Early US-Soviet Relations
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 4.1.4
Early US-Soviet Relations
The development of the atomic bomb, the Long and Novikov telegrams and the creation of Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe were all important events in early US-Soviet relations.
The impact of the atomic bomb (1949)
- The USA had a usable atomic bomb by the end of the war. It dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on the 6th of August 1945.
- This gave it an advantage until the Soviet Union developed its own in 1949.
- This arms race increased the suspicion between the former allies (USA and Soviet Union).
The impact of the Long telegram (1946)
- The Long telegram was a top-secret memo sent by US Ambassador, George Kennan, to Washington.
- It argued to President Truman that the Soviet Union was a threat to capitalism (free markets and trade between people and nations).
- It suggested that the Soviets were building up their naval, military and nuclear power. He was partly right, as the Soviets developed the atomic bomb in 1949.
- Most importantly, it said that peace between the USA and the USSR was impossible.
The impact of Novikov’s telegram (1946)
- Nikolai Novikov was the Soviet Union's Ambassador to the USA. He wrote a telegram to Joseph Stalin saying that the USA aimed to be the greatest power in the world, that it was preparing to go to war and that the Soviets were the only nation that could stop the USA from becoming the dominant military and economic power in the world.
Test yourself on Early US-Soviet Relations
In what year did the Soviet Union develop their own atomic bomb?
Which of the following were included in Novikov’s Telegram?