The Cold War

1) Destabilization of AntiHitler’s coalition

A) The military presence of the USSR in Central and Southeastern Europe after WWII confirmed
a sphere of influence in which Stalin imposed Soviet control and did not allow interference
of other states. The troops of the USA and Great Britain in Western Europe created
conditions for the consolidation of the policy of the European states with that of the USA. In
April 1945 the American president Harry Truman insisted on the annulment of the
agreements at Yalta which meant open confrontation without military operations with the
USSR (cold war).
B) Soon ideologies, interests and ambitions made the USA and the USSR adversaries. Stalin
pronounced a speech in which revealed the difference between capitalism and socialism
and their inevitable clash. W. Churchill pronounced a speech in Fulton (the USA) in the
presence of President Truman (5 March 1946) where he explained the creation of an
association of the people speaking English language and the necessary military integration
of the countries from North America and Western Europe. He spoke about the creation of
an” iron curtain” between the East and the West.
C) In July- October 1946 in Paris was held a peaceful conference with representatives from 21
states. It discussed and accepted the projects for peace treaties with Italy, Finland, Hungary,
Bulgaria and Romania. The peace treaties were signed on 10 February 1947. They had just
character, strengthened the sovereign rights of the countries and supported the process of
social and democratic reforms.
2) Military political blocs and local conflicts
A) In March 1947 doctrine “Truman” was announced which proclaimed the leading role of the
USA in the international relations and their duty to defend the “free nations”. The USSR
responded with increasing its military forces and the consolidation of the states from
Eastern Europe to defend their own security.
B) The USA gave a financial and material aid to 16 Western European states, united in the
European organization for economic cooperation. That was a result of plan “Marshall”,
accepted in 1948. In its international policy the Great powers placed on important place the
military factors and systematic armament.
C) In March 1948 England, France, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg created the first military
political bloc “Western alliance” oriented against an eventual German aggression. On 4 April
1949 12 states created the North Atlantic pact (NATO). In that period appeared other
regional military unions uniting countries from the Near, Middle and Far East.
D) To counteract NATO the countries from the Eastern bloc- Albania, Bulgaria, GDR, Poland,
Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the USSR, signed on 14 May 1955 in Warsaw a treaty for
cooperation and mutual help.
E) In the end of 40s and in the beginning of 50s the deep confrontation between the East and
the West led to several local conflicts (hot wars).
F) The first was the French aggression in Vietnam in 1946. In 1948 began the Arabian-Israelite
war known as the First Near east war. After the creation of Israel on 14 May 1948 began the
war against Palestine and in 1950 it ceased to exist as an independent state.
G) After the capitulation of Japan Korea was divided on 38 parallel. In the summer of 1950, the
North Korean army began aggression to the South to unite the two Koreas. The UN created
a coalition of 16 states but in the war participated mainly forces of the USA, South Korea
and Turkey. China and the USSR helped North Korea. The conflict ended without a winner
and without a change on the peninsula.
H) The Israel-Anglo-French aggression against Egypt was undertaken because of the
nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt. The war began on 30 October 1956 with the
attack of 100 thousand Israelite army and the participation of British and French military
parts. After an ultimatum from Moscow to stop the aggression the war ended.
I) The Berlin crisis occurred on 13 August 1961. It was connected with the building of a wall by
the Soviet military forces, which surrounded the Soviet sphere of Eastern Germany. That act
aggravated the relations between the East and the West.
J) After the victory of Fidel Castro in Cuba-1959, Moscow decided to turn the island into Soviet
base to threaten the USA with Russian nuclear missiles. They were transported to Cuba in
1962.The air reconnaissance of the USA gave information for the place of the missiles. The
mutual fear from the nuclear capacity of the enemy ended the conflict.
K) In 1967 the Third Near east war began in which Israel took almost all of the Sinai Peninsula,
Western Jordan with Jerusalem, Gaza and Golan heights in Syria. In spite of the resolutions
of the Security council of the UN in October 1973 between Israel, Egypt and Syria the Fourth
Near east war broke out. After the influence of the USA and the USSR the military
operations stopped.