The two superpowers at the end of the Second World War met in 1945 over the “corpse of Nazi Germany” (Walker). Berlin in particular and Germany as a whole were very important in the origin and development of the cold war as the war torn country acted as the “Dueling Ground” where the two sides met and their policies came into direct, close conflict.
During the First World War, part of what enabled the Russian Revolution and Bolshevik takeover was the war with the Germans which decimated Tsarist loyal forces and the Russian economy. Germany therefore had an important effect which would eventually lead to the Cold War beginning, as the newly in-power Soviets called for Communist revolutions across the world. Their ideology and this hostile stance as well as their withdrawal from war with Germany immediately caused their alienation from the rest of the allied international community (the West). Germany was therefore important before 1945, in the origins of the Cold War, as it caused the Soviets to be able to take power, as well as to reach superpower status and be a threat to the West in their race to become a match to the United States and the Third Reich prior to and during the Second World War.
During the Cold War, Germany was the place where the two sides met. It was the only place where their military forces, particularly in Berlin, mixed and faced off against each other. This naturally led to extreme tension due to the great suspicion and mistrust between the two sides. Particularly this was expressed in very different policies and ideas of what to do with Germany during the end of the war and post-war. The Yalta and Potsdam conferences (especially the former) failed to come to a consensus except that Germany’s would be an unconditional surrender. Other than this, the US side was generally kinder to the inhabitants, contrasting to the vengeful Russians who raped and pillaged their way to Berlin. In one case, German P.O.W.s hijacked a train and told the Russians they had a disease, so desperate were they to be sent to the allied side (they were) (von Luck, Panzer Commander). Immediately post-war, the West attempted to feed the starving Germans and rebuild the country through policies such as the Marshal Plan. The Russians instead stole German Industry and technology, again as a means of revenge. These contrasting views and early policies led to major tensions and did much to exacerbate the Cold War’s origin.
Germany was also the cause of major policy deadlocks which aggravated the war and contributed to its development. Stalin’s attempt to takeover Berlin by closing the borders led to the Berlin airlift, which showed to both sides the importance of the city to the West and East. As General Clay said in a cable to Washington D.C.:
“...We are convinced that our remaining in Berlin is essential to our prestige in Germany and in Europe. Whether for good or bad, it has become a symbol of the American intent.”
The US also allowed West Berlin to create an Army, despite post-war disarmament of the country, which worried the Soviets, considering the war they had just fought to ensure the defeat of the German Army. West Berlin’s glittering capitalism and economic prosperity also led to the emigration of essential East Germans to the West and the eventual building of the Berlin Wall, also an important policy change by the East which shows the importance of the country to the USSR and therefore the continuing development of the Cold War. Kennedy even made speeches promising his support to the West Germans in Berlin itself to show his convictions. Before the Wall was built, a major confrontation occurred between Soviet and US military forces, as tanks from both sides faced off along the main street connecting the West and East sections of Berlin. Though no shots were fired, this sort of duel of conviction showed both sides and the world the seriousness of the situation. Because of the tensions in the country the US could not interfere behind the Iron Curtain due to the threat of war and their promises to West Germany. Germany was the line drawn in the sand between the two dueling sides which showed to all where the conflict borders were.
Alternatively it can be argued that Germany is not as important because of the cataclysmic importance of events elsewhere and so its role in the development of the war is not so big. For example, the dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Korean War, Vietnam War, etc. all occur elsewhere and in many cases mark major events in the Cold War’s development. The evolution of nuclear technology to ICBM’s also made it a global conflict and not one limited to fighting over Germany. However, as Sir Frank Roberts says, the Russians view was that though the border was in Germany it was mutually understood that both sides would cause problems elsewhere on either side; but Germany was the dividing line and is therefore very important in the Cold War.
Germany is generally recognized by historians to have played an important role in the origin and development of the Cold War. There are many academic schools of thought, including so called “orthodox”, “revisionist”, and “post revisionist”. To take a brief look at each one in relation to Germany, the post revisionist and orthodox views are particularly interesting to look at here. The orthodox view of the war, represented by historians such as Richard Pipes, blames the USSR and claims the Soviets were overly aggressive and hostile towards the West. Given that Germany and WW I are largely to blame for the Soviet government coming to power, Germany is very important to the orthodox point of view. Post-revisionists, such as John Lewis Gaddis, on the other hand tend to be more balanced between blaming the West as opposed to the USSR. Germany is still important to their point of view, being more balanced, as it is a good location from which to address the actions of both sides coming into close conflict with each other. Revisionists tend to be a lot more critical of the Western powers, and focus on their actions, many of the most controversial of which took place outside of Germany. Therefore, Germany being very important in the origin and development of the war is represented best by these two schools of thought, orthodox and post-revisionist.
In conclusion, while there are other important factors in the origin and development of the Cold War, Germany is still essential in both the origin and the development as the place where forces met and where the line in the sand between dueling superpowers was drawn.
