Origins of the Cold War,

1945-1949

Why did the USA and USSR, allies who defeated and solved the problem of

Germany, become the bitter enemies of the Cold War era and what did it mean for their

respective societies?

Is your Cell Phone Turned On?

• Josef Stalin says

Comrades

Turn

off your

Cell phone!

Themes and Topics

• Empire World War II: Military and Political Watershed for

the US and the USSR

New Topic: US Postwar Planning of an international economic environment favorable to capitalist trade and investment

The Atomic Bomb: How the Cold War began

• Role of Government Origins of the Cold War and Containment

The Cold War: Creating a National Security State

The Cold War: Truman Doctrine and Containment

• Private Enterprise Military Keynesianism in World War II and After

Central Analytical questions

• Who started the Cold War?

• What was the nature of the conflict?

• How did the Cold War reshape global politics?

• How did the Cold War reshape domestic politics?

Truman Takes the Reins

• Background

• Senator

• Vice President

• Was Truman prepared to take over the reigns of government in April 1945?

Harry S. Truman

Truman and the Anti-Communists

• Sources of Anti-Communist sentiment within the Administration

State Department

Navy Department

• Role of the Republican Party

James Forrestal, Sec. Navy

Congressional Elections, 1946

House Results Senate Results

US Blamed the USSR

• The American publics understanding of the

Cold War was built upon three myths

The First Myth: that Stalin had agreed to a

Poland independent of Soviet influence

The Second Myth: that, like Poland, the USSR

wanted to communize the rest of Eastern

Europe

The Third Myth: that USSR was bent on

global conquest

First Myth: Poland, 1945

• The “London” Polish Government vs the Lublin Polish Government

• What were Soviet goals in Poland—See the map!

• Harry Hopkins to Moscow

Agreement suggests USSR wanted a Friendly Polish government

2nd Myth: Eastern Europe

Country British Influence Soviet Influence Outcome

Greece 90% 10% Vetoed by FDR

Rumania 10% 90% Vetoed by FDR

Bulgaria 25% 75% Vetoed by FDR

Hungary 50% 50% Vetoed by FDR

Yugoslavia 50% 50% Vetoed by FDR

2nd Myth: Eastern Europe

• Initially, Soviets aims toward Eastern Europe reflected a mix set of motives Conquer and communize

enemies

Embrace Declaration on Liberated Europe

Support Neutralization

• Later, when challenged, communize

3rd Myth: Global Conquest

• This might be called the myth of “Red Fascism” because of the suggestion that Stalin was another Hitler

• Key issues: Russian access to the Mediterranean sea and Middle Eastern oil

Turkey

Iran

Truman and the “Iron Curtain”

• Truman’s first year as president shows a mixed policy toward the USSR

Hostility

Atomic Diplomacy

Negotiation

Bluster

Caution

Purges staff

Winston Churchill’s Speech on the “Iron Curtain” in 1946, didn’t initially persuade Truman

The Fifteen Weeks

• The Problem of Greece and Turkey

• Joseph M. Jones, “The problem was not what should be done, but how to get authorizing legislation through Congress.”

• Meeting with Republican Congressional Leaders February 27, 1947 at the White House Feb 21-June 5, 1947

The Fifteen Weeks

• Acheson’s address laid out a new Cold War orthodoxy

British collapse

Domino Effect

International Communist Conspiracy

Bi-Polar World

Global threat to U.S. security

• During this period “a revolution” occurred in Truman’s foreign policy, aligning it with FDR’s earlier national security vision

Feb 21-June 5, 1947

The Truman Doctrine

• Truman announced to Congress, “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure.”

Containment

• How would the U.S. go about stopping Soviet world domination? The strategy for defeating

the USSR was called ‘containment’

It called for a long-term, patient, firm vigilant checking of Soviet expansion until it produced a “mellowing” of communist leadership’s fanaticism

George F. Kennan

Implications of Containment

• A spiral of action/reaction began

• Most important: it ended serious discussions with

USSR on issues dividing US and USSR because

there is no point in negotiating with fanatics who

didn't keep agreements

• Germany is permanently divided, reparations

discussions ended

• Economic aid to USSR was no longer an option

• Soviets responded by tightening its grip on

Eastern Europe

The Marshall Plan

• George C. Marshall became Truman’s second Secretary of State in late 1946

• He was replaced by Dean Acheson following Truman’s election in 1948

• He is best remembered for the Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe

General George C. Marshall

Redesigning the National Security

State

• National Security Act of 1947

National Security Council

CIA

DOD

• Bi-partisan support

• National Security State

The National Security State

Projecting US Power

Critical Thinking Exercise

Stalin believed the US sought to encircle the USSR Do US bases in Turkey lend credence to Soviet fears? Note the US media coverage: is it even- handed? What else is notable? U.S. News and World Report, July 1947

Division of Germany

Allies divided the country into zones Berlin, the capitol, was also divided into zones Truman’s decision to unify the three western zones into Western Germany provoked a Soviet response No provisions were made for access between zones

Operation Vittles

• Berlin Airlift Ordered by US

occupation General Lucius Clay

Supported by Truman

11 month duration

Delivered 2 million tons of supplies (coal and food)

Solidified US-West German understanding and later NATO alliance

Cold War Europe, 1948

Election of 1948

• Truman had to fight for the Democratic Party’s nomination

• Republicans were certain the election was a shoe in

• Truman campaigned vigorously, while Dewey ran a lack luster campaign

• It was one of the lowest turnouts in Presidential election history

Election of 1948

House and Senate, 1948

Senate House

Postwar Alliances

Soviets Go Nuclear

• Joe-1 successfully detonated August 29, 1949

• American intelligence had predicted a ten year gap between US and USSR bomb

• US began work on hydrogen bomb

NSC-68 Further Militarizes the Cold

War

• George Kennan resigned in 1949

• NSC-68 was largely written by Paul Nitze

• Nitze crafted a statement the US military strategy for the cold war calling for a massive buildup of nuclear and conventional arms

Paul Nitze

Critical Thinking Question

• Was the Cold

War a

necessity or

was it a

tragedy?

• Or was it

just goofy?

Conclusion: Did Truman Really

Believe “The Truman Doctrine”?

• Was Truman serious about the Truman Doctrine and Containment?

• Was he really serious about an opened ended commitment on the part of the US to stopping communism everywhere?

• When we look at Truman’ NSC-68 and China policy between 1946-1950, the answer is no

Chiang Kai-Shek

Mao Zedung