Causes of the Cold War Flashcards
What year was the Truman doctrine policy set?
1947
What happened under the Truman Doctrine?
USA provided military and economic aid to Turkey and Greece.
In what year was Marshall Aid?
1947
What were the two main aims of Marshall aid?
Stop the spread of communism (although Truman didn’t admit to this at the time)
To help European economies recover which would eventually provide a market for American exports.
What two tensions did Marshall aid cause?
Only 16 European countries accepted it and these were all western states
Stalin refused Marshall Aid for the USSR and banned Eastern European countries from accepting it.
When was the communist takeover in Czechoslovakia?
1948
Which country was the only Eastern European country that considered accepting Marshall Aid?
Czechoslovakia
Why was Czechoslovakia the only Eastern European country to consider accepting Marshall aid?
Because it wasn’t fully part of Stalins ‘eastern bloc’ of countries. Meaning communists weren’t fully in control.
What happened in the spring of 1948 in Czechoslovakia?
Elections were due and seemed communists would do badly while the opposition would do well. - So communists organised marches and protests.
In May 1948, elections took place but only communists were allowed to stand, so Czechoslovakia was now fully part of the Communist Eastern bloc.
In what year did the French, American and British zones merge into one? And what was it called?
1948Trizonia
What did soviet troops do in 1948 to prevent goods from reaching Berlin?
Blocked roads and rail ways
Name two effects of the Berlin blockade
1949 the British, French and US zones became the federal republic of Germany, known as west Germany.
In October 1949 the soviet occupied zone in Germany became the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
What was the allied response to the Berlin blockade?
The Berlin airlift, to fly in supplies.
How long did the Berlin airlift go on for?
10 months
When did Stalin reopen communications and why?
May 1949 because the Berlin blockade failed.
Greek resistance to the Germans had been divided into two movements. What were those movements?
The royalists and the communists
Explain the Comecon
Set up in 1949 by Stalin to co-ordinate the production and trade of the eastern European countries. favoured the USSR a lot more than any of its other members.
Explain the cominform
Stalin set it up in 1947 as an alliance of communist countries in response to Marshall aid
What’s a satellite state?
A country or region under the influence or control of another state
By what date did all Eastern European countries have communist governments?
May 1948
Explain the iron curtain
In a speech in 1946 Churchill claimed that an ‘iron curtain’ had descended cross Europe separating the democratic nations of the west and the communist controlled states of Eastern Europe.
When was the Potsdam conference?
July-August 1945
What was discussed at the Potsdam Conference?
Victory in Europe and the Soviet Army
The atomic bomb
What were the new agreements at the Potsdam conference?
The nazi party to be banned and leaders tried as war criminals.
The Oder- Neisse line (2 rivers) was to form part of the future border between Poland and Germany
List 3 tensions at Potsdam
Britain and USA denied Stalin a naval base as they saw no need for Stalin to have such a base - Stalin saw this as evidence that his allies mistrusted him.
- Stalin wanted more reparations but USA and Britain didn’t want to cripple Germany as they had seen the results of the reparations after WW1. - Stalin was suspicious about why his allies seemed to want to protect Germany.
- Stalin set up a Communist government in Lublin. However Britain preferred the non communist government so Truman and Attlee were very suspicious of stalins motives.
When was the Yalta conference?
February 1945
What 4 points were agreed at the Yalta conference?
- Germany would be divided into 4 zones.
- Berlin into 4 zones
- Countries of Eastern Europe hold free elections to decide how they should be governed.
- USSR join war against Japan in return for territory in Manchuria and the Sakhalin island.
Name a disagreement at the Yalta conference.
Stalin wanted to move a part of Poland into German territory. Churchill and Roosevelt were unhappy about this but with thousands of soviet troops still in Poland, Churchill and Roosevelt thought they had to agree.
To compensate, Stalin agreed not to support the communist rebels in Greece.
