

  6. Memorandum from the Maisky Commission to Molotov, January 1944 What does the Maisky’s memorandum reveal about Soviet plans for post-war Europe? • Germany and Poland –are permanent problems • we could cooperate with the USA, Great Britain

  7. Ivan Maisky and Maxim Litvinov

  8. W. Churchill’s recounts about meeting with Stalin in Moscow, October 1944 and famous ‘percentage agreement ‘with Stalin What do you think was the significance of the Stalin-Churchill’s October agreement?

  9. Kennan’s telegram from Moscow, 22 February 1946/The Novikov Telegram Evaluate Kennan’s and Novikov’s appraisal of Soviet and American foreign policy conduct? Kennan: ‘we have here a political force committed fanatically to the belief that with US there can be no permanent modus vivendi [way of living together] that it is desirable and necessary that the internal harmony of our society be disrupted, our traditional way of life be destroyed, the international authority of our state be broken, if Soviet power is to be secure.” (USSR is a threat for inside life of the U.S.) Novikov: Careful note should betaken of the fact that the preparation by the United State for a future is being conducted with the prospect of war against the Soviet Union, which in the eyes of the American imperialists is the main obstacle in the path of the United States to world domination. (US is main threat for USSR in international arena)

  10. Stalin's Reply to Churchill Did Stalin have a convincing answer to the accusations in Churchill’s speech about Iron Curtain?

  11. Report, "American Relations With The Soviet Union" by Clark Clifford, September 24, 1946. What kind of measures did Clifford suppose to ‘prevent additional Soviet aggression’? Restraint the Soviet Union by military means

  12. Zhdanov on the Founding of the Cominform, September 1947 What was the purpose of the Cominform when it was founded in September 1947? To stop a crusade against the USSR announced by the U.S.

  13. Cold War takes shape, 1947-1951

  14. Some facts, 1947-1950 1947, March – Truman doctrine speech and 1947, June – Marshall plan speech; 1947, July – Paris conference on the Marshall plan; 1947, September – Zhdanov “two camps” speech; 1948, June – Berlin blockade; Yugoslavia expelled from Cominform 1949, April – NATO was established and 1949, May – Federal Republic of Germany was established 1949, August – Soviet atomic bomb test and hydrogen bomb 1949, October – Democratic Republic of Germany and PRC came into existence; 1950, February – China-Soviet treaty of friendship was concluded 1950, June – Korean war breaks down 1950, December – a final of containment policy decision making

  15. How to save the part of Europe • June 1947 George Marshall speech • about American economic assistance to all countries, which wanted to cooperate with USA, became the real strike for Stalin (Molotov proposed to join, however) • Paris conference, July 1947: • Molotov proposed to change the procedure of transferring the American money: bilateral agreements instead of American control over a national budget • Molotov rejected the participation of Eastern European countries. >> Czechs became a problem (Masaryk) • The Council of Mutual Economic Assistance, 1949

  16. How to be with defense of Europe • Policy Planning Service at the DOS under Kennan • the conception of Atlanticism became the leading in the American political establishment. A conception of Atlantic security and military assistance to Europe>> • Ideas: to unify W. Europe and integrate part of Germany in it and the alliance of all democratic states should be created (+Japan) • Stalin was not satisfied with desire of the USA to integrate the Western zones of Germany in Atlantic community>> to stop it was to blackmail with closing the routes to Western Berlin, June 1948 >> • Russian conception: the Americans were building up Europe as a base from which to attack the USSR and so the S U must respond accordingly: unilateral action was the best tactic.

  17. How to be with defense of Europe >> talks between Washington and Europeans in 1948 as to the Western block • Brussels Treaty, March 1948 on Cooperation and collective self-defense >> USA joined • NATO as a military alliance between the USA and Western Europe became a new reality of 1949 • Opposition of Kennan: • PPS 37: we should not build a separate Germany and military alliance in Europe, because it diminishes the chances to build peaceful relations with Russia >> • He was changed for Paul Nitze, the future author of NSC-63/3 of 1950

  18. New events: Russian bomb, and Communist China 1949 • A test of the Soviet atomic bomb in August that changed the image of the Soviet Union • Kurchatov: “We felt a happiness when we saw our fireball, because having made it our bomb, we have belittled the United States” • Mao did his revolution in October, 1949 • American political establishment was elaborating the strategy of military containmentin January 1950 >> the first hot event of the Cold War became Korea

  19. Korean War, 1950-1953: the course of events • Korea was divided into two zones of occupation –Soviet in the north part with Kim Il – Sung (Ким Ир Сен) and American in the south part with Syngman Rhee (Ли Сы Ман); • Similar to Germany: the occupantsdeveloped the zone on their terms and the both sought to unify the country; • 1947-Truman proposed to Stalin: “Let’s arrange the elections” (There were more population in the south); and Stalin – to withdraw the troops • Since 1949 the clashes between zones were started, and it was clear that the zones would seek the unification on their terms. • At the same time: February 1950 – Stalin met Mao Zedung in Moscow and they established the alliance; however, • Stalin did not trust Mao;

  20. Documents evidence about Stalin’s position as to the unification of Korea • The meeting with Kim in Moscow, March 1949: Kim was asking for military aid, but Stalin avoided the answer. and in 1950 Stalin wrote to the Soviet ambassador: “...I understand the dissatisfaction of...Kim..., but he must understand that such a large matter in regard to South Korea....must be organized so that there would not be too great risk....

  21. The significance of the Korean War • What was happened in June 1950 was the first hot war of the Cold War; • It was signalized that the East-West tension is deep and permanent; • It has demonstrated to the Soviet Union that the USA was ready to fight against the Soviet expansion in all, even insignificant (strategically) parts of the world; • The both sides were ready to be involved in a war against each other;

  22. 1950: containment policy • January 1950 – Truman asked to revise the military budget and reexamine the national strategy of the US • Nitze and Acheson drafted several ideas how to find convincing foundations for increasing the budget as the NSC policy papers >> • NSC 68/3 – there is a threat from USSR >> we need a high military budget for containment of the USSR

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