chapter 2 cold war

Question 1

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 1

The Truman Doctrine was an American policy which was anti-communist and involved the containment of communism. It led to the Marshall Plan.

Question 2

When did the Truman Doctrine begin?

Answer 2

12th March, 1947.

Question 3

Why was the Truman Doctrine established?

Answer 3

❖Britain could not afford to give any more military support to the Greek government in the civil war against Greek communists.
❖The USA promised $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey to help win the war against the Greek communists.
❖It aimed to contain the spread of communism by giving military and economic assistance to any country threatened by it.

Question 4

What were the main points of the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 4

❖It stated the world had a choice between communism, or capitalism and democracy.
❖The USA would send troops and economic aid to countries threatened by communism so it was contained and could not spread.
❖The USA would no longer follow an isolationist foreign policy and would now get involved in the affairs of other countries, rather than stay out of them.

Question 5

What conditions were there in order for countries to receive aid under the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 5

Countries had to choose capitalism over communism in order to receive aid from the USA.

Question 6

What was the importance of the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 6

❖It meant the USA officially abandoned its isolationist foreign policy and would play an active role in the world.
❖It meant the USA was on a potential collision course with the USSR as the doctrine was directed against the spread of communism.
❖It directly resulted in the creation of the Marshall Plan.
❖It resulted in the further deterioration in the relationship between the USA and the USSR.

Question 7

What was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 7

The Marshall Plan was a scheme to provide economic aid to Europe.

Question 8

When was the Marshall Plan introduced?

Answer 8

The Marshall Plan was announced in 1947, but the aid began to arrive in Europe in 1948.

Question 9

Who came up with the Marshall Plan?

Answer 9

It was proposed by the US Secretary of State, George C Marshall.

Question 10

Why was the Marshall Plan introduced?

Answer 10

The Marshall Plan was essentially the Truman Doctrine in action. By making countries dependent on US dollars, it would prevent the spread of communism.

Question 11

How much money was provided by the Marshall Plan?

Answer 11

$13.3 billion was provided by the USA to help rebuild Europe

Question 12

Which countries received aid under the Marshall Plan?

Answer 12

A total of 16 western European countries, including France, West Germany and Britain, received aid

Question 13

What was it hoped would be achieved by the Marshall Plan?

Answer 13

It was feared the damage and poverty caused by the Second World War would encourage people to turn to communism. Giving countries money to rebuild would stop them becoming communist.

Question 14

What were the conditions needed to receive aid from the Marshall Plan?

Answer 14

In order to receive money, countries had to trade with the USA and be capitalist.

Question 15

What was the reaction to the Marshall Plan?

Answer 15

❖The Soviet Union saw both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan as a threat to communism.
❖Stalin called it ‘dollar imperialism’ and claimed the USA was trying to take over Europe using its economic strength.
❖Stalin responded by creating Cominform in 1947, which coordinated and controlled communist parties in Europe from the USSR.
❖Comecon was established in 1949 to organise economic trade between eastern Europe and the USSR.

Question 16

What was the significance of the Marshall Plan?

Answer 16

❖It helped the economic recovery of western Europe.
❖It limited the expansion of Soviet influence in Europe so the USSR was ‘contained’.
❖It deepened the divide between western Europe and eastern Europe as they were now divided politically and economically.
❖It worsened the relationship between the USA and the USSR.

Question 17

What was Cominform?

Answer 17

Cominform was the Communist Information Bureau. It organised all communist parties in Europe under the USSR’s control.

Question 18

When was Cominform created?

Answer 18

The Communist Information Bureau was created in September 1947.

Question 19

Who were the members of Cominform?

Answer 19

Members included the USSR, France, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Yugoslavia and Romania.

Question 20

Why was Cominform created?

Answer 20

❖It was a reaction to the creation of the Marshall Plan by the USA.
❖It was a way in which the USSR could control all communist parties in Europe.

Question 21

Why was Cominform important?

Answer 21

Cominform meant that the USSR politically controlled all communist parties in eastern Europe. It created a trade network between communist countries.

Question 22

What was Comecon?

Answer 22

Comecon was the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. It was the Soviet Union’s alternative to the Marshall Plan.

Question 23

When was Comecon created?

Answer 23

Comecon was created in January 1949.

Question 24

Who was part of Comecon?

Answer 24

Comecon included the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Albania and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

Question 25

Why was Comecon created?

Answer 25

❖Stalin wanted to reduce any possible economic influence the USA could have on eastern Europe's communist countries by creating his own version of the Marshall Plan. ❖It was a method of controlling the satellite states in eastern Europe by tying them into close trading relationships with the USSR and each other.

Question 26

What was the importance of Comecon?

Answer 26

Comecon, with the Marshall Plan, divided Europe into two economic spheres of influence; western European was capitalist and eastern European was communist.

Question 27

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 27

The USSR closed all road, rail and river transport links into West Berlin. This stopped all supplies getting into the city. British, French and US troops were asked to leave.

Question 28

When was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 28

The Berlin Blockade started in June 1948 and ended in May 1949.

Question 29

What caused the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 29

❖The growing tension between the USA and the USSR over the future of Germany. ❖The growing tension between the USA and the USSR because of their ideological differences and the start of the Cold War. ❖In January 1947 the British and USA joined their zones, creating 'Bizonia'. This broke the agreements made at the Potsdam Conference. ❖In December 1947, at the London Conference, Britain, France and the USA met to discuss Germany and decide Germany's new constitution. The USSR was not included. ❖In March 1948, France's zone joined Bizonia to create 'Trizonia'. ❖The USSR left the Allied Control Commission, accusing the West of breaking the Potsdam agreements. They were angry the London Conference had taken place. ❖In April 1948, Trizonia started to receive Marshall Aid and began to rebuild. ❖Britain, France and the USA introduced a new 'safe' currency, the Deutschmark, into Trizonia on 23rd June, 1948, which angered the USSR.

Question 30

What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 30

❖It prevented supplies reaching West Berlin. ❖It led to the Berlin Airlift from June 1948 to May 1949, in which the Western powers used airplanes to fly supplies into West Berlin. ❖The relationship between the USSR and the West deteriorated, eventually leading to the creation of NATO.

Question 31

What was the significance of the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 31

❖The West saw it as an act of aggression by Stalin. ❖It created the first major crisis between the USA and the USSR in the Cold War.

Question 32

What did the western powers do in response to the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 32

Western powers responded to the blockade of West Berlin by organising an airlift. Supplies were flown into West Berlin every day.

Question 33

When was the Berlin Airlift?

Answer 33

The Berlin Airlift saw supplies flown into Berlin every day from 26th June, 1948, to 12th May, 1949.

Question 34

Why did the Berlin Airlift happen?

Answer 34

❖The West did not want to be forced out of West Berlin because Stalin would be able to take over. ❖The USA wanted to contain communism, as promised in the Truman Doctrine. ❖It was a way to get around the blockade without starting a war.

Question 35

What happened during the Berlin Airlift?

Answer 35

❖Britain, France and the USA flew in supplies of food, medicine and fuel throughout the Blockade. ❖By the end of the Blockade, approximately 8,000 tonnes of supplies were being flown in every day. ❖A new airport called Berlin-Tegel was built, along with a new runway at Berlin-Tempelhof, to cope with the number of planes flying in supplies.

Question 36

What were the consequences of the Berlin Airlift?

Answer 36

❖Two Germanies were created; The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in May 1949 and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in October 1949. ❖It led to the USA creating a military alliance called NATO in April 1949. ❖Europe was even more divided: politically (capitalism versus communism), economically (Marshall Aid versus Comecon), and now militarily. ❖The balance of power became more unstable when the USSR conducted its first successful atomic bomb test in August 1949.

Question 37

What was the division of Germany?

Answer 37

Germany was split into two countries - the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.

Question 38

When was the division of Germany?

Answer 38

Germany was first split into two countries when, in May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany - popularly known as West Germany - was created. The German Democratic Republic - or East Germany - was formed in October 1949.

Question 39

Why did the division of Germany happen?

Answer 39

❖The decisions made at the Yalta and Potsdam conferences resulted in Germany being split into 4 zones under the control of the USSR, France, Britain and the USA. ❖The increasing tension between the Western powers (Britain, France and the USA) and the East (the USSR) over the future of Germany.

Question 40

How did the division of Germany happen?

Answer 40

❖This increased tension resulted in the Berlin Crisis, when Stalin blockaded Berlin to force the Western powers out of West Berlin. ❖The West responded with the Berlin Airlift. ❖After Stalin called off the blockade, the West decided to formally unite their 3 zones into the Federal Republic of Germany on 23rd May, 1949. ❖The new parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bundestag, was founded in Bonn on 14th August, 1949. ❖After elections, Konrad Adenauer was appointed the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on 15th September, 1949. ❖The USSR responded by formally turning the eastern zone into the German Democratic Republic in October 1949.

Question 41

What is NATO?

Answer 41

NATO is an acronym for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. It is a military alliance based on the promise of mutual defence against an attack by an external force.

Question 42

When was NATO formed?

Answer 42

NATO was formed on 4th April, 1949.

Question 43

Who joined NATO?

Answer 43

The original 12 members were: the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, Portugal and Iceland.

Question 44

Why was NATO created?

Answer 44

❖The actions of Stalin and the USSR in the Berlin Blockade had worried them. ❖They wanted military protection from future aggression.

Question 45

What were the consequences of the creation of NATO?

Answer 45

❖The USSR was contained in Europe, ensuring if it attacked any European member of NATO the other members would come to that country's aid. ❖All NATO members were protected by the promise of mutual military aid against any Soviet attack, helping to make the security of western Europe stronger. ❖In response to West Germany joining NATO, the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955 so the USSR had full military control over eastern Europe. ❖The USA had committed to a military presence in Europe.

Question 46

What message was sent by the creation of NATO?

Answer 46

❖The USA and western European countries would not accept Soviet aggression. ❖The West would maintain the idea of containment set out in the Truman Doctrine.

Question 47

Why was NATO important?

Answer 47

❖It was based on the idea of 'collective security' - when one country is attacked, the rest must assist it. ❖It acted as a deterrent to a military attack by the Soviet Union on western Europe.