Was Stalin to blame for the origins of the Cold War?
Stalinization Was a Process, Not a Plan
Stalinization was a process developed in two stages, with first stage being shaped by the opportunities arisen due to the international situation after the end of the WWII, and the second stage as a blunt and violent process imposed on the countries within the Soviet Unions’ sphere of influence.
After the end of the WWII and the take over of the Soviet Union over the German troops in 1943, Stalin took advantage of numerous international opportunities that placed him in a favorable position in his negotiations with the Allies.
In February 1945 at Yalta, Stalin received the Allies’ green light to take over the East European countries, a confirmation that he was expecting in order to interfere in the internal affaires of the Eastern European countries that have lost the war. The expansion of Stalin’s ideals represented by the communists, strictly depended upon the international situation at the end of the war, among which the economic and social factors.
First of all, the majority of the countries were broke, mainly because of the failure of capitalism during the 1929’s and 1930’s. Capitalism was then associated with fascism and the horrors of the war, and as a consequence socialism was considered ‘the future’.
Secondly, the East European cities were almost entirely destroyed and so were the economies of these countries. Rebuilding cities from zero and restructuring the economy seemed to need a collective and mass effort, which only a centralized power could coordinate. Ordered needed to be established and people needed direction. Communism seemed the answer, because at that time, it was the best-organized political force.
The Essay on Who Was To Blame For The Cold War
I GOT AN A STAR AT GCSE LEVEL FOR THIS ESSAY, ENGLISH SPELLING... HOPE U LIKE... Everyones opinion is different, some say one thing, some say another but the big question is, who was to blame for the Cold War? The United States of America? The Soviet Union? Maybe it was inevitable and bound to happen, but maybe it was partly both of their faults. Could the Cold War have been prevented? There are ...
But there was another prerequisite, which helped the communists to take over the Eastern European countries. Throughout Eastern Europe there were groups that might have stood against the take over: the bourgeoisie, the intelligentsia, trade unions and the church. But the communist benefited from the fact that the bourgeoisie in some of these countries was practically nonexistent before the war, or were destroyed during the German occupation. In the same way, the intelligentsia or trade unions were either weakened or subverted by placing communist sympathizers in their place. However, against the church communists used force and violence, and increasingly limited their importance in social activities and authority.
However, in a second stage of the process, Stalin, once he acknowledged his increasing influence in the Eastern European countries, has made himself guilty of developing a plan that was imposed violently on each country within his sphere of influence. The plan consisted in strategically infiltrating communist sympathizers in the targeted country, eliminating competition and centralizing power.
The allies realized the segregation of Europe in two different blocks only after Stalin had made a priority of securing the western borders in East Germany. From there on, it was a constant struggle to secure borders and later a harsh competition to prove the superiority of one of the two systems created. It was the emergence of the later called “Cold War”.
Communist take over, although different in every country, followed the same patterns until its complete domination. In some countries like Albania and Bulgaria, communists encountered no real opposition, being the dominant party, whereas in others (Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland) they had to fight resistance movements and drew out the enemy. Some countries were strategical targets (Poland) and had to be taken over, whereas others were in their sphere of influence (Romania) and were expected to obey. Communists’ take over would be carried out, in some countries like Poland, bluntly and violently in order to achieve their goal, and in others like Hungary, more veiled waiting first to secure the borders with the western allies.
The Essay on The Downfall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe
The Downfall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe in the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. The specifics of communism's demise varied among nations, but similarities in both the causes and the effects of these revolutions were quite similar. As well, all of the nations involved shared the common ...
Communists’ first target would be to place their own men in leading positions within the country and organizing elections that their party would win. In most of the cases the party would win because of a single government list, which electors could accept or reject. After their party would have won the elections and their power established, communists would annihilate their enemies by bringing them to court under imaginary, unreal accusations. In 1946 in Bulgaria, 160 parliamentary deputies and a number of other politicians were convicted of various war crimes against the people, out of which 100 were sentenced to death. The sentences were carried out immediately. The Polish government in exile was trapped in a “negotiation meeting”. Instead, 16 people were taken to Russia to face trial in June 1945. They never returned from negotiations.
Every single leader of the anti-communist movements in each of the East European country was either killed or replaced: Mihailovic in Yugoslavia was executed in march 1946, Mikolajczyk in Poland was killed, Ferenc Nagy in Hungary went on a trip in Switzerland from which he was never to return, Petkov in Bulgaria was arrested by the political police, Radescu in Romania resigned forced by increasing pressure from the soviets and in Czechoslovakia Benes’ death represented the end of the old democratic system.
Communists would also take over the economy by putting together restructuring three-year plans, which were meant to centralize the power. Land was nationalized and redistributed to peasants in order to weaken the bourgeoisie. Communists would always form either a political police or their private army, which they would refuse to share it with other parties, as well as ensure that the minister of internal affaires sympathized with their views.
The events unfolded in Eastern Europe between 1945-1948, prove the fact that even if Stalin represented by communists had a decent amount of influence over the Eastern European countries, ‘Stalinization’ was a process, rather than a plan gradually imposed as the Soviet Union succeeded in securing its borders and giving the countries within its sphere of influence no choice. Countries like Czechoslovakia with a strong democratic tradition were trapped and forced to refuse Marshall plan aid. As a consequence to Stalins’ severe measures to maintain control in Eastern Europe, the western allies reacted and the competition for supremacy started.
The Term Paper on Joseph Stalin: The Iron Power
The communist domination had emerged from the reign of Joseph Stalin. He led the Soviet Union which was considered as the foundation of communist states and emulated by other aspiring communist countries. As a Russian dictator, Stalin’s aggressive rule became known to be as ruthless, fearless, and domineering. Many say that his leadership caused more damage than the benefits given to Soviet Union ...
In conclusion, Stalin first only took advantage of the opportunities that he was given to seize power, but as it turned out to be his measures within his sphere of influence caused adverse reactions and gave birth to the Cold War.
Bibliography:
-“Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century-and After” – R.J. Crampton