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Period: to
Origins of the Cold War
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First Instance of Dollar Diplomacy
USSR asked for a $6 Billion loan from the US. The US immediately imposed condittions of opening of Eastern Europena Markets to US manufactured goods -
Yalta Conference
Inclusion of te London Poles inside Lublin Committee and Free Polish Election to be held Stalin also signed the Declaration of Liberated Europe which pledges free elections -
Lend Lease Termianted by US
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Tito's Involvement in Trieste
Marshall Tito forces entered Trieste which was not under Kremlin orders, was perceived by the US as a form of Soviet aggression. -
Further Request of $1 Billion
Further Request of $1 Billion conveniently 'lost' by the US State Department further increasing the Soviet convivtion that the US was unwilling to collaborate in postwar economic reconstruction -
Soviet Actions In Manchuria
50,000 US Marines were sent to North China to secure key communication centres and help the KMT as Stalin was hedging his bets with the CCP Shows how the USSR was for the Cold War as it was a covert act of expansionism which had severe implications on the levels of trust the US had with the USSR -
USSR did not join IMF and World Bank
As a result of American Dollar Diplomacy, the USSR did not join IMF and World Bank, which they USSR was willing to join initially. Hence, the American objective to restore economic balance in post-war Europe was not achieved -
Sovietisation of Romania and Bulgaria
the Red Army was already stationed there during WWII however it was only post-1945 was the Soviet influence formalised. Hence, no shift in Soviet-controlled area. In January 1946, in view of the Sovietisation in Romania and Bulgaria, Truman had already concluded that they should not compormise annymore and he was tired of 'babying the soviets' (change in perception) -
Kenan's Long Telegramme
Decisive factor in the truman administration's change of course to a policy of firmness toeards the Soviet Union -
Berlin Blockade
First time the Cold War could have gone 'hot' -> almost a turning point. Increased the feeling of military insecurity in Europe. the blockade also ended any hope of agreement between the East and West over Germany. The partition of Germany was a microcosm of the divison in Europe -
Soviet Actions in Iran
USSR did not observe the deadline of March 1946 for withdrawal from Iran in a bid to own a wam water pot. The US took the matter to the United Nations without consulting the USSR Although the USSR shares a 1000 mile border with Iran, it was never invaded from Iran hence it could not justify that the occupation of Iran was due to security reasons -
Baruch Plan
The Plan concerned the frequent inspection of atomic energy installations in UN member states part of their effort to regulate atomic energy While the plan demanded for the provision of Soviet information about their level of research and development, it allowed for retaining of Americna atomic capability -
Truman Doctrine
First American declaration that they would step up and deal with Soviet Aggression Truman however did not mention the term 'soviet' in his speech. This might indicate that as of this point in time, the US were still not willing to confront the Soviets. Hence there was no change in perception of the Soviets by the US -
Marshall Plan
The Plan's primary motive was political to contain communism. the secondary motive was to create a captive European market for American goods. the soviets however were initially willing to negotiate the terms of the Plan but due to the USA's insistence for the USSR to give up exclusive control of their own economy. The Plan cemented the economic schism as the Soviets created their own version, the Molotov Plan. This effectively divided Europe into two economic blocs. -
NATO
NATO began the military split , but remained nothing more than a political association until the Korean War as its creation did not result in the immediate response of the USSR in creating the Warsaw Pact which was created in 1955
