The Cold War

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The Cold War

• Debate and controversy

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The war of words?

• Primarily ideological war between United States
  and Soviet Union
• International perspective essential (vs.
  binational or national perspective)
• Structures and processes vs. individuals?
• Chronological investigation imperative

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Key factors

• A complete lack of trust between politicians on
  each side
• Building up huge armed forces to threaten the
  other side (but not actually using them)
• Using the media to criticise the actions of the
  other side
• Co-operating with and supporting anyone who was
  an enemy of the other side

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When did it start?

• Subject for debate
• Most historians say after WWII
• BUT, some say 1919-1939 as relations between SU,
  USA and Britain already strained (we will work on
  this later - Origins of the Cold War)

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Who caused the Cold War?

• Structures and processes vs. personalities?
• Churchill? The Iron Curtain speech
• Stalin? The Yalta Conference
• Truman? The Truman Doctrine

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Churchill?

• From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the
  Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the
  Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals
  of the ancient states of Central and Eastern
  Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest,
  Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia all these famous
  cities and the populations around them lie in
  what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are
  subject, in one form or another, not only to
  Soviet influence but to a very high and in some
  cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.

• The Iron Curtain Speech 1946

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Stalin?

• The Yalta Conference 1945 democratic elections

• 1945-1947 elections in most Eastern European
  states
• Communists coalition governments in Poland,
  Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia
• 1947 Communists took control of the governments
  in Poland, Hungary and Romania
• By 1948 all the states of Eastern Europe had
  Communist governments

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Truman?

• The Truman Doctrine Containment of Communism
• The Marshall Plan Economic Aid offered to all
  European states only Western states received
• Soviet view
• Truman was an aggressor giving money and
  weapons to enemies of the USSR
• The Marshall Plan an attempt to get all of Europe
  in debt to the USAThe Marshall Plan was partly an
  act of generosity, partly an act of self interest
  - America wanted Europe to recover so Americans
  would have partners to trade with.
• American view
• Truman Doctrine preventing spread of Communism

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New evidence?

• In general, the new evidence supports the
  overall thrust of the arguments that Soviet
  policy in 1947 was largely defensive and reactive
  evidence suggests that Stalin still hoped to
  pursue a variant of detente co-operation with
  the Western Powers The Marshall Plan, however,
  radically changed Stalin's calculus, and led him
  to shift away from this more moderate line The
  new archival documentation shows that in making
  this shift, the Soviet leadership was moved
  primarily by fear of its own vulnerability to
  American economic power.
• Scott D. ParrishLecturer, Department of
  GovernmentUniversity of Texas at Austin

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Pre-WWII

• 6 powers
• Great Britain
• France
• Germany
• Soviet Union
• Japan
• United States of America

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Aftermath of WWII - US

• US uniquely powerful position
• US economy almost doubled in size
• 1945 US controlled ½ worlds manufacturing
  capacity, most of its food surpluses, large
  portion financial reserves
• Lead in technologies
• Possession domestic energy Latin America and
  Middle Eastern reserves
• International prestige

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Aftermath of WWII - SU

• Bipolar world, but SU a distant 2nd
• 20-27 million deaths from war
• Extensive destruction crop land, farm animals,
  factories, mines, transport, housing
• Soviet economy barely ¼ size US
• Impressive military, but lagged behind US
• However
• Germany and Japan destroyed
• Decline Britain in Middle East

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Aftermath WWII other powers

• Britain
• 400,000 died, external debt, lost ¼ pre-war
  wealth
• 1952 atomic weapons, strong currency
• France
• 600,000 died, severely damaged by occupation
  (physical and psychological), rising unrest in
  colonies
• Germany
• 7 million died, cities levelled, transportation
  disrupted, popl. displaced, prospect partition
• Japan
• Lay in ruins, shorn of colonial empire, occupied
  by US forces

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Technology of war

• Conventional weapons new destructiveness
• Extended reach long-range bombers and aircraft
  carriers
• Systematic application of science to warfare
  (radar, jet engine, atomic bomb)
• Debate existence of weapons
• Dissuade use/aggression OR pre-emptive strikes?
• Developing countries peasants impt. role

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Balance of power

• Balance of power changed
• Ideological basis
• WWII Grand Alliance of centre and left
  against the right
• After WWII 2 camps Communism vs. Capitalism
• Potential impact of internal struggles
  international significance

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Activity Origins of the Cold War?

• http//www.learningcurve.gov.uk/coldwar/

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Websites

• Cold War International History Project
• National Archives Learning Curve
• National Security Archive (GWU)
• CNN Cold War Focus
• BBC Cold War Focus