A6.

Superpower Relations 1945-90

Notes

CAPITALISM VS COMMUNISM – Differences of ideology were at the heart of the West’s

distrust of the USSR. Communism threatened the basic freedoms valued by the West. Western
leaders saw the Soviet Regime and its leader as an evil and corrupting influence.

• USSR Leader-Josef Stalin (1922-1953) – A cruel dictator hardly better than Hitler.

• USA Leader- Franklin D Roosevelt (1933-1945)

• Yalta (February 1945) – Germany was to be split into four zones of occupation, split between
the Western Allies. Berlin would also be split into for zones. Free elections for new governments
would be held in countries previously occupied in Eastern Europe. The United Nations would
replace the failed League of Nations. Nazi leaders would be brought to trial for crimes against
humanity and war crimes. They did not agree on how much control USSR should have over
Eastern Europe. USSR and France wanted to keep Germany weak.

• USA: President Roosevelt died and was succeeded by Harry Truman (1945) who was
suspicious of Soviet motives in Europe.

• UK: Winston Churchill replaced as Prime Minister of Britain by Clement Attlee (1945)
after Labour won the General Election.

• The allies were now suspicious of each other – Stalin wanted to control Eastern Europe so
didn’t want elections there – the USA and Britain suspected this. Truman and Attlee were new
to their jobs – Stalin thought they’d be weak leaders so he could do whatever he wanted.

• Potsdam (August 1945) – It was an angry conference as the day before the conference started
the USA tested the A Bomb. Stalin realised that the USA had the most powerful weapon in the
world. The new boundaries of Poland were agreed. The allies decided to divide Germany and
Berlin between them. They agreed to legal trials at Nuremburg of Nazi leaders for war crimes,
Germany would be ‘denazified’. They did not agree on a peace treaty with Germany and Stalin
reused to say if he would abide by the Yalta Declaration.

• Tension between the USA and the USSR – Stalin was determined to force Communism onto
Poland and other Eastern European countries. The USA deliberately didn’t tell the USSR about
the development and use of it’s A Bomb on Japan. This made the USSR suspicious of the USA.

• Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech (March 1946) – Helped convince many Americans that the
US had to help Europe halt the spread of Communism.

• Truman Doctrine (March 1947) – Truman promised that the USA would support any nation
threatened by a Communist takeover – the USA and Britain had ensured the failure of
Communists during the Greek Civil War.

• Marshall Plan (1948) – This promised American aid to European countries to help rebuild their
damaged economies – West Germany benefited massively. Some countries were in serious
poverty after WW2. America feared they would turn to Communism unless they were helped to
recover. Also had the advantage of the sooner Europe recovered, the sooner it became a market
for US goods. Stalin ordered Eastern Europe countries to not accept; it would show weakness of

Jack Gunter -1- 22/05/2009

 A6. Superpower Relations 1945-90
Notes

Communism. Communism was supposed to be a superior way of running society; it must not be
seen to be failing.

• NATO (1949) – An international military alliance created to defend Western Europe against a
possible Soviet Invasion. If one was attacked they would all respond as if they were each
individually attacked. Anti-soviet alliance.

• USSR and West disagree over Berlin (1948) – There were disagreements over the
administration of the four zones of occupation of Berlin. The Western allies (USA, Britain and
France) agreed to a single government in their zones, and a new currency to help economic
recovery. The Soviet Union was opposed to these moves since Stalin wanted to keep Germany
as weak as possible.

• Berlin Blockade (1948-1949) – This led to Stalin deciding to Blockade Berlin. He ordered that
all land communication between West Berlin and the outside world should be cut off. Seen as
the beginning of the Cold War.

• Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) – West Berlin survived because of the Berlin Airlift. The only way
of obtaining supplies from the outside world was by air so the Allies started to supply West
Berlin using 3 flight routes.

• Stalin ends Berlin Blockade (1949) – Stalin had underestimated the determination of the
Western Allies to resist Soviet pressure. The Berlin Airlift was used as an important propaganda
exercise to prove the strength of democracy and the evils of Communism. Stalin had no other
choice but to call off the blockade. The only other option would have been to get the Allies out
by force, this would have led to WW3.

• China turn Communist (1949) – This increases distrust between the Superpowers and added
to the US paranoia.

• USSR test its first A Bomb (1949)

• Korean War (1950-53) – Communist North Korea went to war with South Korea in order to
reunite the country – this was seen as a direct challenge from Communism to the West. The
USA and the Western powers intervened on behalf of the United Nations to stop Communism
spreading. A victory for the US: Communism had been contained, South Korea remained
democratic and pro-American.

• US develop and test the Hydrogen Bomb (1952)

• Death of Joseph Stalin (1953) – People felt things could only get better with Stalin gone. He
was replaced by Nikita Khrushchev, he gave the appearance of being a more moderate ruler. He
also believed in Peaceful Co-existence. He began a program of de-Stalinisation.

• USA-Truman replaced by Eisenhower (1953) – Regarded as beings less confrontational than

Truman.

• Warsaw Pact (1955) – Defensive alliance of the Eastern European countries. It was the
principal opponent and military threat to NATO.

Jack Gunter -2- 22/05/2009

 A6. Superpower Relations 1945-90
Notes

• Poland and Hungary (1956) – Many people died in protests and fighting. It showed that
Khrushchev can be ‘just as Brutal as Stalin’.

• Arms Race – The Arms Race was a race between the superpowers to build bigger and more
destructive weapons. This went on throughout the Cold War period.

• U2 Incident (1960) – A US spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The pilot Gary
Powers was put on trial in Moscow. This occurred during a Summit Meeting of important
countries in Paris. Khrushchev was able to use the incident to embarrass the USA and stormed
out of the meeting. It was proof that the USA was spying.

• Castro announces he is a Communist (December 1960) – There was now a communist

country with 90 miles of American soil.

• Eisenhower replaced by Kennedy (1961)

• Bay of Pigs invasion (April 1961) – The CIA tried to overthrow Castro with this invasion. It
was a disaster and they were all either killed or captured.

• Berlin Wall (1961) – Khrushchev needed to stop the flow of Eastern European defectors. A 30
mile barrier was erected across the city of Berlin overnight, sealing off the Eastern sector from
the West. West Berliners were now suddenly separated from relatives in the East. No more
people could leave East Berlin from the West – those who tried were shot.

• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) – A US spy plane took photographs which Soviet missile bases
being built on Cuba. They could be used to attack US cities. President Kennedy ordered a naval
blockade of Cuba. All soviet ships were to be stopped and searched to prevent further missiles
being transported to Cuba. Kennedy demanded Khrushchev withdraw his missiles and prepared
to invade Cuba. The Soviet ships steamed on to Cuba. The world was on the brink of Nuclear
War. This was the closest it came to WW3. At the last minute Khrushchev agreed to remove the
missiles from Cuba and ordered his ships to turn around – if the US would promise not to put
missiles in Turkey near the Soviet border. Kennedy lifted the blockade and promised not to
invade Cuba. The world was on the brink of Nuclear War. This was the closest it came to WW3.

• MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) – Kennedy wanted to scale-down the arms race. If a
nuclear war started it would mean mutually assured destruction.

• Hot-line (1963) – This direct teleprinter between the White House and the Kremlin made
communication between the two leaders much easier and it would hopefully lead to speedy
decisions if there any future crisis’s. This was good for relations.

• Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963) – This banned all nuclear tests except underground ones for an
indefinite period. Both of these measures were designed to slow down the nuclear arms race.

• USA – Kennedy was assassinated and replaced by Johnson (1963)

• USSR – Khrushchev replaced by Brezhnev (1964) – Brezhnev was regarded as a tough

leader.

Jack Gunter -3- 22/05/2009

 A6. Superpower Relations 1945-90
Notes

• Vietnam (1965) – Kennedy stepped up US combat troops in Vietnam. Neither Superpower

seemed to show any desire to reduce the tension between them.

• Détente (1968-1979) – Tensions between the superpowers were more ‘relaxed’ within this
period. The superpowers were now nearly equal in their weapons. Since they could completely
destroy each other many times over, there wasn’t much point in continuing the arms race. Both
sides wanted to reduce the risk of Nuclear War.

• Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) – The Superpowers guaranteed not to supply the nuclear
technology to other countries. Both sides wanted to reduce the risk of a Nuclear War. Brezhenev
was desperate to reduce Soviet military spending.

• Two new nuclear weapons made a limited nuclear war possible (1966-68) – Anti-Ballistic
Missiles (ABMs); rockets that could intercept ICBMs before they reached their target. And
Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs); missiles carrying more than one
warhead which could be launched at different targets. The possible use of nuclear weapons on
Strategic Targets was called NUTS; Nuclear Utilisation Targeting Strategy by the US.

• USA: Johnson was replaced by Nixon (1969) – Elected for his promise to bring US troops out
of Vietnam.

• SALT 1 (1972) – Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. This limited the increase in numbers of
nuclear missiles. Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction Talks (MBFR) began. First time that the
Superpowers had reached an agreement on arms limitation.

• Helsinki Agreement (1975) – Confirmed Europe’s 1945 borders, and dealt with human rights.
The USA and Soviet Union, along with 33 other countries signed The Helsinki Agreement on
Human Rights. This guaranteed that they would respect human rights and fundamental
freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all without
distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

• SALT II (1974-79) – Agreement was reached on further reductions in strategic weapons, which
were to last until 1985. Signed by Brezhnev and Carter in 1979.

• USA: Nixon replaced by Gerald Ford (1974)

• USA: Ford Replaced by Jimmy Carter (1977)

• Soviet forces invade Afghanistan (1979) – The USSR was afraid of losing its influence and
losing face. The situation in Afghanistan was more complex than the Soviet Union realised. The
USSR underestimated its opponents. The cost of the war was colossal and played a significant
part in the bankruptcy of the Soviet Union in the 80s.

• USA boycott the 1980 Olympic Games (1980) – These were held in Moscow.

• USA: Carter replaced by Ronald Reagan (1981)

• USSR: Brezhnev replaced by Yury Andropov (1982)

Jack Gunter -4- 22/05/2009
 A6. Superpower Relations 1945-90
Notes

• New Cold War (1980-85) – There was a sharp deterioration of relations between the
superpowers during these years. The reason for this was the attitudes and policies of US
President Ronald Reagan and British PM Margaret Thatcher.

• (START) Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (1982) – All talks soon became deadlocked.

• Star Wars : Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) (1983) – This was a plan to shoot down Soviet
Missiles using lasers in space. The Soviet Union could not compete as they had major economic
problems.

• USSR: Andropov replaced by Konstantin Chernenko (1984)

• USSR boycotts Los Angeles Olympic Games (1984)

• USSR: Chernenko replaced by Mikhail Gorbachev (1985)

• Problems in USSR involving the disastrous state of the Soviet Economy and the strains of
the Cold War – Soviet economy was bankrupt because it could not afford to support
communist countries all over the world and compete with the USA in the nuclear arms race.
Gorbachev’s key objectives were perestroika – economic restructuring and Glasnost – new
sense of openness.

• INF Treaty (1986) – Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty. Committed both sides to getting
rid of all medium-range missiles from Europe within 3 years. Most dramatic step taken towards
nuclear disbarment.

• USA: Reagan replaced by George Bush (1989)

• Communism collapses in Eastern Europe (1989)

• Year of Miracles (1989) – The Communist bloc of Eastern European countries which had
seemed so solid crumbled in the space of a few months.

• East and West Germany reunited (1990)

• START (1991) – The USA and USSR signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

• End of Cold War!

Jack Gunter -5- 22/05/2009