Cold War: Origins, Ideologies & US vs USSR

Cold War Overview

• A period of tension and struggle between the capitalist bloc (led by the US) and the communist bloc (led by the USSR).
• It spanned from 1946 to 1991.
• The Cold War rivalry was played out through propaganda, economic competition, military alliances, arms races, and localized conflicts rather than major wars.

Origins of the Cold War: Ideological Differences

• The root cause was the ideological divide between the US and the USSR.
• The US championed democracy, free elections, multi-party rule, market economies, private property, and individual freedoms.
• The USSR advocated for dictatorial governments, one-party rule, planned economies, public property, and control over people's lives.
• The US viewed communism as a threat to freedom and private property, and capitalism was seen by the USSR as exploitative.
• Both the US and the USSR promoted their ideologies, damaging Soviet/Western relations.

Long-Standing Mutual Distrust

• After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Western capitalist nations feared communism and revolution.
• Communist Russia was excluded from the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and the Soviet Union didn't join the League of Nations until 1934.
• The USSR believed Western countries suppressed the growth of communism.
• The appeasement policy towards Hitler was seen as cooperation against Stalin.
• The USSR was not informed about the US developing atomic bombs in WWII.

Disagreements During WWII

• The USSR wanted Britain and the US to open a Western front, which was delayed until 1944.
• The USSR was resentful about delayed Allied counter-offensives, which led to heavy Soviet casualties.
• The US, Great Britain, and the USSR failed to agree on how to arrange post World War II Europe, at the Potsdam Conference.
• The US and Great Britain wanted a lenient Germany with a democratic system, while the USSR wanted to punish Germany.
• The USSR wanted to quickly establish a dictatorial government in Japan to help implement communism throughout Asia.

Conflicts of Interest and Expansion of Influence

• The US and USSR became superpowers after WWII and wanted to dominate the world.
• Both competed to check each other’s power, worsening relations.
• The US economy grew significantly during WWII.
• To counter communism, the US promoted democratic regimes and sought allies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, using Japan as a base to check the spread of communism in China.

Characteristics of the Cold War

• It was a war of diplomatic, economic, and propaganda confrontation.
• No direct, large-scale fighting occurred between US and USSR, but featured indirect confrontations, crises, and hot wars.
• There were international crises like the Berlin Blockade and Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as localized conflicts including the Greek, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnam Wars.
• The US and USSR encourage economic integration to enhance their power.
• The US created the Marshall Plan and the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), and the USSR introduced the Molotov Plan and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON).
• Both sides formed military alliances with allies.

Espionage

• Gathering intelligence was a priority, with the US creating the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the USSR the Committee of State Security (KGB).

Arms Race

• Enormous sums were spent on developing nuclear weapons to lift each nation's status and military strength and to stay ahead of the enemy.
• The US developed the atomic bomb in 1945 and the hydrogen bomb in 1952.
• The USSR developed atomic bomb in 1949, hydrogen bomb in 1953 and launched Sputnik satellite in 1957.

Terminating Communication

• All trade, communication, & cultural exchanges between blocs were terminated.
• East Germany built the Berlin Wall.
• The US boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and the USSR boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Intense Hostility (1945-1953)

• A period marked by frequent conflicts with neither the US nor USSR attempting to alleviate tensions.

USSR Advances

• The USSR imposed pro-Soviet regimes, making turning them into anti-Western bases after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
• Albania, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary became USSR satellite states in the communist bloc.

Kennan’s Containment Policy (1946)

• George Kennan promoted a policy of containment against Soviet expansion.
• He wanted to unite capitalist powers to stop communism through political, economical and political means.

Iron Curtain Speech (1946)

• Winston Churchill stated the USSR was blocking communication between Eastern Europe and the West using an iron curtain."
• Relations worsened, marking the Cold War origin.

Greek Civil War & Truman Doctrine

• War broke out in Greece in 1946, the Greek communist party tried to overthrow government with support by the Soviet against the US and Britain.
• Britain feared communism's spread.
• In 1947, Truman proposed US $400 million to help Greece and Turkey, preventing pro-Soviet countries from forming.
• Ending the US policy of Isolationism, The Truman went to support nations fighting communism
• US aid helped Greece and Turkey resist.

Marshall Plan and Molotov Plan

• The US feared poverty would encourage Western people to support Western European communist parties.
• George Marshall proposed an economic recovery programme for Europe in 1947.
• The Marshall Plan was used for economic assistance to contain communism, bringing economic recovery to Europe
• 17 states joined OEEC, and the US provided money under the Marshall Plan, encouraging economic integration and saving countries the treat of communism.
• The USSR prohibited Eastern nations from the Marshall Plan to promote communism.
• The USSR proposed the Molotov Plan, organized satellite states to COMECON and economically divided Europe.

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

• Berlin was divided into four sectors, after the post-war division of Germany.
• The USSR cut off land and water routes because of disagreements on German reunification.
• In response, the US supplied West Berlin via airlift for 324 days.
• NATO formed and Stalin gave up the blockade.
• Tensions were high because The US sent Britain planes capable of deploying nuclear weapons.
• The split of Germany was the result, with West and East Germany formed.

NATO (1949)

• NATO is created in response to the Berlin Blockade.
• Included Western powers like Britain, France, and Italy.
• Was created to defend against Soviet aggression.
• Membership meant military support was provided if any member state was under attack, confirming the USA's commitment to capitalist states against communism.
• Prompted the USSR to strengthen military co-operation with Eastern Europe, leading to the Warsaw Pact in 1955.

Chinese Civil War (1946-1949)

• The Chinese Civil War between the Chinese Guomindang (Nationalist Party) and the Chinese Communist Party broke out shortly after WWII.
• The US supported the GMD to contain communism in Asia, but failed.
• The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, and the USSR increased Cold War influence.
• China signed the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance with the USSR, which alarmed the US.
• The US aided nationalists in Taiwan against communist China and The Cold War confrontation expanded into Asia.

Korean War (1950-1953)

• Korea was divided into two occupied zones at the 38th parallel.
• Both North and South wanted to unite Korea under their own leadership.
• The UN sent Americans to save South Korea, but China sent troops against the UN.
• There was no victory and Korea remained divided even after an armistice was signed.
• Sino-American relations worsened.
• The US began setting up bases in Asia.

Limited Tensions (1953-1963)

• Tensions eased slightly during Khrushchev, but the building of The Berlin Wall (1961) and Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) increased tensions.
• Eisenhower from The US and Khrushchev from The USSR took control in 1953.
• The US policy of containment remained.
• Stalin's aggressive approach was not continued by Khrushchev,
• He advocated for peaceful co-existence with capitalist states.

Warsaw Pact (1955)

• USSR and satellites formed the Warsaw Pact in response to West Germany joining NATO.
• Military confrontation between the two blocs was revealed and the arms race sped up.

Geneva Summit (1955)

• Attempted to minimize barriers, with no agreement.
• Khrushchev visited Washington, in 1959.

U-2 Incident (1960)

• The Soviets shot down a U.S. spy plane over Russia.
• Eisenhower admitted the plane was gathering intelligence after the Soviets recovered the wreckage and arrested the pilot.
• Khrushchev cancelled the Paris Summit, deteriorating relations.

Berlin Wall (1960)

• Germany was split, and Berlin was divided.
• West Germany had good economy due to Marshal Plan, and was a big attraction to people in Germany.
• The East German government built the Berlin Wall to prevent people from escaping.
• Protests didn't lead to conflict because communication between West Berlin and other western countries wasn't blocked.
• Showing that that the USSR was hostile, there was a crisis.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

• International conflict with great tension that nearly ended the world.
• Castro set up communism in Cuba, and Kennedy thought it threatened U.S. security.
• The US ordered a naval blockade when nuclear missiles were built in Cuba.
• Khrushchev removed the missiles, avoiding nuclear war.
• The US removed missiles from Turkey and promised to not invade Cuba.
• Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963) was signed, The hotline was setup, and there was détente.

US Involvement in the Vietnam War (1961-1975)

• Vietnam wanted independence from France, but the Viet-Mihn won.
• at the Geneva, Vietnam was separated, with Ho Chi Minh heading the North and the anti-communist, Ngo Dinh Diem, heading the South at the 17th parallel.
• America gave aid to South Vietnam with US feared the "Domino Theory" of communists spreading.
• During the war, Nixon's Vietnamization began the withdraw of troops, as the Vietcong were guerrillas that the US couldn't defeat, leading to the armistice in 1973.
• Eventually, the North won in 1975 leading to humiliation for the US.

Détente (1963-1979)

• Relations were easing with Brezhnev following a peaceful co-existence.
• Nixon improved US relations.

Factors Easing Tension of The Cold War

• Khrushchev succeeding Stalin.
• He criticized Stalin, proposed peaceful co-existence, which were not approved by Mao.
• The US benefited in less communism threats.
• To improve relations through the help of the US.

Internal Reasons

• To improve with better economy.
• Military spent lead to reconsiderations in the Cold War strategy such as deaths.
• Embrasing in becoming adopting relationships.

Military

• The Nuclear Test signed led to the relations being improved.
• Limiting the missiles led by relations.

Diplomacy and Sino-American relations

• Setting up the Washinton hotline led lead communication.
• Visited the world and had relationships increased by the Nixon era, leading to Chinese Diplomacy.

Deterioration in Afghan

• USSR invaded Afghanistan, which ended Detente, leading to carter.

Olympics tensions and US' response

• USSR boycotted Los Angeles.
• Started high tension due to more soviet power with Afghan as a start.
• Relations worsened over time.

Poland

• During a time of economic struggles, the USSR were involved.
• Communism had bad reactions.
• The signing increased during the NATO.

West Influence

• Greater tension led to ideas from them were increasing .
• The influence led with freedom that helped democratic increase