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First requst for loan by the USSR (US Dollar diplomacy)
The USSR asked for a $6billion loan from the US however the US immediately imposed conditions in particular the opening of the Eastern European markets to US manufactured products. -
Period: to
Sovietisation
The seizure of control of the Eastern European governments by local communists backed by soviet troops which were currently occupying those various countries Done through Salami Tactics (gradual elimination)
Romania, Bulgaria, Czech and Finland. Impact: Sovietisation did not result in a shift of soviet controlled territory as soviet troops had already been in the countries during WWII. In Jan 1946, in view of sovietisation, Truman had already concl. no further compromise. -
Yalta Conference
Failure at Yalta caused Roosevelt to doubt for the first time possibilities of post-war cooperation. (Critera of Magnitude used here) -
US Terminated Land-lease
The soviets need for capital is made more desperate as the US terminated Lend-lease -
Potsdam Conference
Highlights the first division of germany into 4 parts and berlin into two parts. (Criteria of Time here) -
Soviets established foothold in manchuria
Soviets moved into Manchuria to take it from the Japanese invaders under an agreement with the US.
They recognised KMT as the legitimate government but handed Japanese weapons to CCP units and allowed them to establish foothold in Manchuria and northen China. Stalin was hedging his bets; even though links between the kremlin and the CCP were not strong, the CCP might prove useful allies in the event of breakdown in US-Soviet relations. -
Korea
Soviets moved troops across the Russian border into North Korea to take over from the Japanese. The paranoid Americans quickly sent troops to occupy south korea. With no objection by Stalin, Korea was divided along the 38th Parallel into two occupation zones. -
Soviets boycotting of IMF (US Dollar Diplomacy)
The US's practice of dollar diplomacy resulted in the USSR failing to join the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the US failed to aid the Soviets in their economic reconstruction. This signalled their refusal to participate in the global economic reconstruction which marked the beginning of an economic schism which is later cemented by the marshall plan. (Criteria of time) -
Kennan's Long Telegramme
The Long Telegramme affected the top echelon of American policy makers. It was the decisive factor in the Truman administration's change of course to a policy of firmness towards the USSR. -
Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
Long Telegramme shaped the attitude of the political elite towards the USSR, the ICS harderned the attitude of the American public. In response, Stain called Churchill a war monger and accused him of trying to start WWIII. However there was no concrete follow-up action by stalin. Response was purely restricted to rethoric. -
Clifford Elsey Report
The report highlighted examples of Soviet aggression in Iran and Manchuria, as well as indentified ideology and not security concerns as the driver of Soviet foreign policy. Significance:
The report reflects the US perspective of the USSR which had crystallised by this point in time. It acted as a justification for the US perspective for the soviets. -
Truman Doctrine
The TD is a policy of containment and its formulation was attributed to the situation in Turkey and Greece. Significance: First public declaration to stop cooperations.
HOWEVER, throughout the speech, Truman never once mentioned the USSR but instead used terms such as 'totalitarian regimes' and 'terrorist actions'. This still shows some possibility of cooperation since they did not point towards the USSR and accuse them of anything. + it did not garner immediate response from ussr. -
Marshall Plan
Divided Europe into two economic blocs. MP was a policy of containment which had stemmed from economic schism as US was worried about communism spreading into europe which will affect their economy. MP cemented the Economic schism (criteria of magnitude) -
Brussels Pact
By Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Predecessor of NATO (did not benefit us as us was too far away. Hence, NATO.) -
Berlin Blockade
The US and Britain sought agreement on a plan to introduce a new germany currency that would circulate freely in all four zones. When this met with Soviet resistnce, the three western powers proceeded in June 1948 to establish the Deutchemark, Stalin interpreted this creation of a single currency as a signal for the establishment of the new germany in the west.
June 1948 -- BB!! -
NATO
NATO began the military split.
