Cold War Potsdam Conference PDF

THE COLD WAR POSTDAM CONFERENCE ii)America Had a new president On April 1945, President Roosevelt died. He was replaced by vice president, Harry Truman. Truman was a very different man from Roosevelt. He was much more anti-communist than Roosevelt and was suspicious of Stalin....

THE COLD WAR POSTDAM CONFERENCE ii)America Had a new president On April 1945, President Roosevelt died. He was replaced by vice president, Harry Truman. Truman was a very different man from Roosevelt. He was much more anti-communist than Roosevelt and was suspicious of Stalin. Truman and his advisers saw Soviet actions in Eastern Europe as preparations for a Soviet take-over of the rest of Europe.  iii)The USA had developed an Atomic bomb The Americans had developed and successfully tested a new weapon of tremendous and horrible power, and it would affect the future relations between the superpowers. Disagreements at Postdam The Postdam conference finally got underway on 17, July 1945. Not surprising it did not go as smoothly as the Yalta. In July, there was an election in Britain. Churchill was defeated, so halfway through the conference he was replaced by a new prime minister, Clement Atlee. In the absence of Churchill, the conference was overrun/dominated by rivalry and suspicion between Stalin and Truman. A number of issues arose on which neither side seemed able to to appreciate the other’s point of view. Disagreements at postdam The disagreement of what to do with Germany: Although they agreed to divide Germany into four zones, Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect the USSR against future threats. Truman did not want to repeat the mistakes of the treaty of Versailles. They disagreed over Reparations:20 million Russians had died in the war and the Soviet Union was very devastated. Stalin demanded $10 billion compensation from Germany. Truman, however, was once again determined not to repeat the mistakes made at the end of the first world war and create a bitter, unstable Germany. He resisted this demand. They disagreed over Soviet policy in Eastern Europe: At Yalta, Stalin had won agreement from from the Allies that he could set up a pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe. He said, ‘If slav (the majority of east Europe) are united, no one will dare move a finger against them.’ Stalin saw this as a way to protect the USSR from future attacks. Truman saw it as evidence that Stalin wanted to build up a Soviet empire in Europe. He adopted a ‘get tough attitude’ towards Stalin. Effects of the atomic bomb As the Postdam conference approached, the USA was close to develop an effective ATOMIC BOMB. In fact, the first successful test took place in 16 July, the day before the conference officially opened. The story of the bomb shows the mistrust which was developing between the two sides. The atomic bomb had been developed in complete secrecy. However, once Truman knew he had the weapon which worked, he took Stalin to one side and told him about it. In fact, Stalin knew about the project to develop the atomic bomb, his spies had been keeping him informed since 1942. The atomic bomb continued to be a source of tension after Truman’s announcement. Japan refused to consider surrender to the USA. Therefore, on 6 August 1945, the USA dropped the first weapon on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed by a second atomic attack on Nagasaki on 9 August. The devastation showed the horrific power of this new weapon. The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima And Nagasaki - Part 2 (youtube.com)  How did the USSR gain control of Eastern Europe by 1948? The Iron Curtain By 1946 there was a clear division between eastern Europe, with countries falling under the control of Stalin, and western Europe, with governments fearful to further communist advance. The Postdam conference ended without complete agreements on major issues. Over the next nine months, Stalin achieved the domination of Eastern Europe that he was seeking. By 1946, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania all had communist governments which owed their loyalty to Stalin. Churchill described the border between Soviet controlled countries and the west as an ‘Iron Curtain’. The name stuck and so did Stalin’s control. Soviet and American Policies Stalin tightens his control With communist governments established throughout Eastern Europe, Stalin gradually tightened his control in each country. The secret police imprisoned anyone who opposed communist rule or might oppose it at a later date. In October 1947, Stalin set up the communist information bureau or COMINFORM, to co-ordinate the work of the communist parties of eastern Europe. Cominform regularly brought the leaders of each communist party to Moscow to be briefed by Stalin and his ministers. This also allowed Stalin to keep close eye on them. He spotted independent- minded leaders and replaced them with people who are completely loyal to him. The only communist leader who escaped the control was Tito in Yugoslavia. He resented being controlled by Cominform and was expelled for his hostility in 1948 How did the USA react to Soviet expansion? The western powers were alarmed by Stalin’s take over of Eastern Europe. Roosevelt, Churchill and their successors had accepted that Soviet security needed friendly governments in Eastern Europe. They agreed that Eastern Europe would be a Soviet ‘Sphere of influence’ and that Stalin would heavily influence this region. However, they had not expected such complete communist domination. They felt it should have been possible to have governments in Eastern Europe that were both DEMOCRATIC and friendly to the USSR.Stalin saw his policy in Eastern Europe as making himself secure, but Truman could only see the spread of Communism. American and Soviet policies in Greece and Turkey By 1948, Greece government and Czechoslovakia were the only countries in eastern Europe that were not controlled by communist government. It seemed to the Americans that not only was Greece and Czechoslovakia but even Italy and France were vulnerable to communist take-over. Events in two of these countries were to have a decisive effect on America’s policy towards Europe. Greece and Turkey Truman’s first concerns were with Greece and Turkey. Greece: When the Nazi were driven out of Greece in 1944, two rival groups wanted to rule the country. The communists wanted Greece to be a Soviet Republic. The monarchists wanted the return of the king of Greece. Churchill sent British troops to Greece in 1945 supposedly to help restore order and to supervise free elections. In fact, the British supported the monarchists and the king was returned to power. In 1946 a civil war broke out between the two sides. The British did not have enough resources to control the situation and announced their withdrawal on 24 February, 1947. Truman faced the prospect of yet another European country falling to communism. The Greek Civil War, 1946–1949 (youtube.com) Turkey Stalin was trying to gain influence in Turkey. He wanted to gain access to the Mediterranean for Soviet ships through the black sea Straights. Truman was concerned that if Turkey becomes an ally of the USSR then Stalin might use Turkey as a stepping stone to spread communist influence into the middle east. This area was important to the USA because of its oil reserve. Truman wanted to resist what he saw as the communist threat. His problem was that he still had to convince the American public and the US congress. They did not entirely accept Truman’s belief that the USA had to take a role in world affairs and were also concerned about what this this role might cost. Cont… To convince them, Truman talked up the scale of the threat in Greece and Turkey to a greater level than it actually was. Congress agreed to pass the Greece and Turkey aid Bill in March 1947. This was a package of $400 million in Aid and Greece and Turkey as a US ally and popped up the monarchist government in Greece. On the other hand, by taking up the threat of the USSR, Truman probably made relations between him and Stalin even worse. Stalin had actually kept his promise to Churchill in 1945 that he would not help the Communist Greece. The Truman Doctrine American intervention in Greece and Turkey marked a new era in the USA’s attitude to world politics, which became known as the ‘Truman Doctrine’. Under the Truman Doctrine, the USA was prepared to send money, equipment and advice to any country which was in American view, threatened by a communist take-over. Truman accepted that Eastern Europe was now communist. His aim was to stop communism from spreading any further. This policy came to be known as CONTAINMENT. The Marshall Plan Truman believed that communism succeeded when people faced poverty and hardship. He sent the American General George Marshall to assess the economic state of Europe. What he found was a ruined economy. The countries of Europe owed $11.5 billion to the USA. There were extreme shortage in all the goods. Most countries were still rationing bread. There was coal shortage in the hard winter of 1947 that in Britain all electricity was turned off for a period each day. Churchill described Europe as ‘a rabble heap, a breeding ground of hate’. Cont… Marshall suggested that about $17billion aid would be needed to rebuild Europe’s prosperity. ‘Our policy’, he said, is directed against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos.’ In December 1947, Truman put his plan to congress. For a short time, the American congress refused to grant the money. Many Americans were becoming concerned by Truman’s involvement in foreign affairs. Besides, $17billion was a lot of money! Stalin’s reaction to the Marshall Plan American’s attitude changed when communists took over the government of Czechoslovakia in 1948. Czechoslovakia had been ruled by a coalition government which, although included communists, had been trying to pursue policies independent of Moscow. The communists came down hard in March 1948. Anti-Soviet leaders were purged. One pro- American minister Jan Masaryk, was found dead below his office window. The communists said he had jumped. The Americans suspected he had been pushed. Immediately, congress accepted the Marshall plan and made $17billion available in a period of four years. Marshall Aid On the one hand, Marshall Aid was an extremely generous act by The American people. On the other hand, it was also motivated by American self-interest. They wanted to create markets for American goods. The Americans remembered the effects of the Depression of the 1930s and Truman wanted to do all he could to prevent a world wide slump. Stalin viewed the Marshall plan with suspicion. After expressing his interests he refused to have anything to do with it. He forbade any of the Eastern Europe states to apply for the aid. Cont… He also tightened his grip on eastern Europe states by setting up two new organizations COMECON and COMINFORM. Stalin’s view was that the anti-communist aims behind the Marshall Aid would weaken his hold on Eastern Europe. He also felt that the USA was trying to dominate as many states as possible by making them dependent of the dollar. Yugoslavia All communist governments of Eastern Europe followed Stalin’s directions except Mashal Tito in Yugoslavia. In this and other areas, Yugoslavia was the only communist state to resist domination by Stalin. The Soviet Union kept propaganda battle against Tito, but took no military action. N/B COMECON-Council of Mutual Economic Assistance. COMINFORM-Communist Information Bureau. The Berlin Blockade and Airlift Despite all the threatening talks of the early years of the Cold War, the two sides had never actually fired at one another. But in 1948, they came dangerously close to war. At Yalta Conference in early 1945, it was agreed that Germany should be divided into four zones and that the city of Berlin should be divided into four sectors. Germany had become a real problem for the Western Allies. After the destruction of war, their zones were in economic chaos. Stalin feared a recovering Germany and wanted to keep it crippled. Cont… But it was clear to the Allies that Germany would not be able to feed it’s people if it was not allowed to rebuild its industries. Although they themselves were wary of rebuilding Germany so quickly, Britain, France and the USA combined their zones in 1948 to form one zone (which became known in 1949 as western Germany) In 1948 they reformed the currency and within months there were signs that Germany was recovering. Stalin felt that the USA’s handling of western Germany was provocative. He could nothing about the reorganization of the western zones, or the new currency, but he felt like he could stamp his authority in Berlin. It was deep in the Soviet zone and was linked to the western zones of Germany by vital roads, railways and canals. In June 1948, Stalin blocked all these supply lines, cutting off the 2 million strong population of west Berlin from western help. Cont… Stalin believed that this BLOCKADE would force the Allies out of Berlin and make Berlin entirely dependent on the USSR. It was a clear plan. If the USA tanks did try to ram the road blocks or railway blocks, Stalin would see this as an act of war. However, the Americans were not prepared to give up. They saw west Berlin as a test case. If they gave in to Stalin on this issue, the western zones of Germany might be next. Truman wanted to show serious he was about his policy of Containment. He wanted Berlin to Berlin to be a symbol of freedom behind the iron curtain. Cont… The only way into Berlin was by air. So in June 1948, the Allies decided to AIRLIFT supplies. As the first planes took off from their bases in western Germany, everyone feared that the Soviet would shoot them down, which would have been an act of war. People waited anxiously as the planes flew over Soviet territory, but no shots were fired. The planes got through and for the next ten months west Berlin was supplied by a constant stream of aeroplanes bringing in every food and clothing to oil and building materials, although there were many enormous shortages and many Berliners decided to leave the city all together. Cont… By 1949, However, it was clear that the blockade of Berlin would not make western Allies give up to Berlin, so Stalin reopened communications. The Significance of the Blockade and Airlift for the Cold War As a result of the Berlin Blockade, Germany was firmly divided into two nations. In May 1949, the British, French and the American zones became the German Democratic Republic (West Germany) the Communist eastern zone was formed into the Federation Republic of Germany (East Germany) Berlin was more than a symbol. It was also a potential flashpoint since the USA’s and the USSR’s worries about what might happen in Berlin affected their policies in other areas of the world.