chapter 1 cold war Flashcards
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.
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.
What decisions were taken at the Tehran Conference?
❖It was decided the USA and Britain would open a second front by invading Europe through Nazi-occupied France.
❖The USSR would invade Nazi Germany from the east.
❖The USSR would invade Japan once Nazi Germany was defeated.
❖The Polish border would be moved to the west, so Poland would gain territory from Germany and lose it to the USSR from the east.
❖An organisation would be created to settle international disagreements once the war was over. This would eventually become the United Nations.
What signs of tension were there at the Tehran Conference?
❖Churchill wanted the second front to be opened up in the Balkans, not in France.
❖Roosevelt viewed Britain’s colonialism as a greater threat than communism.
What was the Yalta Conference?
The Yalta Conference was the second of three strategic meetings between the USA, Britain and the Soviet Union to discuss winning the war and post-war Europe
When was the Yalta Conference held?
February 1945.
Who attended the Yalta Conference?
❖President Roosevelt of the USA.
❖General Secretary Stalin of the USSR.
❖Prime Minister Churchill of Great Britain
What decisions were taken at the Yalta Conference?
❖The superpowers agreed on the Declaration of Liberated Europe which guaranteed all countries freed from Nazi control the right to hold democratic and free elections.
❖Nazi Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones, to be controlled by the USA, Britain, France and the Soviet Union.
❖Germany would be reduced in size.
❖Germany would be demilitarised.
❖Germany would be ordered to pay reparations.
❖After the war was over, Nazi war criminals would be tried and the Nazi Party banned.
❖Poland would fall under the Soviet sphere of influence.
❖Poland would be run under a democratically elected government.
❖Eastern Europe would have free elections.
❖The USSR would declare war on Japan 3 months after Nazi Germany was defeated.
❖The United Nations was created.
What disagreements were there at the Yalta Conference?
The USSR wanted Germany to pay high reparations; Britain and the USA disagreed.
❖Britain and the USA wanted Germany to recover, whereas the USSR wanted to keep Germany weak.
❖Stalin wanted the Polish-German border to be much further to the west and desired a ‘friendly’ Polish government. Britain and the USA were worried this would mean Poland would be controlled by the USSR.
What was the Potsdam Conference?
The Potsdam Conference was the third and final meeting between the USA, Britain and the Soviet Union to discuss Nazi Germany and the future of Europe.
When was the Potsdam Conference held?
between July and August 1945.
Who attended the Potsdam Conference?
❖President Harry Truman of the United States.
❖Prime Minister Clement Attlee of Great Britain.
❖Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union
Why did the leaders at the Potsdam Conference change?
Leadership of two Allied nations had changed since the Yalta Conference. Roosevelt died in April 1945 and Churchill lost the British general election in July.
What disagreements were there at the Potsdam Conference?
❖The USA and Britain were unhappy Stalin had removed the non-communists from the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity.
❖The USA and Britain were unhappy Stalin had not allowed free elections in eastern Europe. Stalin was angry as he thought the West was interfering.
❖Truman deliberately delayed the Potsdam meeting so America could test the atomic bomb. When Truman informed Stalin about the USA’s successful test, Stalin was very angry not to have been told beforehand.
❖Truman was very anti-communist and wanted to get ‘tough’ with Stalin.
