chapter 1 cold war Flashcards
what were the long term causes
❖In October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. By 1921 they had created the first communist state. They were anti-capitalism and wanted to spread the communist revolution across the world.
❖America and Britain did not trust the USSR as Russia had withdrawn from the First World War in 1917, despite being a member of the Triple Entente with Britain and France.
❖The USSR did not trust the USA, France and Britain because they sent troops to fight against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War.
❖In the 1920s, the USA suffered from the First Red Scare and was hostile towards the USSR.
❖The USSR was angry it was not recognised as a country by the USA until 1933.
❖The relationship between the USSR and the West deteriorated before the Second World War. The Soviet Union was angry at not being invited to the Munich Conference in 1938.
❖When the USSR signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939, Britain and France were horrified.
how was the cold war fought
❖Propaganda.
❖Spying or espionage, such as using spy planes to take photographs.
❖An arms race to have the most developed weapons, particularly nuclear missiles.
❖A space race competing for success in space, such as being the first nation to put a man on the moon.
❖Financial aid or loans to other countries to gain their support.
❖Proxy wars, where the USA and the USSR became involved in conflicts in other countries. An example is the Korean War of 1950-53.
❖Threats made by either side.
What created tension between the Soviet Union and the USA at the beginning of the Cold War?
The ideological differences between the superpowers created tension between them. The Soviet Union supported communism, whereas the USA and Britain were capitalist countries.
What was the impact of the Russian revolution on the Cold War?
The roots of the Cold War can be traced back to the Russian Revolution. It led to tension and distrust between the USSR and the USA which was brought to a head with the defeat of Hitler in 1945.
What were the consequences of the Russian Civil War on international relations?
❖It increased the Soviet Union’s suspicion that the capitalist West would always seek to overthrow communism.
❖In order to protect the USSR from future foreign interference, Lenin, the leader of the USSR, pursued a policy of worldwide communist revolution.
❖This in turn caused a ‘Red Scare’ in 1920s America as many feared the worldwide spread of communism.
What were the consequences of the Russian Civil War?
❖The Bolsheviks consolidated their control over the country, economically with the policy of War Communism and politically as they destroyed their opposition using the Red Terror and by winning the civil war.
❖The policy of War Communism left the country economically ruined as food production and manufacturing collapsed.
❖There was unrest with strikes and several different peasant uprisings, including the Tambov Uprising from 1920 to 1921, and the Kronstadt Uprising in 1921.
❖Around eight million people died.
❖The leaders of the Bolshevik Party centralised control over their party as well as the country. All decisions were made by seven to nine key members of the Politburo and orders were passed down to the rank and file.
What were the causes of the Russian Civil War?
❖The Russian Empire had collapsed because many nationalities wanted independence and the Bolshevik Decree on Nationalities allowed this. People who were pro-Empire wanted to re-conquer these areas.
❖Political opposition had grown towards the Bolsheviks from the Social Revolutionaries, the Mensheviks, the Constituent Assembly, and the anti-Bolshevik alliance to form the Whites. People objected to the fact the Bolsheviks had seized power undemocratically.
❖The Allies were opposed to the Bolsheviks pulling out of the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. They hoped that by supporting the Whites, the Bolsheviks would be defeated and Russia would re-enter the war.
❖Law and order had broken down.
❖Food requisitioning by the Bolsheviks angered the peasants and so they formed the Green Army to defend their homes.
When was the Grand Alliance formed?
The Grand Alliance began after the USA entered the Second World War. The alliance was created in June 1941 but formally signed by the USA, the Soviet Union and Great Britain on New Year’s Day, 1942, and lasted until 1945.
Who was part of the Grand Alliance?
The Grand Alliance consisted of the three major Allies of the Second World War - the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain.
Why was the Grand Alliance formed?
The sole purpose of the Grand Alliance was to defeat the Axis powers - Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.
Why was there tension in the Grand Alliance?
❖Both sides kept secrets. Stalin refused to share battle plans with Britain and France; when German troops surrendered in Italy, Britain and the US did not include the USSR in the discussions.
❖Stalin believed the USA had deliberately delayed opening a second front in France until 1944 so the USSR would be weakened fighting Nazi Germany on its own.
❖The two sides had opposing ideologies and did not trust each other.
What was the Tehran Conference?
The Tehran Conference was the first of three strategic meetings between the USA, Britain and the Soviet Union to discuss Nazi Germany and how to end the war.
Who attended the Tehran Conference?
President Franklin D Roosevelt of the United States.
❖General Secretary Joseph Stalin of the USSR.
❖Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom.
When was the Tehran Conference held?
November to December, 1943.
Why was the Tehran Conference important?
❖It led to a better relationship between the USA, Britain and the USSR.
❖They were working together to defeat Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.
❖They also discussed plans for the UN and ending the war.
