5.4 - Why did the liberation of Europe cause tensions in the wartime alliance and lead to the Cold War? Flashcards
Chapter 5.4 - why did the liberation of Europe cause tensions and lead to the cold war
why did the liberation of Europe cause tensions and lead to the cold war
When did Stalin get his wish and D-Day happened?
6th June 1944
When did Hitler commit suicide?
30th April 1945
What did Stalin want to create after the war?
A buffer-zone against the west
Why did the Czechoslovaks mistrust the west?
After the Munich Agreement of 1938
What did the 1938 Munich agreement do?
Meant that Czechoslovakia must surrender its border regions and defenses to Nazi Germany
What did Czechoslovakia sign with the USSR after President Edvard Benes visited Moscow in December 1943?
The Treaty of Friendship
What did the Treaty of Friendship between the USSR and Czechoslovakia guarantee?
That the Communist Party would have a position of primary importance in the post-war government
What did Hungary participate in in 1941?
The invasion of the Soviet Union
When did the Red Army enter Hungary?
September 1944
What % of the vote did the Communists receive in Hungary in November 1945 and how many key posts did they receive in government?
Won 17% of the vote, 3 key posts in government
Why was Soviet influence in Yugoslavia more limited?
They had be liberated largely by communist partisans led by Josef Tito
When did Finland leave the Axis powers?
1944
When Finland left the Axis powers, what treaty did they accept the provisions of?
The Treaty of Moscow from 1940
What did the Treaty of Moscow in 1940 that Finland sign give the Soviet Union?
Large areas of Finnish territory
What was legalised in Finland after 1944?
The Communist party
What Finnish Prime Minister conducted a foreign policy in line with Soviet interests?
Juho Kusti Paasiviki
What did Poland hope to resurrect with help from the Western Allies after the war?
The pre-war Polish Republic
What country did Stalin see as the most important country in his buffer zone?
Poland - directly between Germany and the USSR
When was a military alliance between Poland and the Soviet Union signed?
August 1941
What incident led to the Soviet Union breaking off diplomatic relations with Poland?
The Katyn Forest massacre
Why could Churchill and Roosevelt not stop Stalin in Eastern Europe?
They knew they needed the might of the Soviet Union to defeat Germany and Japan
When was the Yalta Conference between the 3 wartime leaders?
February 1945
What were discussions between the 3 leaders about at the Yalta Conference?
The political future, in particular regarding Poland and Germany
What was the agreement on Germany at the Yalta Conference?
Germany would be divided into four zones once they had surrendered - one Eastern zone for the USSR, and the 3 western zones for the Western allies
What was agreed at the Yalta Conference in regards to Poland?
That the USSR would annex the Polish territory they had occupied in 1939 and that the Polish border would move west to the Oder-Neisse line (German territory would become Polish)
What did Stalin promise at the Yalta Conference would happen in the countries occupied by the Red Army?
Free elections would be held
What did Stalin agree to the formation of at the Yalta Conference?
The United Nations
How much did Germany have to pay the Soviet Union in reparations to compensate for the 1941 invasion? (agreed at Yalta)
$20 billion over 5 years
When did Germany formally surrender to the Allies?
7th May 1945
When did the leaders of the Grand Alliance meet in Berlin for the Potsdam Conference?
17th July 1945 - 2nd August 1945
What did Truman state to the Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov at their first meeting?
That the Soviets would have to stick to their agreements and relations were no longer ‘a one way street’
How did Truman use his economic leverage over the USSR before the Potsdam Conference?
He abruptly halted the Lend-Lease programme on the 11th May 1945, 4 days after German surrender
When was the USA’s first successful test of the atomic bomb?
16th July 1945 - one day before the Potsdam Conference
What did the West recognise at the Potsdam Conference?
That Eastern Europe would be in the Soviet Union sphere of influence
What did the Soviets concede to the West in return for Eastern Europe being under their sphere of influence?
Italy would be in the Western sphere
What was established at the Potsdam Conference?
The four zones of occupation of Germany
What was agreed at the Potsdam Conference in regards to Nazi war criminals?
They would be brought to trial
What was agreed at the Potsdam conference in regards to Poland?
A Polish Government on National Unity was to be established and to hold ‘free and unfettered elections as soon as possible’
