Cold War: a brief introduction
2 outlooks:
a) The Cold War can be seen as the antagonism opposing the Soviet Union (1917 to 1991) to liberal democracies.
b) The Cold War can be seen as the rivalry opposing the USSR and the US post-WWII.
Both point of views makes the Cold War end with the collapse of the USSR in 1991.
The Cold War is a period of protracted, intense activity between the USSR and the US. Fought through proxy wars for influence, but no open, direct conflicts.
The period is between years 1945 to 1989, with a peak between 1947 and 1963. Between years 1947 and 1955, there's no summit between the two superpowers.
On the part of the US, 2 main policies/strategies are developed and put into practice:
A) Deterrence
B) Containment
- avoid communism and/or USSR to spread
- by promoting liberal economic model
Orthodox view on beginning of CW makes the USSR at fault for it beginning, mainly since they didn't withdrew from Eastern Europe after WWII. Blame is on Stalin.
Revisionist view argues that US must take the blame for the origin of the CW. At the end of WWII, there's no balance of power: USSR is weak, without nukes, and they lost millions of men. The industrial production is half what it was in 1939. It feels unsafe, while the US enjoys superiority on every counts.
A variation on revisionist reading focus on leadership change in the US at the end of WWII. In 1945, Roosevelt dies and is replaced by Truman. Policy changes along: Truman is more of an hard-liner than Roosevelt. Until then, The US holds Stalin as "a moderate". Furthermore, market indicators shows that US has a huge stake in reshaping the economic world order. (Marshall Plan, years 1945 through 1949)
6 issues that makes a difference: root-causes of CW - 1945
A) Fate of Poland and Eastern Europe
- Soviet aggrandizing sphere of influence, controlling several countries and declining to promise holding elections in occupied territories.
B) US ending aid and loans to support USSR war effort
an economic pre-blocus.
C) Question of Germany
- At Yalta, US and USSR agrees to extract 10 billions out of Germany for reparation. At Postdam conference, USSR wants payment be done. The US suggest that USSR should pay itself from bounty in occupied territories. Churchill tries to oppose, without success. At Postdam, furthermore disagreement on future of Germany.
D) East-Asia
USSR joins Pacific War late, but nevertheless wants a share of occupied Japan. USSR holds that it "did the most in Germany", while US occupies half of it. US refuses.
E) The Bomb
USSR has no nukes. US rejects so-called "Baruch Plan" to give the UN control over nuclear bombs.
F) Eastern Mediteranean and Middle-East
Russia pulls out of Iran, but puts eyes and pressure upon Turkey and Greece, both in great turmoil.
The Truman Doctrine (1947)
Doctrine emergence context: the British influence in the mediteranean and elsewwhere is declining to USSR. Only power capable of countering USSR influence is the US. Truman articulates is doctrine, that holds that "it is US duty to protect free people everywhere in the world", thus making the US the "champion of the idea of freedom and liberty".
Initially, Eastern Europe is part of the Marshall Plan. USSR nevertheless closes the door to access to plan because it fears its power of influence (case of Czechoslovakia).
By then, the US fear that Stalin "becomes a second Hitler", a radical change in rethoric following Rooosevelt.
By 1949, the USSR develops a nuclear weapon, and China turns communist. Document NSC-68 is issued, proposing dramatic increase in military spending. Truman will postpone the plan suggested by NSC-68 until Korean crisis of 1950, which will turn into a nasty proxy war that lasts until 1953.
By this period, US society enters Mccarthysm: a hardening of ideological position, hostility and intolerance to anyone opposing/criticizing US authority, regime and President. This crystallizes the massive ideological difference between the US and the USSR.
Objectives of World powers:
- The USSR is normally interested in tangible, territorial gains.
- The US is interested in less tangible, "new-institutions"-minded gains.
Truman wants to implement the UN and a World-Wide integrated economic system. The USSR is driven by a need for security, the US having superiority (The Bomb). Both are driven by a goal of expansion.
The USSR shares way to less information to facilitate cooperation, while the US has too many voices, which makes it difficult for receiving end to understand what is the "official" one.
Is containment about the USSR or about communism?
Case of Tito's Yugoslavia is a good way to explore situation.
outwardly, it's about communism as an ideology, everywhere it is. But Truman will support Tito, that breaks away from USSR influence while remaining a planned, centralized communist economy. This indicates that containment is directed toward Soviet Union alone or principally. In 1970, the normalization with China will add to this tangent of containing primarily USSR over coommunism.
In 1953, Stalin dies, and his legacy is soon discredited by the emerging new leadership. This offres an occasion for the smoothening in relations between the US and the USSR, called "The Thaw".
But, in 1959, the Cuban revolution brings the CW into a new context: the Americas is now within the sphere of influence of USSR and communism (direct challenge to Monroe Doctrine). Follows the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the October Missile Crisis, wich puts the superpowers in direct confrontation and creates a stalemate that makes 1963 the peak of nuclear tension.
Following 1963, relations between both superpowers will enter an easier phase, called "Détente". It will last until USSR invasion of Afghanistan.
a) The Cold War can be seen as the antagonism opposing the Soviet Union (1917 to 1991) to liberal democracies.
b) The Cold War can be seen as the rivalry opposing the USSR and the US post-WWII.
Both point of views makes the Cold War end with the collapse of the USSR in 1991.
The Cold War is a period of protracted, intense activity between the USSR and the US. Fought through proxy wars for influence, but no open, direct conflicts.
The period is between years 1945 to 1989, with a peak between 1947 and 1963. Between years 1947 and 1955, there's no summit between the two superpowers.
On the part of the US, 2 main policies/strategies are developed and put into practice:
A) Deterrence
B) Containment
- avoid communism and/or USSR to spread
- by promoting liberal economic model
Orthodox view on beginning of CW makes the USSR at fault for it beginning, mainly since they didn't withdrew from Eastern Europe after WWII. Blame is on Stalin.
Revisionist view argues that US must take the blame for the origin of the CW. At the end of WWII, there's no balance of power: USSR is weak, without nukes, and they lost millions of men. The industrial production is half what it was in 1939. It feels unsafe, while the US enjoys superiority on every counts.
A variation on revisionist reading focus on leadership change in the US at the end of WWII. In 1945, Roosevelt dies and is replaced by Truman. Policy changes along: Truman is more of an hard-liner than Roosevelt. Until then, The US holds Stalin as "a moderate". Furthermore, market indicators shows that US has a huge stake in reshaping the economic world order. (Marshall Plan, years 1945 through 1949)
6 issues that makes a difference: root-causes of CW - 1945
A) Fate of Poland and Eastern Europe
- Soviet aggrandizing sphere of influence, controlling several countries and declining to promise holding elections in occupied territories.
B) US ending aid and loans to support USSR war effort
an economic pre-blocus.
C) Question of Germany
- At Yalta, US and USSR agrees to extract 10 billions out of Germany for reparation. At Postdam conference, USSR wants payment be done. The US suggest that USSR should pay itself from bounty in occupied territories. Churchill tries to oppose, without success. At Postdam, furthermore disagreement on future of Germany.
D) East-Asia
USSR joins Pacific War late, but nevertheless wants a share of occupied Japan. USSR holds that it "did the most in Germany", while US occupies half of it. US refuses.
E) The Bomb
USSR has no nukes. US rejects so-called "Baruch Plan" to give the UN control over nuclear bombs.
F) Eastern Mediteranean and Middle-East
Russia pulls out of Iran, but puts eyes and pressure upon Turkey and Greece, both in great turmoil.
The Truman Doctrine (1947)
Doctrine emergence context: the British influence in the mediteranean and elsewwhere is declining to USSR. Only power capable of countering USSR influence is the US. Truman articulates is doctrine, that holds that "it is US duty to protect free people everywhere in the world", thus making the US the "champion of the idea of freedom and liberty".
Initially, Eastern Europe is part of the Marshall Plan. USSR nevertheless closes the door to access to plan because it fears its power of influence (case of Czechoslovakia).
By then, the US fear that Stalin "becomes a second Hitler", a radical change in rethoric following Rooosevelt.
By 1949, the USSR develops a nuclear weapon, and China turns communist. Document NSC-68 is issued, proposing dramatic increase in military spending. Truman will postpone the plan suggested by NSC-68 until Korean crisis of 1950, which will turn into a nasty proxy war that lasts until 1953.
By this period, US society enters Mccarthysm: a hardening of ideological position, hostility and intolerance to anyone opposing/criticizing US authority, regime and President. This crystallizes the massive ideological difference between the US and the USSR.
Objectives of World powers:
- The USSR is normally interested in tangible, territorial gains.
- The US is interested in less tangible, "new-institutions"-minded gains.
Truman wants to implement the UN and a World-Wide integrated economic system. The USSR is driven by a need for security, the US having superiority (The Bomb). Both are driven by a goal of expansion.
The USSR shares way to less information to facilitate cooperation, while the US has too many voices, which makes it difficult for receiving end to understand what is the "official" one.
Is containment about the USSR or about communism?
Case of Tito's Yugoslavia is a good way to explore situation.
outwardly, it's about communism as an ideology, everywhere it is. But Truman will support Tito, that breaks away from USSR influence while remaining a planned, centralized communist economy. This indicates that containment is directed toward Soviet Union alone or principally. In 1970, the normalization with China will add to this tangent of containing primarily USSR over coommunism.
In 1953, Stalin dies, and his legacy is soon discredited by the emerging new leadership. This offres an occasion for the smoothening in relations between the US and the USSR, called "The Thaw".
But, in 1959, the Cuban revolution brings the CW into a new context: the Americas is now within the sphere of influence of USSR and communism (direct challenge to Monroe Doctrine). Follows the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the October Missile Crisis, wich puts the superpowers in direct confrontation and creates a stalemate that makes 1963 the peak of nuclear tension.
Following 1963, relations between both superpowers will enter an easier phase, called "Détente". It will last until USSR invasion of Afghanistan.
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