Causes Of Cold War Flashcards
What was agreed at the Potsdam Conference? [4]
German reparations were agreed. Each country would take resources from its own area of occupation; all Germans in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary to be sent back to Germany; Nazi party banned; Poland’s borders moved westwards.
What was the ‘Iron Curtain’? [4]
Part of a speech made by Churchill in 1946. It was a warning to the USA about the actions of Stalin in Eastern Europe. The iron curtain was a divided between communist East and capitalist West. Europe was splitting into two.
What was the Cold War? [4]
It was a war of beliefs and ideology. It was between Communism and Capitalism. It was rivalry between the two superpowers of the Communist USSR and Capitalist USA. It began in Europe in 1945 and was to last over 40 years.
What was agreed at Yalta? [4]
Germany to be split into 4 zones; Berlin also split into 4 (ran by USA, USSR, France and Britain); countries in Eastern Europe to have free elections; the USSR would join the war against Japan.
What decisions about Germany were taken at Yalta and Potsdam? [4]
Germany split into 4 zones. Berlin also split. Now to be controlled by the USSR, USA, Britain and France. Nazi party banned. Germany to pay reparations to the victors of WW2
What did the USSR gain from the Yalta and Potsdam conferences? [4]
Eastern Europe could now be seen as a Soviet sphere of influence. One Soviet zone in Germany. One Soviet zone in Berlin. Poland’s borders were moved westwards.
Explain why the Truman Doctrine was introduced [6]
Truman believed Communism needed to be stopped. He was very anti- Communist and didn’t trust Stalin. It was part of the policy of ‘containment’. It was introduced after events in Greece where the USA had stepped in to help the Monarchists resist a Communist takeover.
Explain why there was a breakdown in relations between the USSR and the west from 1945 to 1946 [6]
The Nazis were defeated so there was no common enemy. Truman replaced Roosevelt. He was a lot more anti- Communist. The USA developed the atomic bomb and used it on Japan. This was a threat to Stalin.
Explain why the wartime alliances disagreed about Poland [6]
Poland was a key area as an invading force could pass through to attack the USSR. The allies disagreed about Poland’s borders and how far they should be moved. Stalin wanted a pro-Soviet friendly country in Poland but the USA wanted free elections.
Explain why the USA-USSR alliance had broken down by 1947 [6]
The Nazis were defeated so there was now no common threat. Truman had replaced Roosevelt and was a lot more anti-Communist. Churchill’s iron curtain speech raised tensions. The Truman Doctrine showed the USA would not allow the continued spread of Communism.
Explain why the USA introduced the Marshall Plan [6]
To help improve the living conditions of people who were still suffering after WW2; it was part of the policy of containment; the money would help countries under threat of Communism and would stop it spreading: to ensure Europe was strong and could be a trading partner to the USA
Explain why there were tensions at the Potsdam conference [6]
Roosevelt had been replaced by Truman and was a lot more anti-Communist. The USA and USSR disagreed over the role of the red army in Eastern Europe and how much control Stalin would have there. There were tensions because the USA had been secretly developing an atomic bomb which Stalin felt threatened by
Explain why the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin in 1948 [6]
In 1948 Britain, France and the USA had combined their zones. This upset Stalin who felt it went against the Yalta agreement. A new currency was introduced into West Berlin. Stalin disliked this as he wanted Germany to be crippled. Stalin wanted to remove Capitalism from behind the Iron curtain and make West Berlin dependent on him
Explain why the Soviet blockade of Berlin failed [6]
The Allies airlifted supplies into West Berlin for nearly a year. A plane landed every 30 seconds delivering the goods needed for the population to survive. By May 1949 it was clear it had failed and Stalin was looking weak so be reopened all links into Berlin.
Explain why Berlin was a cause of tension between East and West between 1945 and 1949 [6]
At Yalta Berlin had been split into 4 zones of occupation. France, Britain and the USA combined zones in 1948. This upset Stalin. Marshall aid money was given to West Berlin but not the east. A new currency was introduced to help West Germany recover; Stalin disliked this as he wanted to see Germany crippled. In 1948 he blockaded West Berlin.
