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Period: to
Origins of Cold War in Europe
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USSR asked for a $6 billion loan from the US
The US immediately imposed conditions, particularly the opening of Eastern European markets to US manufactured products.
This is an example of US dollar diplomacy and aggression. -
US terminated Lend-Lease
This was done because US taxpayers refused to furnish allies with equipment and money any longer. Hence it is not a case of US aggression, though it did make USSR's need for capital more desperate. -
USSR tried a $1 billion loan, but the request was 'lost' by the US state department
This increased Soviet conviction that the US was unwilling to collaborate in post war economic reconstruction.
Another example of US dollar diplomacy which eventually led to... -
Soviets 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 in northen China. Stalin was being practical doing so, as the CCP might prove useful allies in the event of the breakdown of US-Soviet relations. -
US response to Soviet actions in Manchuria
US sent 50,000 US Marines to north China to secure key communications centres, road, rail routes, and to help transport KMT armies to the area, fearing the act as a sign of Soviet aggression in the form of expansionism. This had severe implicationson the levels of trust the US had with the USSR.
Hence it can be argued that Soviet expansionism brought about the start of the Cold War. -
USSR boycotted IMF and World Bank
Due to US's practice of dollar diplomacy, USSR failed to join the International Monetary Fund (IMF0 and the World Bank organisations, which the US hoped would help to reconstruct and create a new global economy.
This display of US aggression is one of the reasons behind the origins of the Cold War as it marked the start of the economic schism which would be cemented by the Marshall Plan (1947). -
Marshall Plan
George Marshall launched this idea to restore economic and political stability in light of the severe economic and psychological crisis faced by Western Europe in 1947.
Primary Aim: Contain communsim (Political)
Secondary Aim: Create a captive European market for American goods (Economic)
This is an example of US aggression. -
Soviet Response to Marshall Plan
The initial willingness of the Soviets to cooperate is highlighted by the sending of a 100-man delegation headed by Molotov to participate in discussions.
However, American insistence of economic coordination, which meant that Soviets would have to give up exclusive control of their own economy, was unacceptable to the USSR. (American aggression) Hence they say the plan as an attempt to create an American economic empire in Eastern Europe. -
Soviet Respone Pt 2 Molotov Plan
Done to ensure that eastern European countries did not participate in the Marshall Plan and thus, be wooed away from the USSR. This effectively divided Europe into two economic blocs and is a physical representation of the tension between the two superpowers. -
Czechoslovakia Coup
Communists siezed power in Czech, leading to a catalytic effect on the implementation of the Marshall Plan. -
The Senate and the House of Representatives approval of Marshall Plan
This is an effect of the Czechoslovakia Coup in Feburary 1948, which had a catalytic effect.
The Senate approved by a vote of 69-17, whereas the House of Representatives approved it by 318-75.
The impact of the coup is evident when compared against the amount of votes that passed the Truman Doctrine: 67-23 and 281-107
