Some good bits for intro

After 1945, America and Russia emerged as the world’s SUPERPOWERS. During the war, the allies had put aside their differences and worked together to defeat Germany and Japan. However, this situation ended when the war was over. The political differences between communism and capitalism quickly came to the surface. The British and Americans did not trust Stalin and believed he wanted to take over the whole of Europe. Stalin believed the Americans intended to use their new weapon, the Atomic Bomb, to force Russia to agree to American policies. This distrust soon developed in to a cold war, which lasted until 1989. Russia successfully exploded an atom bomb in 1949 and relations between the superpowers took a more dangerous turn. Both sides now lived in fear of a nuclear attack and were ready to strike back. The cold war took many forms – creating satellite states, building alliances, small scale wars, propaganda and testing the nerve of the enemy to stand up to provocation – but without doubt the most dangerous aspect of the cold war was the nuclear arms race. As the Soviets and the Americans competed to build bigger bombs and better missiles, the whole world was concerned because this threatened the survival of the entire human race.

Events – USSR

  • The Russians were suspicious because the USA developed the A-Bomb secretly and would not share it with Russia as the terms of the wartime alliance had stated.
  • Stalin forced communist governments on countries in Eastern Europe. By 1948 Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Albania and Romania were ‘satellite states’ in the Eastern Bloc controlled by Moscow. In 1949, they were joined by the new state of East Germany.
  • The USA was furious at Stalin’s actions in Eastern Europe but the Red Army was too strong for military action. They decided on a policy of ‘containment’ to prevent the spread of communism
  • GEMRNAY
  • In 1948, the British, French and American sectors of Berlin were united and adopted a common currency. The Russians were opposed to this, as it would weaken their control in the city. They complained that this had been decided at secret meetings and they were not consulted.
  • USA BERLIN BLOCKADE
  • Stalin’s action was against international law and the Western Powers were determined to remain. Berlin gave the West a military foothold in East Germany that they would not give up. The Americans wanted to demonstrate that they would support people who resisted communism

The USA was pouring millions of dollars into the rebuilding of West Berlin. It became a small outpost of capitalism surrounded by communism. Many Germans in the Soviet zone used Berlin as an escape route to the West

EVENTS USA

  • In 1947, President Truman offered military and political aid to any country threatened by communism. In the same year, the USA offered financial aid to the non-communist countries of Europe under the Marshall Plan.
  • The Americans convinced the world that Stalin aimed to take over the whole of Germany and then the rest of Western Europe.- after berlin blockade

GERMANY

  • The future of Germany and the status of Berlin caused serious disagreement at the end of the war. The USA saw the Germans as a valuable ally and the Russians wanted Germany kept weak and divided. Relations worsened when Stalin tried to force the Western powers out of Berlin by blockading the city.

At the Yalta Conference in February 1945 the Allied Powers decided that at the end of World War II Germany would be divided into four occupation zones controlled by the USA, the USSR, Britain and France. This was a temporary arrangement and would end as soon as a peace treaty was signed. Since Berlin, the capital of Germany was in the Soviet zone the four powers decided to split up the city in the same way as Germany itself. Each of the powers had a zone of occupation in Berlin and a Control Commission made up of representatives of the four powers would govern the city. All decisions about the future of Germany and Berlin were to be taken jointly. By 1948 the USA, Britain and France had merged their zones to form West Germany. Stalin complained that this broke the terms of the Yalta Agreement. The Cold War had begun and the Western Powers and the Russians were deeply suspicious of each other. Agreement on a peace treaty had become impossible. Stalin believed the US wanted to reunite Germany and make the country strong again as a threat to the Soviet Union. Truman thought that Stalin planned to take over the whole of Germany.

Communism spreading

. In 1947 COMINFORM was set up to spread communist ideas, but it was used to give Stalin more control over Eastern Europe and prevent contact with the West. This was followed in 1949 by COMECON, an economic and trading partnership between the communist states.

In 1945 only the USA had the atomic bomb and this gave them a big advantage over Russia. Stalin ordered the rapid development of a Soviet A-Bomb, which was successfully tested in 1949. Both sides believed they needed more bombs with greater power in order to be safe from attack