Cold War Tensions
Cuba- Introduction
- Cuba also became entangled with Cold War politics. - The problems that the country faced were similar to those faced by many countries in what was then called the 'Third World,' commencing with the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, which prompted the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1964. - This crisis brought the world to a standstill for thirteen days, bracing masses for the possibility of a nuclear war.
Division of Germany
- During the Cold War, Germany became the centre for all the tensions between Democracy and Communism. - With its location being the gateway between East and West Europe, it was an ideal platform for these political struggles to occur. - Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, tensions were evident between the Soviet Union and the Western allies over the economic question in the occupation of Germany and the amount of political freedom allowed in Eastern Europe, placing Germany at the heart of Cold War tensions. - In February 1945, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met and drew up a plan of action for the occupation of a defeated German state, agreeing to divide Germany into four zones of Allied military occupation. - The Allies agreed to divide up Germany, and its capital Berlin, into four zones for reasons referred to as the Four D's: democratisation, demilitarisation, decentralisation and de-Nazification. - Despite some disagreements, the Americans and Soviets largely coordinated their efforts in the immediate occupation of Germany after the war. - April 1945: They even staged an elaborate photo-opportunity of their meeting at the Elbe River. - The Yalta Conference was where Germany first became affected by the tensions. - The Declaration of Freedom for Liberated Europe left the futures of Poland and Germany to be discussed at a later date, but committed the Big Three to adhering to democratic processes in the region, including the promotion of economic recovery in Europe. - This decision was formalised in the Potsdam Conference in August which although did not do much beyond expanding and clarifying the policies agreed upon at Yalta, was significant in that it showed the tension of the wartime alliance, which set the stage for the Berlin Blockade. - Distrust had risen between the Allies. - Truman himself had been an outspoken critic of Stalin and the Soviet Union, but they still managed to agree on a map for what was supposed to be a temporary division of Germany.
Berlin Wall
- Following the division of Germany in 1949, it became impossible to cross the border from East to West. - 1949-1961: 3 million people fled through the hole in the Iron Curtain that was West Berlin- costed East Germany about 1/6 of its population. - This massively impacted East Germany as it led to a brain drain. - Resulted in social and cultural challenges within West Germany as Easterners struggled to adjust to life in a dramatically different system. - Revisionist historian Williams criticised the Americans for intentionally undermining East Germany and provoking the problems that triggered the second Berlin Crisis- the Berlin Wall, which was another impact of Cold War tensions. - 1958: Khrushchev put pressure on the West to give up West Berlin; Eisenhower refused. - However when Kennedy ignored a reissue of the demand in 1961, Khruschhev and Walter Ulbricht ordered for the Berlin Wall to be built overnight on 13 August 1961. - Historian Amir Eshal claims that the building of the Wall was not only the result of the communist regime's will to stop the flight of its own people to the West but also the result of the West's inability to effectively counter what is now acknowledged as an unbearable crime. - Tensions between the superpowers affected Germany, splitting families and friends by the barrier that encircled West Berlin. - Though the building of the wall solved the crisis of Easterners fleeing to the West, it became the symbol of East-West division- represented the failure of Communism. - West- the Wall became a powerful symbol of the repression and authoritarian threat of the Soviet bloc- a physical representation of the 'Iron Curtain.' - 1961-1989: 200 people were killed climbing the wall. - The Berlin Wall- a direct consequence of Cold War tensions between the USSR and the USA- greatly affected the social lives of those in Germany, especially those in the East. - Historians discuss how the social and economic issues are still being repaired in Germany due to the Berlin Wall that only fell in 1989.
Germany- Introduction
- Germany lied at the heart of Cold War tensions and was seen as a microcosm of the broader conflict. - It represented the changes and developments in tension between the USA and the USSR, following its division into four zones after the Second World War. - The impact of Cold War tensions is most prominent in the Berlin crises. - The Berlin Blockade in 1948 deprived West Germans of supplies, to which the USA retaliated with the Berlin Airlift, effectively bringing Stalin's plans to ruin. - Despite the lifting of the blockade, Berlin became the stage in which both superpowers repeatedly asserted their claims to dominance in Europe, peaking with the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.
Germany- Conclusion
- Germany was made the ultimate battleground for the Cold War conflict, leading to the Berlin Blockade in 1948 and the Berlin Wall in 1961, due to the differences in ideology between Stalin and US Presidents that heightened tensions between them. - Cold War tensions led to the tearing of Berlin in half by the struggling parties. - Repercussions of this are what is shaping the problems in modern day Germany. - The neglect that East Germany suffered through at the hands of the Communists would cause not only economic problems, but also social problems as the Western and Eastern Germans grew apart as people. - The scars that the Communist Party left on the East Germans are still being repaired and the end of the social schism does not appear yet to be in sight.
Cuba- Conclusion
- In Cuba, tensions highlighted Castro's strength as a dictator, specifically when he beat the US-trained Cuban exiles in the Bay of Pigs invasion. - Tensions between the Soviet Union and America brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in the Cuban Missile Crisis that followed. - The embargo that the US posed on the island nation as a result of Cold War tensions made Cuba reliant on the USSR for economic aid; Cuban economy fell with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Bay of Pigs
- Many conflicts that should have remained regionally based were escalated to a global level due to the links of smaller countries with the US and the USSR- evident in the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961). - US actively worked towards ending Castro's regime through interventionist means. - The population of Cuba saw this effort as a legitimisation of the Castro government- increased their nationalism and support. - While the US had clear interests to maintain control within Cuba, it is unlikely that they would have gone to the lengths to which they had- training 1 400 Cuban exiles, implementing large intelligence initiatives, investing $5 million- had it not been for Cold War tensions and the link between Cuba and the USSR. - The attempted military coup and popular uprising could have been solved politically. - Exiles were defeated by Cuban troops resulting in a massive success for Castro's government. - This failure on the part of the US only led to further belief in Castro by the Cuban people. - US government could no longer claim the moral high ground in the Cold War after the invaders were paraded in front of the world's media, publicly admitting to have been trained, financed and equipped by the USA. - Led to the strengthening of Cuba's relations with the USSR, prompting the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Berlin Blockade
- The Berlin Blockade marked a clear beginning to the international crises of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West, and was the result of the tensions that arose during this period. - The reconstruction of Germany became a key cause of disagreement between the USA and the Soviet Union, especially after the introduction of the Marshall Plan in 1947. - Western Germany received millions of dollars to get its economy up and running, while the Soviet zone was forced by Stalin to reject the Marshall Plan. - Instead, it joined Comecon, which shipped much of the remaining industry and resources back to the Soviet Union. - As relations worsened between the superpowers, the Soviet Zone was increasingly run independently from the other three zones, which began to coordinate their reconstruction efforts under the Marshall Plan. - 1948: West Germany took part in the Marshall Plan, receiving significant aid from the United States to rebuild the economy. - 1950: East Germany joined the Soviet-led Comecon. - The Americans joined with the British to merge their zones into Bizonia in 1947, then joined with the French to create Trizonia in 1948. - When Trizonia introduced a new, American-backed currency in June 1948, Stalin saw it as a provocation by the Americans and an attempt to undermine East Germany. - In response, he cut off all rail, water and road access points to West Berlin in an attempt to squeeze out the Western Allies. In response, Stalin ordered the blockade of West Berlin's roads and railways on 27 June 1948. - This led to some 2.5 million civilians losing access to food, medicine, fuel, electricity and other basic goods. - The tensions between the USSR and the USA severely affected the population of Germans in the East. - Truman's introduction of the Berlin Airlift granted the survival of 2.5 million citizens who relied on the 2.3 million tonnes of supplies delivered by the airlift on more than 270 flights, spanning across 11 months. - In May 1949, Stalin admitted defeat, helping to ease tensions between the leaders as the threat of war was avoided. - The blockade and its failure marked the consolidation of Europe into two blocs, which was fuelled by the construction of the Berlin Wall that heightened tensions even further. - In October, the Soviet Zone became the German Democratic Republic in the East, further confirming the division. - 1955: West Germany joined NATO, an American-led military alliance, and East Germany joined the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet equivalent.
Introduction
- The Cold War was an ideological war between the USSR and the USA, commencing in 1947 and lasting until 1991. - Although driven by the leaders' superpower rivalry, their conflicting ideologies also had a great impact on the rest of the world, namely Germany and Cuba who were affected by different stages of the Cold War in different ways.
Cuban Missile Crisis
- The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the result of the increasing Cold War tensions between the USA and the USSR, bringing the world on the brink of nuclear war as a result. - Though historians disagree as to whether Khrushchev or Castro played a greater role in causing the crisis, it made Cuba a focus of the world for those fateful 'thirteen days in October,' resulting in many consequences for the island nation. - Eisenhower threatened an embargo on exports of sugarcane, tobacco and other agricultural goods from Cuba. - The fear of losing its main trade partner led Cuba to begin negotiating agreements with the Eastern bloc countries and the Soviet Union, which the Americans interpreted as a shift towards Communism. - As the Americans blocked trade with Cuba, the Soviets filled the void, buying Cuban agricultural exports and providing essential oil and industrial materials. - Historians disagree on who deserves the blame for the breakdown in relations, but largely agree that economic factors were key in the rising division. - The negotiations between Kennedy and Khrushchev eventually guaranteed Cuba's security in a promise from the Americans not to invade, signalling the easing of tensions between the leaders in the Cold War. - This demonstrates how neither of the leaders were willing to resort to violence and enter a full-blown nuclear war. - Castro was excluded from the discussions, however, which meant that factors important to Cuba, including the presence of an American base at Guantanamo Bay, were ignored. - Khrushchev's lack of concern for Cuban priorities led to long-term problems in the Cuban-Soviet relationship. - Despite this distrust, Cuba was forced to rely upon the Soviets for defence and trade as the American trade embargo continued, leading to major economic challenges in the decades to follow, particularly during the Special Period as a result of the fall of the Soviet Union. - After the crisis, Cuba attempted to become more economically self-sufficient, embarking on an ambitious industrialisation plan similar to the Soviet Five-Year Plans. - These programmes aimed for economic growth over limited periods of time, through the use of quotas, and succeeded in dramatically reducing inequality in Cuba. - While Cuba's economic struggles led to later departures of goods and social problems, it did achieve some significant successes in its social programmes. - Most notable was the progress made in education and healthcare. - In the Batista years, education was largely available only to elites. - Adopting the communist language of equality and support for the working class led to programmes dedicated to dramatically increasing literacy and educational opportunities for poor Cubans and women. - The crisis shows Cuba being put in the middle of tensions between the USSR and the USA on the placement of nuclear weapons. Cuba was used as a pawn within the larger plan of the superpowers.
Conclusion
To conclude, the impact of Cold War tensions can be clearly seen in Germany and Cuba.
