Origins of the Cold War “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. 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.” -British PM Winston Churchill
Transcript
Origins of the Cold War
“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. 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.”-British PM Winston Churchill
The United States wanted to:-create a new world order in
which all nations had the right of self-determination
-gain access to raw materials and markets for its industries
-rebuild European governments to ensure stability and to create new markets for American goods
-reunite Germany, believing that Europe would be more secure if Germany were productive
The Soviet Union wanted to:-encourage communism in other
countries as part of a worldwide struggle between workers and the wealthy
-rebuild its war-ravaged economy using Eastern Europe’s industrial equipment and raw materials
-control Eastern Europe to balance U.S. influence in Western Europe
-keep Germany divided and weak so that it would never again threaten the Soviet Union
Tension Mounts:
• Stalin and the Soviet Union installed communist governments in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland
• These countries became known as satellite nations, countries dominated by the Soviet Union
• Alarmed at the growth of communist influence, U.S. President Harry Truman adopted a policy of containment
• The policy of containment meant that the United States would take measures to prevent any extension of communist rule to other nations
• British Prime Minister Winston Churchill noted the political divide of two regions in Europe and proclaimed that an “Iron-Curtain” had descended across the continent Post-war territorial changes in Eastern
Europe and the formation of the Eastern Bloc, the so-called 'Iron Curtain'.
• The United States first tried to contain Soviet Influence in Greece and Turkey
• President Truman and the Congress passed a bill giving the two nations 400 million dollars in economic and military aid.
• -President Truman declared, “it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”-this statement became known as the Truman Doctrine
• Post war Western Europe was ravaged (destroyed factories, millions of people living in refugee camps, looting, crime)
• The winter in 1946-1947 was extremely bitter (damaged crops, frozen rivers, fuel shortage)
• Secretary of State George Marshall proposed that the United States provide aid to all European nations that needed it
• The Marshall Plan revived European hopes and over the next four years:
-16 nations received an estimated 13 billion dollars in aid
-by 1952, Western Europe was flourishing-the Communist party had lost most of its appeal to voters
Map of Cold-War era Europe and the Near East showing countries that received Marshall Plan aid. The red columns show the relative amount of total aid received per nation.
• The issue of German reunification caused problems for the United States and its allies with the Soviet Union
• Germany was divided into four zones occupied by the U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union
• The western portion of Berlin was controlled by the U.S, Britain, and France but was surrounded by the Soviet occupied zone
• Although the three nations had intended to unify their zones, there were no highways or rail that could be accessed without the Soviet Union’s permission
• Sensing a weakness, Stalin ordered the closure of all rail and roads leading into the western part of Berlin
• As a result, no food or fuel could enter this part of Berlin for the estimated 2.1 million Germans
Post-war Allied occupation zones in Germany.
The Berlin Airlift:
• In the attempt to break the blockade, American and British officials started the Berlin Airlift to fly supplies into western Berlin
• For 327 days, planes took off and landed every few minutes
• West Berlin survived because of the airlift
• By May of 1949, the Soviets realized they were beaten and lifted the blockade
• the U.S. helped to establish the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Soviets created the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
Loading milk on a West Berlin-bound aircraft
C-47 Skytrains unloading at Tempelhof Airport during Berlin Airlift.
The NATO Alliance:
• The Berlin blockade increased Western European fear of Soviet aggression
• The United States along with Canada and many other nations on April 4, 1949 formed a defensive military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• the 12 members of NATO pledged military support to another in case any member was attacked
• first time in U.S. history that America entered into a military alliance during peacetime
The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949 and was ratified by the United States that August
