Origins of the Cold War - Eastern Europe-Soviet

Origins of the Cold War – Percentages Agreement
When Churchill visited Stalin in Moscow in October 1944, they agreed to divide up influence in the Balkans:
Rumania – Russia 90%; Others 10%
Greece – Others 90%; Russia 10%
Yugoslavia – 50-50%
Hungary – 50-50%
Bulgaria – Russia 75%; Others 25%

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe
All countries in Eastern Europe became communist. This was done by one of two methods:
Eliminated anti-Communist leaders before elections
Forcefully installed a Communist government if a government other than Communist was elected
East Germany and other countries became marginally independent “satellite” states bound to the Soviet Union

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe
Once this was done, the countries would undergo political and cultural “sovietization”:
The local military and police would be infiltrated by Soviet Military Intelligence
Education and culture would be remodelled on the soviet pattern
Censorship would be imposed

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe
The Soviet Union did not annex the countries because:
If fully absorbed, these areas would cease to be a buffer-zone
Stalin wanted to get an empire without the title so he wouldn’t completely alienate the West
The war-ravaged USSR could not absorb the new territories
Many of the states of Eastern Europe were accustomed to a much higher standard of living than the USSR

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe
France, Britain, and the U.S. wanted a reunited Germany
The USSR responded by tightening their grip on their Eastern zone

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Poland
The U.S. wanted an independent Poland because:
An independent Poland next to the large Soviet Union would probably be allies with the U.S. for protection
Poland had been partitioned three times
Poles invaded Russia
Katyn Forest Massacre
Red Army halts
Stalin didn’t recognize the Polish gov’t in exile
The independence of Poland had been at least partly the cause of why Britain and France had gone to war

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Poland
At Yalta, it was determined that:
The new Eastern frontier of Poland should be the Curzon Line
No agreement could be reached about the western border
The Polish Government was to be enlarged and free elections held

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Poland
The Soviets wanted Poland because:
Russia wanted a buffer area because they had been invaded many times:
1 time by the French
2 times by the Germans
The Soviets then installed a Polish Communist government. Free elections were never held

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Hungary
Were treated by the invading Red Army as a defeated enemy
A coalition gov’t was formed led by the Smallholders Party
When the PM Ferene Nagy went to Switzerland to see a medical specialist, he was asked to resign by the Communists, using his family as hostages

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Hungary
Rigged elections were held in August 1947
Leaders of non-communist parties fled
The remainder of the parties were incorporated into a communist led coalition, the National Independence Front

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Rumania
Rumania was a defeated enemy
In 1947, Peasant Party leader Ion Maniu was accused of being an agent of the U.S. and Britain
He and others were arrested
The King eventually abdicated

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Rumania
In Feb. 1948, the Peasant Party was merged with the communists
The coalition of parties won rigged elections

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Bulgaria
Bulgaria had been an enemy, but was treated as a liberated ally
In Jun. 1947, the leader of the Agrarian Party, Nicola Petkov, was arrested
The Agrarian Party was merged with the Communists in the Fatherland Front
During 1948, the coalition won rigged elections

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was treated as a liberated ally
The Communist Party already had a mass following of workers and students
The failure of the policy of appeasement was the cause of the rise of Communism

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Czechoslovakia
In Feb. 1948, the communist Minister of the Interior, Vaclav Nosek, replaced the eight police commissioners in Prague with communists
The cabinet voted to reverse this, but the minister refused to agree and the PM supported him
Non-communist members of the cabinet all resigned in protest

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Czechoslovakia
Anti-Communist demonstrations took place in Prague
Two ministers were killed be defenestration
In June, the president resigned and political parties were merged into a single communist dominated National Front

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Yugoslavia
When the Germans withdrew, the communist partisans led by Joseph Tito took over the country

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Yugoslavia
There were problems between the USSR and Yugoslavia:
Soviet advisers were arrogant
Stalin offered Yugoslavia no support in its claim upon Trieste
As a result, Tito acted independently from the USSR

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Yugoslavia
Stalin tried to overthrow Tito by non-military means:
He expelled them from Cominform
Cut off economic aid
Withdrew Soviet advisors
Made the satellites break their agreements with Yugoslavia
Launched a propaganda campaign against Tito

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Yugoslavia
As a result:
Tito became a popular leader
They received aid from the West
Witch hunts and mass trials were held in other satellite states in order to remove nationalist communists from positions of authority and make those states subservient to Stalin

Origins of the Cold War –
Sovietization of Eastern Europe: Finland
Finland had been an ally of the Germans and was right next to the USSR
After the war, the Finns agreed to:
Neutrality in the Cold War
No alliances
A foreign policy that wouldn’t work against the USSR
Host Soviet military bases in return for non-interference in Finland’s internal affairs