- Following the sheer destruction of World War II, Europe was a continent in shambles, structurally and economically. As the last of the Nazi German government surrendered, the Allies stopped being allies. Following several conferences, the major world powers, the United States and Russia decided to essentially divide Europe into regions: the Communist east and the Democratic west. These two sides intersected inside Germany which too was divided between east and west. In the words of Winston Churchill, "an iron curtain has descended across Europe", which was the source of tension within Europe until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
- Harry Truman
- 1884-1972
- Was the 33rd President of the United States and a firm opponent of the USSR
- He took over towards the end of World War II following FDR's death and was the leader at the Potsdam Conference that set the stage for the Cold War.
2. Clement Attlee
- 1883-1967
- Was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom shortly before the war ended.
- He was present at the conferences though he did not do much there, he was instead focused on decolonization and reconstructing Britain.
3. Charles de Gaulle
- 1890-1970
- Was the Leader of France during World War II and was brought back from retirement to create the Fifth French Republic in 1958
- He was a very inspirational French leader and an important part of the founding of the United Nations and NATO
4. NATO
- 1949-present
- Is an international peace-keeping organization of the Western allies.
- They threaten with "attack one attack all" ideology and now serve as a more militant United Nations.
5. Warsaw Pact
- 1955-1991
- Was an alliance of Communist Bloc nations against the NATO Democratic alliance.
- They set up an inter-state council responsible for insuring that all the allies ware working together to serve the USSR.
6. OPEC
- 1965-present
- Is an organization that forms an economic alliance between all the countries that export large amounts of oil and petroleum.
- They put a heavy embargo on the western powers when they supported Israel in the 6-Day War, which caused many fuel shortages.
7. Leonid Brezhnev
- 1906-1982
- Was a Russian politician and the General Secretary of the Communist party who ruled Russia.
- He greatly expanded the budget and army of Russia, however he caused economic woes that persisted until the Berlin wall falls.
8. Margaret Thatcher
- 1925-present
- Was the United Kingdom's first female Prime Minster and staunch opponent of the USSR.
- She was an extremely conservative politician who allowed the private sector to take on greater responsibilities and led the British through the Falklands War.
9. Ronald Reagan
- 1911-2004
- Was the 40th President of the United States and a strong anti-Communist leader.
- He was a very popular President for his tough dealing with the Russians and for his policy of "Reaganomics "
10. Mikhail Gorbachev
- 1931-present
- Was the General Secretary of the Communist Party and the leader of Russia during the fall of Communism.
- Despite his many attempt to save the sinking ship of the USSR, Gorbachev ultimately failed at this and presided over the transition between Communism to Democracy.
- Yalta Conference
- 1945
- Was a meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin over what to do with post-war Europe.
- They agreed to let the USSR keep the lands it acquired under its influence and insured that Russia would declare war on Japan as soon as Hitler was gone.
2. Potsdam Conference
- 1945
- Was a meeting of the victorious allies where they met to discuss what to do with Germany
- At the conference, Churchill and Roosevelt were both replaced, which hurt the fragile friendship between the allies. They also decided to divide Germany into zones of occupation.
3. Decolonization of Africa
- 1955-1977
- Was a movement to end colonies throughout the world, but mainly in Africa.
- The two biggest countries, France and the United Kingdom decided to let the United Nations handle the decolonization process, the ripples of which can still be felt today.
4. Detente
- 1970's
- Was a decrease in tension between the USSR and the United States
- During this time the two powers signed SALT I, which limited nuclear stockpiles and the buildup of more nuclear weapons.
5. Marshall Plan
- 1948-1951
- Was a policy that the United States would rebuild Western Europe to secure allies in the Cold War against Russia.
- The plan was proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall to prevent the desperate circumstances that caused Hitler's rise to power from ever happening again.
6. Arms Race
- 1945-1991
- Was a race between the United States and the Soviet Union to see who could amass more bigger and better weapons than the other.
- The race unofficially began when the US used a nuclear bomb against Japan at the end of World War II and would continue until the SALT treaties which reduced Nuclear Weapons on both sides.
7. Berlin Airlift
- 1948
- Was a massive operation to resupply the Western-controlled side of Berlin by air.
- Stalin decided to test the allies by cutting off the only road to Berlin, but he eventually backed down when he understood that the Americans do not appease, unlike the French and British.
8. Berlin Wall
- 1961-1991
- Was a barrier between the Communist east and Democratic west sides of Berlin.
- The communists built the wall to keep their people away from the for more attractive West Berlin, and the wall came to symbolize the oppresive nature of Communism and was a rallying point for the allies.
9. Revolutions of 1989
- 1989
- Were a series of revolutions throughout Europe that toppled Communist regimes in the Eastern Bloc.
- The governments of many countries such as Romania, East Germany, and ultimately Russia itself collapsed following the severe economic problems and the oppressive nature of Communism in that time.
10. Fall of the Berlin Wall
- 1989
- Was a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that signaled the end of East Germany and the reunification of Germany.
- The wall symbolized Communism throughout the world and by 1994, only a small handful of the once powerful Communist Bloc remained.
- Who is more to blame for the start of the Cold War: the United States or the USSR?
In almost every conflict in history both sides blame the other for starting the war. Simply put, the country that causes the war is usually a matter of perspective. During the American Revolution for example, the Americans saw the British as the aggressors and the British saw the Americans as the aggressors. The Cold War, with its myriad of causes, is a similar case however the USSR played a larger part in the start of the war with their aggressiveness in politics, rivalry, and military.
One of the major reasons why the United States took so much offense to Soviet Russia was their insistence on spreading Communism. Even before World War II, where circumstances forced the two together, the United States disapproved of the spread of Communism. When the Red Army marched into the independent Republic of the Caucuses and several Eastern European Countries, the United States decided to severe diplomatic relations with the Communists, which they resumed shortly before World War II. Even during the war, at the Yalta Conference, Stalin made demands of the Americans and the Brits to allow him spheres of influence in Eastern Europe. They agreed, but Stalin reinterpreted this small concession as permission to force Communist ideology upon all the people in the territories he marched through on his way to Berlin. Stalin and the USSR was extremely aggressive in this situation, which did not help ease the tension between the circumstantial allies.
The USSR had immense nationalistic pride that was aided by Soviet propaganda which fed directly into their desire to rival the United States. In 1942, when the war was at its most desperate, The United States, Canada, and The United Kingdom got together to develop a super weapon, the Atomic Bomb, to insure that Nazi Germany did not come into possession of such a powerful weapon. While the United States did use the atomic bomb, they never intended to bully the USSR with it, though that is how nationalistic propaganda of the day interpreted it. In 1949, the USSR tested their own atomic bomb, thus starting a rivalry over who could produce a bigger bomb and more bombs. The USSR greatly exacerbated the United States' intentions in building an atomic bomb, which did no favors for the already tense relationship between the two superpowers.
The greatest cause of strained ties between the former allies was the way in which they used their military might to intimidate each other. Though many historians may point to the Yalta conference as the historical starting point of the Cold War, there are several historians who point to the creation of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Berlin Blockade as the start of the Cold War. Their logic is that the two brought the Western armies into the picture through a union designed "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down", which the Russians took great offense to. They created the Warsaw Pact, which formally unified Eastern Europe under the hammer and sickle and caused, in the words of Winston Churchill "an iron [to] descend across Europe". This drew clear battle lines, which Stalin decided to test by having his army block the route from West Germany to the Ally-occupied regions of Berlin. The United States, rather than back down from the USSR's saber-rattling, decided to go over the army and fly supplies into Berlin by air for several months until Stalin came to his senses and backed down. Regardless, relations between the two superpowers were permanently fractured following the Berlin Blockade.
Although both powers may have been guilty of increasing the stress on the tenuous relationship between the West and the East, the USSR's actions did far more towards hurting the bonds between allies. If the issues of this time were peacefully resolved, the world may have been spared the stress of the Cold War, which involved many proxy wars that killed millions from Asia to Africa. However they were not, and the tension of the Cold War rose from the ashes of World War II and came to dominate the 20th century in both countries.
One of the major reasons why the United States took so much offense to Soviet Russia was their insistence on spreading Communism. Even before World War II, where circumstances forced the two together, the United States disapproved of the spread of Communism. When the Red Army marched into the independent Republic of the Caucuses and several Eastern European Countries, the United States decided to severe diplomatic relations with the Communists, which they resumed shortly before World War II. Even during the war, at the Yalta Conference, Stalin made demands of the Americans and the Brits to allow him spheres of influence in Eastern Europe. They agreed, but Stalin reinterpreted this small concession as permission to force Communist ideology upon all the people in the territories he marched through on his way to Berlin. Stalin and the USSR was extremely aggressive in this situation, which did not help ease the tension between the circumstantial allies.
The USSR had immense nationalistic pride that was aided by Soviet propaganda which fed directly into their desire to rival the United States. In 1942, when the war was at its most desperate, The United States, Canada, and The United Kingdom got together to develop a super weapon, the Atomic Bomb, to insure that Nazi Germany did not come into possession of such a powerful weapon. While the United States did use the atomic bomb, they never intended to bully the USSR with it, though that is how nationalistic propaganda of the day interpreted it. In 1949, the USSR tested their own atomic bomb, thus starting a rivalry over who could produce a bigger bomb and more bombs. The USSR greatly exacerbated the United States' intentions in building an atomic bomb, which did no favors for the already tense relationship between the two superpowers.
The greatest cause of strained ties between the former allies was the way in which they used their military might to intimidate each other. Though many historians may point to the Yalta conference as the historical starting point of the Cold War, there are several historians who point to the creation of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Berlin Blockade as the start of the Cold War. Their logic is that the two brought the Western armies into the picture through a union designed "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down", which the Russians took great offense to. They created the Warsaw Pact, which formally unified Eastern Europe under the hammer and sickle and caused, in the words of Winston Churchill "an iron [to] descend across Europe". This drew clear battle lines, which Stalin decided to test by having his army block the route from West Germany to the Ally-occupied regions of Berlin. The United States, rather than back down from the USSR's saber-rattling, decided to go over the army and fly supplies into Berlin by air for several months until Stalin came to his senses and backed down. Regardless, relations between the two superpowers were permanently fractured following the Berlin Blockade.
Although both powers may have been guilty of increasing the stress on the tenuous relationship between the West and the East, the USSR's actions did far more towards hurting the bonds between allies. If the issues of this time were peacefully resolved, the world may have been spared the stress of the Cold War, which involved many proxy wars that killed millions from Asia to Africa. However they were not, and the tension of the Cold War rose from the ashes of World War II and came to dominate the 20th century in both countries.
E) Top Dog Analysis:
- The biggest and most influential idea in Europe following the end of World War II in 1945 to the 1990's is the rivalry between the East and the West or Communism vs. Democracy. The rivalry, which was born out of many unresolved issues, served as a catalyst for many important events. If the United States had not been trying to outdo the Soviets they may have never developed the Hydrogen Bomb, however the motivation of being better than Russia, even for a short while, intensified the drive on both sides to develop amazing feats of technology. The space race, which started out in Russia's favor but later shift to the Americans, might never have happened, or at least not as fast as it did, if not for the desire to be the first to the moon or first to walk in space. However not all the contributions of this rivalry were beneficial. Many men and women on both sides were persecuted for allegedly corresponding with the enemy. In addition, the nuclear arms race made the threat of global thermonuclear war a very real possibility, with both sides having enough bombs to explode the entire world several times over. This rivalry had its ups and downs and cool and hot moments, however in the end there had to be a loser. If events had played out differently, the United States would have been the loser however the USSR blinked first and fell apart in 1991.
G) Images:
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