Emerging super-power rivalry

Previous rivalry
In World War II Hitler was a common danger, which united the leaders of the USA
(President Roosevelt), Britain (Winston Chamberlain), and the USSR (Josef Stalin).
However, this was a strategic wartime alliance, not a bond of brotherhood. The most
important clash between these countries is their different ideologies: Stalin was a
communist and Roosevelt and Chamberlain were capitalists. In the past, the USA
and Britain had helped the enemies of the Communists, which made the USSR wary
of Britain and the USA. Also, the policy of Appeasement used with Hitler made the
impression that Britain was happy to see Germany grow in power so Hitler could
invade the USSR. Almost at the end of WWII, Germany had invaded the USSR and
Stalin wanted his allies to launch a second military front against Germany and was
bitter that this didn’t happen until June 1944.

Beginning of the new rivalry

1945
Roosevelt had set the Americans firmly against a policy of isolation and this
effectively meant opposing communism. From now on, every communist action
would meet an American reaction.
FEBRUARY 1945
Germany was losing the European war, so the Allied leaders met at Yalta to plan
what would happen to Europe.
Agreements:
- Japan: Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany had
surrendered (he didn’t)
- Germany: Germany would be divided into the American zone, French zone,
British zone, and Soviet zone.
- Elections: Countries that were occupied by the German army would be
allowed to hold free elections to choose the government they wanted. (it
wasn’t that successful)
 - United Nations: The Big Three agreed to join the New United Nations
Organization would aim to keep peace after war.
- War criminals: The Big Three agreed to hunt down and punish war criminals
who were responsible for the genocide.
- Eastern Europe: The Big 3 agreed that Eastern Europe should be seen as a
‘Soviet sphere of influence’
Disagreements:
- POLAND: Stalin wanted the border of the USSR to move westwards into
Poland and Poland could move its border westwards into Germany. Churchill
and Roosevelt did not approve of Stalin’s plans, but Churchill persuaded
Roosevelt to accept it as long as the USSR agreed to not interfere in Greece.
JULY-AUGUST 1945
The war in Europe was won so a second conference of the Allied leaders was
arranged in Potsdam. However, several changes had taken place after the Yalta
conference which would greatly affect relationships between leaders.
1. Stalin’s armies were occupying most of Eastern Europe: Soviet troops had
liberated country after country in Eastern Europe, but instead of withdrawing
his troops Stalin had left them there as a “defensive measure”.
2. America had a new president: Roosevelt died and was replaced with Harry
Truman who was much more anti-communist and very suspicious of Stalin.
3. The Allies had tested an atomic bomb (the Americans)
So a number of issues arose on which neither side seemed able to appreciate the
other’s point of view.
Disagreements:
- Germany: Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect the USSR
from future threats, Truman did not want to repeat the mistake of the ToV.
- Reparations: Stalin wanted compensation from Germany, and Truman was
once again determined not to repeat the mistakes at the end of WWI.
- Eastern Europe: Truman was unhappy with the ‘Soviet sphere of influence’ in
Eastern Europe.
The Potsdam conference ended without complete agreement on these issues.
1946
Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania all had communist governments
that owed their loyalty to Stalin, who put them there to create a buffer zone. Churchill
described the border between Soviet-controlled countries and the West as an iron
curtain.
Between 1945 to 1948
Stalin extended Soviet
Power across eastern
Europe.

Although Britain, the USSR,

and the USA agreed that
Eastern Europe would be a
‘Soviet sphere of influence’, they had not expected such complete communist
domination 8it should have been possible to have governments in Eastern Europe
that were both democratic and friendly to the USSR). Stalin saw his policy in Eastern
Europe as making himself secure, but Truman could only see the spread of
Communism.
Events in two of these countries were to have a decisive effect on America’s policy
towards Europe:
● GREECE
1945
There were two rival groups - the monarchists and the Communists - who wanted to
rule the country. The British supported the monarchists so Churchill sent British
troops to Greece to “restore order and supervise free elections”. The monarchists
won and the king returned to power.
1946
The USSR protested to the United Nations that British troops were a threat to peace
in Greece. They took no action, so the Communists tried to take control of Greece by
force.
1947
Britain withdrew its troops since it could not afford the cost of another war, so
Truman stepped in and paid the British troops to stay in Greece.
1950
The royalists were in control of Greece, although they were a very weak government,
always in crisis.
The Truman Doctrine
American intervention in Greece marked the new USA’s attitude to world politics: The
Truman Doctrine. Under the Truman Doctrine, the USA was prepared to send
money, equipment, and advice to any country which was, in the American view,
threatened by a communist take-over. Truman’saim was to stop Communism from
spreading any further. This was the policy of containment.
The Marshall Plan
Truman believed Communism succeded when people faced poverty and hardship.
He sent General George Marshall to asses the economic state of Europe. He
suggested that about $17 billion would be needed to rebuild Europe’s prosperity.
1947
Congress refused to grant this much money. Many Americans were becoming
concerned by Truman’s involvement in foreign affairs
● CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Americans’ attitude changed when the communists took over the government of
Czechoslovakia.
1948
The communists came down hard and anti-Soviet leaders were purged.
Congress accepted the Marshall Plan and made $17 billion available over a period of
4 years.
—
The Marshall Aid was a generous act by the American people, but was also
motivated by American self-interest: They wanted to create new markets for
American goods.
Stalin viewed Marshall Aid with suspicion. He forbade any of the Eastern European
states to apply for Marshall Aid. Stalin’s view was that the anti-communist aims
behind Marshall Aid would weaken his hold on Eastern Europe. He also felt that the
USA was trying to dominate as many states as possible by making them dependent
on dollars
—
The Berlin Blockade
1946
Stalin feared a recovering Germany and wanted to keep it crippled. It was clear that
Germany could not feed its people if it was not allowed to rebuild its industries.
Britain, France and USA combined their zones to form one zone called Trizonia
1948
They reformed the currency and within months there were signs that Germany was
recovering.
The distrust between the USA and the USSR was greater. Instead of running down
arms expenditure, the two sides actually increased their stock of weapons. A
propaganda war developed. Stalin felt that the USA’s handling of western Germany
was provocative, so he decided to stamp his authority on Berlin, who was linked to
the western zones of Germany by vital roads, railways and canals. In June, Stalin
blocked all these supply lines, cutting off the two-million strong population of West
Berlin from western help. Stalin believed that this would force the Allies out of Berlin
and make Berlin entirely dependent on the USSR. It was clever, because if US tanks
did try to ram the road-blocks or railway blocks, Stalin would see it as an act of war.
So, the Allies decided to air-lift supplies to west Berlin. The planes got through and
for the next ten months West Berlin was supplied by a constant stream of aeroplanes
bringing in everything from food and clothing to oil and building materials. It was
clear that the blockade of Berlin would not make the Western Allies give up Berlin, so
Stalin reopened communications.
Consequences of the Berlin Blockade
1. A divided Germany: Germany was divided into two nations - the British,
French and American zones became the Federal Republic of Germany and
the communist eastern zone was formed into the German Democratic
Republic.
2. A powerful symbol: Berlin would remain a powerful symbol of Cold War
tensions.
3. A flashpoint: Berlin became a potential flashpoint (a place or stage at which
violence might be expected to begin).
4. A pattern for the Cold War:
a. On the one hand, the two superpowers and their allies had shown how
suspicious they were of each other; how they would obstruct each
 other in almost any way they could; how they would bombard each
other with propaganda.
b. On the other hand, each had shown that it was not willing to go to war
with the other.
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
During the Berlin Blockade, the Western powers met in Washington and signed an
agreement to work together. The new organization they formed in April 1949 was
known as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). The USSR was critical of
NATO.
1955
NATO powers allowedWest Germany to join NATO. In response the USSR and the
main Communist states in Eastern Europe formed the Warsaw Pact alliance, where
they promised to defend each other if any one member was attacked. They also
promised not to interfere in the internal affairs

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
 1. .
a. What was agreed by the Allied leaders at the Yalta Conference?
b. Why had relationships between the USA and the USSR changed by
the time of the Potsdam Conference?
c. ‘The Cold War was caused by the Soviet take-over of eastern Europe.’
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
2. Study Source 3 on page 80 and Source 7 on page 81. Why are these sources
so different? Explain your answer using the sources and your knowledge.
3. 3 Study Source 15 on page 83. What is the message of the cartoonist?
Explain your answer.
4. 4 Study Sources 26, 27 and 28 on page 89. Which of Sources 26 or 27 would
the cartoonist in Source 28 agree with? Explain your answer using the
sources and your own knowledge.

Short Answer Questions:

1. Describe the Truman Doctrine and its significance in the development of the Cold
War.
2. Explain the role of the Berlin Blockade (1948-1949) in escalating tensions between
the USA and the USSR.
3. What was the Marshall Plan, and why did it contribute to Cold War tensions?

Source-Based Questions:

1. Study the following source: "The USSR was attempting to spread communism
worldwide, forcing the USA to take defensive actions." How far does this source
support the view that the USSR was responsible for the Cold War? Use the source
and your knowledge to explain your answer.
2. "The United States’ economic policies were a form of imperialism that threatened
Soviet security." To what extent does this source support the view that the USA was
responsible for the Cold War?

Essay Questions:

1. ‘The Soviet Union was to blame for the Cold War.’ How far do you agree with this
statement?
2. To what extent was the Cold War caused by ideological differences between the USA
and the USSR?
3. Evaluate the significance of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences in the development
of the Cold War.
4. Was the Cold War inevitable after World War II? Discuss with reference to key events
between 1945 and 1949.
5. How important were nuclear weapons in the development of the Cold War?