1941-1949

Question 1

Yalta conference

Answer 1

February 1945 the ‘big three’ met in Yalta, Crimea. Germany to be divided into 4 sections and so would Berlin. Stalin promised to help US with Japan. Agreed to create the UN. Stalin to have a ‘sphere of influence’ over Eastern Europe.

Question 2

Potsdam Conference

Answer 2

July 1945. Truman, Attlee and Stalin met in Germany. Stalin showed no signs of allowing democratic elections to take place in Eastern Europe and had already begun setting up a communist government in Poland. Truman informed Stalin of the nuclear bombs.

Question 3

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Answer 3

6th August 1945, Hiroshima. Killed 140’000 people and destroyed 60% of city’s buildings. 3 days later another dropped on Nagasaki which killed 70’000 people.

Question 4

Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe.

Answer 4

Despite promising to hold democratic elections, Stalin began turning Eastern Europe into a buffer zone. By 1948 all Eastern European countries were communist.

Question 5

The Long Telegram

Answer 5

US embassy in Moscow sent a telegram to the US. Stated that the Russians feared the outside world and was determined to spread communism.

Question 6

The Novikov telegram

Answer 6

Russian embassy in Washington DC sent telegram to Moscow. Warned that the US had come out well off from WW2 and were committed to a policy of containment.`

Question 7

Truman doctrine

Answer 7

March 1947. Truman promised to send aid to any country to help stop the spread of communism.

Question 8

The Marshall plan

Answer 8

1947. General Marshall recommended spending over $12 billion to help rebuild Europe to halt the spread of communism. Stalin prohibited Eastern countries from accepting the money. There were strings attached- e.g. countries could only spend the money on American supplies.

Question 9

The Soviet response to the Marshall plan?

Answer 9

Dollar imperialism- USSR believed that the US were using money to gain influence in Europe. Set up Cominform and Comecon set up to create a trade network in E Europe and to mirror the financial aid provided by the Marshall plan.

Question 10

Berlin blockade.

Answer 10

24 June 1948- May 1949. Berlin only had food for 36 days. Cost USA $350 million. At the height of the airlift, a plane landed every minute.

Question 11

NATO

Answer 11

All countries agreed to have a defensive pact against possible soviet aggression. 1949

Question 12

Warsaw Pact

Answer 12

1955. Reaction to NATO.

Question 13

Russian atomic bomb.

Answer 13

1949 August. US no longer had a monopoly on atomic weapons.