Document providing an in depth understanding of the origins of the Cold War 1945-49, highlighting ideological differences, as well as political and economic influences. Ideal for essay plans and a consolidated understanding of the Cold War especially for A Level AQA history students.
The Cold War 1945-1991
Part 1 – Booklet 1
The origins of the Cold War, c1945-49
US, British and USSR relations in 1945
Ideological differences
The origins of the cold war conflict can be traced back to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The
Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia was to lead to the establishment of the world’s first socialist
state, a state whose government saw the ideas of communism as their guiding principles. Lenin,
the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, represented all that was feared by the governments of the
West: a threat to the freedoms of democracy and capitalism. Thus, underlying the mistrust which
was to develop between the west and the Soviet Union, as Bolshevik Russia became, was a
conflict between opposing ideologies.
Based on the ideas of the German philosopher and economist Karl Marx, communism provided a
framework of economic and political principles that directly opposed those traditionally held in the
West. Communism was, in essence, a challenge to the power structure of western society.
Economic differences
To the followers of Marx, capitalism was seen as being responsible for the division of society in the
West into different classes (Working class, Middle class – Bourgeoisie, Aristocracy). The emphasis
on private ownership of business was seen as producing the division between the rich factory
owners and the poorer working classes. To do away with this economic inequality, communists
believed that all factories, businesses and land should be taken over by the government on behalf
of the people. This process of nationalisation would enable the goods generated by the economy
to be more fairly distributed according to ‘need’. The principle of a state-owned economy is the
opposite of private enterprise, which is encouraged by capitalism, whereby individuals have the
freedom to own their own business and keep the majority of the profits. In capitalist economies the
incentive of individual gain is a direct contrast to the community responsibility encouraged by
communism. To the owners of business, factories and land, the process of nationalisation
represented a threat to their wealth, status and power and it was these people who dominated the
governments and legislatives of countries in the West through a restricted suffrage..
Political differences
Liberal Democracies – The USA saw itself as the upholder of liberal democracy. This political
system was valued because it upheld important freedoms, such as the freedom to vote, freedom of
speech, freedom of worship and a free press. In this sense liberal democracy gave people a
choice of government and the chance to vote an unpopular government out of office.
The Communist State – To the communists, political parties were the result of different and
conflicting classes. In a communist state, where a classless society was being created, there was
no need for different political parties. Thus, a communist system was a one-party state, with the
Communist Party ruling on behalf of the people. In this respect the freedoms enjoyed in many
countries of the West were under threat.
One other part of the ideology of communism which was to provide a source of fear in the West
was the belief that conflict between capitalism and communism was inevitable because they
represented completely opposed systems.
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,For communism to succeed it had to be a worldwide revolution and this meant the collapse of
capitalism. In March 1919 Lenin had stated: ‘We are living not merely in a state, but in a system of
states: and it is inconceivable that the Soviet republic should continue to exist for a long period
side by side with imperialist [Empire] states.’ In order to further the cause of communism and aid
the collapse of capitalism the Comintern was set up. Its role was to coordinate communist groups
throughout the world and support their attempts to undermine capitalism by all available means,
including revolution. Thus, the ideology of communism was inherently hostile to the West and the
values it stood for.
Communism’s emphasis on government control over the economy and a one-party state to further
the interests of the industrial workers provided a sharp contrast with the economic and political
freedoms taken for granted in the capitalist democracies of the West.
US President Truman put the ideological conflict simply in his famous speech on 1947,
announcing aid for Greece (See page 11) and defining what became known as the Truman
Doctrine.
At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between
alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one. One way of life is based
upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions, representative
government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and
religion, and freedom from political oppression. The second way of life is based upon
the will of the minority forcibly imposed on the majority. It relies upon terror and
oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections and the suppression of
personal freedoms.
Key Questions
1. Briefly explain the origins of Communism.
2. Produce a table highlighting the differences between Capitalism and Communism.
3. Why was the west afraid of Communism?
Tensions in the 1930s
The hostility of the West towards communism seemed to be confirmed by its intervention against
the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War of 1918-21. The Bolshevik Red Army faced opposition
from conservative forces in Russia who became the Whites. The Whites wished to prevent the
establishment of Bolshevik rule and the restoration of either the monarchy or an elite-aristocratic
government. In this aim they were supported by the Allied governments of Britain, the USA, France
and Japan, who also wanted to reverse Lenin’s decision to pull Russia out of the First World War
against Germany. When the First World War ended in November 1918, Allied intervention to the
support the Whites in the Russian Civil War started to dry up and by 1921 the Bolsheviks had won
the Civil War. Although the Bolsheviks regime of Lenin had survived, the experience highlighted
the hostility of the West towards communism and the fact that the West would contemplate military
action against communism whenever the opportunity might present itself.
The refusal of the Soviet regime to honour the debts owed by previous Russian governments to
the West was a source of tension in international relations. The Soviet government’s policy of
nationalising key sectors of the economy resulted in many foreign companies losing their
investments. This particularly affected France, where investors in the Russian economy put
pressure on the French government to recover these losses. The British government had, in
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, addition to financial interests, a more personal reason for hostility: the Bolshevik government had
executed the Tsar of Russia and his family. Tsar Nicholas II (the overthrown and executed
Russian monarch) was a cousin of King George V and the British King was reluctant to undertake
any communication with his cousin’s murderers. Thus, when faced with the rise of an aggressive
Germany under the leadership of Hitler, any attempts by Britain, France and the Soviet Union to
form a united front against German expansion were undermined by mutual mistrust and hostility.
Relations between the Soviet Union and the West remained poor throughout the inter-war years,
with important consequences for international relations in Europe when Hitler’s foreign policy
threatened to engulf the continent in a major conflict at the end of the 1930s. In dealing with
Hitler’s demands for territory, Britain and France pursued a policy of appeasement which involved
negotiation and accommodating German demands where they were seen as reasonable. To the
Soviet government this was a policy which raised suspicions about the seriousness of Britain and
France in dealing with the threat of Fascism. When Hitler demanded parts of Czechoslovakia in
1938 and 1939, Britain and France had proved ineffectual in standing up to Hitler. To Stalin, the
Soviet leader, an accommodation with Hitler was necessary to limit the threat of a German
invasion of the Soviet Union and to give him time to prepare for a war he believed was inevitable.
The result was the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939. Although condemned by Britain and France, Soviet
actions in signing the Pact were the result of their own half-hearted attitudes and ineffectual
policies. For Stalin it was a ‘marriage of convenience’ that gave the USSR the opportunity to gain
parts of Poland and to sign a non-aggression pact, which would delay a German invasion and give
the USSR time to prepare. To Britain and France the Nazi-Soviet Pact seemed to confirm the
untrustworthiness of Soviet foreign policy, in much the same way that the policy of appeasement
seemed to demonstrate the double-dealing of Britain and France to the Soviet Union.
Key Questions
1. Why was the Russian Civil War important in terms of the Cold War?
2. Why did relations between Britain, France and Russia deteriorate?
3. Why did Russia sign the Nazi Soviet Pact?
Yalta and the ‘Big Three’
In June 1941 Germany invaded the USSR. In December 1941, after Japan’s attack on the US
naval base at Pearl Harbour, Germany declared war on the USA. Thus, by the end of 1941 the so-
called ‘Grand Alliance’ was in place. The principal allies had little in common before the war. The
war united them because they faced a common enemy, Germany. In international relations
ideology was secondary to practical politics and it was not inconceivable that this realism would
continue when the war ended. Communism and capitalism could co-exist if the political leaders
saw some advantage in it.
In August 1941 Roosevelt and Churchill had signed the Atlantic Charter and thereby committed the
Western powers to a post-war world based on self-determination, peace, prosperity and
democracy. In January 1942 these principles were reinforced through the Declaration of the United
Nations. The new world order was to be based on freedom, justice and peace and the USSR was
one of the signatories. It appeared as if the Grand Alliance would survive the war and the profound
ideological differences which could divide its members would continue into a new era of peace.
The first test to the unity of the Grand Alliance came in February 1945 when the Alliance members
met at Yalta, Ukraine.
The so-called ‘Big Three’ were Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. This conference represented the
highpoint of inter-allied cooperation. Stalin and Roosevelt had different political beliefs and
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