1. Breakdown Of WW2 Wartime Alliance Flashcards
When did the Cold War begin? (4)
- The origins of the Cold War go further back than 1945
- In October 1917 Bolsheviks led by Lenin seized power in Russia
- This revolution greatly worried most Western countries which were capitalist democracies because the Bolsheviks believed in communism and wanted to destroy the capitalist system that they operated
- During The 1930s Britain and France refused to form an alliance with Russia against Nazi Germany
Josef Stalin’s actions before WW2 (3)
- Stalin was aware of the West’s hostility to communism
- He began a series of Five Year Plans to ensure that the Soviet economy would be ready to fight a war against the West - which he believed wanted to destroy the USSR
- When it became clear that Britain and France didn’t intend on helping him against the growing power of Nazi Germany, Stalin instead signed a Non-Aggression Pact with Hitler in August 1939
Fighting a common enemy before 1945 (4)
- When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Stalin and the Allies joined together but it wasn’t an easy alliance
- As many as 20 million people were killed during USSR’s war with Germany, yet Britain and America ignored Stalin’s pleas to open up a ‘second front’ to distract the Nazis until the D-Day invasion of June 1944
- Stalin was suspicious that GB and USA had delayed D-Day in the hope that Nazi Germany and the communist USSR would destroy each other
- However because Roosevelt was willing to trust Stalin and because of their shared need to defeat Hitler the alliance of the USA, USSR and Britain held together until the war ended
Describe the ideology of communism (9)
- The idea of communism is :
“A theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs.” - Any person who requires healthcare is granted it and poverty does not exist.
But unfortunately this did not actually happen under the control of Stalin or Khrushchev.
● Elections, if held at all, have no choice.
● All candidates are for the same party.
● Only the government party’s ideas are heard.
● No freedom of speech in media
● The media is only allowed to print and say what the government allows it to.
● All industry is under the control of the government.
● Individuals are not allowed to make a profit.
Name each leader of the allied powers
Britain - Winston Churchill The USA - Franklin D Roosevelt The Soviet Union - Josef Stalin China - Chiang Kai-shek France - Charles de Gaulle
Describe the ideology of capitalism (8)
- The idea of capitalism is:
“An economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.” - This gives the people living in a society free speech, freedom of religion and other things inaccessible to those in communist societies but it also means they have to pay for healthcare and schooling, as well as other necessities.
●Choice of political parties in free and fair elections for citizens 18+
● Freedom of speech in media
● Press are allowed to criticise the government/ those in power without fear of
retribution.
● Private ownership of property + businesses to allow people to generate their own
wealth.
● Citizens pay for medical services and schooling
● Poverty exists
Name the leaders of the axis powers
Germany - Adolf Hitler
Italy - Benito Mussolini
Japan - Emperor Hirohito
What ideas did Roosevelt have about the future after WW2 ended at Yalta?
He sought the creation of a free world that would be protected by the United Nations. The Americans wanted the USSR to join the UN and were prepared to work with Stalin to ensure that this happened
What ideas did Stalin have about the future after WW2 ended at Yalta?
Sought the creation of a buffer zone between Western Europe and the USSR as a way of protecting the USSR from attack. To ensure that the countries making up this zone would be friendly towards the USSR, Stalin wanted them to be controlled by communist governments
What ideas did Churchill have about the future after WW2 ended at Yalta?
- Wanted to ensure the survival of the British empire, however he saw the USSR as a danger to the west that had to be stopped.
- This was because as the USSR was pushing the Germans back into Western Europe, it was gaining control of countries such as Poland and Hungary
What was agreed at the Yalta conference Feb. 1945? (6)
- Germany would pay reparations
- Germany and Berlin would be divided into 4 zones
- the UN would be established to help keep peace
- USSR would declare war on Japan in August, 3 months after Germany’s surrender
- New borders for Poland
- Eastern Europe would come under the influence of the USSR, however it was also agreed that there would be democratic elections in these countries to allow the people of Eastern Europe to choose their own governments
Changes taken place before Potsdam (5)
- Soviet troops were spread throughout Eastern Europe
- Roosevelt died and was replaced by Harry Truman. Truman didn’t like Stalin and was suspicious of the USSR’s aims and his advisors were urging him to take a hard line against him
- Clement Attlee replaced Churchill
- US and British attitudes towards USSR were hardening as they watched Germany being stripped of resources and saw puppet governments being set up in several of the countries in E.E under Soviet control
- Meeting was therefore much Less friendly
Describe the Potsdam conference (6)
Leaders at it: Stalin, Attlee and Truman
Date: July 1945
When the war in Europe ended: May 1945
Three decisions made here:
● How Germany was to be divided and occupied. Each power (USA USSR Britain France) would take reparations from its own zone - not so much to endanger the lives of ordinary Germans. USSR could also take some reparations from the British and US zones in return for supplying food, fuel and raw materials
● How Austria was to be divided and occupied
● Changes to Germany’s border with Poland - This border was moved westwards to the Oder river
Two worries Truman had about defeating Japan:
- He feared that the ussr would try to establish communism in the Pacific as they had already done in Eastern Europe
- During the capture of the island of Iwo Jima the Japanese fought so much that he feared the invasion and conquest of japan itself might cost a million American soldiers’ lives
What happened on 21st July 1945?(2)
- Truman received confirmation that an atomic bomb test had been successful during the Potsdam conference
- He didn’t directly inform Stalin that they had developed a bomb but observers at the conference noted that Truman’s attitude towards the Soviets became more assertive from that moment
