Q2. Discuss the main causes of the Cold War in 1945
Difference of ideology: Spread of Communism was feared by the capitalist states as it would entail loss of political power and the class division of wealth. This fear translated into conflict of ideologies; both political and economic. Both the camps feared attack from each other.
Discriminatory treatment of Russia: In Russian Civil War (1918), capitalist states sent troops to Russia to help the anti-communist forces which promoted negative sentiments in the communists. This feeling was reinforced by German invasion of Russia in 1941.
During the war also incidents like the delay in launching second front (Invasion of France in 1944) had put enormous pressure on the Russians and consequently they suffered colossal losses.
Americans also did not disclose about the existence of the atomic bomb until shortly before its use on Japan, and they rejected Stalin’s request that Russia should share in the occupation of Japan
Russia’s foreign policies: After the allied victory Russia aggressively tried to acquire maximum German territories and also from countries such as Finland, Poland and Romania. Stalin also promoted communist states in Eastern Europe to make a buffer zone/ zone of influence. The west termed it as Soviet aggression and feared spread of communism to their areas of influence.
This feeling of suspicion lead to mutual distrust and this did a great deal to deepen the Cold War
Cold War timeline of some of the major events |
1945 Feb |
Yalta Conference between USSR, USA and Britain |
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May |
Germany surrenders |
1961 |
Berlin Wall Crisis |
Jul/Aug |
Potsdam Conferences between USSR, USA and Britain |
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Aug |
Nuclear Attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
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1946 |
Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech |
1972 |
Détente between USSR and USA |
1947 |
Truman Doctrine |
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SALT I Treaty |
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Marshall Plan |
1975 |
Helsinki Agreement |
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USA takes over from Britain in Greece and Turkey |
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1948 |
Czechoslovak coup |
1979 |
SALT II Treaty |
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Berlin Airlift Crisis |
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1949 |
End of Berlin Airlift; formation of West Germany and East Germany |
1980 |
Solidarity movement begins in Poland |
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Creation of NATO |
1981 |
Martial Law in Poland |
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USSR explodes ‘A’ bomb |
1985 |
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader |
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Korean War begins |
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1953 |
Stalin dies |
1989 |
Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia |
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Ceasefire in Korea |
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Political change in Poland |
1955 |
Austrian State Treaty, West Germany joins NATO, Warsaw Pact formed |
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Berlin Wall comes down |
1956 |
20th Party Congress of CPSU denounces Stalin, Hungarian uprising |
1990 |
Ceauşescu overthrown in Romania |
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East and West Germany unite into one country |
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1991 |
Anti-Gorbachev communist takeover prevented |
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Gorbachev replaced by Boris Yeltsin |