Section One - Cold War
Timeline
1945
- February 4-11: the Yalta Conferences attended by Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin.
- July: the Potsdam Conference - separated Germany into four sections
- August 6th : atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
- August 8 : USSR declares war on Japan
1956
- February 9th : Stalin makes a threatening speech about the incompatibility of capitalism
and communism
- March 5th : Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech
- March 10th - Truman demands Russia leaves Iran
1947
- March 12th : Truman Doctrine
- June : Marshall Plan is announced
- September 12th : Rio pact
1948
- February 25th : Communism takes over Czechoslovakia
- March 17th : Brussels Pact organized to protect Europe from communism
- June 24th : Berlin Blockade begins lasting 11 months
1949
- April 4th : NATO is ratified
- May 12th : Berlin Blockade ends
- 29th August : Russia tests their first atomic bomb
- October 1st : Communist Mao Zedong takes control of China and establishes the
People's
- Republic of China
1950
- January 30th : Truman approves the hydrogen bomb
- February : Joe McCarthy goes on a communist witch hunt
- June 24th : Korean War begins
Conflicting ideologies
Capitalism is an economic system in which the trade and industry of the economy is owned and
controlled by private individuals, to make profit. Communism refers to a social system in which a
country's trade and industry are controlled by the community and the share of each individual
relies on his ability and needs.
Features of communism
- dictatorship
- Single party state
- The Communist party acts on behalf of the working class
- Economic decisions decided by the government
- Marxism- Leninism
Features of capitalism
, - Democracy
- Free elections
- Freedom
- Liberty
- Free market economy
- A multi party state
Yalta conference
Stalin’s objectives:
- The victories of the Red Army would ensure a soviet sphere of influence in Europe and
Asia
- The USSR should be compensated for their sacrifices and kept safe from future
aggression.
- Large scale reparations should be taken from Germany, with reassurance there should
be a friendly relationship between Europe and Eastern Europe.
- The ballistic states should form a buffer zone as a protection against future aggression
from the West. Buffer zone = collection of satellite states
- The territory the USSR had gained through the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in 1939 should
be retained. This consisted of a majority of Poland.
- No support should be given to the hidden government in exile in London. The USSR had
severe relationships with this government in 1944, after it accused the Secret Police of
murdering Polish Officers
Roosevelt’s beliefs
- A deal with Stalin was essential due to the realism of how their power would assist
against Japan.
- Decolonisation should be a past of post war agreements, including the decolonisation of
US territories such as the Philippians.
- American demobilisation should take place as soon as possible.
- The four most powerful countries (US, USSR, China and Britain) should act as ‘the four
policemen’ maintaining peace and order in their regions after the war.
- Poland should have self-determination and the exiled government should be restored
and recognised.
Churchill's objectives
- Protect the territorial and self determination of Poland.
- Maintain sphere of influences across Europe like agreed at the 1944 percentage
agreement
- Protect Britain and French colonialism (control with financial benefits) after the war.
, Main concerns Proposed solutions
Stalin The economic destruction of Receive reparation from the
the USSR Axis power (Japan, Germany,
and Italy.) Allies worked
against this.
Need to keep Germany weak Receive reparations from
Germany
Fear of future aggression Establish satellite ones
from the West across the western edge of
the USSR as a buffer zone.
Roosevelt Maintenance of peace in a Support the establishment of
postwar world a United Nations, with a
strong security council to
‘police’ disputes.
Self-determination for Europe Support democracy in
Eastern Europe
World economic Support free trade.
reconstruction
Churchill Restoration of Poland Establish free elections and
fair borders between Poland
and Germany
Keep soviet power in check Commit to the percentage
and maintain United Britain agreement to keep Greece
as a world power and the Medeterian out of
Soviet sphere of influence.
Maintain a close relationship
with the USA.
Agreements made
- Until a final conclusion could be made, Germany would be split into four zones (France,
US, USSR and UK) similar to Berlin.
- Poland would receive last from Eastern Germany
- A declaration on Liberated Europe (free) was agreed
- An international conference would occur in April to establish the United Nations.
Potsdam
Context
- Germany was under occupation
- Sovient control had expanded beyond Eastern and Central Europe.
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