2. E Bloc, Policy of Containment & Marshall Plan Flashcards
How was the world at the end of 1945 different than it had been six years earlier ?
- The USSR and USA were now superpowers
- Each feared that the other wanted to spread its influence
- Each Believed that the other wanted to destroy them. In particular, the USSR feared the atomic bomb and in turn the USA was concerned at the huge size of the Red Army
- Each was suspicious of the reasons behind each other’s actions and began to act defensively against the other
How communist governments came to power: (3)
- USSR pressure to ensure that communists, many of who, had been trained in Moscow, obtained key positions (such as control of law and order)in the temporary governments set up after the war
- suggesting radical changes to help economic recovery. This helped gain the communists popularity
- controlling elections to ensure a communist victory
- Controlling the population by means of the secret police
Changes since 1945 (2)
- Stalin had promised at Yalta to hold Democratic elections in Eastern European countries and between 1945-1947 elections were held in these states, however every one of these elections resulted in governments friendly to Moscow.
- By February 1948, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania were ruled by communists
Reactions of the Soviet creation of the E bloc
USA - Stalin acted aggressively like a new Hitler annexing land. The West feared that the Soviets were building a huge empire in Eastern Europe
USSR - Stalin saw it as a reasonable attempt to create a ‘buffer zone’ to protect the USSR from a 3rd invasion by Germany
Which six countries were in the E Bloc by February 1948 ?
- By the end of 1947 only Czechoslovakia remained free of communist control in Eastern Europe but this changed in February 1948
- Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and were now in the E Bloc
How did the hard-line Hungarian communist leader Mátyás Rákosi describe the gradual takeover of government departments, press, police and army?
As similar to slicing salami: taking power one bit at a time
Where and when did Churchill make his Iron Curtain Speech?
Missouri in March 1946
How Truman viewed these developments of communist governments coming to power in Europe (5)
- Truman’s views were influenced by George Kennan.
- He argued that the two superpowers could never be at peace if communism existed
- President Truman took his word and the policy of containment was created
- At the same time the USA failed to understand that the USSR was obsessed with its own security
- By seeing everything that the USSR did as evidence of the communists’ desire to control Europe, the suspicion, fear and hostility that were characteristic of the Cold War increased
Why did Churchill make his speech in the US rather than GB?
He knew that the US were suspicious of the USSR and they were a nuclear superpower
What did Churchill express during his Iron Curtain speech? (2)
- He condemned Stalin’s attempts to control Eastern Europe.
* He demanded an ‘Anglo-American alliance’ to stop the spread of communism.
Two sides in the Greek civil war
Greek army and the Greek communist
Announcements in March 1947 that alarmed Truman:
In March 1947 the British governments announced that it could no longer afford to continue funding the Greek forces
Did congress fund support for Greece
Yes, Congress released $400 million which provided enough support and equipment to end the communist threat in Greece
Why did Truman fear Greece becoming communist because of GB’s lack of fundings?
He feared that if Greece became communist, so too would neighbouring countries and the oil-rich Middle East
What was the Policy of Containment (Truman’s Doctrine)?
The USA’s policy to use military or economic means to stop countries falling to communism either from external invasion or internal revolution
