The Initial East-West Split
Melanie Cartron Period 1 European Divide
• After WWII, Europe was divided between its Democratic West and Soviet Union-controlled East
• West- Looked to halt the spread of communism and the growing power of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
• East- Dominated by USSR and Stalin diplomacy; spread of Communism
• United States looked to monitor and limit the expansion of the Soviet Union as well as its communist ideology
• Growing fear of the Soviet Union Iron Curtain The Eastern Bloc
• Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and other countries aligned with the USSR
• “Satellite States” – Independent but heavily influenced by another country
• Theses countries were involuntarily controlled by the USSR and Stalin’s ruthless policies
• Revolts in Hungary, Poland, and East Germany
Non-aligned Movement
• Though many countries associated themselves as either part of the Eastern or Western bloc, several countries were opposed with the notion of becoming “pawns” of major world powers such as the USSR and the United States
• Origins of the movement seen in the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia followed by the first NAM Conference in 1961
• The movement is now composed of 115 members
The United Nations
• Revision of the failed League of Nation
• Strongly supported by FDR who coined the name “United Nations” in 1942
• Established on October 24, 1945
• Created to provide peaceful relations between countries and non-violent solutions to conflicts that may arise between them
• Throughout the Cold War, the United Nations looked to reason with the USSR (one of its decreed members) and deter it from pursuing violent, and unnecessary conflicts NATO
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• Treaty signed on April 4, 1949
• Formation was sparked by the Soviet Union’s refusal to take part in the Marshall Plan as well as the overthrow of the Czechoslovakian government by the Soviets
• Need for the organization reached a climax when the Soviet Union cut off ground access to Berlin in June 1948
• States that an attack on any one member was an attack on them all
• Original members: Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States NATO and The USSR
• After the USSR responded to NATO with the Warsaw Pact, NATO had to resort to more aggressive threats
• Massive Retaliation Doctrine
• As the Cold War progressed NATO deviated from military defense to monitors of peace and tension between Eastern and Western Europe The Warsaw Pact
• Treaty signed on May 14, 1955 by the USSR and seven of its aligned countries: Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria
• Designated control of the armed forces of these countries to the USSR
• Stated that should one country of the alliance be attacked, it would be seen as an attack on them all
• Direct rebuttal to the formation of NATO and its allowing West Germany to remilitarize
• Alliance of “friendship”
• Remained intact until 1991 Eastern Bloc Western Bloc Soviet Domination
• Yalta (February 1945) and Postdam (July & August 1945) Conferences designated that Soviet-occupied territories were to have free and fair elections
• Stalin arrested and killed non-communist leaders and supporters in order to produce his preferred results in nominations and elections
• Stalin focused primarily on self-interest and personal gain, ironic considering he was the “face” of communism http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin Stalin Diplomacy
• Censorship of the media
• Elimination of oppositions and threats through arrests and executions; rigged elections
• Free speech was eliminated
• Stalin’s brutality evoked fear; people were afraid to let the world know of his true crimes
OPCVL
• Origin-Political cartoon published in 1947 by Jay “Ding” Darling for the New York Herald Tribune
• Purpose- To demonstrate how difficult removing the “Iron Curtain” would be as well as its success in concealing the actions of the Soviet Union from the rest of the world
• Value- The cartoon exemplifies the frustration and fear the Western alliance felt regarding the Soviet Union and its sly, obscured actions
• Limitation- The cartoon is rather simplistic and leaves out the more complex details regarding the subject Bibliography
• https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/un
• https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/nato
• http://www.britannica.com/event/Iron-Curtain
• http://coldwareconomy.weebly.com/eastern--western-bloc-oecd--comecon.html
• http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-united-nations-is-born
• http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/formation-of-nato-and-warsaw-pact
• https://apus-06-07.wikispaces.com/pw+foreign+political+cartoons