ORIGINS OF

THE COLD WAR

KEY QUESTIONS
 What were the origins of the Cold War? (Long-term causes, 1917-
1941)
 Why did the Cold War begin? (Short-term causes, 1942-1945)
 Who was to blame for the Cold War?
OVERVIEW
 Distrust between the capitalist West and the communist Soviet Union had
been a feature of international politics since the Bolshevik Revolution of
1917. Both sides were mutually suspicious, and had very different views of
the world.
 When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, these differences had
been put aside. Both sides had cooperated in a Grand Alliance against
the common threat of Nazi Germany.
 Signs of strain soon began to emerge, however. In 1943, at the Tehran
Conference, Stalin expressed concern about the delay on opening a second
front in the west, and there were disagreements over the post-war
features of Germany and Poland.
OVERVIEW
 In 1945, in the closing stages of the WWII, these differences deepened
at the Yalta and Postdam Conferences, especially when Truman
became president of the USA following Roosevelt’s death.
 Tensions over Germany – and the growing Soviet domination of Eastern
Europe – heightened after the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan and
refused to share the technology with the USSR.
WHAT WERE
THE ORIGINS
OF THE COLD
WAR?
Long-term causes, 1917-1941
LONG-TERM CAUSES (1917-
1941)
 Some historians consider the bolshevik revolution in 1917 as the very
begining of the Cold War.
 This event brought to power bolshevik party (Russian communist) led by Trotsky
and Lenin and resulted to the creation of probably first workers state based on
Marxist ideology – the Soviet Union.
 Some historians therefore see the 1917 events as the start of the „Great
Contest“
 Different points of view were based on the „spectre of communism“
mentioned by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their Communist
Manifesto 1848
 https://www.slavne-dny.cz/episode/10022999/den-kdy-byl-vydan-manifest-k
omunisticke-strany-21-unor-1848
IMPACT OF THE BOLSHEVIK
REVOLUTION, NOVEMBER
1917
 This revolution had a great impact on international relations.
 Long-term explanations of the Cold War see the capitalist system as
facing a direct challenge to the creation of the first socialistic country in
the world – USSR
 This was also supported by Lenin and Trocky calls for revolution in Europe

 On the other hand US, GB, FRA and JAP provided supplies and
assistance for the opponents of bolsheviks during the Russian Civil
War
 And Bolsheviks saw this as a capitalist attempt to destroy the socialist
revolutionary experiment.
SOVIET WEAKNESS AND
ISOLATION IN THE 1920S
 Russia inherited economic backwardness from its tsarist days.
 Together with impacts of the WWI, revolution of 1917, the Civil War and
Polish invasion in 1920 caused weakness of early USSR
 Economic bans and embargos from West restrcited Soviet attempts to
rebuild the Russian economy.
 Moreover, USSR was excluded from all diplomatic meetings and put to
the isolation
 For the most of 1920s Soviet communism wasn’t serious rival to
world capitalism.
ANTAGONISM AND
COOPERATION, 1929-1941
 In 1929 Stalin was concentrating on domestic economic and
political policies trying to build „Socialism in One Country“.
 In the same time USA were struggling for their economic survival
after the Great Depresion, therefore none of the sides was interested in
„Great Contest“

 Later during 30s and Nazi rise to power in Germany USA and USSR
started to cooperate.
 The US gave official recognition to USSR in 1933 and year later
Soviet Union became a member of the League of the Nations.
 But it was only temporary improve of relations, because „the Great Terror“ in the
USSR strengtened the anti-Soviet attitudes in the USA again.
IDEOLOGY AND REALPOLITIK
 Realpolitik refers to politics and foreign diplomacy based on realities and
strategic or material needs, rather than on political principles, ideology and
moral.
 E.g. The Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Pact of 1939 (Pact Molotov-Ribbentrop)

 Between 1933 and 1939 Soviet Union cooperated with the West
against fascism and Nazism
 Realpolitik continued even during the WWII.
 Stalin remained neutral until 1941 when USSR was invaded by Germany. After
this USA and GB were prepared to bury their ideological differences and United
with USSR to beat the „greater threat“
COOPERATION AND THE
WWII
 When USSR was attacked by Germany and US by Japan, soon USA and GB
joined with USSR and created the „Grand Alliance“
 WWII temporarily ended the US/USSR rivalry, but new problems soon
emerged within the Grand Alliance.
 Stalin had permanent fear from Allied attack against the USSR
WHY DID THE
COLD WAR
BEGIN?
Short-term causes, 1942-45
THE SECOND FRONT
 Since 1942 Stalin began to press the USA and UK to open up a
second front in Western Europe and take pressure from Soviet Union
facing the Hitler armies.
 In 1943 US and UK decided to invade Italy first.
 And in 1944 US and UK landed in Normandy, but the delay made Stalin
suspicious.
 The Tehran Conference in 1943
 Main outcome was restoring the Polish-Russia border from 1918 and move of
Polish western border further west at Germany’s esxpense.
 The percentage agreement (Moscow, 1944)
 Churchill and Stalin met in Moscow and dived the south-eastern and eastern
Europe after war.
THE
„PERCENTAG
ES
AGREEMENT
“
THE QUEST FOR SECURITY
(1944-45)
 All members from the Grand Alliance were considered as superpowers
during the WWII
 In 1945 when USA unleashed their new secret super-weapon against Japan
was clear that US are most powerful of the three.
 But USA decided to exclude the USSR from the technology which is
by many considered as the beginning of the Cold War.
 Therefore after WWII Soviet Union was only a regional power witch
friendly states on its western border while USA was global superpower
BREAKDOWN OF THE
GRAND ALLIANCE, 1944-
1945
 The tensions finally led to the breakdown of the Grand Alliance and the
start of the Cold War.
 Yalta and Postdam Conferences
 The main areas of disagreement between allies were:
 Germany
 Poland and Eastern Europe in general
 Economic reconstruction
 Nuclear weapons

 https://www.slavne-dny.cz/episode/658831/den-kdy-zacala-jaltska-
konference-4-unor

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFLqook-4C0 (CNN, 31-35

min.)
Kliknutím na ikonu přidáte obrázek.

GERMANY
- In Yalta was decided to
temporarily divide Germany
into four zones of occupation
- Stalin was actually against the
idea of spliting Germany
permanently into two
Kliknutím na ikonu přidáte obrázek.
POLAND
AND
EASTERN
EUROPE
In Yalta was agreed that Polish
western border will be on the
rivers Oder (Odra) and Neisse
(Nysa)
After Yalta Roosevelt died and
was replaced by Truman who
took more hardline approach to
the USSR.
ECONOMIC
RECONSTRUCTION
 USA was the only country to emerge richer from the war.
 While the USSR was totally destructed (especially in the western part) and Soviet
population was traumatised.
 Stalin saw economic reconstruction as his priority

 After USSR wasn’t allowed to joint IMF and World Bank Stalin relied
more on reparations payment from European states.
SOVIET LOSSES
DURING THE
EASTERN
CAMPAIGN
DURING THE WWII
DEVASTATED
LAND IN
RUSSIA,
1944
THE US ATOMIC BOMB
 More significant than the A-bomb itself was the USA’s refusal to share
technology with Soviet ally.
 Stalin saw this as demonstration of US power to a seriously weakened USSR.

 Truman saw the possession of nuclear weapon as „negotiating tool“ to

force the USSR accept its plans for post-war Europe and world.
WHO WAS TO
BLAME FOR
THE COLD WAR
3 main views
ORTHODOX VIEW
 The Cold war resulted from Soviet ideology (based on Marxism-
Leninism), which was aimed to destabilizing capitalist states and spread
world revolution.
 Therefore, USSR was pictured as expansionistic state.
 As a result West and US had to choice hard line and stop communist
threat.

 By this theory, Soviet expansionism was responsible for the Cold War.
REVISIONIST VIEW
 The USA was responsible for the start of the Cold War.
 By this theory USSR was so weak after WWII that didn’t represent any
threat to the rest of the world.
 It was an effort to establish the US economic power in the post-war world
and they needed an enemy.

 By this theory, Soviet „menance“ was created by the US in order to

justify their own global domination policies.
POST-REVISIONIST VIEW
 This interpretation blame both superpowers.
 The argument is that the Cold War developed through
misunderstandings.
 Especially confusion when Truman replaced Roosevelt.