History ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 5-16-2026

Abstract

While there is little question of when the Cold War ended, debate over its origins and how interconnected events were between the opening and closing acts is ongoing. Opening with the last of the wartime conferences–Tehran, 4thMoscow, Yalta, and Potsdam–and closing at dissolution of the Soviet Union on the last day of 1991, Eastern Europe played out a complex series of scenes that, while they can be viewed and understood independently, collectively portray a story of far greater complexity and meaning. By examining the events in Eastern Europe through this lens, the questions raised are “How are these events connected?”, “What was the driving force behind them?”, and “How did they bring about the end of the Cold War?” In answering these questions, I have chosen a starting point for this research that approximately coincides with the geopolitical shift that moved the world forward from World War II, as opposed to assigning an origin, to the Cold War’s end. With the wartime conferences as a prelude, I have divided the Cold War into three “phases” of the postwar period–“Rebuilding Europe and Building Alliances” (1944–1955), “Chaos in the Eastern Bloc” (1953 to 1970), and “Détente, Perestroika, and the End of Days” (1970 to 1989)–to define “how the dots are connected,” the influencing factors, and impacts…beginning to end.

Level of Degree

Masters

Degree Name

History

Department Name

History

First Committee Member (Chair)

Caleb Richardson

Second Committee Member

Tiffany Florvil

Third Committee Member

Mark Peceny

Fourth Committee Member

Christopher Butler

Language

English

Keywords

Eastern Europe, NATO, Warsaw Pact, Soviet Union, Postwar Europe, WWII

Document Type

Thesis

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Available for download on Tuesday, May 16, 2028

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