Background to the Cold War

Why is the “second front” a point of contention?�

• Churchill and Roosevelt promise to launch a second front by 1942, but allies fear high casualties and frontal (WWI like) assault.
• Operation Torch in N. Africa does nothing to help Stalin
• 1943 Italian invasion also offers Stalin little relief b/c of geography defense requires few of German troops
• By D-Day in 1944 Russians are already pushing Germans back and Russian casualties have been enormous: SOVIET BATTLEFIELD CASUALTIES EXCEEDED COMBINED CASUALTIES OF ALL OTHER ALLIES IN EUROPE and more than 50X US CASUALTIES

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What is the role of Poland?

• Russia is geographically vulnerable in the west (Napoleon 1812, Kaiser W. in 1914, Hitler 1941)
• Stalin wants to move Soviet border westward (take land from Poland, Poland regains land on its west from Germany)
• Soviets demand a “friendly”-pro-Russia and pro-Communist government in Poland, Polish government in exile is shunned

Katyn Masacre / Warsaw Uprising

• Katyn massacre: NKVD (Soviet Secret Police) murder 22,000+ Polish military officers, police etc. and blame it on Nazis until 1990
• 1945 Warsaw uprising, as Soviets move into Poland; Polish exiled government rises up against Germany. British and US governments plead w/Stalin to support the Poles. Stalin waits until Germans have crushed the uprising to move in and take on the Germans

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Katyn Masacre Mass Grave

How do differing ideologies contribute to mutual suspicion and dislike?�

“If we see that Germany is winning the war we ought to help the Russians, and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany and in that way let them kill as many as possible.”

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Harry Truman to a reporter in June 1941

What role did aid to the Soviet Union play?

• Lend-Lease act: US gives 11 billion in aid to USSR - over north sea where they are attacked by Germans. Soviets distrust US and think allies are stalling
• US terminates aid after Japan surrenders. (USSR had suffered more physical damage than any other allies. Stalin hopes to to use Lend-Lease aid of trucks and RR equipment to rebuild his country
• At the Yalta conference of 1945, Stalin asks for 10 billion in reparations, and 1 billion in loans- WC and FDR balk and set up a committee

How did the Allies divide Germany?

• 3, then 4 occupied zones, each occupier would deal with reparations in its own zone
• Polish boundary is reluctantly agreed to by Churchill and FDR
• Suspicion abounds fear of capitalist/communist Germany and the threat it poses

Other Factors:

• US badly wants help from huge Soviet army and agrees to both Japanese and Chinese territorial concessions. (Woops, China is our ally.)
• Stalin is not told of atomic bomb until Potsdam Conference in July 1945. Stalin knows about it from his own intelligence. Truman does not withdraw request for Soviet invasion of Japan, but also does follow through with promised territorial concessions.
• Stalin knows Churchill hates him and communism, has feared German/British alliance late in war – lack of second front is evidence
• Roosevelt was more conciliatory than Truman who is strongly influenced by Churchill

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