The Superpowers in Europe
Definitions:
Containment: policy whereby the U.S. tried to prevent communism from spreading
Expansionism: policy of a nation whereby it attempts to extend its political and economic influence into another region or nation
Sphere of Influence: a territory or nation that falls under the exclusive influence of another, usually more powerful, nation
Balance of power: an attempt by two or more nations to achieve military equality in both conventional and nuclear arms
Sovereignty: independence—a nation’s acting on its own without outside interference from any other nation or group of nations
- Yalta and Potsdam set the stage for the Cold War, as it was in those negotiations that the spheres of influence that dominated the post WWII world began to take shape. At Potsdam, Stalin refused to allow freely elected governments in eastern Europe (a priority for the U.S., France, and England) because he was afraid they’d be anti-Soviet.
- When Berlin was split into 4 zones of occupation, each of the allies followed its own policy. Therefore, the western allies sought to establish a Germany with a strong economy and democratic government, while the Soviets wanted to punish Germany, and thus dismantled factories and stripped it of heavy machinery. Because France and Britain were exhausted and financially devastated by WWII, the zones in Germany really became bipolar.
- In 1947, the U.S. developed the Truman Doctrine, a plan to assist the economic rebuilding of Greece and Turkey, and to contain any plans of communist expansion into the Middle East.
- Under the terms of the Marshall Plan, the U.S. offered financial assistance to all European nations, including communist ones, under the condition that they work together for economic recovery. The U.S.S.R. saw this as an anti-communist move and denounced it, instead forming COMECON to compete.
The Berlin Crisis:
- 1948
- Germany is split into four zones of occupation. Berlin is in the Soviet zone, but it too is split into four zones.
- Western powers introduce the Deutschmark as currency into West Germany, not including Berlin. The Soviets responded by introducing their own currency into all of Berlin. The Western Allies responded by flooding Berlin with Deutschmarks. As a result, the Soviets blockaded all land access to Berlin from West Germany, thereby cutting off supplies of food, medicine, etc. from the Allied zones.
- In June of 1948, the Allies began a massive airlift to Berlin.
- In April of 1949, the Soviets ended the blockade when they realized the Allies were determined to continue the airlift as long as necessary.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Warsaw Pact:
- Established by Western Allies as a defensive alliance in April, 1949 as a result of the belief that the Soviets wished to eventually gain control of all of western Europe.
- September, 1949, Soviets successfully test their first nuclear weapon
- Soviets believe the balance of power in Europe has shifted to the western alliance, so they establish the Warsaw Pact defensive alliance in 1955.
Movements for Independence Within the Communist Bloc:
- Yugoslavia, 1945-48 (successful)
- Hungary 1956 (unsuccessful)
