MMW 15 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Regents Of The University Of California, Warsaw Pact
2 Mar 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Key Questions:
1) How did the Cold War originate?
2) How did it evolve and expand in scale?
3) What were its global and domestic repercussions?
The Origins of the Cold War
Agreements near the end of WWII
Allies’ acknowledgment of Russian losses in war
Churchill in a secret meeting with Stalin--> Percentage
agreement
(1)
i)
Churchill’s “Percentage agreement” with Stalin in 1944
In Moscow
(1)
Entailed that in a place like Yugoslavia, would be split 50/50
(2)
Return Eastern Europe to Soviet
(3)
ii)
a)
The Race to Berlin
Potsdam, July 1945
Peace Process take place in Berlin
(1)
Gave French an advantage
(2)
Avoid a Carthaginian peace
(3)
i)
Problematic location of Berlin in 1945
July 1945, Berlin was well within the Soviet's area of
control and the Allies didn’t anticipate this
(a)
Allies’ miscalculation of pace of Soviet expansion
(1)
Led to rapid Soviet expansion into Central Europe and Balkans
in 1945
(2)
Allies’ insistence on four-power split over control of Berlin
Ensure fairness. For all 4 powers must have a certain
presence
Soviets (East Berlin)
a)
British
b)
Americans--> West Berlin
c)
French-->West Berlin
d)
(a)
(3)
ii)
Soviet tightening noose on Berlin
iii)
b)
I)
Lecture 6: The Cold War and Arms Race
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
11:01 AM
Soviet tightening noose on Berlin
Western powers’ response
Try to intimidate the Allies to get out of Berlin by
showing a strong military presence
(a)
Tried to create a unified economic zone with a new
currency
Made it very difficult for them to extract war
reparations
a)
Soviets tried to bribe them to reject this new
currency with extra rations of bread
b)
(b)
(1)
iii)
Escalation of tension
Blockade of Berlin 1948-1949
Blockade of all access into the city with the intention of
starving them into compliance
Cut off food and electricity
a)
(a)
(1)
Berlin Airlift
Airdrops to sustain lives of 2 million Berliners
(a)
Cargo plane took off every minute 24/7 for an entire year
(b)
Firm but non-productive containment
(c)
(2)
iv)
Policy of Containment
Containing soviet influence and communism in Eastern Europe
i)
Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Fulton Missouri, March 1946
Assure peace through “overwhelming sense of security”
Churchill said the only way to assure peace was to maintain an
"overwhelming sense of security"
Beginnings of arms built up
(a)
Make yourself so strong that no one would go after you
(b)
Truman had the same idea
(c)
(1)
i)
a)
Truman Doctrine March 1947
Guarantee support for all global measures to resist communism
(1)
“I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support
free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed
minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free
peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way”
i)
Aim to contain Soviet expansion
US would support self-determination if meant to COUNTER
communism
(1)
ii)
b)
Marshall Plan 1948
Build up economies of Western Europe as buttress against Soviet
i)
c)
I)
Marshall Plan 1948
Build up economies of Western Europe as buttress against Soviet
expansion
Henry Luce’s “American Internationalism”
Marshall's main ideas were that societies would be
less vulnerable through economic strength. This led
to massive amounts of aid
a)
Henry was the first to coin the phrase (how he
envisioned America after the war)
b)
Radical departure
c)
“Internationalism of the people, by the people, for the
people”
Cold war was not just military confrontation
a)
Culture (export of American culture)
Jazz, Hollywood movies, leisure technology
i)
Project the US way of life all over the world
ii)
The voice of America was everywhere
iii)
b)
(a)
(1)
i)
c)
Creation of the Two-Bloc system
Creation of NATO 1949
North American Treaty Organization
Now includes Turkey
(a)
Aimed at Soviet Union, deemed an attack on all if
attacked one
(b)
Integrity of this is now questioned
(c)
(1)
i)
Creation of Warsaw Pact, 1955
Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, East Germany,
Yugoslavia, etc.
(1)
ii)
Factors behind this inevitable split
US position in the world vs. Soviet position
US for a while was a super power
Highest GNP levels of all countries after the war
a)
Sole atomic power until 1949
b)
(a)
Soviet had changed
After WW2, Soviet brought back the old Trotsky
idea of Communist Rational--> spread communism
a)
Saw containment as an active effort to isolate and
encircled the Soviet Union
b)
Had the fear of a strong Germany
c)
(b)
(1)
iii)
d)
Symbol of Ideological Entrenchment—Berlin Wall 1961
“Checkpoint Charlie” at the Brandenburg Gate
i)
e)
Document Summary
Lecture 6: the cold war and arms race. Agreements near the end of wwii i) ii) Allies" acknowledgment of russian losses in war (1) Churchill in a secret meeting with stalin--> percentage agreement. Churchill"s percentage agreement with stalin in 1944 (1) (2) (3) Entailed that in a place like yugoslavia, would be split 50/50. July 1945, berlin was well within the soviet"s area of control and the allies didn"t anticipate this (1) (2) (3) Led to rapid soviet expansion into central europe and balkans in 1945. Allies" insistence on four-power split over control of berlin. For all 4 powers must have a certain (a) presence a) b) c) d) Try to intimidate the allies to get out of berlin by showing a strong military presence. Tried to create a unified economic zone with a new currency (b) a) b) Made it very difficult for them to extract war reparations.
