Cold War Leaders： Truman vs Stalin

• Comparison between Truman and Stalin

• Focus

  • The “impact” of leaders on the “course” and “development” of the Cold War
  • It is important to connect policies to their role and impact

• Introduction

  • Truman was the president from 1945 to 1953
    • He succeeded Roosevelt, who had a more appeasing stance towards Stalin
  • Stalin was the leader from 1924-1953
  • They were leaders during the transition from a multipolar to a bipolar world, with Europe weakened after World War II
  • Both leaders represented competing systems, each believing in their own righteousness and perceiving the expansionist plans of the other as a threat
    • The American intervention in Russia in 1918 set the stage for this perception

• Both leaders aimed to create their sphere of influence in Europe

  • Truman pursued a policy of proactive containment against the Soviet sphere of influence through the Truman Doctrine, in contrast to the previous isolationist approach
  • Stalin also pursued an ideological confrontation and saw the world divided into two camps: the “imperialistic” camp led by the US and the “democratic” camp led by the USSR, with artists and intelligentsias expected to follow this perspective
  • Europe became divided as a result

• Both leaders intervened in Asia to establish their spheres of influence

• Different Tactics

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• General Policies

  • Both Truman and Stalin pursued ideological confrontation and used their military capabilities to confront each other
  • Both leaders engaged in an arms race and pursued the containment of the other in Europe and other regions
  • Truman initially relied on the threat of nuclear weapons to contain the Soviets, while Stalin relied more on conventional forces

• Regional Policies (Asia)

  • The US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan to demonstrate its military power to the Russians
  • Both leaders intervened in Asia to establish their spheres of influence
  • Truman sent military advisors to Vietnam during the early stages of the conflict

• Regional Policies (Europe)

  • NATO was created as a military alliance between the US and Western Europe, primarily as a safety measure for the US and to increase its influence
  • The Warsaw Pact was created by the Eastern European countries to protect themselves from NATO
  • Both leaders focused on Germany as a key strategic territory and broke agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam
  • Truman used economic assistance, such as the Marshall Plan, to gain political influence in Western Europe, while Stalin used conventional military strength to gain political control in Eastern Europe

• Claim / Conclusion

  • Despite minor differences in their approaches, both Truman and Stalin aimed to increase their influence and contain each other using political, economic, and militaristic power
  • Their actions played a significant role in ending the Grand Alliance and starting the confrontation of the Cold War

• Note

  • It is important to mention the overlapping period of Truman and Stalin as the main focus
    • For example, it may be unnecessary to discuss the Warsaw Pact since Truman was not involved, but a brief mention for context may be helpful
  • Briefly touching on topics outside the scope can provide additional context

• Sources

  • Pearson Textbook p242
    • Includes quotes
  • Cold War and Americas
    • Truman and the Cold War section
    • This source also covers content for Paper 3 (HL)
  • https://eduzaurus.com/free-essay-samples/a-comparative-study-between-the-roles-of-truman-and-stalin-in-the-development-of-the-cold-war/
  • https://matteoaprilehistory.weebly.com/truman-and-stalin%20https://eduzaurus.com/free-essay-samples/a-comparative-study-between-the-roles-of-truman-and-stalin-in-the-development-of-the-cold-war/-essay.html

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/19cLwhmKd9wtAH180EgvoqnPJBoxpqvEJfuWgdiGhQuI/edit

  • Table created during class

Possible questions:

• Compare and contrast the roles of two Cold War leaders from different regions in the development of the Cold War.
• Analyze the roles of two Cold War leaders from different regions in the development of the Cold War.
• Other possibilities include “analyze” or “discuss”