Cold War - To What Extent did Truman Start the Cold War

• Rigged elections by intimidation, terror and vote-rigging in countries including POL, ROU and HUN
• In BUL, the opposition was liquidated/banned
• In HUN, only candidates from communist lef Hungarian People's Independence Front could stand in the 1948 election
• Where Stalin knew Soviet interests were endangered, he was happy to undermine democracy to get power. For example, the seizure of CZE in response to the Marshall Plan
• The USSR's action undermined the Declaration of Liberated Europe

• US policy was traditionally not to get involved in affairs of EUR states (WW1 had been an exception) and post WW1 the US was isolationist
• The US assumption was that BR would play a role in challenging Soviet expansion of influence in E.EUR
• By 1947, BR was suffering from a major post-WWII economic crisis. This, and the delay in the peace treaty completion, forced BR to admit that they could no longer afford to send financial/military aid to GRC.
• This was bad news for Washington. Stalin seemed to be tolderating YUG, BUL and ALB efforts to assist GRC communists in the civil war
• If the communists were successful then the US feared they may launch a similar uprising in ITL once the Allied Troops left after the signing of the Paris Peace Treaties
• Truman therefore knew he must support non-communists in the Mediterranean -> Truman Doctrine

• An address to Congress 12/03/47
• Made a distinction between two "ways of life" of which one was based upon the will of the majority, and the other on the "will of the minority forcably imposed on majority. It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections and the suppression of personal freedoms."
• He also said he believes it the "policy of the US" to support people who are "resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures".
• Therefore, the Truman Doctrine was a policy of US support for EUR nations suffering hardship after WWII. It also brought into play the theory of Containment

• In his March speech, Truman argued that "the seeds if totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife."
• Therefore, the Marshall Plan was devised, named after Secretary of State, George Marshall
• It was essentially an aid package from the US to EUR. By 1953, $17bn of loans, factory machinery and other aid had been sent to kickstart the economy.
• 17 countries agreed to a joint organisation to review progress on spending

The long term aims were:

• For "political and economical intergration"
• To create a larger, wealthier market of countries to be barriers against communism
• US wanted to avoid EUR situation where EUR went back to being individual (which they did get in 2004)

• In 1947, there was a conference to discuss the Marshall Plan
• Despite his suspicions, Stalin sent Molotov
• BR and FRA wanted EUR to draw up joint programme for spending, rather than individual requests. Soviets rejected this, and Molotov left
• The USSR feared a joint programme would allow US power to undermine USSR influence in EUR by encouraging free trade, the idea of exchange with the west and capitalism growth
• Observed that Molotov's departure and Stalin's refusal for E.EUR countries to attend negotiations marked the start of 'western bloc'
• The Marshall Plan was accepted by 17 western states. Soviets rejected and set up an eastern bloc. Cominform was introduced in retaliation, to coordinate politics and the tactics of communist parties in E.EUR
• Stalin's representative told delegates of communist parties that the world was now divided into the USA-led imperialist bloc and the anti-imperialist and democratic bloc led by USSR
• From this, it meant that the policy of cooperating with moderate socialist and liberalist parties in EUR would be abandoned, and some communist parties would take over power themselves, basing their system on the Soviet system.
• Martin McCauley - from now on "there was to be only one road to socialism".

Long Telegram

• Sent February 1946 by George Kennan, a US diplomat based in USSR, who had experienced Stalin's governence and purges of the 1930s. This made him hostile towards the gvt
• It was issued to Truman, saying that the USSR were aggressive and trying to destroy Capitalism. It said peace between the USA and SU was impossible

Novikov Telegram

• Soviets knew about the Long Telegram
• Retaliated with Novikov Telegram to Stalin
• Said the USA waned world supremacy and saw the USSR as a threat, and tried to limit its influence.

The Telegrams worsened relations. They were trying to increase panic towards the other power.