Stalin Spreading Communism throughout Eastern Europe and How

the United States Reacted

Kendra Reiley

Democracy, protection of individual liberties, and free enterprise were the beliefs that constituted American ways. They felt that if this was adopted by other countries that it would lay groundwork for a peaceful and wealthy political system.

Joseph Stalin also wanted to recreate the Soviet Union. He wanted to present the Soviet Union with communism as an alternative to the capitalist system. The Soviet Union wanted to establish a buffer zone in Eastern Europe

Communism is the system of government in which property and the means of production are owned by a community instead of individuals. Communism was established under Lenin and was continued under Josef Stalin. In the communist view, the war is acceptable politics through using violence.

Stalin had to maintain the social order in Eastern Europe and he suppressed any democratic process that was into his control. Stalin wanted to spread his personal type of communism to areas outside Soviet control. There was not a trace of freedom left in Europe. Communists governments were brought in and were backed up by Soviet troops. Stalin wanted to distribute political resources in favor of the national communist parties in Eastern Europe and he attempted to create a culture that got rid of their noncommunist opponents.

Stalin entered into the politics of the eastern European countries. The Soviet government tried to install communist governments throughout Eastern Europe. The Red Army was liberating the nations of Eastern Europe. The Soviets thought that they had an agreement with the western democracies that made Eastern Europe a Soviet influence.

Stalin refused to allow the freely elected governments in Poland, Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European states that were being anti-Soviet. The cold war began because of this struggle for control of the politics of these nations. By 1948, the only country in Eastern Europe outside direct Soviet control was Yugoslavia

The Western democracies, led by the United States, greatly wanted to stop the spread of communism and Soviet power. They were not able to stop the Soviets in Eastern Europe, but the U.S. and Britain were determined to prevent communist governments from gaining power in Western Europe.

The United States reacted by creating a currency. The western powers wanted to introduce a new currency because of inflation in Germany.

The Soviet Union thought that if the currency reform was successful, West Germany would become a strong power, and this would threaten Russia's position in East Germany. When the new currency was introduced to West Berlin, the Soviet Union cut land communications between West Berlin and the western German zones.

Two million people of western Berlin seemed likely to starve to death. They then decided to airlift food supplies to the millions starving in West Berlin. This showed the strong determination of the western nations to resist Russian Communism. The U.S. formed an anti-communist military alliance with the western nations. Stalin realized that he could not force the withdrawal of western nations from West Berlin. He admitted defeat by lifting the Berlin Blockade