Origins and development of the Cold War in Europe
G3 Full History - syllabus K330, 2027
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Why did the USA and USSR become rivals after 1945? Follow security fears, the Truman Doctrine, Marshall aid and the Berlin Blockade to explain Europe's division.
- Why power shifted after 1945
Europe needed help to rebuild and feel secure. American economic strength and Soviet military power gave the two states exceptional influence.
- Why the same policy could look defensive or threatening
Each side feared the spread of the other's political system. Measures that one called protection could therefore look like a threat to the other.
- Why victory did not preserve the alliance
Defeating Germany gave the Allies a shared urgent goal. Once that enemy was gone, disputes about Germany and Eastern European governments became harder to contain.
- How American containment worked
Containment meant resisting further communist influence. American leaders used aid to strengthen threatened governments and make recovery possible.
- How the USSR strengthened its bloc
The USSR rejected Marshall aid and tightened political and economic links with its neighbours. Separate institutions helped turn mistrust into a lasting division.
- Why Berlin became a test of resolve
The Soviet blockade threatened supplies to West Berlin. The Western airlift kept the city supplied and showed that the West would remain without forcing a land route open.
- How rivalry became a lasting division
NATO and the Warsaw Pact linked countries' defence to opposing groups. They reinforced a division that political and economic disputes had already created.
Sources A-C are short paraphrases of identified contemporary documents. This chapter is a prescribed source-based case-study topic for all three courses; these exercises are shorter than a full examination set.