Breakdown of Grand Alliance 1943-45 Notes

Key Questions

1. What were the ideological differences between the US and the USSR by 1943?
2. How did World War Two heighten tensions between the US and USSR?
3. What caused the shift towards Cold War thinking by 1945?

What were the ideological differences between the US and the USSR by 1943?

1. Opposing economic systems

1. The United States supported capitalism, free markets, and private enterprise.
2. The Soviet Union promoted communism, a state-controlled economy, and the abolition of private property.
3. Each side saw the other’s system as a threat to global stability and their own security

2. Contrasting political values

1. The US valued liberal democracy, competitive elections, and individual freedoms.
2. The USSR embraced a one-party state, controlled political expression, and justified repression as necessary for socialist transformation.
3. Mutual suspicion grew as both sides believed the other sought to expand its ideological influence.

3. Mutual distrust rooted in interwar actions

1. The US and other Western powers had intervened against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War (1918–1920), leaving a legacy of Soviet mistrust.
2. The US refusal to recognise the Soviet government until 1933 contributed to long-term tension.
3. Stalin remained convinced that capitalist nations would ultimately attempt to undermine communism.

How did World War Two heighten tensions between the US and USSR?

1. The Second Front dispute

1. Stalin demanded that the US and Britain open a Second Front in Western Europe as early as 1942 to relieve pressure on the Red Army.
2. Churchill’s preference for a “soft underbelly” strategy through North Africa and Italy frustrated Stalin, who saw these delays as deliberate.
3. The postponement until the D-Day landings in June 1944 deepened Soviet suspicion that the West hoped Germany would weaken the USSR.

2. Different strategic priorities

1. The USSR focused on reclaiming lost territory and creating a buffer zone in Eastern Europe to prevent future invasions.
2. The US prioritised a defeat of Nazi Germany followed by the establishment of a postwar order based on democratic principles and economic cooperation.
3. These divergent aims led to disagreements on how to handle liberated territories.

3. Tensions over Poland

1. Stalin insisted on having a pro-Soviet government in Poland to guarantee Soviet security.
2. The US supported the Polish government-in-exile in London, hoping for free elections after the war.
3. The Soviet Union’s refusal to compromise highlighted early postwar conflict over Eastern Europe’s future.

4. Allied conferences before Yalta

1. At Tehran (1943):
   1. Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met, revealing clear tensions beneath the cooperation.
   2. Stalin pushed hard for the Second Front and made territorial claims in Eastern Europe.
   3. The US showed willingness to work with the USSR, while Britain was more cautious of Soviet expansionism.
   4. Despite cooperation against Germany, the conference exposed underlying ideological and strategic distrust.
2. The issue of postwar settlements
   1. The US promoted the idea of the United Nations, hoping it would encourage cooperation and prevent future conflict.
   2. Stalin feared such international structures would be used to contain Soviet influence.
   3. Preliminary debates foreshadowed later Cold War disagreements over global leadership and spheres of influence.

What caused the shift toward Cold War thinking (1944–45)?

1. Growing US concern about Soviet intentions

1. Reports from Eastern Europe indicated that the USSR was installing friendly regimes and suppressing non-communist groups.
2. US diplomats, including George Kennan, began warning that the USSR was seeking dominance rather than partnership.

2. Soviet fear of capitalist encirclement

1. Stalin believed the West would eventually unite to limit Soviet power once the common enemy (Germany) was defeated.
2. This fear drove aggressive Soviet policies in surrounding regions.

3. Breakdown of trust despite military alliance

1. Although the nations were wartime allies, cooperation was fragile and tactical, not based on shared values.
2. By early 1945, the US and USSR were already thinking in terms of postwar rivalry, setting the stage for the Cold War even before Yalta.