Codifying the Cold War

Soviet Objections to the Marshall Plan

The Berlin Crisis, 1948/49

Factors prompting the blockade

Consequences of the blockade

Codifying the Cold War

• The Truman Doctrine – the development of a post war foreign policy in which the US appointed themselves as defenders of the free world and were willing to be internationally engaged.
• The Marshall Plan – the economic aid given to Europe in order that they didn’t succumb to the lure of comunism. Denounced by the Soviet delegation as an attack on the sovereignty of European states on the 27^th of June, 1947.
• Zhdanov’s two-camp thesis – described the bipolar nature of world politics at that time. His two-camp thesis had imperialistic, anti-democratic US against an anti-imperialist, democratic Soviet state.

Soviet Objections to the Marshall Plan

1. Moscow did not want to alleviate what was perceived as an impeding economic crisis in the capitalist world

2. Stalin’s priority at that time was to consolidate Soviet influence in Eastern Europe.

3. Moscow believed that post war instability in Western Europe was probably in its polical interest.

4. Soviet participation in the Marshall Plan would have required divulgence of sensitive, economic data to the West

The Berlin Crisis of 1948-49

Factors Prompting the Soviet Blockade

• The desire to influence the future of Germany
• The ambition to forestall a military alliance and West Germany and the Western Countries
• It represented an opportunity to test the political will of the West.
• It was hoped that this would foster tensions between Western Countries.

Consequences of the Blockade

The Blockade accelerated the unification of Germany’s zones and led to promulgation of the FGR in May 1949. It cemented the military alliance between US and West European Countries and it emphasised the deterrent effect of nuclear weapons.