1 - Origins Of The Cold War 1941 - 58 Flashcards
What is the domino effect
A belief that if one country goes communist, neighbouring countries will follow
What was dollar imperialism
A fear that the USA would bribe countries into supporting them
Who was the grand alliance
The Soviet Union allied with Britain and USA in WW2
Why were there strains in the Grand alliance
Different attitudes of leaders - Stalin + Roosevelt + Churchill
- Stalin - annoyed of delayed opening of second front
- Churchill opposed Bolshevik Revolution
- disagreements over polish control
Why was Stalin initially annoyed in the grand alliance
Annoyed that Britain and the USA delayed opening a second front
He was convinced they were waiting until the Soviet Union had been seriously damaged
Why wasn’t Churchill initially happy in the Grand Alliance
Opposed Bolshevik Revolution - supported the whites in the civil war
Why did Churchill become even more suspicious if Stalin
- both wanted polish control
- in April 1943 - german troops discovered a mass grave, containing the bodies of 10,000 polish officers murdered by the Soviet’s
When did the polish Organise an uprising and who against
In august 1944 in Warsaw against the german forces occupying the city
What was the result of the polish uprising 1944
- they failed - brutally crushed
When was the Tehran conference
November 1943
Why was the Tehran conference organised
To improve relations between the three leaders
Who was the Tehran conference a main success for
Stalin - because Roosevelt was not well during conference and tended to side with Stalin rather than Churchill
An example of a idea proposed by Churchill which was rejected in the Tehran conference
Churchills idea of an allied invasion through the Balkans thereby preventing the Red Army from taking over all of Eastern Europe
What were the main agreements if the Tehran conference
- Britain + USA agreed to open a second front by invading France in may 1944
- Soviet Union was to wage war against Japan once Germany was defeated
- the United Nations organisation was to be set up after the war
- an area of Eastern Europe was added to the Soviet Union
When did. Britain and USA agree to open in a second front by in the Tehran conference
May 1944
What organisation was agreed in the Tehran conference to be set up after the war
United Nations
Where is Tehran
In Iran
When was the Yalta conference
February 1945
Why was the Yalta conference held
To consider what to do with Germany after they achieved victory
What did Stalin want in the Yalta conference
For Germans to pay large reparations - but Roosevelt + Churchill agreed that if they punished Germany too harshly, they make want another war
What was agreed at the Yalta conference
- USSR help liberate the east + Britain/America/France liberate the west = Europe would be divided into two spheres
- to divide Germany into four zones - us British French + soviet ( two overall halves - ‘western zone’ + ‘eastern zone’ )
- to divide Berlin in the same way
- to allow liberated countries to have free democratic elections - even in Poland
What was Easter Europe, as decided at the Yalta conference
A soviet sphere of influence
Disagreements at Yalta
- clash of how much Germany should pay in reparations
- disagreed about Poland - Stalin wanted the polish/western border much more to the west + wanted a ‘friendly’ polish government to protect from Germans BUT the western powers feared it would be a SOVIET-CONTROLLED government so persuaded him to agree to free democratic elections
When did Roosevelt die
12th April 1945 - replaced by Truman
Who replaced Churchill in the British elections
Attlee - leader of Labour Party
Between yalta and Potsdam conference what changes had been made (feb - July 1945)
- changes of leaders - Truman + atlee
- Soviet Union liberated countries in Eastern Europe but didn’t remove their military presence
- Stalin had set up a communist government in Poland
- Americans successfully testes an atomic bomb
By July 1945, which countries did the Soviet Union occupy
- Latvia + Lithuania + Estonia + Finland + Czechoslovakia + Hungary + Bulgaria + Romania
How did Stalin justify seeing up a communist government in Poland
Was a Defensive measure against possible attacks
How was Truman different from Roosevelt
- distrusted Stalin
- convinced that the soviet intended to take over the whole of Eastern Europe
When did the Americans first successfully test an atomic bomb
16th July 1945
Where did the Americans first successfully test their atomic bomb
In a desert site
Why was Stalin angry at Truman
Because Truman told Stalin in the Potsdam agreement that he had tested an atomic bomb
When was the Potsdam conference
July 1945
Agreements made at Potsdam
- Germany to be demilitarised
- democracy re established in Germany
- Germany should pay reparations in equipment and materials - mainly to the USSR
- Nazi party banned
Fears in the Potsdam conference
Fears that Russia wanted to take over Eastern Europe and make countries like Poland communist ‘SATELLITE STATES’ - to create a buffer zone between capitalism + communism
Disagreements at Potsdam
- the amount of reparations Germany would pay - Stalin wanted to cripple Germany but Truman didn’t want a public hatred toward the peace treaty as with the ‘Treaty of Versailles’ in 1919
- differed in views if free elections
Why did the Soviet Union expand in 1945
For security - ussr had been invaded by Germany in 1914 + 1941 - Stalin created satellite states in Eastern Europe to act as a buffer zone against future invasions
What was the percentages deal
Stalin + Churchill reached an understanding of the proportion of influence they had on liberated countries
Seen as Churchill accepting soviet influence
Example of percentage deal
Stalin - 90% Romania
Churchill - 90% Greece
Strategic importance of Poland
Soviet unions security dependent on a friendly polish government - borders ussr
Soviet satellite states
Albania + Bulgaria + Czechoslovakia + east Germany + Hungary + Poland + Romania
How does Soviet Union expand
Elections in each east European country were rigged to ensure that soviet - controlled communist parties took over - controlled by red army
By which year did all of Eastern Europe have communist governments
1949
Pattern in all satellite states
- coalition governments set up - communist shared power with other parties
- backed by Stalin, communists took over media + civil service + defence
- opposition leaders were arrested or forced to flee
- elections were held - BUT FIXED to ensure support for communists
- peoples democracies were set up
What was set up in all satellite states
Peoples democracies
East Germany - satellite state
1945 - placed under red army control
1949 - German Democratic Republic created
Poland - satellite state
June 1945 - coalition government formed with socialists
Jan 1947 - communists rig elections- supposedly win 80 percent of votes - all other parties banned + leaders forced into exile
Becomes a one party state
Czechoslovakia - satellite state
1945 - left wing coalition formed
1946 - communists receive less than half the votes but become largest single party in coalition + controlled police + armed forces
1948 - communists take control of government before elections then supposedly win 79 %
Ban all other parties - one party state - murdered leading non-communist Jan Masaryk
Who was murdered after the Czechoslovakian elections
Leading non communist - jan Masaryk
Hungary - satellite state
1945 - only win 17 % - smallholders party was the largest party
Country begin to face economic crises + communist party able to seize ministry of the interior to control the police to arrest leader of smallholders Party
1947 - communists win elections - ban all other parties
Romania - satellite state
1945 - coalition formed
1947 - communist abolish monarchy
Bulgaria - satellite states
1944 - coalition
1945 - communists won + banned all other parties
Yugoslavia - satellite states
1945 - Tito had led opposition to nazis + was elected president after the war
1948 - Tito determined to apply communism in his own way - Yugoslavia banned from ‘cominform’
Long telegram + novikov telegram
- George Kennan - USAs deputy chief of mission at us embassy in Moscow saw Soviet Union as aggressive + recommended form action against expansion - sent a telegram - influenced policy if containment
- September 1946 - novikov retaliated to long telegram
Worsened relations
Consequences of soviet expansion
- security if Soviet Union - Eastern Europe acts as a buffer zone against future attacks
- increased rivalry - USA Britain + France believed Stalin’s motives were political - expansion of soviet empire + communism - shown in long telegram
- Soviet Union now had control over Eastern Europe - confirmed division between east and west as stated in churchills iron curtain speech
Churchill iron curtain speech
- march 1946
- speech made in small town of Fulton - an iron curtain has descended across Europe
- imaginary curtain line that divided communist east from capitalist west
Why did. rivalry intensify in 1947
US policy of containment - Truman doctrine + Marshall plan
When was the Truman doctrine
1947
What was the Truman doctrine
- began US policy of containment
- used US influence and military skills to prevent expansion of communism
Why was the Truman doctrine introduced
- USA believes Soviet Union was trying to spread communism
- USA had atomic bomb and wanted to use it to put pressure on Soviet Union
- events were occurring in Greece - being threatened with communist takeover
When was the Greek civil war
1944
Who was Britain supporting in Greek civil war
Royalist government
What was happening in Greece 1947
- communists fighting a Guerilla war against Greek royalist government
- Britain had 40000 troops + gave financial aid
- in 1947 - Britain couldn’t afford to keep supporting Greece + USA stepped in and gave financial aid
How many troops had Britain stationed in Greece 1947
40,000
When was the Truman doctrine announced
March 1947 in a speech - claimed capitalist camp in west and communist camp in east
Consequences of Truman doctrine
- Greek government able to defeat communists
- rivalry between USA and USSR increased - Truman publicly stated that world divided into 2 camps (free vs non free)
- USA became far more involved in European affairs
- USA decided on the Marshall plan - economic aid
- Stalin set up COMINFORM - Communist information bureau
When was the Marshall plan
June 1947
What was the Marshall plan
Backed up Truman doctrine with economic aid to Europe
What was the Marshall plan officially called
European recovery plan
Why was the Marshall plan introduced
- Truman believed communism generally won support in countries where there were economic problems, employment + poverty - suffered badly because of WW2
- If USA could help recover these countries economically + provide reasonable prosperity - no reason to resort to communism
Why were many countries having economic problems in 1947
Effects of WW2
Truman doctrine was…
Political aid - support to the Greek royalist government
Marshall plan was…
Economic aid - financial aid to help countries recover