The Early Cold War
Key ‘Cold War’ Concepts
• Brinkmanship: Two conflic)ng sides con)nuously pushing each other the brink of war
• Containment: The US foreign policy that intended to prevent the spread of communism and growth of
Soviet influence
• Iron Curtain: A term coined by Churchill (1946) in reference to the Eastern Bloc countries that had
become one under the Soviet’s influence
• Sphere of Influence: A region over which a powerful na)on establishes unofficial poli)cal, economic
and military control
• Proxy War: A conflict opposing na)ons u)lise as a means of indirectly engaging in war with one another
• Satellite State: A na)on that is formally independent but is dominated by and subservient to another
na)on. (Applied to Easter Bloc countries under Soviet control)
• Annex: To incorporate territory into another state
Pre World War II
• 1917: Bolsheviks seized power in Russia
- na)onalised land & industry
- eliminated the monarchy
- imprisoned & executed thousands of people
- removed Russia from WW1
• Post-WW1: Several Western countries entered the Russian Civil War on the side of the White Russians
or “pro-capitalist”
• Comintern: 1919
• 1930s: Stalin’s “The Great Terror” — forced labour camps, purges and a[empts to alienate the West
World War II
• The West (USA, Britain) and Soviet Russian became unlikely allies in the war
• However, tension between the two countries remained
• Stalin believed that the West viewed Russia as more of a threat than Nazi Germany
• Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939 dismayed the West — USSR received Eastern Poland when
Germany invaded
• Stalin’s invasion Finland in 1939 lead to Soviet Russia’s ul)mate expulsion from the League of Na)ons
• The USSR experienced the worst of the war in Europe
- Western powers only invaded Europe in 1944
- Stalin viewed this as the West’s means of weakening him
• Tehran Conference 1943: Stalin secured border with Poland without consul)ng polish representa)ves
• Katyn Massacre 1940: 15 to 22 000 Polish officers were executed and buried in mass graves by the
Soviets. They blamed the Nazis. Soviet brutality increased the West’s distrust of them.
• Potsdam Conference: Stalin was told of the atomic bomb that the US was developing
• The West supported the Polish Milokajczyk, whereas the Soviets supported the Communists of Gomulka
Capitalism vs Communism Tension
, • The two na)ons were at a huge ideological divide as a result of the West’s capitalist nature and Soviet
Russia’s communist one
• Communism threatened the very cornerstone of the USA i.e. the wealthy
• Communism strongly appeals to the working class or the “proletariat”
The Capitalist West Soviet Russia
Private ownership of land, business and industry State owned land, business and industry
Classist society based on income Classless society - all incomes were equal (in
- the wealthy theory)
- the middle class
- the poor
Mul)-party democracy therefore, ci)zens elect One-party state - ci)zens were not enabled to vote
governing party for their governing party
Freedom of speech, religion, All media was state controlled which destroyed
prospects of free speech
Pro-Monarchy Atheist state as religion was banned
Intended to uphold a cons)tu)on that protected all Human rights were not heavily focused on - Stalin
human rights introduced a secret police and authorised forced
labour camps, torture and capital punishment
The Concept of the Cold War
• Mid-1940s to November 1989
• “Cold” War meaning the nature of being hos)le but not direct war
• The Cold War is defined by the rivalry between the superpower countries post WW II
• The two na)ons competed in both a nuclear arms race and that of space too
• In order to gain support for themselves, both superpowers aimed to provide aid to less developed,
newly independent and devastated na)ons
• The threat of nuclear war served as a means of war deterrent
• The policy of Brinkmanship was popular and u)lised by both superpowers
• They competed for global influence and frequently took part in proxy wars to demonstrate rivalry
Nature of Conflict
• Economically
- Support plans, such as the Marshall Plan, were u)lised by the West
- Blockades were u)lised by the USSR in Berlin
- Embargos in Cuba
• Poli)cally
- Both superpowers made alliances in order to gain global influence and support
Key ‘Cold War’ Concepts
• Brinkmanship: Two conflic)ng sides con)nuously pushing each other the brink of war
• Containment: The US foreign policy that intended to prevent the spread of communism and growth of
Soviet influence
• Iron Curtain: A term coined by Churchill (1946) in reference to the Eastern Bloc countries that had
become one under the Soviet’s influence
• Sphere of Influence: A region over which a powerful na)on establishes unofficial poli)cal, economic
and military control
• Proxy War: A conflict opposing na)ons u)lise as a means of indirectly engaging in war with one another
• Satellite State: A na)on that is formally independent but is dominated by and subservient to another
na)on. (Applied to Easter Bloc countries under Soviet control)
• Annex: To incorporate territory into another state
Pre World War II
• 1917: Bolsheviks seized power in Russia
- na)onalised land & industry
- eliminated the monarchy
- imprisoned & executed thousands of people
- removed Russia from WW1
• Post-WW1: Several Western countries entered the Russian Civil War on the side of the White Russians
or “pro-capitalist”
• Comintern: 1919
• 1930s: Stalin’s “The Great Terror” — forced labour camps, purges and a[empts to alienate the West
World War II
• The West (USA, Britain) and Soviet Russian became unlikely allies in the war
• However, tension between the two countries remained
• Stalin believed that the West viewed Russia as more of a threat than Nazi Germany
• Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939 dismayed the West — USSR received Eastern Poland when
Germany invaded
• Stalin’s invasion Finland in 1939 lead to Soviet Russia’s ul)mate expulsion from the League of Na)ons
• The USSR experienced the worst of the war in Europe
- Western powers only invaded Europe in 1944
- Stalin viewed this as the West’s means of weakening him
• Tehran Conference 1943: Stalin secured border with Poland without consul)ng polish representa)ves
• Katyn Massacre 1940: 15 to 22 000 Polish officers were executed and buried in mass graves by the
Soviets. They blamed the Nazis. Soviet brutality increased the West’s distrust of them.
• Potsdam Conference: Stalin was told of the atomic bomb that the US was developing
• The West supported the Polish Milokajczyk, whereas the Soviets supported the Communists of Gomulka
Capitalism vs Communism Tension
, • The two na)ons were at a huge ideological divide as a result of the West’s capitalist nature and Soviet
Russia’s communist one
• Communism threatened the very cornerstone of the USA i.e. the wealthy
• Communism strongly appeals to the working class or the “proletariat”
The Capitalist West Soviet Russia
Private ownership of land, business and industry State owned land, business and industry
Classist society based on income Classless society - all incomes were equal (in
- the wealthy theory)
- the middle class
- the poor
Mul)-party democracy therefore, ci)zens elect One-party state - ci)zens were not enabled to vote
governing party for their governing party
Freedom of speech, religion, All media was state controlled which destroyed
prospects of free speech
Pro-Monarchy Atheist state as religion was banned
Intended to uphold a cons)tu)on that protected all Human rights were not heavily focused on - Stalin
human rights introduced a secret police and authorised forced
labour camps, torture and capital punishment
The Concept of the Cold War
• Mid-1940s to November 1989
• “Cold” War meaning the nature of being hos)le but not direct war
• The Cold War is defined by the rivalry between the superpower countries post WW II
• The two na)ons competed in both a nuclear arms race and that of space too
• In order to gain support for themselves, both superpowers aimed to provide aid to less developed,
newly independent and devastated na)ons
• The threat of nuclear war served as a means of war deterrent
• The policy of Brinkmanship was popular and u)lised by both superpowers
• They competed for global influence and frequently took part in proxy wars to demonstrate rivalry
Nature of Conflict
• Economically
- Support plans, such as the Marshall Plan, were u)lised by the West
- Blockades were u)lised by the USSR in Berlin
- Embargos in Cuba
• Poli)cally
- Both superpowers made alliances in order to gain global influence and support
