Breakdown of the Grand Alliance

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

Grand alliance unlikely associates - only due to sharing common enemy

Question 2

US policies

Answer 2

Long telegram 1946 - George Kennan - anti soviet propaganda labeling communists as aggressors. Truman doctrine 1947 - $400 mill to stop spread of communism. Marshall plan 1948 - $13 billion in aid across Europe to hope countries wouldn’t turn to communism. Cominform and COMECON set up in 1949 to rival. Division of W and E clear as Iron Curtain emerged.

Question 3

Germany

Answer 3

Has economic and military strength - neither side can dominate it. Stalin merged KPD and SPD creating SED (Ulbricht) - hopeful communism spread in West. Jan 1947 US replied to demands of reparations by joining zones with UK to create bizonia to create better economy. Later trizonia. USSR saw as breach of Potsdam and step towards West German state. Moscow Meeting 1947 - disagreements around bizonia.

Question 4

Use of Vetoes - UN and atomic bomb

Answer 4

USSR disagreed with right of veto as fear of permanent block of West. Tried to exercise influence by demanding 16 republics of USSR got seats in Assembly. April 1945 - conceded right to veto and only Belarus and Ukraine got places. Atomic weapons - Nov 1945 - rules set up to create rules for control of nuclear weapons. USSR agreed but insisted right to veto on it - US - no. Arms race as USSR get first A bomb in 1949.