Chapter 4

Why did the USA-USSR Alliance begin to break down in 1945?

Allies against Hitler

 The USA, Grate Britain and the USSR fought together as allies during the
Second World War. That was a strategi to defeated Hitler but, the majority of
politicians and business leaders in Britain and the USA hated and helped the
enemies of the communist and the USSR had been a communist country more
than 30 years.
Rivals with differing world views

 Most Americans people think and said that their way of life was best and they
were justifiably proud of the leading role the USA took in defeating Nazim.
 At the same time most Soviet people were equally proud of their countrys
critical role in defeating Germany. They too believed their way of life was
superior.

USA USSR
Capitalist Communism
Democracy One party dictatorship
In capitalist country were extremes. The general standard of living was
Some people were very wealthy much lower than in the USA but
while others were very poor unemployment was rare
Being free of control by the The right, of individuals were seen as
government was more important less important than the good of the
than everyone being equal society as a whole
Other country should be run in the Other country should be run in the
American way communist way
Were alarmed by communist theory, The role of the communist state was
which talked of spreading revolution to encourage communist revolution
worldwide. The leaders tended to
take practical decisions rather than
be led by this ideology
Americans generally saw their Saw the USAs actions as selfishly
policies as “doing the right thing building its economics empire and
“rather serving the interest of the political influence
USA

Superpowers
 The USA and the USSR had emerged from the war as the two world 'Superpowers'.
In the 1930s, the USA had followed a policy of isolation - keeping out of European and
world affairs. Roosevelt had set the Americans firmly against a policy of isolation and this
effectively meant opposing communism.
Yalta conference, February 1945
  In February 1945nit was clear that Germany was losing the European war, so the
allies leaders met at Yalta to plan what would happen to Europe after Germany
defeated. Despite their difference, the big three agreed in some important matters:
o Japan
 Staling agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany had
surrender
o Elections
 They agreed that as country were liberated from occupation by the
German army, they would be allowed to hold free elections and to
choose the government that they wanted
o War criminals
 They were agreed to hunt down and punish war criminals who were
responsible for the genocide
o Germany
 Germany would be divied into four zone
 France
 Britain
 Americans
 Soviet
o United Nations
 They agreed to join in new United Nations organisation, which
would aim to keep peace after the war
o Eastern Europe
 The big three agreed that eastern Europe should be seen as “Soviet
sphere of influence”
 Disagreement of Yalta
o The only disagreement in Yalta mas Poland
 Stalin argued that Poland, in turn, could move its border westwards
into German territory.
 Churchill was not agreed, but he know that he couldn’t do anything
because the red army was on the border of Poland and Eastern
Europe
 Roosevelt was also unhappy but Churchill persuaded him to accept
it. Also, the USSR agreed not to interface on Greece where the
British attempting to prevent the communist talking over.
The Potsdam Conference, July 1945
 After three month of Yalta conference, Germany loosed the European war and the
alliance troops reached Berlin. However, in the five months since Yalta a number of
changes had taken place which would greatly affect relationships between the
leaders.
 Changes since Yalta agreement
o Stalin army were occupying most of eastern Europe
 Soviet troops had liberated country after country in eastern Europe, but
Soared of withdrawing his troops Stalin had heft them there. Stalin had
seen A communist government in Poland, ignoring the wishes of the
majority of Poles.
o Americans had a new President
 After the died of Roosevelt, he was replaced by his vice Truman.
Truman was a very different man from Roosevelt. He was very anti-
communist and was very suspicious of Stalin.
o 3 The Allies gad tested an atomic boom
 On 16 July 1945 the Americans successfully tested an Atomic
Bomb at a desert site in the USA. At the start of the Potsdam
CONFERENCE, Truman informed Stalin about it.
 Disagreements as Potsdam
 o Germany
 Stalin wanted to completely paralyze Germany in order to protect
the USSR from future threats. Truman did not want to repeat the
mistake of the TREATY OF VERSAILLES.

o Reparations

 Stalin wanted compensation from Germany. Truman, however, was

once again determined not to repeat the mistakes at the end of the
First World War and resisted this demand.

o Eastern Europe

 At Yalta, Stalin had won agreement from the Allies that he could set
up pro-Soviet governments in eastern Europe.
Stalin V. Truman
 The Potsdam Conference finally got underway on July 17, 1945. Winston Churchill
was defeated, so halfway through the conference he was replaced by a new prime
minister, Clement Attlee. In Churchill's absence, the conference was dominated by
rivalry and suspicion between Stalin and Truman.

The “Iron Curtain”

 After nine months of Potsdam Conference, Stalin had achieved the domination in
all Eastern Europe. By 1946 Poland, Hungary, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria were all
under the communists control, even they had communists government.
Lots of people called this border between communism and capitalism as the iron
curtain.
The Iron Curtain was an imagery line that separated the Eastern Europe led by
Stalin and the Western Europe led by Truman. Nobody could cross, it was
forbidden.

Stalin Strengthens over Eastern Europe

 With all communist governments established, Stalin took advantage of it and had
tightened his control using the secret police.
 Cominform: In October 1947, Stalin established the COMINFORM or the
communist Information Bureau. This policy co-ordinate with all the communist
parties in all countries that were under the soviet control. By this Stalin could have
all the countries loyal to him and also to keep a close eye on them. But there was
one problem that was Yugoslavia. They were expelled from Cominform due to their
leader Tito.
Actions that Stalin took over the Eastern Europe
 Poland: The communist joined a coalition government. Then on 1947 they
forced to exile the non-communist leader.
 Hungary: Communism was the largest single party due to the imprisonment of
the other political parties.
 Bulgaria: The leaders of the left-wing coalition won the elections on 1945, then
the communist on that coalition, executed the other parties members.
 Romania: In 1945 a communist was elected prime minister, then on 1947 the
communist abolished the monarchy.
  Yugoslavia: Stalin decided to expelled then from the Cominform.
 Albania: Stalin helped the communist movement to go further.
 East Germany: This sector was given to the USSR by the allies. It was under
the Red Army control until the creation of the German Democratic Republic.
 Czechoslovakia: A left-wing coalition won he elections in 1945, then on 1946
the communist was the largest single party in Czechoslovakia. Over 1948
communist banned the other parties and made Czechoslovakia oner single
party.

USA reaction
 Roosevelt and Churchill had agreed that the eastern Europe would be a Soviet
“sphere of influence” and that Stalin would heavily influence this region. But,
they had not expected such a complete communist government. Americans
Knew that the spreading on communism was imminent. They knew that some
countries like France, Italy, Greece and Czechoslovakia were vulnerable to
communism.
Greece 1947
 After the German control there were two rival groups that wanted to rule the
country, the monarchists and the communists. The communists wanted a
soviet republic and the monarchist wanted the king of Greece to return.
In 1945 Churchill sent troops to restore order and supervise free elections. This
was all a lay, the British wanted the monarchist to have the power. Then over
1946 the USSR appealed to the United Nations but there was no action.
Immediately the USSR sent troops to helped the communist. A civil war had
develop. In 1947 the British withdraw their troops, but Truman stepped in. They
tried to prop up the kings return. Finally by 1950 the royalists were in control of
Greece.

The Truman Doctrine

 Under the Truman Doctrine, the USA was prepared to send money, Equipment
and advice to any country which was threatened by a communist take-over. His
aim was to stop communism from spreading further. This policy was known as
Containment.

The Marshall Plan

 Truman believed that communism succeeded when people faced poverty and
chaos. In 1947 he found that Europe economy was on ruins. There were
extreme shortages of all goods, there was a hard coal shortage.
The Marshall suggested to earn 17 billion on rebuilt the Europe prosperity.
In December 1947 he put his plan to congress. For a short time, they refused to
grant that money, 17 billion was a lot of money.

Czechoslovakia
 The Americans attitude change when the Czechs government was under
communisms. Czechoslovakia had been ruled by a coalition through years, but
 on 1948 the communists came hard. In march the anti-Soviet leaders were
purged, one pro American minister was found dead.
As the congress saw this, they decided to do the Marshall Plan.

Marshall Plan Aid

o The USA wanted to create new markets for American goods. Truman
wanted to do all he could to prevent another world-wide slump or
another depression.
o In the US government argue that Aid should only be given to those
which embraced the democracy and free markets. They wanted open
doors to these countries, with no tariffs or other restrictions to stop US
companies.

The Berlin Blockade.

 By 1948 there was tension between USA and the USSR. Both sides had
earned lots of money on weapons, also there was a propaganda war develop.
They wanted to demonstrated that they will not be pushed around.
The problem of Germany:
o Germany was divided into four parts. At first the Morgenthau plan was
to remove all German industry and make it agricultural. But Truman
thought that a strong Germany would be more useful to confront the
USSR.

Stalin blockades Berlin

o In June 1948, Stalin blocked these supply lines, stopping the western
powers to reach Berlin. If someone tried to ram the roadblocks or
railway blocks, it could be seen as an act of war. Stalin expected
Truman to declared humiliation,
The Berlin Airlift
o The americans believed that the western Berlin was a very important
case. So Truman ordered that aircraft should fly supplies to Berlin.
Everyone feared that the soviets might shoot them down, but that could
be seen as an act of war. For the next ten months, west Berlin had
received supplies by aircrafts, then the blocked was lifted in may 1949.
Consequences of the Berlin Blockade
o Berlin became a powerful symbol on the cold war. For the Americans,
Berlin was a democratic and free paradise on the middle of the hell. For
Stalin, Berlin was an inconvenience for the workers paradise on the
Eastern Europe.
o Berlin was also the cold war flashpoint. It was one of the few places in
which the US troops and the USSR troops faced each other.
o The crisis in Berlin suggested that there would not be a direct war
between them. There would be other types of conflicts. Each side would
never trust the other, they would never accept the other. They would
fight helping any state, group or individual opposed the other side.
NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

o As the war seems to be imminent the western powers signed an agreement at

Washington DC to work together against the USSR. This new organization was
known as NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
o In response the USSR, created the Warsaw Pact with the main communists’
states in eastern Europe. All members promised to defend each other if any one
of them was attacked.