What post-war issues caused the Western Allies and the Soviet Union to disagree?

What post-war issues caused the Western Allies and the Soviet Union to disagree?

What post-war issues caused the Western Allies and the Soviet Union to disagree? Terms of the Yalta Conference and Potsdam

Conference Differences among Big Three

Reparations in Germany USSR received less then they wanted and agreed

to at Yalta; according to Potsdam Conference, each country could only collect reparations from their occupation zone

Governments of Eastern Europe With assistance of USSR, communist parties in

Europe gained power

State of tension and hostility between nations aligned with the United States on one side and the Soviet Union on the other, without armed conflict between the major rivals Political hostility Military tension Economic competition “Fought” through other means:

Propaganda, nuclear arms race,

Stalin: Wanted to spread communism Create a buffer zone of friendly

governments between USSR and Germany Tried to persuade West to accept Soviet

influence in Eastern Europe Churchill and Roosevelt:

Made Stalin promise “free elections” Broken pledge

Most Eastern governments had communist parties

With the backing of the USSR, Eastern communists defeated rival parties

By 1948 Eastern Europe had mostly pro-Soviet governments in place

Winston Churchill, March 5, 1946 introduced the phrase "Iron Curtain" to describe the

division between Western powers and the area controlled by the Soviet Union. As such the speech marks the onset of the Cold War

“The United States stands at this time at the pinnacle of world power. It is a solemn moment for the American democracy. For with this primacy in power is also joined an awe-inspiring accountability to the future. … Opportunity is here now, clear and shining, for both our countries. To reject it or ignore it or fritter it away will bring upon us all the long reproaches of the aftertime.”

“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.”

1.1. Civil War in Greece.Civil War in Greece.

2.2. Turkey under pressure from the USSR for Turkey under pressure from the USSR for concessions in the Dardanelles.concessions in the Dardanelles.

3.3. ““I believe that it must be the policy of the I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” armed minorities or by outside pressures.” President TrumanPresident Truman

4.4. Truman DoctrineTruman Doctrine: containment, limiting : containment, limiting communism to areas already under Soviet communism to areas already under Soviet control.control.

5.5. Established that the Americans would resist Established that the Americans would resist Soviet expansionSoviet expansion

6.6. The U.S. gave Greece & Turkey $400 million The U.S. gave Greece & Turkey $400 million in aid.in aid.

Marshall Plan: massive aid package offered by the United States to strengthen democratic governments (named for Secretary of State George Marshall) U.S. gave food and economic aid to Europe to

help countries rebuild after World War 2 Truman offered aid to USSR and its

satellites Stalin declined and forbade Eastern European

countries from accepting American aid

Germany was divided into four zones of occupation to be governed by the U.S., Britain, France and the USSR.

The capital city of Berlin would be divided into four zones as well, even though it was located completely inside the Soviet zone of occupation

USSR: took reparations from their zone by dismantling factories and moving supplies into the USSR to rebuild itself Installed socialist dictatorship in East Germany

Western Allies: wanted economy to recover, combined zones into one and offered Marshall Plan to West Germany Allowed the people to regain self-government and

write their own constitution

Stalin resented the actions of the West June 1948: Stalin tried to force the

Western democracies out of Berlin Sealed off every roadway and railroad

into the Western sections of Berlin. West replied with a massive airlift of

supplies Round-the-clock cargo plane shipments of

food and fuel Over 200,000 flights over nearly a year

An American soldier was talking to children watching planes at the airport

He gave them two pieces of gum and said if they were good he’d bring more the next day.

He dropped candy bars with a handkerchief parachute from his plane, and continued to do it.

Word spread – people sent in parachutes and candy and the major candy companies donated as well

Successful propaganda campaign

Airlift was a success Soviets lifted the blockade

The western states were increasingly suspicious of the Russian intentions in Europe since the Berlin Blockade. The United States also wanted to find allies in Europe to contain communist expansion.

On April 4, 1949, twelve nations - the United States, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Italy, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington.

The partners of the Treaty believed that Russian Communism, an anti-democratic ideology, had posed a new threat to the democratic world. Thus they stated that "an armed attack against one or more of them shall be considered an attack against them all.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was an essential defensive organization against Communist aggression and a successful step towards European and trans-Atlantic co-operation.

The United States had committed herself to a military alliance in peace time for the first time in its history. From 1949 onwards, a large number of American troops were stationed in western Europe. For the next 20 years, her allies could call for American military assistance. This marked an end of the isolationist policy which had always been upheld by the United States.

In response to the formation of the NATO, Russia formed the Warsaw Pact.

The Soviet Union looked at anti-communist actions in Europe with fear. The USSR created the Warsaw Pact with its satellites in May 1955.

It included all communist states in Europe except Yugoslavia - Soviet Russia, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Rumania, Czechoslovakia and East Germany.

The Pact spoke of peaceful intentions and defense. Members could not participate in any other coalition or

alliance Mutual assistance, including armed force. To provide for military assistance, a Russian Supreme

Commander was appointed to lead the combined armed forces of its members.

The Pact allowed the USSR to station troops in eastern European countries. This meant that Russia could attack western Europe at any moment and could suppress any sign of rebellion in her satellite countries.

By 1955, both the USSR and the United States had organized their satellites into opposing alliances. Political tension between the East and the West will continue.

IDEOLOGICAL STRUGGLESoviet &

Eastern Bloc Nations[“Iron

Curtain”]

US & the Western

Democracies

GOAL spread world-wide Communism

GOAL “Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist world.

METHODOLOGIES:

Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]

Arms Race [nuclear escalation]

Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts of Third World peoples [Communist govt. & command economy vs. democratic govt. & capitalist economy] “proxy wars”

Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]

Using the map in your textbook, note the countries that were aligned with the Western powers and those aligned with the Eastern powers.

Two colors: NATO countries and Warsaw Pact countries