The Breakdown of the Grand Alliance and the Origins of the Cold War,
1942-1946 provides a detailed explanation of the key events and the
Allied approaches to them, producing the breakdown of the Grand
Alliance. Given the commitment by all three Allies to maintain
cooperation over and into the post-war world, an analysis of why that
failed.
The Breakdown of the Grand Alliance and the Origins of the Cold War,
1942-1946 starts with the evidence that the Soviet Union and its two
Allies were initially aiming to achieve post-war cooperation over the
nature of the international system and maintaining that cooperation
after peace was established it then provides a detailed explanation of
how that commitment began to be questioned from September 1944 and an
analysis of why confrontational policies began to supersede those of
cooperation from 31 December 1944 partly. Particular attention is paid
to Poland, Romania, Germany, and the countries bordering on the northern
and southern Mediterranean shores in which the UK and USSR had
particular interests. The conferences of Yalta and Potsdam are covered
while also examining Tehran. The initial Councils of Foreign Ministers
are given considerable attention, along with the possibilities raised of
extending the two temporary 1944 spheres of influence arrangements.
The aim of the book is to provide evidence different to the standard
focus on Eastern Europe as the initial origins of the Cold War's causes.
Rather than assuming the Soviet intention was essentially always to
expand Soviet power or achieve communist domination over what eventually
became the Soviet satellite empire. Just because this was what
eventually happened does not mean that this was always the objective
whether or not re-enforced by ideology. Different assumptions about
initial Soviet aims are based on evidence suggesting that until the
autumn of 1944, these aims, and the US Moscow embassy's interpretation
of those aims, were to maintain cooperation with the Western Allies. The
specific questions are what led these aims to change and when they first
became evident and developed between Dec 1944 and Sept 1945. The
inconsistencies inherent in this process saw doubts arising on both
sides as to whether confrontation or continued efforts at cooperation
should be prioritised until the end of 1945
