The Cold War

• America wanted German economic recovery to boost world trade
• The USSR wanted to keep Germany permantly weak
• At the end of WW2 Germany and Berlin had been divided into 4
• The USSR, USA and UK and France each recieved a sector
• Jan 1948- French zone merged with the Anglo American zone 
• June 1948 - the Allied zones introduced a new currency
• Stalin was alarmed by the increasing prosperity of the Western zones
• Stalin felt threatened by the Marshall aid provided by USA 
• 24th June Berliners awoke to find all access accross routes to Berlin were closed

Satellite: Countries which supported one another of the super powers in return for protections, military aid or economic assistance 

Causes of USA and USSR rivalry:

• Ideology
• Fears of Russian expansion
• Each had different vision of post time Europe
• USA kept secret details of their new A-bomb

Yalta

• Winston Churchill 
• Frankiln Roosevelt
• Josef Stalin

Agreed:

• USSR would declare war on Japan 3 months after Germany surrendered 
• Nazi War criminals would be punished 
• All 3 would join new United Nations
• Germany and Austria be divided up into 4 zones 
• Churchill and Roosevelt accepted that Eastern Europe would become Soviet sphere of Influence
• Could Not agree on Poland -Britain wanted free, independant Poland while USSR wanted a friendly ie. communist Polish gov.
• -Agreed that USSR would be given eastern part of Poland to improve defences

Yalta seemed a success at the start...but became clear Stalin did not rule with democracy.

Potsdam

• Roosevelt replaced by Truman
• Churchill replaced by Clement Atlee
• At this conference leaders disagreed about Germanys Future( how much compensation it should pay) 
• Did confirm other decisions however:

• Germany to be split into 4 zones, each run by Allied leader 
• Germany to be disarmed 
• Nazi party to be abolised 
• War criminals to be put on Trial

Gulf widened however between Soviets and the West:

• Explosion of automic bomb in Hiroshima- made soviets feel threatened 
• 1946:-USSR installed communist govs. in Pland, Romania and Bulgaria
• ^^spread of communism in Europe made western leaders feel threatened 

Actions of USA:

• Bombing of Hiroshima undermined the USSR
• The ending of the lend lease scheme to USSR infuriated Russia 
• The USA stopped the removal of reparations from their zone

Actions of USSR:

• USSR wanted to punish Germany harshly 
• USSR installed communist govs. in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria and didnt hold free elctions
• Soviets did not supply the western zones with food

The Truman Doctorine

Assistance to any country in the future which felt it was in danger from a communist threat, and promised to spend vast sums of money.

Marshall Aid 

• Came to conclusion that the better off a country was the less likely it was to fall to communism.
• Proposed that $13 billion dollars would be pumper into 16 European countries as part of an Economic Recovery Programme

How Stalin Viewed Marshall Aid:

Stalin feared that Marshall aid would lead to Germany's Recovery and to Europes' dependance upon USA.  Also regarded it as a way of using American dollars to unite Europe against them

Results of Marshall Aid:

• By 1952 Western Europes industrial production was 35% higher than in 1939
• Revived European economies, increased world trade and helped post war boom in America 

The Berlin Blockade

• Berlin lay 110 miles inside the zone controlled by USSR
• The western zones depended on USSR goodwill to get access to Berlin
• THis was Stalins attempt to claw back control of events 
• The new currnecy would highlight the differences between East and West
• It would cause dicontent in E Germany 
• Stalin hoped that Berlin would become dependant on USSR
• 2 million people- shortages of food, coal and electricity 

The Berlin Airlift

• USA worried- If stalin was successful the rest of Europe would fall
• West Berlin became a symbol of freedom
• The Allies decided to bring supplies in by air.
• Three air bases used- Tegel, Templehof and Gatow
• Planes landing every 2  minutes 
• It lasted 324 days and 13,000 tonnes were delivered each day 
• Coal was a major import
• Food, medicine, machinery, even ping pong balls were supplied 
• 1948- Airlift became dangerous due to bad weather
• There were 79 casualties among Allied forces
• No planes were shot down but USSR but they flew very close 
• Berliners had accepted rationing, shared fires and used candlelight 
• Luckily the winter was not severe
• Only a few were tmepted by food to go to the Russian sector 
• 12th May 1949- Stalin forced to lift blockade 

RESULT

• Huge propaganda defeat for Stalin and USSR 
• Propaganda boost for the West 
• NATO created in April 1949
• Clear that Germany could not be united 
• May 1949- The German Federal republic was created 
• Oct. 1949- Churchills prphecy of iron curtain became reality 
• Problem of Berlin was not solved: -became flashpoint 
• Showed how far both sides would go, short of war 
• USA did not use automic bomb
• Containment worked! Communism did not spread into West Germany