Wednesday, 9 September 2020
HISTORY - Origins of the Cold War
US Presidents
- Truman (1945-53)
- Eisenhower (1953-61)
- JFK (1961-63)
- LBJ (1963-69)
- Nixon (1969-74)
USSR Leaders
- Stalin (1924-53)
- Khrushchev (1953-64)
Events
- Yalta (Feb 1945)
- Potsdam (July 1945)
- Fulton speech (Mar 1946)
- Greek Civil War (Feb 1947)
- Truman Doctrine (Mar 1947)
- Marshall Plan (June 1947)
- Cominform (Oct 1947)
- Berlin Blockade (Jun 1948-May 1949)
- Comecon (1949)
- NATO (May 1949)
- Warsaw Pact (1955)
Provoking Actions by the East
- Albania becomes Communist (1945)
- Bulgaria becomes Communist (1945)
1
, Wednesday, 9 September 2020
- Romania becomes Communist (1945)
- Hungary becomes Communist (1947)
- Poland becomes Communist (1947)
- Czechoslovakia becomes Communist (1948)
Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
Long Term Factors:
- Russian Civil War (1918-21) —> Britain/France/USA send troops to help loyalists to
fight Communism
- Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939) —> USSR blame West for not giving them alternative to
allying w/Germany through reluctance to co-operate
- Idealogical differences —> Capitalism vs Communism (elections/economics/welfare/
freedom of speech/religion)
Short Term Factors:
- Post War Europe —> USSR wants buffer zone of “satellite countries” + Germany to
pay reparations vs. USA wanted democratic elections in Eastern Europe + less severe
German reparations
- Personality Issues: (esp. @ Yalta/Potsdam)
• Stalin didn’t trust West and felt they didn’t appreciate USSR for war efforts
• FDR empathised w/Stalin but died during WW2
• Truman was anti-Soviet and wanted to intimidate Stalin w/atomic bomb
• Churchill didn’t like Stalin
• Clement Atlee lacked influence and power
- Rise of USSR —> Stalin threatens to expand not just into Eastern Europe and greatly
builds up Russia’s military might
- D-Day —> Stalin felt Britain + USA deliberately delayed liberating Western Europe
until 1944
- Manhattan Project —> Aug 1945 US drop atomic bombs on Japan (Stalin had not
been informed of USA a-bomb) USSR intimidated by American nuclear weapons so
develop their own in 1949
2
HISTORY - Origins of the Cold War
US Presidents
- Truman (1945-53)
- Eisenhower (1953-61)
- JFK (1961-63)
- LBJ (1963-69)
- Nixon (1969-74)
USSR Leaders
- Stalin (1924-53)
- Khrushchev (1953-64)
Events
- Yalta (Feb 1945)
- Potsdam (July 1945)
- Fulton speech (Mar 1946)
- Greek Civil War (Feb 1947)
- Truman Doctrine (Mar 1947)
- Marshall Plan (June 1947)
- Cominform (Oct 1947)
- Berlin Blockade (Jun 1948-May 1949)
- Comecon (1949)
- NATO (May 1949)
- Warsaw Pact (1955)
Provoking Actions by the East
- Albania becomes Communist (1945)
- Bulgaria becomes Communist (1945)
1
, Wednesday, 9 September 2020
- Romania becomes Communist (1945)
- Hungary becomes Communist (1947)
- Poland becomes Communist (1947)
- Czechoslovakia becomes Communist (1948)
Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
Long Term Factors:
- Russian Civil War (1918-21) —> Britain/France/USA send troops to help loyalists to
fight Communism
- Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939) —> USSR blame West for not giving them alternative to
allying w/Germany through reluctance to co-operate
- Idealogical differences —> Capitalism vs Communism (elections/economics/welfare/
freedom of speech/religion)
Short Term Factors:
- Post War Europe —> USSR wants buffer zone of “satellite countries” + Germany to
pay reparations vs. USA wanted democratic elections in Eastern Europe + less severe
German reparations
- Personality Issues: (esp. @ Yalta/Potsdam)
• Stalin didn’t trust West and felt they didn’t appreciate USSR for war efforts
• FDR empathised w/Stalin but died during WW2
• Truman was anti-Soviet and wanted to intimidate Stalin w/atomic bomb
• Churchill didn’t like Stalin
• Clement Atlee lacked influence and power
- Rise of USSR —> Stalin threatens to expand not just into Eastern Europe and greatly
builds up Russia’s military might
- D-Day —> Stalin felt Britain + USA deliberately delayed liberating Western Europe
until 1944
- Manhattan Project —> Aug 1945 US drop atomic bombs on Japan (Stalin had not
been informed of USA a-bomb) USSR intimidated by American nuclear weapons so
develop their own in 1949
2
