The origins of the Cold War 1945-49
The ‘marriage of convenience’ and the origins of ‘divorce’
- UK- Churchill
- USSR- Stalin
- USA- Roosevelt
FDR’s global vision. - JAN 6th 1941
Founded upon four essential human freedom:
- Freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.
- Freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere
in the world.
- Freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means
economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy
peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
- Freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-
wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough
fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical
aggression against any neighbour—anywhere in the world
Franklin D. Roosevelt, excerpted from the State of the Union Address to
the Congress, January 6th, 1941.
Eight common principles. – JAN 1st 1942
1. They agreed not to seek territorial gains from the war.
2. Opposition to territorial changes made against the wishes of the people
concerned.
3. Restoration of self-govt to those nations who had lost it during the war.
4. People should have the right to choose their own form of govt.
5. Access for all nations to raw materials needed for economic prosperity
and the easing of trade restrictions.
6. International cooperation to secure improved living and working
conditions for all.
7. Freedom of the seas.
8. All countries to abandon the use of force.
On Jan 1st, 1942, representatives from 26 countries met in Washington
to sign a ‘Declaration by United Nations’, which pledged support for the
Atlantic Charter.
28 Nov- 1 Dec 1943: Tehran Conference
- The conference was called after a war meeting in Casablanca to which
Stalin had not been invited.
- The direction of WW2 in Europe was discussed.
- A second front (eventually D-Day) would be coordinated with a Soviet
offensive to split German resources.
- Possible entry of the Soviet Union in the war against Japan.
- Possibility of establishing an international organisation postwar for
maintaining world peace.
Oct 1944: Moscow Conference
Issues that were discussed:
,- The ‘naughty document’ discussing percentages.
- Russia to have influence in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
- Britain to have influence in Greece.
- Future of Poland.
- A plan for Russian entry into the war against Japan.
Geopolitical shifts by the end of 1944
USA:
- Had made it clear at Tehran that US troops should return home as soon
after war ended as possible. Whilst FDR comfortably won the
Presidential Election in November, his health was beginning to fade.
Britain:
- Recognised their world influence was in decline and that the USSR
would be the emerging superpower post-war. They therefore needed
to work with the USSR for the future peace of Europe.
USSR:
- Knew that their contribution at this point to the war meant they had
significant political leverage in post-war agreements.
Soviet attitudes in 1945
Stalin’s foreign policy was based on the aim of taking advantage of the
military situation in Europe to strengthen Soviet influence and prevent
another invasion from the west. This policy resulted in establishing
pro-Soviet governments in as much of Eastern Europe as possible. To
the West this was seen as evidence of the expansionist nature of
communism, but Soviet aims were based on attitudes that were more
complicated than this.
As the prospects for world revolution faded, the Soviet Union’s foreign
policy became much more concerned with ensuring the survival of the
new regime.
Stalin was preoccupied with safeguarding Soviet security.
Over 20 million Soviet citizens were killed during WW1, on top of the
vast economic losses incurred during the fighting.
One tactic which the Soviet Union was able to use in 1945 was to
establish a buffer zone of Soviet influenced states in Eastern Europe,
which would act as a barrier against further invasion of the Soviet
Union from the west.
This Soviet obsession with security was difficult for the US government
to understand. To the US government, the USSR was more interested
in spreading communism.
US attitudes in 1945
Although US hostility towards the Soviet Union hardened at the end of
the war, Roosevelt was realistic enough to recognise that the USA had
to seek some sort of working relationship with the USSR. Unless
Americans were ready to commit substantial resources to Europe and
were prepared to go to war to prevent Soviet expansion, an
accommodation with Stalin was necessary. Roosevelt saw negotiation
, and compromise as the most effective methods of safeguarding
western interests.
US industry was also anxious about the threat of communism in 1945.
The consumer-based US economy was concerned to see a revival in
Europe to ensure a free market for US goods. Fears of an economic
recession made US industrialists keen to protect this potential market
from being closed off by the spread of communism. The development
of the Cold War kept international tensions high and continued the
demand for weaponry. This attitude was shared by the US armed
forces.
US hostility towards the USSR was inflated by a failure to understand
the Soviet obsession with security. The failure of the US government to
comprehend the Soviet demand for security from further attack led
them to interpret every action as part of the USSR’s desire to dominate
Europe and spread world communism. This misinterpretation added to
the hostility which developed during the Cold War.
British attitudes in 1945
The attitudes of the British government in 1945 were more hostile to
the Soviet Union and more suspicious of its intentions than those of the
US government.
Without US support there was little the countries of Western Europe
could do to stem any Soviet advance. Churchill feared the Americas,
tired of fighting, would return to a policy of isolationism, as they had
done after the First World War.
Churchill hoped that a personal agreement with Stalin might limit his
actions. The two leaders met in Moscow in 1944 and agreed to
recognise spheres of influence in Europe: The Soviet Union would have
a 90% influence in Romania and 75% in Bulgaria, while Britain would
have a 90% influence in Greece; they would go 50:50 in Hungary and
Yugoslavia. Churchill was fearful of Soviet expansion and, alongside this
attempt to limit Stalin by personal agreement, he also tried to secure
US promises of a commitment to Europe in the post-war world.
Feb 1945: The Yalta Conference
The agenda:
- Germany.
- German war reparations.
- The formation of the United Nations.
- Eastern Europe.
- Poland
- The entry of Soviet forces into the Far-Eastern front (Japan).
The outcomes
Division of Germany:
- Germany had to be limited.
- The United States felt that Germany should be divided into five
constituent parts.
The ‘marriage of convenience’ and the origins of ‘divorce’
- UK- Churchill
- USSR- Stalin
- USA- Roosevelt
FDR’s global vision. - JAN 6th 1941
Founded upon four essential human freedom:
- Freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.
- Freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere
in the world.
- Freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means
economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy
peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
- Freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-
wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough
fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical
aggression against any neighbour—anywhere in the world
Franklin D. Roosevelt, excerpted from the State of the Union Address to
the Congress, January 6th, 1941.
Eight common principles. – JAN 1st 1942
1. They agreed not to seek territorial gains from the war.
2. Opposition to territorial changes made against the wishes of the people
concerned.
3. Restoration of self-govt to those nations who had lost it during the war.
4. People should have the right to choose their own form of govt.
5. Access for all nations to raw materials needed for economic prosperity
and the easing of trade restrictions.
6. International cooperation to secure improved living and working
conditions for all.
7. Freedom of the seas.
8. All countries to abandon the use of force.
On Jan 1st, 1942, representatives from 26 countries met in Washington
to sign a ‘Declaration by United Nations’, which pledged support for the
Atlantic Charter.
28 Nov- 1 Dec 1943: Tehran Conference
- The conference was called after a war meeting in Casablanca to which
Stalin had not been invited.
- The direction of WW2 in Europe was discussed.
- A second front (eventually D-Day) would be coordinated with a Soviet
offensive to split German resources.
- Possible entry of the Soviet Union in the war against Japan.
- Possibility of establishing an international organisation postwar for
maintaining world peace.
Oct 1944: Moscow Conference
Issues that were discussed:
,- The ‘naughty document’ discussing percentages.
- Russia to have influence in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
- Britain to have influence in Greece.
- Future of Poland.
- A plan for Russian entry into the war against Japan.
Geopolitical shifts by the end of 1944
USA:
- Had made it clear at Tehran that US troops should return home as soon
after war ended as possible. Whilst FDR comfortably won the
Presidential Election in November, his health was beginning to fade.
Britain:
- Recognised their world influence was in decline and that the USSR
would be the emerging superpower post-war. They therefore needed
to work with the USSR for the future peace of Europe.
USSR:
- Knew that their contribution at this point to the war meant they had
significant political leverage in post-war agreements.
Soviet attitudes in 1945
Stalin’s foreign policy was based on the aim of taking advantage of the
military situation in Europe to strengthen Soviet influence and prevent
another invasion from the west. This policy resulted in establishing
pro-Soviet governments in as much of Eastern Europe as possible. To
the West this was seen as evidence of the expansionist nature of
communism, but Soviet aims were based on attitudes that were more
complicated than this.
As the prospects for world revolution faded, the Soviet Union’s foreign
policy became much more concerned with ensuring the survival of the
new regime.
Stalin was preoccupied with safeguarding Soviet security.
Over 20 million Soviet citizens were killed during WW1, on top of the
vast economic losses incurred during the fighting.
One tactic which the Soviet Union was able to use in 1945 was to
establish a buffer zone of Soviet influenced states in Eastern Europe,
which would act as a barrier against further invasion of the Soviet
Union from the west.
This Soviet obsession with security was difficult for the US government
to understand. To the US government, the USSR was more interested
in spreading communism.
US attitudes in 1945
Although US hostility towards the Soviet Union hardened at the end of
the war, Roosevelt was realistic enough to recognise that the USA had
to seek some sort of working relationship with the USSR. Unless
Americans were ready to commit substantial resources to Europe and
were prepared to go to war to prevent Soviet expansion, an
accommodation with Stalin was necessary. Roosevelt saw negotiation
, and compromise as the most effective methods of safeguarding
western interests.
US industry was also anxious about the threat of communism in 1945.
The consumer-based US economy was concerned to see a revival in
Europe to ensure a free market for US goods. Fears of an economic
recession made US industrialists keen to protect this potential market
from being closed off by the spread of communism. The development
of the Cold War kept international tensions high and continued the
demand for weaponry. This attitude was shared by the US armed
forces.
US hostility towards the USSR was inflated by a failure to understand
the Soviet obsession with security. The failure of the US government to
comprehend the Soviet demand for security from further attack led
them to interpret every action as part of the USSR’s desire to dominate
Europe and spread world communism. This misinterpretation added to
the hostility which developed during the Cold War.
British attitudes in 1945
The attitudes of the British government in 1945 were more hostile to
the Soviet Union and more suspicious of its intentions than those of the
US government.
Without US support there was little the countries of Western Europe
could do to stem any Soviet advance. Churchill feared the Americas,
tired of fighting, would return to a policy of isolationism, as they had
done after the First World War.
Churchill hoped that a personal agreement with Stalin might limit his
actions. The two leaders met in Moscow in 1944 and agreed to
recognise spheres of influence in Europe: The Soviet Union would have
a 90% influence in Romania and 75% in Bulgaria, while Britain would
have a 90% influence in Greece; they would go 50:50 in Hungary and
Yugoslavia. Churchill was fearful of Soviet expansion and, alongside this
attempt to limit Stalin by personal agreement, he also tried to secure
US promises of a commitment to Europe in the post-war world.
Feb 1945: The Yalta Conference
The agenda:
- Germany.
- German war reparations.
- The formation of the United Nations.
- Eastern Europe.
- Poland
- The entry of Soviet forces into the Far-Eastern front (Japan).
The outcomes
Division of Germany:
- Germany had to be limited.
- The United States felt that Germany should be divided into five
constituent parts.
