M - Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine
C - Conferences
C- Czechoslovakian Crisis
R - Russian European Expansion
I - Iron Curtain Speech
B- Berlin Blockade
Please note these are not in chronological order!!!
Saturday 17 September 2011
How did the Cold War develop in Europe?
To help you remember the six key stages in the development of the Cold War use:
Thursday 22 July 2010
How did the conferences cause tensions?
The Yalta conference was described as the highpoint of the alliance. However, at this time the Big 3 were still united by their aim to defeat Nazi Germany.
By July 1945 this had changed. Nazi Germany had been defeated and Hitler was dead. The Red Army had swept through Eastern Europe and into Germany, defeating Berlin in the process. When the allies met outside Berlin at Potsdam tensions began to show.
Key Issues to Revise:
1. Roosevelt's Death - Roosevelt had worked well with Stalin however on his death he was replaced by his vice chancellor Truman who had a deep distrust of the communists and was determined to take a tougher line with Stalin and the USSR.
2. Eastern Europe - Throughout Eastern Europe communists were being positioned into key roles in the governments. This worried Truman. The Western Allies were also unhappy with the land that Stalin had annexed from Poland.
3. Atomic Bomb - Truman decided not to inform Stalin of his intentions to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. The destruction the bomb caused shocked the world. Truman hoped it would shock Stalin and make him more amenable in Europe. This backfired as Stalin was angry that Truman did not inform him. He believed that as Allies Truman should have told him. He took this as a great insult and increased the mistrust and suspicion between the two countries. When the second bomb was dropped the USA won the war against Japan and as a result denied Russia's part in the occupation of Japan.
By July 1945 this had changed. Nazi Germany had been defeated and Hitler was dead. The Red Army had swept through Eastern Europe and into Germany, defeating Berlin in the process. When the allies met outside Berlin at Potsdam tensions began to show.
Key Issues to Revise:
1. Roosevelt's Death - Roosevelt had worked well with Stalin however on his death he was replaced by his vice chancellor Truman who had a deep distrust of the communists and was determined to take a tougher line with Stalin and the USSR.
2. Eastern Europe - Throughout Eastern Europe communists were being positioned into key roles in the governments. This worried Truman. The Western Allies were also unhappy with the land that Stalin had annexed from Poland.
3. Atomic Bomb - Truman decided not to inform Stalin of his intentions to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. The destruction the bomb caused shocked the world. Truman hoped it would shock Stalin and make him more amenable in Europe. This backfired as Stalin was angry that Truman did not inform him. He believed that as Allies Truman should have told him. He took this as a great insult and increased the mistrust and suspicion between the two countries. When the second bomb was dropped the USA won the war against Japan and as a result denied Russia's part in the occupation of Japan.
How successfully were the Truman doctrine and Marshall Plan in containing communism in Europe?
Why was the Truman doctrine introduced?
At the end of the war the US had assumed that Britain would play a major role in the eastern mediterra
nean. However, Britain by 1947 were facing economic crisis. They were facing India, Palestine, and Egypt. As the process of negotiating the peace treaties wore on Britain was forced to continue to station troops in Germany, Itlay, the Middle East and Asia. The situation was made worse by the poor weather conditions in Britian. Heavy blizzards and extremely cold weather brought transport, industry and coal mining to a halt for several weeks. As a result Britain had run out of funds and so on the 21st February the British informed the US that the British financial and military aid to both Greece and Turkey would end by the 31st March.
This was particularly unwelcome news for US who were concerned by the civil war which had broken out in Greece; caused in part by Stalin's encouragement and support to the communists against the British backed non-communists. Truman feared that Soviet influence would also begin to spread to Italy when allied forces withdrew. To secure areas vulnerable to Soviet pressure Truman needed money....
The Truman Doctrine
In order to get money Truman needed the support of the Congress. He persuaded Congress by delivering a deliberately dramatic speech designed to appeal to Congress. In this speech Truman stressed the seriousness of the international situation and how Europe was increasingly being divided into two mutually hostile blocks.
What was the Marshall Plan?
Truman believed that poverty was one reason why countries turned to communism. He identified a range a problems across Europe including large debts and an extreme lack of food. Many countries were still having to ration bread. In Britain during the harsh winter there was so little coal that the electricity was turned off for a period each day. Churchill describe Europe as 'a rubble heap, a breeding ground for hate'. Truman therefore persuaded the Congress to grant $17billion for aid to Europe.
How successful was the Marshall Plan?
Some historians have suggested that the Marshall plan achieved only limited success due to the range of problems facing each different country. A conference was called in Paris to identify what aid was required. The Soviets attended but left after it became clear that they were unable to achieve unconditional aid. The Soviets saw it as a direct threat on communism and accused the USA of dollar diplomacy. Under Soviet pressure many Eastern European countries declined the offer of financial aid.
The USSR effectively declared war on Marshall aid by introducing Cominform - an organisation to coordinate communist parties throughout Europe. In addition in 1949 Comecon was established to provide economic aid to countries in Eastern Europe.
Therefore, the response of the USSR to the Marshall Plan made future agreements between the USA and USSR impossible and it entrenched the division of Europe.
At the end of the war the US had assumed that Britain would play a major role in the eastern mediterra
nean. However, Britain by 1947 were facing economic crisis. They were facing India, Palestine, and Egypt. As the process of negotiating the peace treaties wore on Britain was forced to continue to station troops in Germany, Itlay, the Middle East and Asia. The situation was made worse by the poor weather conditions in Britian. Heavy blizzards and extremely cold weather brought transport, industry and coal mining to a halt for several weeks. As a result Britain had run out of funds and so on the 21st February the British informed the US that the British financial and military aid to both Greece and Turkey would end by the 31st March.This was particularly unwelcome news for US who were concerned by the civil war which had broken out in Greece; caused in part by Stalin's encouragement and support to the communists against the British backed non-communists. Truman feared that Soviet influence would also begin to spread to Italy when allied forces withdrew. To secure areas vulnerable to Soviet pressure Truman needed money....
The Truman Doctrine
In order to get money Truman needed the support of the Congress. He persuaded Congress by delivering a deliberately dramatic speech designed to appeal to Congress. In this speech Truman stressed the seriousness of the international situation and how Europe was increasingly being divided into two mutually hostile blocks.
What was the Marshall Plan?
Truman believed that poverty was one reason why countries turned to communism. He identified a range a problems across Europe including large debts and an extreme lack of food. Many countries were still having to ration bread. In Britain during the harsh winter there was so little coal that the electricity was turned off for a period each day. Churchill describe Europe as 'a rubble heap, a breeding ground for hate'. Truman therefore persuaded the Congress to grant $17billion for aid to Europe.
How successful was the Marshall Plan?
Some historians have suggested that the Marshall plan achieved only limited success due to the range of problems facing each different country. A conference was called in Paris to identify what aid was required. The Soviets attended but left after it became clear that they were unable to achieve unconditional aid. The Soviets saw it as a direct threat on communism and accused the USA of dollar diplomacy. Under Soviet pressure many Eastern European countries declined the offer of financial aid.
The USSR effectively declared war on Marshall aid by introducing Cominform - an organisation to coordinate communist parties throughout Europe. In addition in 1949 Comecon was established to provide economic aid to countries in Eastern Europe.
Therefore, the response of the USSR to the Marshall Plan made future agreements between the USA and USSR impossible and it entrenched the division of Europe.
The Iron Curtain Speech March 1946
Winston Churchill was defeated as British Prime minister and replaced by Clement Attlee however this did not stop him travelling to America in 1946 and making a speech which made history. The 'Iron Curtain' speech was made in Fulton on 5th March 1946. He stated ' that from Strettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent.
In doing so he was attempting to encourage the USA to make a closer alliance with Great Britain against the communist threat. However, as a result some including Stalin accuse Churchill of stirring up trouble and of being a war monger.
So how accurate was Churchill? Eastern Europe still reflected a great deal of diversity. The Communists were in power in a number of countries however in many countries such as Czechoslovakia and Finland Stalin had pursued a much more moderate policy. It was the Marshall Plan introduced later which really forced Stalin to introduce more uniform policy and control over Eastern Europe. However it is true to say that by 1947 the Cold War was beginning to polarise Western domestic policies with Communists pushed out of governments in France and Italy.
In doing so he was attempting to encourage the USA to make a closer alliance with Great Britain against the communist threat. However, as a result some including Stalin accuse Churchill of stirring up trouble and of being a war monger.
So how accurate was Churchill? Eastern Europe still reflected a great deal of diversity. The Communists were in power in a number of countries however in many countries such as Czechoslovakia and Finland Stalin had pursued a much more moderate policy. It was the Marshall Plan introduced later which really forced Stalin to introduce more uniform policy and control over Eastern Europe. However it is true to say that by 1947 the Cold War was beginning to polarise Western domestic policies with Communists pushed out of governments in France and Italy.
How did the USSR's influence spread through Europe? Russian Expansion
In response to the Marshall Plan it became clear that Stalin needed to introduce a clearer policy in Eastern Europe. He invited the leaders of Eastern Europe to a conference in Poland to discuss the setting up of the Communist Information Bureau (Cominform), which would co-ordinate the policies and tactics of the communists parties in both satellite states and Western Europe. Stalin's representative claimed that the world was now divided in two hostile camps and that the policy of co-operating with the western socialist parties would have to be abandoned. Communist parties were encouraged to take power in themselves!!!
How did Russian Expansion happen?
Poland
In 1945 Stalin under pressure from the West set up a provisional government which included members of the exiled government. Mikolajcyk was the leader of the government who had set up in London during the war and he returned to be part of this new provisional government. Stalin announced that Poland would have an election. Behind the scenes Stalin knew that the election would not be free as it was likely that he would lose control of the government. When Mikolajcyk found out the elections would not be free he resigned and stopped his party, the Polish Peasants Party, from joining these elections. He hoped the USA would realise that these elections were one sided and intervene to stop them.
Unfortunately for Mikolajcyk, on the USA side they too were working behind the scenes. Truman had accepted that Poland was in the Soviet sphere of influence and that there would be little he could do to prevent Russia taking control. Both Britain and USA declined Mikolajcyk's invitation to send delegates to monitor the election.
As a result through the use of terror and falsified election results the Soviet Communist party on a massive majority. The leader of the new Communist Polish government was not completely happy. He believed that while he was dependant on Soviet assistance that Poland should be independent from Soviet Russia. He was disappointed with the development of Cominform and only under a large amount of pressure did he accept that he would have to accept a Mosow model of Socialism. A year later Stalin replaced him with a leader who could be more easily controlled.
Romania
There was very little dispute about who should have influence in Romania after the war. the Western powers agredd that it was vital security zone for Russia. There was no strong opposition like there had been in Poland and so the Soviets were able to establish themselves much quicker here than elsewhere.
In March 1946, following an election the communists gained a majority of 80%.
In 1945 Stalin under pressure from the West set up a provisional government which included members of the exiled government. Mikolajcyk was the leader of the government who had set up in London during the war and he returned to be part of this new provisional government. Stalin announced that Poland would have an election. Behind the scenes Stalin knew that the election would not be free as it was likely that he would lose control of the government. When Mikolajcyk found out the elections would not be free he resigned and stopped his party, the Polish Peasants Party, from joining these elections. He hoped the USA would realise that these elections were one sided and intervene to stop them.
Unfortunately for Mikolajcyk, on the USA side they too were working behind the scenes. Truman had accepted that Poland was in the Soviet sphere of influence and that there would be little he could do to prevent Russia taking control. Both Britain and USA declined Mikolajcyk's invitation to send delegates to monitor the election.
As a result through the use of terror and falsified election results the Soviet Communist party on a massive majority. The leader of the new Communist Polish government was not completely happy. He believed that while he was dependant on Soviet assistance that Poland should be independent from Soviet Russia. He was disappointed with the development of Cominform and only under a large amount of pressure did he accept that he would have to accept a Mosow model of Socialism. A year later Stalin replaced him with a leader who could be more easily controlled.
Romania
There was very little dispute about who should have influence in Romania after the war. the Western powers agredd that it was vital security zone for Russia. There was no strong opposition like there had been in Poland and so the Soviets were able to establish themselves much quicker here than elsewhere.
In March 1946, following an election the communists gained a majority of 80%.
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