Breakdown of the Grand Alliance 1945-47 Flashcards
When and where was the UN formed?
1944 at Dumbarton Oaks near Washington
Who was part of the assembly of the UN?
All nations
What else was there in the UN as well as an assembly?
A Security Council to deal with crises
Who were the permanent members of the UN?
USA, Britain, France, USSR and China
What did the USSR disagree with about the UN?
The right of veto that the permanent members had, but had to concede it
What did the UN set up in response to the US bombings of Japan?
The Atomic Energy Commission
What was the Atomic Energy Commission for?
To create rules for the control of nuclear weapons
What happened to the Atomic Energy Commission?
The USSR and USA disagreed on the use of veto over decisions made by it and the agreement collapsed
Which countries did the Alliance argue over treaties with before the Paris Peace Treaties?
Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania and Hungary
When were Paris Peace Treaties completed?
1947
What did the USSR hope for in terms of Germany?
That Germany would have elections and the Communist party there would form a coalition with other parties and eventually take control of government
What was the SED?
The Socialist Unity Party
Where was the SED set up and what did it do?
The Soviet zone, and it merged the Socialist and Communist east German parties
How was the SED set up, and what was the result of this?
Violently, leading to the rejection of the merger in the West and made the Allies suspicious
What did Stalin do to try and hide the intentions of the SED?
Insist on the use of democratic means by the SED
Why did the UK and USA want their zones to have economic recovery?
They were having to divert resources to deal with thousands of eastern refugees flooding their areas
What had to happen in order for the USSR to receive some of the (previously agreed) Western reparations, and what did the Soviets think of this?
There had to be a whole German economic system created; the Soviets saw this as an attempt to spread capitalism and so increased production in their zone
How did the USA and UK join their zones, and what was the new zone called?
Economically, and Bizonia
Why was Bizonia formed?
In order to improve the economy
What did the USSR see the formation of Bizonia as?
A breach of Potsdam and the start of a new West German state
When was the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers?
1946
What happened at the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers?
The USSR tried to demand that there be a unified German political system but Britain and the USA insisted that the economy be sorted beforehand- no agreements were made and Bizonia was built up
What happened when the British could no longer support containment of Communists in the Greek Civil War, and how did it happen?
President Truman got $400m from Congress by announcing the ‘Truman Doctrine’ as a crusade against Communist ‘tyranny’
What was the Marshall Plan created to deal with?
The crippling economic problems in Europe post-war, which the US feared would lead to Communist support
What did the Marshall Plan do?
It gave aid to European states, although tried to create supranational integration of Europe
What did the USSR see the Marshall Plan as?
The spreading of capitalism and US imperialism
What did the USSR do in response to the Marshall Plan?
They refused to allow Eastern countries to take Marshall aid and created Cominform to coordinate Soviet policies in the cross national Communist parties
When did Churchill make his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech?
1946
What did Churchill say in the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech?
That Soviet control had descended over eastern Europe
What did Stalin claim in terms of the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech?
Stalin claimed the Soviet control over the east was purely defensive
What happened when Poland fell to Communism?
The West tacitly accepted it; elections were engineered for a Communist victory, but the new leader Gomulka was not keen on Soviet control
How did Romania and Bulgaria turn Communist?
Through legitimate election and some terror
How did Yugoslavia turn Communist?
The Yugoslavian Communists won independently
What was the problem for Stalin in terms of Yugoslavia?
Their leader Tito had ambitious plans of his own, which Stalin found difficult to control
How did Czechoslovakia turn Communist?
Czechoslovakian Communists won power legitimately in 1946
What did the Czechoslovakian Communists want to do, and what happened as a result?
They wanted to attend the conference on Marshall aid, however Stalin stopped them; the hard-line Communists then took over and expelled opposition in 1948. The Hungarian Socialists and Communists were brought into line by Stalin by 1949
What did France decide in terms of which side to be on?
France tried to be a bridge between East and West initially, but after the Communist movement there led violent strikes against Marshall aid they moved clearly to the West
What happened in Italy in terms of Communism?
Italy had a strong Communist movement, but with CIA and Catholic religious propaganda support they were defeated and Italy aligned to the West
