The challenge is over: how the Cold War began
On March 5, 1946, the start was given to the confrontation of the superpowers, which defined the political face of the twentieth century. By that time, less than a year had passed since the defeat of Nazi Germany, and after the end of World War II — just over six months. The relations of the recent allies after the Potsdam Conference passed into the stage of a clash of interests. And Winston Churchill's speech in the American Fulton became a landmark event that marked the beginning of the Cold War. Izvestia recalled how it was.
Sir Winston's American Voyage
At the end of 1945, former and future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was spending a long vacation in the United States, accepted an invitation from Westminster College to give a lecture on "international relations." The city of Fulton, where this college is located, is the birthplace of US President Harry Truman. Churchill saw in this coincidence an opportunity to stage a play with worldwide resonance. He did everything he could to make Truman honor the lecture with his presence. Already on March 5, Churchill and Truman were solemnly welcomed by the whole of Fulton.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Harry Truman during their arrival in Fulton. March 4, 1946
Who was Churchill at that time? The leader of the opposition, the retired prime minister, for whom the reputation of the most consistent opponent of the Nazis, who was involved in the victory in the Second World War, worked. In addition, he was known to be witty and wise, almost a visionary. It was difficult to deny him his rich political experience. Truman led a country whose economic leadership was beyond doubt after the war. In addition, the United States has become a monopolist in the possession of weapons of mass destruction. In Washington, the atomic bomb was considered a bid for world leadership. They were not going to put up with the expansion of Moscow's political influence.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivers a speech at Westminster College in Fulton. March 5, 1946
The positions of the leftist forces and, in particular, the Communist parties around the world have strengthened. Despite significant military losses, the Soviet Union became more powerful. Churchill came to the United States at the height of the Soviet-British conflict in Iran. And even in England, the Labour Party, which won the elections, was quite capable of swinging to the left. All this doubled Sir Winston's fear of the strengthening of the Soviet Union. Initially, he called his speech "World Peace." But this formula was too reminiscent of the usual rhetoric of Soviet diplomats. "Muscles of the World" was the final name. There was a threat in it.
Overstepping the decency
From a high rostrum, Churchill, a master of effective formulations, argued: "It is difficult for me to imagine that ensuring effective measures to prevent a new war and develop close cooperation between peoples would be possible without creating what I would call a fraternal union of English—speaking countries." Churchill assured that "not a single person in any country on our earth has become worse at night because the secret of the production of atomic weapons, as well as the corresponding technological base and raw materials are concentrated today mainly in American hands."
The US nuclear tests on Bikini Atoll. The year 1946
Naming wars and tyranny as the main dangers to humanity, he pointed to the source of the threats: "No one can say what can be expected in the near future from Soviet Russia and the international communist community led by it, and what are the limits, if any, of their expansionist aspirations and persistent efforts to convert the whole world to their faith." He said that from Stettin on the Baltic Sea to Trieste on the Adriatic Sea, an "iron curtain has already descended on Europe." The speech was not a straightforward "declaration of war" on world communism.
Feigning fear, Churchill blurted out: "I do not believe that Soviet Russia wants a new war." He called Stalin a wartime comrade, to whom he, Churchill, "treats with deep respect," hinting that a compromise was still possible... The recognition by the former and future British Prime Minister that the United States should assume the role of world arbitrator after World War II was also significant. Not England, but the USA. This is not an easy admission for a Brit. Nevertheless, Churchill's determination to act against "Soviet expansion" attracted universal attention. He overstepped the bounds of decency that are accepted among the great powers. In diplomatic terms, despite reservations, this meant a decisive transition from coexistence to confrontation.
Participants of the Potsdam Conference, representatives of the powers of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II: British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, President of the United States of America Harry Truman and Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Chairman of the USSR State Defense Committee and Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b) Joseph Stalin during a press conference. July 25, 1945
The speech lasted less than 45 minutes, but the experienced politician managed to touch several pain points at once and achieved the main thing: no one in the world could ignore this speech. Churchill was back at the top of big politics. The term "cold war" was not coined by him. Six months before the Fulton speech, the writer George Orwell used it. But it was Churchill who turned this expression into a political reality.
Declarations that the entire "civilized world" hoped for the owner of the White House certainly flattered the American president's self-esteem. Everyone understood that this speech could not but irritate the Kremlin. Before the speech, Churchill handed over a summary of his speech to Truman, and the US president noted that the speech would cause a big scandal, but in the long run it would play a positive role. Publicly, Truman, as the current president of a major power, refrained from supporting his British ally, but clearly aligned himself with this doctrine. Churchill was a private citizen, he was not constrained by diplomatic reasons.
Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill leave Westminster Abbey in London after attending a memorial service for Field Marshal Lord Gort. The year 1946
Sir Winston remained British. He feared that his Fulton improvisation would be viewed with prejudice in London, and after the speech he sent a letter to his rival, Labor Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin, in which he argued that a small show of force was necessary to resolve relations with the USSR.
Moscow's response
Stalin received the text of the speech on the same day, but was in no hurry to respond. An article by historian Yevgeny Tarle, "Churchill rattles weapons," appeared in the Soviet press, which dealt, among other things, with the colonial appetites of the British.
Well, on March 14, Stalin himself made his statement from the pages of Pravda. He was even more blunt than his British counterpart. Stalin stated: "Does Churchill's speech harm the cause of peace and security? Absolutely, yes. In fact, Mr. Churchill now stands in the position of warmongers, and Mr. Churchill is not alone here — he has friends not only in England, but also in the United States of America. It should be noted that Mr. Churchill and his friends strikingly resemble Hitler and his friends in this regard. Hitler began the war by proclaiming a racial theory, declaring that only people who speak German represent a full-fledged nation. Mr. Churchill also begins the war with a racial theory, arguing that only English-speaking nations are full-fledged nations called upon to decide the fate of the whole world."
Churchill was the first to adopt an aggressive tone in his dealings with Moscow. The Soviet side chose an even firmer intonation and harsh rhetoric for a tense dialogue. The stigma of "warmonger" has long been attached to Churchill in the Soviet press.
Under the conditions of the American monopoly on nuclear weapons, the Soviet Union managed to defend its sovereignty. Including the methods of active diplomacy from the UN rostrum. But already in March 1946, the Kremlin showed that it had every reason not to fear pressure from the West. Confidence was inspired by the military force, and millions of people who sympathized with the country that defeated fascism. That is why a "hot" war with the Soviet Union was impossible for the West. We had to start a cold war based on a policy of sanctions, provocations, and an active confrontation between intelligence and propaganda. The Anglo-American bloc failed to stop the expansion of Soviet influence. The principle of party discipline helped Soviet diplomacy to form a fairly manageable community of countries that formed the "socialist camp."
U.S. Marines retreat from Chosin during the Korean War. The year 1950
The confrontation has become a long-term regime. There is a direct road from the Fulton speech to the Marshall Plan, when the Americans provided financial and military-political assistance to Western European countries in exchange for the deployment of American military bases there and diplomatic loyalty. This became a guarantee against the expansion of the socialist camp in Europe. Although in France and Italy, the Communist parties were very popular. A barrier was built in front of them. The acuteness of the confrontation in the Cold War was evidenced by the triumph of "McCarthyism" and the "witch hunt" (or rather, the supporters of peace with the USSR) in the United States, and the organization of the NATO military alliance.
An American reconnaissance aircraft flies over the Soviet merchant ship Metallurg Anosov. The Caribbean crisis, November 10, 1962
The first decade of the Cold War was the most dangerous and tense. It contained the victory of the Communist Party in China, the bloody war in Korea, in which, for the only time in history, Americans fought against Soviet soldiers and officers. Then it was time for an alarming balance between the two world centers of gravity. The Cold War almost turned into a hot one in October 1962, when the Americans tried to impose their will on communist Cuba. But even then, the two sides managed to stay away from the irreparable.
Fulton's Atavisms
Today, Cold War stereotypes are not archived in the West. Even in the early years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when we believed that confrontation with Washington was no longer relevant, America continued to look at Russia through Truman's glasses and sought to further weaken our country... It seems that the ideological dispute between our country and the United States was interrupted after 1990. In Russia, they abandoned the construction of communism, and the United States swung from right-wing conservatism towards tolerance. But they, like the British, invariably forget about it when it comes to financial gain and political ambitions.
On February 1, 1992, the Presidents of Russia and the United States, Boris Yeltsin and George W. Bush, signed the declaration on the end of the Cold War. But it was just a political spectacle designed for an impressionable audience. The Americans saw themselves as the winners in this confrontation. And they considered it quite natural that from now on Washington would play the exclusive role of world hegemon and arbiter. This was evident during the Yugoslav crisis, and more than once in the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, and most recently in Venezuela.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and US President George W. Bush during a press conference at Camp David. February 1, 1992
The result of this policy is US military bases around the world, arrogant and aggressive rhetoric towards "recalcitrant" countries. Attempts (though not very successful) to limit the opportunities for economic development of potential and obvious competitors. The policy of ostracism, the "culture of abolition", when the principle of "soft power" turns into direct barbarism. The Fulton echo. What can be opposed to the "barricade thinking" of the Cold War? Only respect for the identity of peoples and cultures. The principle of multipolarity, which corresponds to the current level of development of civilizations.
The author is the deputy editor—in-chief of the magazine "Historian"
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
