2. developing tensions up to 1948 Flashcards
what did the percentages agreement and yalta show to stalin?
-showed stalin that European states liberated from Nazi occupation would fall within the soviet sphere
what were stalin’s actions in Eastern Europe motivated by?
-by national security + soviet territory
why did Stalin want a buffer zone and where?
- to the west
- because he wanted to protect the USSR from the west
what were stain’s tactics to inforce communism?
- form alliances w/ left wing parties+then take control of them
- intimidate opposition
- manipulate election results
where was the former polish government?
-in exile in London
what government was established in Poland?
-pro-stalin Lublin government giving stalin political control
why had stalin failed to conform with agreements made at Yalta regarding Poland?
- the agreement to implement free elections, preserving the role of the Lublin government
- he appeared to allow multi party elections
- but he had ulterior motives
what leader opposed soviet policies in Poland and what happened to him?
- Gomulka (deputy prime minister)
- accused of ‘nationalist deviation’ + replaced by pro-moscow leader
how did soviets occupy Romania?
- communists were popular
- offered alternative to pre-war regime
- red army also occupied Bulgaria, want easy for stalin to occupy w/ minimal intervention
how did soviets occupy Bulgaria?
- soviets manipulated elections
- forcefully removed opponents
how did soviets occupy Hungary?
- soviets allied with other political groups
- political opponents executed
- elections rigged
- absorb the Hungarian Agrarian party April 1947
- by 1949 all political opposition was eradicated
how did soviets occupy Czechoslovakia?
- czech communists popular with rural peasants
- party leader became prime minister in 1947 but he accepted western aid (bad)
- when exiled he agreed to support a communist governed
- left pro-moscow communists in charge when he resigned
- won with 38% of the vote
how did soviets occupy Yugoslavia?
- (leader) Tito was a committed stalinist
- by 1948 soviet influence was limited due 2 conflict w/ Tito+Stalin
what countries weren’t loyal to Moscow?
-Yugoslavia and Hungary
why weren’t Yugoslavia loyal to Moscow and the result of this?
- they refused to be soviet puppies
- Stalin+Tito had conflict over Stalin’s foreign policy
- 1948 they were expelled from Cominform
- leaders accused of abandoning Marxist-Lenism
- survived due to America’s offer of economic aid
what countries accepted the communist regime with minimal opposition?
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Czechoslovakia
when and what was the long telegraph?
22nd February 1946
- George Kennan
- US embasador in Moscow
- conclusions as to how the US foreign policy should be ratified
- argued they must be ready to unify allies
- containment of soviet expansion
- isolation no longer an option to protect USA’s security
why was the long telegraph described as significance?
-believed to be fundamental in the shaping of the US policy towards soviet union
what did Kennan believe about the Soviet union after Yalta?
- recognised the failing of roosevelt for international cooperation
- believed communism was uncompromising+threat to the free world
- saw the collapse of East-West relations
what did the soviet ambassador believe about the US foreign policy?
-believed it was based on American imperialism to make states dependant on them
when was the iron curtain speech and given by who?
- 6 march, 1946
- Winston Churchill
- directly attacking soviet policies
what effect did the iron curtain speech have on stalin?
- believed the USA and Churchill were planning an anti-soviet ideological attack
- stalin responded 10 days later in a soviet newspaper
what was the name of the newspaper entailing Stalin’s reply to Churchill’s iron curtain speech and what was he implying?
- Pravada (soviet newspaper)
- that he was peacefully trying to seek allies to reinforce USSR’s national security
what had stalin agreed about Greece?
-that they would remain within the western sphere of influence after the war (1944 percentages agreement)
what happened in Greece when they were liberated + year
- greek civil war
- 1946-1949
what did Britain stop providing to Greece and when?
- they had been providing financial aid to the anti-Communist forces
- feb 1947 announced they couldn’t give aid and looked to america to assume the burden
when/ what was the Truman doctrine
- March 12, 1947
- keep soviet union from providing money to Greece
- to protect democracy in response to USSR ideological expansion
- demonised communism to justify their aims to become a global power
- to provoke USSR and make them feel threatened so USA can assume role of defender
how did the Truman Doctrine make countries dependent on the USA?
- created an enemy =USA is protector
- result was that states would become militarily+ economically dependent and form close trade relations
- therefore becoming political allies
what can the doctrine be seen as the first step of?
- first step of containment
- then solidified by the Marshall plan
why and when was Cominform created?
-Septmember, 1947
-to unite and coordinate actions of communist groups so they function as one under direction from Moscow
in response to the Truman Doctrine and Marshall plan that were both showing US imperialism
explain support for socialist parties in europe?
- the unemployment, food shortages fuelled support for socialism
- anti-facist groups in Europe were linked to communism
- rural areas developed pro-agrarian parties which aligned with the communist ideology
- many perceived communism as freedom fighters against Nazi’s
