Summary Grade 12 History - Unit 1 Cold War

Topic one: The Cold War

The origins of the cold war
 USA – capitalist , supported by the west
 USSR – communist, supported by the east and other communist countries
 Clash between two political ideology’s

Why did the cold war develop
 Before WW2 was distrust of USSR after communist government came into power
 Set aside – Grand Alliance was formed
o Roosevelt (USA), Stalin (USSR), Churchill (Brittan)
 Yalta conference – February 1945
o Grand Alliance met and talked about what they were going to do with
Germany
o Germany would be divided up into occupation zones
o Agreed that Eastern European countries should have independent elections
 Potsdam Conference – 1945 July
o Break in relationships reasons
 USSR had taken control of much of Eastern Europe
 Stalin set up communist government in Poland – ignored wishes of
the polish
 Roosevelt died – Truman replaced – he was very suspicious about
Stalin
 Atomic bomb had successfully been developed – Stalin was not
informed about it
 Churchill lost his election in England
o Stalin wanted renumerations from Germany
o Truman was against this
o Decided that Germany divvied into 4 – USSR, France, England, USA
o Capital Berlin also separated

The USSR and the USA: the creation of speres of influence

The installation of Soviet Friendly governments in the satellite states
 USSR annexed Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the eastern part of
Poland
 They ensured that Soviet friendly governments were introduced into
Hungary,Bulgaria,Romania and Eastern Germany – Soviet Satellites
o This went against agreement for free elections that was established at the
yalta conference
 In 1948 Communist coup in Czechoslovakia
 USA and Brittan established only reason USSR joined alliance was to recapture land
 They became concerned over Greece, Italy and France – posed big communist
parties

,The USA’s policy of containment: the Truman Doctrine and the Marshal plan

 Introduced containment and solution rather that isolation

Trumans Doctrine
 Events in Greece and Turkey – led to formation
o Civil war in Greece broke out between communist-led guerrillas against
Greek government,
o Similar in Turkey
o USSR was supporting the communists in these countries
 March 1947
 Acted as basis that would send aid to any country threatened by Communist
takeover
 Official basis of American policy during Cold War

Marshall Plan
 Named after Secerery of state – George Marshall
 He went to Europe observed destruction from the war
 Then gave aid to help re-build the economies of eastern European countries

Soviets response to Marshall Plan
 Stalin was not happy about the plan
 It increased division between eastern Europe and western
 In result the Communist Information Bureau – was formed
o Was used to organise communist parties in eastern Europe
o In 1949 Comecon (council for Mutual economic aid) was formed
 Later Cuba and Vietnam would join


Berlin Crisis

 Allies had made agreements at Postdam that Germany would remain same
 But soviets went against this by
o Establish a communist dictatorship – and communist economic systems .
 They nationalised industry – made economic recovery slow as
government rejected aid from USA
o Western Zones democratic elections were held – and rapid economic growth
occurred (Marshall aid)
 In 1948 Western Zones united and formed single economic unit

, 1948-1949: The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

 Western Currency became the dominant currency in Berlin – caused Soviet Zone
currency to loose its value
o Stalin saw this as economic warfare
 June 1948 – USSR closed all road, rail and canals linking berlin to the West
 This cut off ability to deliver supplies and contact with West Berlin from the West
 USSR sent rations to west Berlin to persuade people to allow soviet control
 3 Options were available to the west
o Could risk war by forcing USSR lift the Blockade
o Did nothing could risk looking weak in the eyes of Stalin
o Instead airlifted supplies (food, fuel, building materials) to 3 air lanes open in
Berlin
 May 1949 Stalin called of Blockade
 After Germany divided into two separate states
o May 1949 (western zones came together) German Federal Republic formed
 Leader: Konrad Adenauer Capital: Bonn
o October 1949 (USSR formed) German democratic republic
 Capital: East Berlin Leader: Walter Ulbricht


1953: Uprising in East Berlin

 Protest by workers throughout East Berlin then in East Germany
o Wanted greater economic + political freedom + end of Communism and
withdrawl of Soviet forces
 Many east Germans were executed
 Reforms were introduced after which allowed East German greater independence

1961: The building of the Berlin Wall
 Highly educated young people were leaving east Germany to escape and work in
West.
 1961 – Soviets decided to divide the city – set up machine gun posts and searchlights