Cold war

Origin of the cold war

The Cold War originated in the breakdown of relations between the two main victors in World War
II: United States and the Soviet Union, and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the
Eastern Bloc, in the years 1945–1949

Post-WWII, tension between the USA and the Soviet Union led to a worldwide Cold War. Reasons
for this included: ideological differences, problems in Germany, the arms race and the Korean War.
Wartime alliance tensions

The alliance of the USA and the USSR during World War 2 was threatened by a number of issues:

The USA delayed opening a second front in France until 1944 – sparking fears the Soviets might
seek a separate peace deal with Germany

The USSR refused to support the Polish army during the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944

British and US officials excluded the Soviets from secret talks with the Germans to secure the
surrender of their troops in Italy

The end of World War Two

The mushroom cloud over Nagasaki after an atom bomb was dropped by the Americans.

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In August 1945 the USA detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. The intention was to force Japan to surrender, thus avoiding a long war in the Pacific.

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This action had the added potential of pressurizing the USSR into negotiating over Eastern Europe
and Germany.

However, the fact that US President Truman did not inform Stalin of his intent to deploy nuclear
weapons had the opposite effect.

Stalin was offended and his suspicion and distrust of the West intensified. Through his spy
network, Stalin had known about Truman’s nuclear weapons for months.

The American victory in the Pacific, without Soviet help, meant the USSR was denied any share of
the occupation in that area. This alienated Stalin further.

Development Of The Arms Race

In 1949, the USSR tested its first atomic bomb. This led to a race between the two superpowers to
amass the most powerful nuclear weapons with the most effective delivery systems.

In 1953, both the USA and the USSR were testing hydrogen bombs and it appeared to the
Americans that the Soviets had caught up technologically. Both sides feared falling behind in
research and production.

Eventually, nuclear weapons became a deterrent rather than a weapon for use in warfare. The
theory of mutually assured destruction (MAD) championed the view that a superpower would not
fire its nuclear weapons as the other side would automatically do the same. This theory relied on
neither side having the potential for a ‘first strike’ (the ability to destroy the other side with an
intensive nuclear strike, before they attacked).

Ideological differences

The ideological schism that had developed since World War One was clear at the peace
conferences of Yalta and Potsdam in 1945. The aim of the conferences was to help the allies
decide what would happen to Europe, and in particular Germany, at the end of World War
Two.Emergence of communism

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Bolshevik soldiersj

Prior to World War Two some events led to the alienation of the emerging superpowers from each
other:

The Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917, which replaced Russia’s Provisional Government with
a “dictatorship of the proletariat”, had established a communist state. The Bolsheviks had
withdrawn Russia from World War One, leaving Britain and France to fight alone.

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After World War One, the White Army, Tsarist supporters who fought the Bolsheviks during the
Russian Civil War, were supported militarily by the Western powers of Britain and the USA.

Capitalism vs communism

The political and economic systems of the capitalist USA and communist USSR were
incompatible.

In a capitalist state, the economy is largely free from state control, while the government is
democratically elected and freedom of speech is cherished.

In contrast, a communist state is administered from the centre, with control of the economy and
society strictly in the hands of the Communist Party-led government.

Both sides wanted countries to conform to their adopted ideologies for their own gains.

Disagreements over Germany

Ending the War

In July 1945 at the Potsdam Conference, the USA, the USSR and Britain agreed to divide
Germany into four zones, until the country was secure enough to be re-unified.

Each zone was to be administered by one of the victorious Allies: the USA, the USSR, Britain and
France.

The USSR was to receive most of the reparation payments from Germany to compensate for the
country’s losses.

However, Stalin wanted to destroy the German economy to ensure that Germany could never rise
again. Conversely, the Western Allies wanted Germany to be strong enough that it could contribute
to world trade.

Competition between East and West

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While the French, US and British sectors remained free to trade and reconstruction started, Stalin
treated the Russian zone harshly. He refused to allow trade with other zones.

He also confiscated much that was produced. He took this, along with a great deal of infrastructure
and raw materials, back to the Soviet Union.

In 1947, Bizonia was created as a combination and economic unification of the British and
American zones and a new currency, the Deutschmark, was introduced for the Western zones to
boost the economy there.

This angered Stalin. He feared these new ideas and currency would spread to the Soviet zone and
undermine his efforts to weaken Germany. In response he introduced a new East German
currency, the Ostmark.

The crisis over Korea

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During World War Two, Korea had been occupied by the Japanese. After the defeat of Japan in
1945, the Korean peninsula was divided at the 38th Parallel, in preparation for elections and
reunification.

The communist north was led by Kim Il Sung, the non-communist south by Syngman Rhee.

Communism was growing in the Far East and by 1949, the Communists had taken power in China.

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The US developed the ‘domino theory’ – the idea that, if one country fell to communism, others
would follow like a row of dominoes. In 1950, a report by the American National Security Council
(‘NSC68’) recommended that the US stop containment and start to roll back communism.

In 1950, with support from Russia and China, Kim Il Sung invaded South Korea. The North Korean
People’s Army (NKPA) easily defeated the Republic of Korea’s army (the ROKs). By September,
the NKPA had conquered almost the whole of South Korea.

The US secured a mandate from the UN to take action against North Korean forces. The Russians
were boycotting the UN at the time so could not veto this move.

In September, UN troops, led by US General MacArthur, landed in Korea and drove the NKPA
back. By October, the UN forces had almost conquered all of North Korea.

In November 1950, Chinese People’s Volunteers attacked and drove the Americans back.They
recaptured North Korea, and advanced into South Korea.

The Americans landed more troops and drove the Chinese back to the 38th parallel. The war went
on as border clashes until 1953. At this point America’s new president, Eisenhower, offered peace,
but threatened to use the atomic bomb if China did not accept the offer.

The US realised they could halt the spread of communism using military strength. A new frontline
in the Cold War had been drawn in Asia.

This was another area where capitalism and communism met and remains a source of political and
economic tension to this day

Written By Sifat Ullah Shah 03369609793