Who was to blame for the Cold War?

The USA and the USSR were completely different one to another; their beliefs were mainly
the cause of their differences.

 Soviet views:
 Stalin wanted to protect Russia after the German invasion during 1914-
1941
 Stalin wanted compensation for their losses
 Russia believed that the West wanted to destroy them in order to stop a
possible invasion to Germany
 USA views:
 They didn’t want another dictator to take over Europe
 There was a fear that Stalin would treat the people of Eastern Europe
badly. Britain was very angry about the way that Russia had treated Poland
badly by setting up a pro - communist government in Poland

The Yalta Conference is held in February 1945. The Russians are about to invade
Germany in the east as the Red Army has taken over Eastern Europe and the Allies are
about to invade Western Europe. They have to decide the fate of Germany and Poland:

 Germany would be divided into four zones. France, USA, USSR and USA would
occupy each zone.
 Berlin would also be divided between the four Allies.
 Poland’s borders would be changed. Poland would be given land in the West,
taken from Germany and lose land to the USSR.
 Stalin promised to hold free elections in Eastern Europe that were occupied by the
Soviet Army.
 USSR would join the war against the Japanese when Germany was defeated

Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?

The Potsdam Conference was held in July 1945 once Germany was defeated. The US
President Roosevelt had died and was replaced by Truman who was strongly anti-
Communist. Truman came away angry about the size of reparations and the fact that
Poland was being set up as a communist country. Also the USA had developed the atom
bomb, and believed that they were stronger than the USSR and could use it as a warning
against Russia. As the war came to an end, the relationship between America and the
USSR fell apart.

The Soviet Union was supposed to join the USA in war with Japan, but the USA dropped
the atomic bomb without informing Stalin. This created a huge tension between the two
parts.
How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?

Twenty million Russians died during the Second World War, so Stalin said he wanted a
buffer zone of friendly states around Russia to make sure that Russia could never be
invaded again.

Stalin was planning the takeover of Eastern Europe. During the war, Communists from the
occupied countries of Eastern Europe escaped to Moscow and set up Communist
governments in exile there. As the Red Army drove the Nazis back, it occupied large areas
of Eastern Europe and Churchill in the so-called percentages agreement - agreed that
Eastern Europe could be a Soviet "sphere of influence".

In the countries that the Red Army "liberated", communist-dominated governments took
power. The Communists made sure that they controlled the army, set up a secret police
force, and began to arrest their opponents. Non-Communists were gradually beaten,
murdered, executed and terrified out of power. By 1949, all the governments of Eastern
Europe, except Yugoslavia, were hard line Stalinist regimes.

In 1946, Churchill declared that an Iron Curtain had come down across Europe, and
that Soviet power was growing and had to be stopped. Stalin called Churchill's speech a
"declaration of war". In 1947, Stalin set up Comintern - an alliance of Communist countries
designed to make sure they obeyed Soviet rule.

How did the USA react to Soviet expansionism?

 The Truman Doctrine: President Truman offered help to any government that was
being threatened. Although it did not mention communism, he was not going to
allow any country to be taken over by the USSR.
Truman wanted to get back at Stalin who had broken the promises of removing
troops from Eastern Europe and holding free election. By 1947, Greece was one of
the few countries in Eastern Europe that hadn't turned communist. The Communist
rebels in Greece were prevented from taking over by the British Army. America
was becoming increasingly alarmed by the growth of Soviet power. So, when the
British told Truman they could no longer afford to keep their soldiers in Greece,
Truman stepped in to take over. In March 1947, he told the American Congress it
was America's job to stop communism growing any stronger. This was called
the Truman Doctrine.

 The Marshall Plan: In June 1947, General George Marshall and Truman asked
Congress for $17 billion to fund the European Recovery Programme nicknamed
the Marshall Plan - to get the economy of Europe going again. Congress at first
hesitated, but agreed in March 1948 when Czechoslovakia turned Communist. The
aid was given in the form of food, grants to buy equipment, improvements to
transport systems, and everything "from medicine to mules". Stalin forbade the
Cominform countries to apply for Marshall Aid.
What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

In June 1948, Britain, France and America united their zones into a new country, West
Germany. West Berlin was a capitalist island in East Germany. People from East Berlin
could travel freely and could see the benefits, which Marshall Aid was providing, to West
Berlin. Stalin thought this would turn East Berliners into anti - communists. On 23 June
1948, they introduced a new currency, which they said would help trade. The next day,
Stalin cut off all rail and road links to West Berlin - the Berlin Blockade. The west
saw this as an attempt to starve Berlin into surrender, so they decided to supply West
Berlin by air. The airlift had many results:

 It broke the trust between the East and the West

 West lost $100 million
 Hatred and mistrust of the Americans and the Soviets increased
 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was created by the Allies as a direct
result for a military resistance
 The Warsaw Pact was created as a result of the NATO creation

The Berlin Blockade lasted 318 days. On 12 May 1949, Stalin abandoned the blockade
and allowed West Berlin to remain capitalist, but it was agreed that East Germany and
East Berlin should remain under the influence of the Soviet Union. West Germany was
now independent. Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany (West
Germany) and the Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany) until 1990. The
Iron Curtain became permanent. The Cold War broke out into open confrontation, and
the two superpowers began an Arms Race.

Who was the more to blame for starting the Cold War: the USA or the USSR?

 The USSR is at fault. This is so because Stalin had desired to dominate the world
under Communism. His takeover of Eastern Europe was seen to be his first step
towards this.
 The USA is at fault. This is so because the USA wanted to control and influence
her sphere of influence without any intervention by another nation but she wouldn’t
allow the USSR to do the same for her sphere of influence. As a result, any action
taken on the part of the USSR is seen to be defensive.
 Neither the USSR nor the USA is at fault. This is so because the Cold War is
seen to be an inevitable war that was beyond the control of the two.