Cominform and Comecon

The Second World War may have ended with the defeat of the Axis powers and the Nazi and Fascist ideologies. But what if, when the dust settled, the world found itself at a stage of warring ideologies? This time between Western Capitalism and Soviet Communism. We all know how the West successfully managed to establish its sphere of influence in Europe. But how about the Soviet Union? Let's explore!

Cold War Cominform and Comecon

What caused the creation of Cominform and Comecon?

During the Second World War, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill had begun showing signs of distrust towards the Soviet Union and namely its leader, Joseph Stalin. Churchill was suspicious that after Germany was defeated, the Soviet Union would attempt to spread its ideology, Communism, throughout Europe. In October 1944, Churchill's suspicions turned into certainty.

In October 1944, Churchill met with Stalin during the Fourth Moscow Conference where they discussed the post-war future of Eastern Europe. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed dividing Eastern European countries into spheres of influence. This discussion was also called the Percentages Agreement, referring to the percentile division of several countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Fig. 1: Churchill's notes on the division of spheres of influence during his discussions with Stalin

On 12 March 1947, President of the United States Harry Truman addressed Congress regarding a new threat facing Europe: Communism!

Several countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans such as Albania, Romania and Bulgaria were governed by Communist governments and were already within the Soviet sphere of influence. These countries were seen as a lost cause. Two remained, however: Greece and Turkey. The former was in the middle of a Civil War since 1943, while the latter was directly threatened with invasion by the Soviet Union.

As Truman gave his speech at Congress in March 1947 he maintained that Greece and Turkey needed aid and economic aid was to be the primary form of aid for these two countries. On 4 July 1948, Truman again stood before Congress. This time, however, he guaranteed that he would contain the Communist threat in Greece and Turkey. Truman's speech of 1948 in congress effectively gave birth to the Truman Doctrine or as it is also known as, Containment.

Fig. 2: Truman addresses Congress in 1947

The main weapon of the Truman Doctrine was the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan envisioned financially aiding 16 European Countries with a total of 13 billion U.S. Dollars. With this money, the U.S. helped rebuild Europe and its economy. An economically-strong Europe meant a democratic Europe, and a democratic Europe meant a Communist-free Europe.

Thanks to the Marshall Plan, Greece got enough funding to finally defeat the Communist forces in 1949 and European economies had begun to flourish. Ironically, the Soviet Union and several of its Satellite States were also offered financial aid through the Marshall Plan, but the Soviet Union refused and ordered that its satellite states did the same.

As a result of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, the Soviet Union responded with the creation of its organisations the Cominform and the Comecon which sought t tighten Soviet control over Communist Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Cominform and Comecon Definition

Cominform

On 5 October 1947, the Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers' Parties, or simply, Cominform was established. The organisation established close "brotherly" relations between European Communist parties and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Truthfully, however, Cominform established Soviet control over Communist states in Eastern Europe, establishing the Eastern Bloc. Furthermore, Cominform not only included countries of the Eastern Bloc, but also communist parties such as in Italy and France. Cominform is considered to be a successor to Communist International (Comintern).

Founding (nine) members of Cominform:

• Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• Bulgarian Communist Party
• Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
• Hungarian Communist Party
• Polish Workers' Party
• Romanian Communist Party
• Communist Party of Yugoslavia
• French Communist Party
• Italian Communist Party

Fig. 3: The Eastern Bloc, in red, members of Cominform

Running Cominform was not easy, however. Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, was the headquarters of Cominform. Stalin began doubting Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito's dedication to the Marxist-Leninist cause, however. In 1948, after less than a year, this culminated in Stalin expelling Yugoslavia from Cominform. Tito's dispute with Stalin is known as the Tito-Stalin split.

Comecon

The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, also known as Comecon, was established in January 1949 as a direct reaction to the Marshall Plan. As mentioned, the Marshall Plan was also offered to the Soviet Union and several other countries that fell under its sphere of influence. This offer was rejected by the USSR. Financial aid, especially one that was not a loan but a grant, was seen as a form of humiliation for the Soviet Union which could make it look weak.

Fig. 4: Flag of Comecon

In turn, to prove its economic strength, the Soviet Union formed the Comecon with the following states:

• Soviet Union
• Czechoslovakia
• East Germany
• Poland
• Hungary
• Romania
• Bulgaria

Comecon sought to create closer ties between the USSR and its satellite states through economics. Comecon sought to manage the Eastern European satellite states by tying them into exclusive commercial connections with the Soviet Union and with each other. By doing so, Stalin reduced the likelihood that the West could attempt to subvert Soviet control over the Eastern Bloc.

Over time, by the 1970s, Vietnam and Cuba also joined Comecon. While Comecon was in theory an organisation uniting Communist countries via economic ties, in reality, it was just another way for the Soviet Union to attempt to unite the Communist countries of the world against the West.

Fig. 5: Comecon at its largest extent

Consequences of Cominform and Comecon

Both Cominform and Comecon were answers to the American attempts to contain Communism. This only means that the real consequences of Cominform and Comecon were participating in the instigation of the Cold War. More than bringing economic prosperity and unity between the "brotherly" Communist states, which they did, Cominform and Comecon contributed to the strengthening of Soviet control over the Eastern Bloc.

Cominform formed a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and the West while Comecon established trade control between the Soviet Union and its satellite states. The Eastern Bloc did begin to flourish economically, albeit in a very different way than the rest of Europe.

As for the West, the establishment of the Eastern Bloc by Cominform shaped the new map of Europe. Eastern Europe and much of the Balkans would go to the Soviets. On 4 April 1949, with the creation of NATO, the U.S. had done just that, creating a sphere of influence of its own in Europe. Though it was founded by 12 countries initially, by 1955 NATO would already encircle the Soviet Union and its sphere of influence.

Fig. 6: NATO enlargement over the years