Steps to the Political, Economic and Military Division of Europe Part I of II.

Steps to the Political, Steps to the Political, Economic and Military Economic and Military Division of EuropeDivision of EuropePart I of II

IntroductionIntroductionBy 1949, Europe divided into two sphere’s

of influence, West Germany and East Germany established

Steps that led to this division◦ Wartime Conferences: Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam◦ Kennan’s Long Telegram◦ Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech◦ Truman Doctrine and Cominform◦ Marshall Plan◦ Red Army Occupation of Eastern Europe◦ Czech Coup◦ Berlin Blockade◦ East Germany and West Germany Established◦ NATO Established

Breakdown of the Grand Breakdown of the Grand AllianceAllianceBeginning of alliance

was when Soviets received aid from Churchill and Roosevelt in 1941◦ Churchill still disliked

Stalin, mutual suspicion

Stalin had demanded a second front in Europe◦ Allies had only agreed

in principle, Stalin thinks delays are intentional

Wartime ConferencesWartime Conferences

Issues to be addressed◦ State of the war◦ Status of

Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe and Japan

◦ United Nations

Tehran ConferenceTehran Conference Nov. 1943

◦ Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill – Big Three

State of the War◦ By 1943, Allies had begun to

win the war◦ Soviets pushing Germans in

East, Allies in North Africa◦ Not yet a second front

Germany◦ Differences from wartime

experiences, unconditional surrender confirmed

Poland◦ Stalin seeking security,

wanted territory from Poland, pro-Soviet government there

◦ Tensions increased in 1943 with discovery of mass graves in Katyn forest

Tehran ConferenceTehran Conference Eastern Europe

◦ Soviets demanded territory they had seized, meant the Baltic States, parts of Finland and Romania

◦ Agreed, but against the Atlantic Charter

Japan◦ Pressed Soviets to enter the

war, could not be convinced United Nations

◦ Supported by all participants Conclusion

◦ Agreement on UN◦ Need for a post-war weak

Germany Roosevelt played mediator

between the other two◦ May have believed British

imperialism was the real problem

◦ Not concerned about Stalin

Yalta ConferenceYalta Conference Feb. 1945, Stalin’s position

strengthened as Red Army occupied most of Eastern Europe

State of the War◦ Germany almost defeated,

second front opened, Ready to invade Germany

◦ USA in control of the air and sea in the Pacific, preparing for invasion

Germany◦ Would be disarmed,

demilitarized, de-Nazified and divided

◦ Four zones, temporary, run as one country by the Allied Control Commission

◦ Would pay $20 billion, 50 percent to USSR

Yalta ConferenceYalta ConferencePoland

◦ Presented the greatest problem still

◦ Borders established at Russo-Polish War of 1921 lines Oder-Neisse Line in the

west◦ Stalin got what he

wanted Gave in to ‘free

elections’ in democratic government

British supported ‘London Poles’, pre-war government, Russians wanted Communist group

Yalta ConferenceYalta Conference Eastern Europe

◦ Again ‘free elections’, seen as significant for British and Americans

Japan◦ Stalin promised to enter the

war with Japan as soon as Europe was finished Demanded territory in return,

accepted United Nations

◦ Stalin agreed to join◦ Five permanent members of

the Security Council, each with veto power

Conclusions◦ Structure of the UN◦ Soviets help with Japan◦ ‘Declaration for Liberated

Europe’

Between the ConferencesBetween the ConferencesRadical changes

occur before Potsdam◦ Roosevelt died in April

1945, Truman in with ‘get tough’ policy towards Stalin

◦ Germany finally surrendered unconditionally May 7

◦ Churchill lost the 1945 UK general election Succeeded by Labour

Party leader Clement Atlee

◦ Soviet Red Army occupied Germany

◦ Day after the conference began, US tested the bomb

Potsdam ConferencePotsdam Conference July 1945, Stalin,

Truman, Atlee State of the War

◦ Americans poised to invade Japan, introduced bomb

Germany◦ Would be administrating in

their own ways throughout each occupation zone

◦ Economy was to be run as a whole Eastern zone to give food to

others Poland

◦ Truman not happy over prior agreements

◦ Stalin could not appease Truman, left alone

Potsdam ConferencePotsdam Conference Eastern Europe

◦ U.S. also unhappy with Eastern Europe Percentage Agreements Too much for Soviets, but they

were already in the land Difficult to force them to

change, an occupation force Japan

◦ Atomic bomb tests successful, August 6 first one

◦ Did not ask for Soviet aid United Nations

◦ Established with Treaty of San Francisco in same year

◦ Stalin used veto power well Conclusion

◦ Agreement for immediate, practical control of Germany

◦ Establishment of UN

Churchill’s Copy of Churchill’s Copy of Percentages Agreement Percentages Agreement

Other Key Other Key DevelopmentsDevelopments

1946-47

Salami TacticsSalami TacticsSlicing off Eastern

Europe piece by piece◦ Supervised

organization of anti-fascist governments

◦ Parties were pruned, leaving only Communists trained by Moscow

Leaders were often those who spent the war hiding in Moscow

Case Study: PolandCase Study: Poland Free elections promised at

Yalta to be held in weeks January 19, 1947 Campaign of murder,

censorship and intimidation

50,000 deported to Siberia

Polish Peasant Party had 246 candidates disqualified◦ 149 arrested, 18 murdered

One million voters taken off the register

Soviets called all of this a victory over Western expansionism◦ Pattern in Eastern Europe

Soviet Pressure on Iran Soviet Pressure on Iran At Tehran, had been

agreed British and Soviets would withdraw their troops from Iran after the war

Stalin left his there, quelling ‘internal rebellion’

Soviet troops encouraged a Communism uprising◦ Iranian government

complained to British and Americans

First UN crisis◦ Moscow finally removed

troops

Instability ElsewhereInstability ElsewherePro-Communist

rebellions in Greece and Turkey◦ Believed to be

supported by Soviets

Communist parties also grew in Italy and France due to economic deprivation at the end of the war◦ Certainly weak links

in anti-Communist Western Europe

Kennan’s Long Telegram, Kennan’s Long Telegram, Feb. 1946Feb. 1946 Key U.S. diplomat in

Moscow, George F. Kennan sent a telegram to the State Dept.◦ Views would have a

lasting impact USSR view of the world

was one of insecurity Soviets wanted to

advance Stalinism Soviets were cruel and

repression and justified it through perceived evil outside of the Stalinist system

Fanatically hostile to the West, but not suicidal◦ Logic of force

Churchill’s Iron Curtain Churchill’s Iron Curtain SpeechSpeech March 1946, former PM

now in Missouri at Westminster College

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvax5VUvjWQ

Despite hopes for free elections, Eastern Europe was Communist, presence of Red Army

Soviet Reaction◦ Stalin saw the speech as

racist, called it a call to war, compared Churchill to Hitler Withdrew from IMF Stepped up propaganda Five-Year Plan