History 2301E Lecture 18: The Origins of the Cold War
2 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
February 28, 2018
The Origins of the Cold War
This overlaps with the atomic issue and McCarthyism
What Truman is doing
➢ The Cold War in Europe
o Germany
o The North Atlantic Treaty organization, 1949
➢ The Cold War in Asia
o China, 1949
o Korea, 1950-1953
Post World War II
- Status of the US
o In 1945, US is a superpower
o Real modern America
o Economic supremacy
▪ War not fought on American soil
▪ Farmers and industry have done well
- World War II tensions
o Between US and the Soviet
o Cold war battle between them
o Opening the Second Front
▪ Until 1944 (with Britain)
o What the post-world war
o Two different government systems – see a clash
- Origins of the Cold War
o Beginning
▪ 1919 – US invaded the Soviet Union
▪ Post-WW2 – Clash of ideology
o Who’s to blame
▪ Up until Vietnam, Stalin was the bad guy
▪ Vietnam war brought criticism to government, US becomes the bad guy
o A series of mistake, clash of ideology
▪ British involved
▪ Chinese involved
o Not just about US and Soviet Union, more complex
Competing ideologies
- Britain
o Domestic and foreign anti-communism
▪ More anti-communist than US
▪ Domestically – strong labour movement
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• Conservative government terrified of unionization, a front for
communism
▪ Foreign policy – British empire
• Fear that Soviets are going to take the British empire
• Geographically, places like India will be surrounded by
communism expansion
o US and 1919
▪ Don’t want a repeat of 1919, when US retreated and didn’t sign the LON
▪ Want to tie the US to Europe
▪ Make sure US can balance the Soviet Union
• Some manipulation to ensure they don’t retreat yet again
- The Soviet Union
o Economic and geopolitical security
▪ Not just about ideology
▪ Economy, farms, industry, raillines are decimated when Nazis invaded the
Soviet Union
▪ Goal: get economy up and going
▪ Looking abroad to find resources and labour force
o Lessons from the past
▪ Don’t want to be invaded again by the West
▪ Wants to create a buffer: take Eastern Europe
• Is a buffer against western countries hostilities
- The United States
o The lessons of 1919 and Wilsonian diplomacy
▪ Embracing internationalism, being a part of international organization
▪ US at the forefront of creating the UN
▪ Creates economic groups like GAT and International Monetary Fund
▪ Organizations targeted at the roots of war
• Markets and trade
o Economic prosperity and political freedom
▪ Terrified that the depression will come back
▪ Making sure trade partners are back on their feet (Germany, France and
Japan)
• Needs these economic powers
▪ Clash between rhetoric and reality
• Rhetoric: Bringing freedom to the world, anti-Colonial
• Minute cold war intrudes, rhetoric goes out
Dividing Germany
- When it comes to what to do to Germany itself, real divide that is unbreachable among
the major powers
- American and British goals
o Lesson on 1919, don’t want a repeat of Versailles
o Rebuild and integrate
▪ Industrial heart is up and going
▪ Can get a peacetime economy
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
▪ Integrate: make it a trusted ally
• Make it feel like a part of the western alliance
- French and Soviet goals
o Punish and destroy
o France and Russia both invaded and almost occupied by the Nazis
▪ Like 1919 they want Germany punished and to pay for the military,
psychosocial damage and trauma
▪ Reparations and demilitarization
- Divide up Germany and Berlin
o Cannot come to a consensus in late 1945/46,
▪ divide Germany into the 4 zones
o capital, Berlin is divided
▪ but its in the Soviet zone
- creation of West Germany
o British, French, Americans combine their zones
▪ becomes West Germany
• Industrialized, has democracy
- Creation of East Germany, 1949
o Soviet Union in its entirety
- Beginning of Cold War
o Has a physical separation between the west and Soviet Union
o U.S. still not tied to Europe
▪ British wants the U.S. to be militarily tied
Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, 1946
- Fulton, Missouri
- “An iron curtain has descended across the continent”
o Wants to scare US, crisis is not over
o That line is going to spread, country after country is going to fall to the
authoritarian communist regime of the Soviet Union unless the US does
something
▪ Needs to be willing to confront the march of communism in Europe
- Impact
o Completely backfires
o US does not want mobilization of the military
o Willing to help politically and economically but not militarily
The Truman Doctrine, 1947
- Greece
o Civil war
▪ Very complex
▪ Importance: the Greek gov’t was under the protection of the British
o Britain
▪ Had an alliance with the British
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
This overlaps with the atomic issue and mccarthyism. The cold war in europe: germany, the north atlantic treaty organization, 1949. The cold war in asia: china, 1949, korea, 1950-1953. Status of the us: in 1945, us is a superpower, real modern america, economic supremacy, war not fought on american soil, farmers and industry have done well. World war ii tensions: between us and the soviet, cold war battle between them, opening the second front, until 1944 (with britain, what the post-world war, two different government systems see a clash. The soviet union: economic and geopolitical security, not just about ideology, economy, farms, industry, raillines are decimated when nazis invaded the. Soviet union: goal: get economy up and going, looking abroad to find resources and labour force, lessons from the past, don"t want to be invaded again by the west, wants to create a buffer: take eastern europe.
