Power Vacuum Politics and the Origins of the Cold War in Europe

• In Event: Interstate Power Dynamics

Abstract

The collapse of Nazi Germany, brought about by the Axis powers' crushing defeat in World War II, created an international power vacuum. Across large parts of Europe, Germany's absolute authority at the international level collapsed and it was yet to be seen who would lay renewed claim to it. I use this case to illustrate my theory of power vacuums in international politics. I argue that variation in great powers' responses to such vacuums are best explained by the interaction of two factors: first, whether a vital, supplemental, or no strategic interest is at stake; and second, whether a great power can identify a "dependable instrument" through which it can issue its bid for control. I show that, from 1943 onwards, power vacuum politics permeated both U.S. military strategy as well as U.S. officials' planning for – and shaping of – the continent's political future. Overall, the case suggests that the early Cold War was in large parts a continuation of a struggle for authority over key parts of the continent that had begun well before V-E Day.

Author

• Moritz Sebastian Graefrath, University of Notre Dame