Downloaded

from www.clastify.com by zeinab

Research question: Compare and contrast the roles of the USA and USSR in the origins of
the Cold War.

After the end of WW2 the relation between the United States and Soviet Russia was tense.
Following Germany's and Japan's surrenders, the two great powers fought for decades to
expand their spheres of influence across the world, propelled by opposing aspirations and
ideologies of capitalism and communism. The now, ongoing Cold War resulted in a splitted
Germany and US engagement in the Korean and Vietnam wars which had financial
consequences for both the US and USSR. In the following paragraph we will compare and
contrast the two main pawns that have been in conflict after the end of WW2.

Despite their different political ideologies, the Allies were in general agreement about post-
war power sharing. President Franklin D.Roosevelt, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and British
Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 in order to
discuss the reorganisation of Europe after the war with focus on the ‘’obviously’’ defeated
Germany (surrender was imminent). Some other issues discussed during the conference
included the terms for the Soviet entry into the Pacific conflict with the enemy Japan and
also the formation of the United Nations. Stalin was in somewhat of an advantage at this
time given that he manage to drive back the nazi troops from Poland, Bulgaria and Romania
and has gotten closer to Berlin. At Yalta the future of the almost surrendered Germany was
discussed by the Big Three and it was agreed that it (including Berlin) will be divided into
four different occupation zones controlled by the British, US, French and Soviet forces.
Another thing that was agreed upon was that after its surrender, Germany should be
completely demilitarized and ‘’denazified’’. Stalin who ‘’liberated’’ est-european countries
from under nazi influence agreed that free elections will be held in those countries.

After the surrender of Germany in May, 1945 the three powers met again at the Potsdam
Conference on July 17, 1945. This conference was a key factor in determining the new
balance of power between the Big Three after the end of the war. This time USA was
represented by president Harry.S.Truman as Roosevelt died in april, 1945. Going back to
the Yalta conference, Stalin wanted Germany to pay a big price for her wrongdoings and
Roosevelt agreed with this demand. Now, at the Potsdam conference Truman had a
different view upon the situation arguing that economic punishment upon the already
weakened german population could possibly lead to another Nazi leader. Ultimately he had
to find a solution to Stalin’s demands so they agreed that Soviet Russia will claim all the
german industry from their occupation zone. Lastly the four powers agreed on
demilitirazation of Nazi Germany and to reshape the society by completly eliminating the
nazi ideology. It can easily be argued that despite the agreements that were signed during
the Potsdam Conference this summit will give an early hint of the upcoming tensions
between USSR and USA given that Stalin’s ideas and loyalty to agreement were already
questioned as he promised free-elections in the Yalta conference which he did not allow in
the end. One other issue still to be discussed was the ongoing war with Japan. The powers
wanted to pressure the Japanese into surender and for this on July 26, 1945 the US, Britain
and China issued the Potsdam Declaration. This ‘’promised’’ a major attack upon the
Japanese should they not surrender and agree to the non-negotiable terms of the Allies.
Going back to the Yalta conference we remember that Stalin had somewhat of an advantage
over the other members of the Alliance as he took over a vast majority of east european
Downloaded from www.clastify.com by zeinab

countries but at the Potsdam conference Truman was quite sure that the news that
americans successfully tested atomic bombs dus being able to use them in the war will give
him an advantage in front of Stalin. But, opposed to the president's belief, Stalin knew about
this weapon program called the Manhattan Project. A project that the US has developed in
fear that the Nazi’ s already had nuclear bombs during WW2. At this time it is easily
observed that the West and the Soviets are going in very different directions and cannot
cooperate as one. This was further proved by Churchill’s speech held in March, 1946 in
which he declared that ‘’an iron curtain’’ has fallen across Eastern Europe signifying that it
has fallen under soviet influence. It is easily concluded that Stalin tightening the grip on
Eastern Europe created tensions between the West and him marking the beginning of the
Cold War.

Pre Cold War the situation in Germany was quite tense. The Soviet Union, having lost so
much due to the Nazi they wanted to completely distroy Germany’s capacities for another
war. The US on the other hand wanted to help Germany recover economically and socially
considering them harmless as their industry has already been taken by the USSR.
Negotiations were held between Secretary of State Marshall and Soviet Foreign Minister
Molotov that could not reach a conclusion regarding Germany’s economic problems. The US
considered this a matter of urgency so in a speech on June 5, 1947 Marshall introduced the
Marshall Plan, a comprehensive program of American aid to any European countries that
wanted to join, including the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. Stalin on the
other hand was completely opposed to this due to him having built up an Eastern Bloc of
soviet controlled nations. He considered this a buffer zone and wanted it to remain combined
with the weakened Germany under communist control. He went as far as to ban the Soviet
Eastern countries from receiving help via the Marshall Plan.At this point the tension between
the East and West was spiking.

The first major crisis of the Cold War was the Berlin Blockade of 1948-49. This can easily be
argued as a demonstration of the lengths the soviet aggressivity was extending to and
stands as an emblem of Anglo-American resistance. After the Marshall Plan put spanner in
the works of the soviets , the successful introduction of a new currency in West Germany,
and significant election defeats for Communist parties, Moscow opted to cut off land access
to West Berlin by train and roads, launching the Berlin Blockade. Due to Berlin's location
within the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany, the city's sole supply options were three limited
air routes. Due to shortage of troops in the West Sector a prevention of a russian attack
would have proven if not impossible, though to say the least. The solution found by the three
allies was to initiate an aerial supply campaign which succeeded and pushed Stalin towards
removing the blockade. This, and other conflicts on the way lead eventually to Germany and
also Berlin being split into two spheres of influence: the west and the communists.

It can easily be argued that the different political views/ ideologies/goals of the West and
Stalin’s USSR have led in the end to the beginning of the Cold War. From the American's
perspective, Stalin is to blame for the post war tensions as he violated the promises made at
Yalta and embraced an expansionist policy in Eastern Europe, with the intention of
spreading communism throughout the world. On the other hand we could find the US faulty
for the above as well due to them having this ‘’containment’’ policy against communism and
being so concerned with maintaining capitalism domestically.