The Cold War: Introduction to the cold war: o At the first signs of victory (WWII), relationships between USA

and USSR and UK became strained o Atom bomb increased tensions between USA and USSR o This had long term implications o USA and USSR were the only two countries that still had the great power status o This means that they were the only ones to have power, but they had opposing views o Due to the USAs involvement in WWII, they now couldnt go back isolationism Origins of the cold war: o USA, USSR, and UK all wanted to defeat Germany, so they had a strong alliance o Although they wanted to work together, they had very different ideas about the future and how they would get there o Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin where the three men that worked on the post-war vision o Each man had his own agenda, and wanted to preserve his power Yalta, February 1945: o At this moment in time it was only a question of when Germany would give up not if he would give up o The plan was to draw up a plan for occupation of Germany after its defeat o They decided that only unconditional surrender would suffice o It was decided that Germany would be split into four zones, the four allies o The German leadership would be put on trial o German territories in central Europe would be given their freedom o Poland was to lose territory in the east but gain some in the west, and they were to form a coalition government o USSR also agreed to join the united nations, and fight Japan o In exchange they would get part of Sakhalin Island, and Kurile islands, and would have control over Port Arthur, and the Manchurian railway. Potsdam: o Roosevelt had dies, and Truman had taken over o The president had no knowledge of the Manhattan project, and the success of the atomic bomb o Stalin has spies relaying information to him about the bomb o This bomb gave the USA a technological advantage o After the defeat of Germany, the territory was split into four parts as said, but USA wanted to further persecute Japan. o The UK also had an interest in Asia, as their colonies wanted independence but the UK didnt have the firepower to take action o The UK had a great navy but had no aircraft carriers o The USSR had very little interest in Asia, but though to regain some lost territory form the Russo-Japanese War (1905)

o The UK had elections and Churchill was replaced by Atlee in the middle of the conference o This meant a shift in the parliamentary leadership from conservative to labor o Atlee said that the war was over and that the UK needed to focus on domestic affairs o But they still wanted to keep the USA in Europe as reinforcement to soviet encroachment o India, their colony, was slipping away o Stalin was the only leader that had been at previous conferences, and he used this to his advantage o He downplayed the importance of the atomic bomb o Stalin used his losses to gain concessions o He managed to portray the soviet union as strong and capable of a war against Japan o Potsdam just expanded and clarified agreements and policies made in Yalta o It showed the strain of the war time alliance o USA and UK wanted Poland free from the USSR but this proved to be impossible o As much as they wanted the withdrawal they couldnt force the soviets out because many of the countries owed their liberation to USSR o UK had gone to war (WWII) because of Poland and now USSR was doing the same as Germany o USA accepted soviet domination because they needed the soviets help with the Japanese The establishment of the United Nations: o USSR, USA, and UK all wanted post-war stability, and wanted to pursue common and mutually agreed policies, and the UN was an example of this o It was a common goal of post-war cooperation and to replace the balance-ofpower model with a new model of peacekeeping o The UN did not have its independent military, but action could be done under the UN name o 5 parliament members were given veto votes, to make sure that powerful countries had a right to prevent action o UK and France were still great powers but the USA and USSR were powers that could assert their power globally o They became the superpowers but they had opposing views on the post war world. o Their situation changed from collaboration to post-war rivalry The articulation of two blocs: o The rivalry was stated in a speech made by Winston Churchill called the Iron Curtain Speech o He attacked the soviet union for overpowering eastern Europe, and said that Europe was now divided into totalitarian and that free countries should fight to stop he spread of communism into west Europe

o Stalin replied shortly in an interview, making counterclaims against Churchills allegations against him o He said that the UKs position in the English speaking world was Nazism and that the British had plans of world domination o Truman Doctrine and the policy of containment o Greece was seen as different because it hadnt been soviet occupied o Turkey was seen as vulnerable to soviet expansion (it would give them access to the Mediterranean and the middle east) o This forced the USA to confront communism o The Truman Doctrine (March 1947) stated that USA would give economic and military help to Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of communism o The policy of containment stated that USA would avoid conflict with USSR over countries already under communist or soviet domination but they would try to stop the spread to communism o The Marshall Plan and the ERP o The Marshall Plan (June 1947) and the ERP (European Recovery Program) was offered to all countries in Europe, including the USSR, and would provide them with economic assistance to help rebuild after WWII o The soviets refused and tried to convince other eastern European countries to do the same o Soviets overtook Czechoslovakia and removed all other political groups from power, and this spurred USA to stay in Europe o The Berlin airlift, NATO and the political division of Germany o The split of Germany had been made and USA, France, UK all worked together to form a unified German government o USSR exerted control over east Germany, but this was hindered by the split of Berlin o When USA announced the institution of a new currency, Stalin attempted to drive out the allied forces by creating the Berlin blockade, which was the refusal of allowing any railroad transport into West Berlin. o USA and UK then made an airlift to supply food and fuel o The Berlin blockade was lifted on 12 May, 1949 Further developments in 1949: o Formation of NATO o North Atlantic Treaty Organization o Military alliance of 12 north American and European countries and was to serve for collective security o The soviets claimed that it was an aggressive alliance directed against that USSR and violated the UN principles o Truman responded that it was a defensive alliance and that it was consistent with the UN covenant as it prevented aggression o The creation of the FRG and the GDR o Federal Republic of Germany (Allied Forces), and German Democratic Republic (Soviets).

o Inside of the GDR was West Berlin which was actually part of the FRG o Atomic weapons o On August 29, USSR launched an atomic bomb making it on par with the USA o This meant friction for USSR and USA because although USA had more atomic weapons it did not have an absolute advantage o Victory of the Chinese communist party o October 1949, Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese communists beat the pro-US nationalists in elections and forced them to leave o They fled to Taiwan and established their government there o Despite the victory the Peoples Republic of China wasnt recognized by many western and European countries o To protest this, the soviets boycotted the UN, and this led to authorization of force by the UN during the cold war Development and Impact of the Cold War: its Global spread The Korean War (1950-3): o Korea had been annexed by the Japanese in 1910, but Japan had been defeated in WWII o After the war, the USA and USSR agreed to divide Korea at the 38th parallel and occupy the country until it was ready for political independence o Once occupation began, two governments emerged; the communist in the north led by Kim Il-sung (under soviet tutelage), in the south the USA supported Syngman Rhee. o In 1948 the USSR declared the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north and the US created the Republic of Korea in the south o USA began to evacuate its troops leaving South Korea on its own