The Nature and Context of the Cold War

Setting the Scene

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After World War II, it became clear that the communist government of the Soviet Union was keen to expand its authority in Europe. It set out to achieve this by influencing the governments of a number of countries in central and eastern Europe that the Soviet Army had liberated during the German retreat in the final days of World War II. These countries became Soviet ‘satellite states’, meaning that although they were officially independent, they were heavily influenced by the Russian government and military. Russian satellite states included Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Albania. Yugoslavia also emerged from World War II as an independent communist state allied with the Soviet Union.

The border between Soviet-controlled countries in Eastern Europe and democratic countries in Western Europe became divided by what British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described as the ‘Iron Curtain’. Between 1945 and 1948, the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, gradually imposed pro-Soviet communist regimes on the countries of Eastern Europe such as Poland and Czechoslovakia. In 1949, Germany itself became two separate countries, a communist East Germany and a non-communist West Germany. Even the German capital, Berlin, was divided into east and west sectors. In 1948, Soviet leader Stalin tried to force the Western Allies out of West Berlin by blockading the city. In response, Berlin was saved by a massive Anglo-American airlift.

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The Main Phases of the Cold War

There were three main phases of the Cold War:

• Cold War One (1945-1969) when tensions grew and nearly spilled over into nuclear war

• Détente (1969-1979) when the two superpowers attempted to compromise and coexist peacefully

• Cold War Two (1979-1991) when tensions grew again, but finally the USSR collapsed under political and economic pressure

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What was the Cold War and why was it called a "COLD" war?

The term "Cold War" refers to the time period after the second world war until about 1991, when the USA and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) led by Russia, struggled together to see who would gain more influence in the world. It was conflict that centred on Europe by eventually extended to the Asia-Pacific region.

During World War II, Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union had fought as allies against the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler and against Imperial Japan, though the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan only at the last minute. However, despite their wartime cooperation, once the war was over relations between ‘east and west’ began to deteriorate and the world entered the period known as the Cold War.

The Nature of the Cold War

The reason it is termed "cold" is that the forces of the USSR and the forces of the USA never came into open conflict. However, the crises and issues that arose during this time would make this time quite "hot" for many people around the world, particularly in developing nations. From 1946 to 1991, the lack of trust between the USA and USSR fuelled many diplomatic disputes. Although no actual fighting ever took place, relations between the two superpowers over this period were so frosty that the situation became known as the Cold War. The Cold War period was characterised by propaganda campaigns, international spying, and fierce public competition over sporting events such as the Olympic Games. Of greatest concern, however, was competition between the USA and USSR to possess the largest armies and nuclear weapons stockpiles. This competition was known as the international arms race. During the Cold War, the international arms race became a key global concern because it presented the very real threat of a nuclear war.

Questions

1. In your own words, briefly explain why this period was known as "The Cold War".

2. Outline the tensions that faced the USA and USSR.

3. Define the following words: propaganda, international spying, arms race, nuclear war

4. Explain what the greatest concern was during the Cold War.

The great military might of these nations dominated the rest of the world and divided the world into two groups:

• An ‘Eastern bloc’ of countries headed by the communist Soviet Union. The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described Soviet Union control of the Eastern bloc as being like an ‘iron curtain’ around countries such as Poland, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and East Germany.

• A ‘Western bloc’ of countries headed by the capitalist United States. In 1947, the United States declared that its policy was ‘to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure’. The aim of the policy was to stop the spread of communist power.

Write a TEEL paragraph:

Using the information above, outline the main differences between the 'Eastern bloc' and 'Western bloc'