1941-1957 Flashcards
What was agreed by the Grand Alliance at the Tehran Conference?
What was agreed by the Grand Alliance at the Tehran Conference?
What was agreed at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences?
Germany would be split into four zones. This was supposed to be temporary.
All countries freed from the Nazis (E.g. Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia) would get free and fair elections.
The USSR restated commitment to joining the fight against Japan.
At Potsdam these agreements were reconfirmed but the USSR were less committed to guaranteeing free and fair elections.
The USSR felt that the USA using the atomic bomb against Japan to quickly end the war was an act of American aggression.
What were the big differences between Capitalism and Communism?
Capitalism → Free and fair elections; freedom of speech; private wealth.
Communism → One Political Party in charge; restricted speech and all wealth controlled by the government.
What were the consequences of the Atomic Bomb?
The USSR felt that the USA using the atomic bomb against Japan to quickly end the war was an act of American aggression.
It triggered an Arms Race between the USA and the USSR.
Although the USSR had already moved to start securing its influence in countries like Poland, it made them double down on their effort to create Satellite States.
What were the consequences of the Long and Novikov Telegrams?
Long Telegram → Influenced the creation of the Containment Policy. Accused the Soviets of being aggressive and expansionist like the Nazis had been.
Novikov Telegram → Written in reply, accused the USA of causing instability with its use of the atomic bomb. Stated the USSR would need to take steps to improve its security.
How did the USSR establish Satellite States in Eastern Europe?
1944 → Warsaw Uprising → USSR waited until the Nazis had crushed the Polish before moving into the country to “free” the Poles from the Nazis. This made sure of no free Polish government.
1944 → 1947 → USSR secured control over Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. “Free elections” in these countries and Poland were never free and voters were intimidated. Non-Communist leaders then fled for their safety (e.g. The London Poles).
1948 → Czechoslovakia attempted to restore its long-standing democracy after World War Two. Stalin saw this as a threat and the USSR staged a coup in this country. A USSR “puppet government” was set up under the leadership of Klement Gottwald.
What was the importance of Satellite States in Eastern Europe?
It raised the threat level of the USSR in the eyes of the USA. It made them alive to the possibility of a spread of Communism.
It weakened the spirit of cooperation that existed between the Grand Alliance during the years of WW2.
It inspired Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech in 1946, which further increased tension between the West and the East. It divided former allies.
What was the background of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan?
President Truman saw that the British army alone would not stop Turkey and Greece turning Communist.
Truman’s speech offering a nightmare spread of Communism was designed to “scare the hell out of congress”. $400million was voted through to help stop Turkey and Greece turning Communist.
Truman’s wish to “contain” was inspired by the report issued in Kennan’s Long Telegram from Moscow.
The Marshall Plan was an expansion of the Doctrine. Hundreds of millions of dollars were promised to Europe to help rebuild their economies.
What was the importance of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan?
The political effects:
- Committed the USA to promoting the moral superiority of Capitalism over Communism and brought the USA and the USSR more into a battle of ideas
- The popularity of Communism among the voters of Britain, France and Italy began to decline as economic prosperity returned to those countries.
The international relations effects:
- The USSR strengthened their control over the Satellite States in Eastern Europe; forcing them to decline the offer of Marshall Plan money.
- The USSR demonstrated this control with the creation of Cominform in 1947 and then Comecon in 1949.
What were the consequences of Cominform (1947) and Comecon (1949)?
Cominform: Leaders of Eastern European countries became no more than “puppet leaders” controlled by Moscow. Any protest against Moscow’s control would be harshly cracked down upon. Hungary 1956.
Comecon: A planned economy for all of Eastern Europe was set up, meaning trade with the Capitalist West became impossible. This is crucial for understanding the worsening relations and the cemented divide between the USA and the USSR because countries that don’t trade tend to have relations that could lead to war.
What did NATO (1949) mean for the Cold War?
The USA was now not just economically but militarily committed to Western Europe.
How was Berlin divided after WW2?
Four Zones - The USA, USSR, Britain and France
Britain, France and the USA combined their zones into Trizonia in 1947/48. A new currency was introduced into West Berlin in 1948 at the time of the Marshall Plan.
What was the importance of the Berlin Blockade?
It represented the first crunch point of the coming Cold War / a threat of a real war.
It demonstrated that the USSR under Stalin’s leadership was willing to see how far they could “push” the USA to pursue their interests.
What was the importance of the Berlin Airlift?
It demonstrated the USA was true in their commitment to Western Europe.
The end of the Blockade and the Airlift was the defining moment in creating the formal separation of a West Germany (FRG) and an East Germany (GDR).
What were the consequences of the Arms Race?
It increasingly added to the menace of the Cold War due to the destructive power of both the USA and the USSR.
The Arms Race - and the wider technology race - was symbolic of the distrust between the two Superpowers.
Politically it led to the pursued policy of Mutually Assured Destruction in the 1950s. President Eisenhower believed that if both Superpowers had massive nuclear arsenals, then war would be less likely because it was not in either country’s interest.
