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“The actions of individual leaders had a signifcant impact on the development of the ColdWar”. Discuss with reference to two leaders, each from a different region.
Both Truman and Stlain had a significant impact on the development of the cold war as they acted in their
independent capacity to further their country's personal interests. Truman presided over the beginning of the Cold
War, and, with his commitment to the policy of containment sparked international involvement and established the
US Cold War position for the duration of the Cold War. Although other administrations developed their own
interpretations of US-Soviet relations, preventing the spread of communism remained a cornerstone of subsequent
US policies. Stalin’s post-war occupation of eastern Europe alarmed the United States and led to the formation of the
US policy of containment. The 1948 Berlin Blockade was seen as proof of Soviet aggression and the existence of the
Cominform confrmed to western powers that Moscow directed all the actions of communist countries.
Truman played a crucial role in the development of the Cold War by introducing a hardline foreign policy, contrasting
with previous isolationism. In 1947, the Truman Doctrine was initiated which stated that the USA would provide
military and economic means to stop the spread of communism and contain the USSR. This was followed by the
Marshall plan which led the US to invest $13 billion into numerous European countries in an effort to rehabilitate the
economies and create stable conditions in which democratic institutions could survive in the aftermath of WW2.
Historian Fleming argues that the Truman Doctrine was “a formalization of the long-term goals of Truman himself”.
The US felt threatened by Stalin’s ambitions for world domination and used the policy to make their intentions and
opinions very clear to the USSR. This showed Stalin, that the USA would remain in Europe and always protect it
against Communism. The Truman Doctrine was the fundamental reason for the long-term conflicts between America
and the Soviet Union, and for the outbreak of the Cold War.
President Truman also contributed to expanding cold war tensions to Asia with America’s involvement in the Korean
war. America's initial objective in the Korean conflict was to restore South Korea’s border at the 38 th parallel after
North Koreas invasion. However, after the Inchon landing in September 1950, the US decided to cross that parallel
and unify Korea under capitalism. This change of policy prompted direct Chinese military intervention. This
prolonged the Korean conflict, which could have been a short civil war, into a three year war ultimately involving not
only the UN forces but the Chinese forces, with devastating results for the Korean peninsula. While the USA
successfully contained the North Koreans and re-established the 38th parallel as the dividing line between North and
South Korea, it led to the implementation of NSC 68 which effectively globalized and militarized the cold war by
giving the go ahead to substantially increased spending by the US on the military.
Stalin holds equal significance to Truman on the development of the cold war because it was Stalin who began most
of the crises. Stalin used ‘Salami tactics’ to spread communism, initiated the Berlin Blockade and unnecessarily gave
North Korea the ‘Green Light’ to allow them to attack South Korea. Stalin was taking over Eastern Europe through
"Salami tactics" which included alliance systems and threats to rival countries. These tactics also broke Stalin’s
promise of free, democratic elections which he had agreed to in postwar conferences. This led to increased mistrust
and tensions between the superpowers. When Czechoslovakia became communist in March of 1948, the US
responded with the Truman Doctrine, which is believed by many historians to have been the official declaration of
the Cold War.
Historian Tony Judt argues that Stalin’s biggest mistake was not accepting Marshall Aid - there was nothing that was
stopping him from accepting it. He could have helped to rebuild Germany in way in which everyone else had
supported, he could have gotten allies for example France. Instead, Stalin responded with the creation of the Council
for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), a centralized agency that linked eastern bloc countries for Moscow,
and Cominform which increased Stalin’s control over communist parties of other countries. This significantly
increased tensions with the west who was concerned that this organization would actively spread communism which
played a role in the creation of NATO in 1949. Furthermore, Stalin chose to create the war for his own domestic
policies. This can be seen in 1948, when Stalin began the Berlin blockade, partially in response to the Marshal Plan
which resulted in the permanent division of Germany and sparked future conflicts such as the Korean War.
In conclusion, the actions of both Truman and Stalin had a significant impact on the development of the cold war, as
they provoked each other and escalated tensions between the USA and USSR, leading to more war and bloodshed.
Truman’s impact came through his foreign policy of containment which became the foundation of US actions and
intervention in the Cold war. In contrast, Stalin impacted the development of the cold war through “salami tactics”
, which forced the US to respond with the Truman doctrine, the creation of COMECON and Cominform, and the Berlin
blockade which was the first Cold war crisis.
Compare and contrast the roles of two Cold war leaders from different regions in the
development of the Cold War.
Joseph Stalin and Henry Truman both played a role in the development of the origins of the cold war; from the
moment they met in Potsdam, the different ideologies and the lack of trust between the two resulted in the first
step towards decades-long divergence. Their actions and beliefs would lead to the division of Europe and the
spreading of cold war tension to Asia. Although Stalin’s actions were key in Europe for causing initial tension, it can
be argued that Truman’s actions with regard to Korea were key for globalizing and militarizing the Cold War.
From Potsdam in 1945, when they the two leaders met for the first time, the ’old continent’ become the stage of the
first Cold War confrontations. Stalin carried out a strong sovietization program thanks to the so called “Salami
Tactics” which brought Eastern Europe under Soviet control. Truman, fearing a possible expansion in Europe,
introduced the Truman Doctrine, which was followed by the Marshall Plan. Both the actions of Stalin and Truman
thus played a key role in developing tensions. While Soviet action were seen in the West as “the systematic
destruction of democracy, by terror, murder, corruption, lies and propaganda” (Kruassman), the actions of Truman
were seen by the Soviets as ‘dollar imperialism’ and an attempt to spread capitalist ideas throughout Eruope. Stalin
reacted with the introduction of the COMECON and Cominform, starting a ping-pong dispute which led to ideological
disputes from both sides, becoming the base of the Cold War.
The actions of both leaders also created a divided Germany by 1949. Both sides focused on Germany as a key
strategic territory and each had different aims for the country. At Yalta and Potsdam it had been agreed that
Germany should have been divided temporarily into four zones of occupation, administered by the Allied Control
Council (ACC). However, while the West wanted to build up Germany, Stalin was worried that a united, economically
powerful Germany would pose a threat to its security. Also, he wanted to get as much out of Germany as possible in
terms of reparations. The clash in different aims between Truman and the West and Stalin led to an early breakdown
over reparations’ agreements and set the stage for the ultimate division of Germany.
In 1948, Truman and the West introduced a new currency into the Western sector of Berlin. This caused resentment
with Soviets who saw the new currency as the first step toward establishing a West Germany state. Stalin eventually
cut off all rail and road links to west Berlin, introducing a Blockade. As described by Byrnes, this was “the first major
crisis of the Cold War, setting up the stage for the decades of tension that were to follow.” Truman and Stalin
therefore saw in Germany the possibility of expanding their sphere of influence, having as a consequence a further
rise in tensions and escalation of the Cold War. The blockade resulted in the setting up of the FDR and then the DDR
as well as the establishment of NATO in 1949 as Truman realized the importance of having military bases in Europe.
Furthermore, both Stalin and Truman engaged in an arms race which had a dramatic impact n the conduct of the
cold war. As stated by Gar Alperovitz, the dropping of the A-bomb was the first diplomatic move by the USA in the
Cold War. However, if the intention was to keep Stalin in check, this did not work and by 1949 the USSR had its own
nuclear weapon. This triggered a nuclear arms race which was have a dramatic impact on the increase in tension and
to determined how the cold war was conducted in later years.
Stalin and Truman also played a role in expanding cold war tensions to Asia though it could be argued that Truman’s
actions were more significant. USA’s involvement in China had no impact on the final result; despite the large
amounts of US aid to the GMD, the CCP defeated GMD due to the incompetence of Jiang Jieshi and the popular
policies of the CCP. However, with the Red Scare in the USA, the ‘loss’ of China was seen as major defeat for the USA
and led to pressure on Truman to prove that he was not ‘soft on Communism’. Thus, when North Korea invaded
South Korea in 1950, Truman saw this as an advance of Communism instigated by Stalin and, under a UN flag, sent a
US army to defeat the North Koreans. This prolonged the Korean conflict, which would have been a short civil war,
into a three year war ultimately involving not only the UN forces but the Chinese forces, with devastating results for
the Korean peninsula. The USA successfully contained the North Koreans and re-established the 38 th parallel as the
dividing line between North and South Korea, but it led to the implementation of NSC 68 which effectively globalized
and militarized the cold war by giving the go ahead to substantially increased spending by the US on the military. The
USA also set up SEATO as a result of what it saw as the new communist threat in Asia, and became committed to
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