Cold War Flashcards
What was the grand alliance? How was it weakened and tension began forming?
• Alliance between Britain, USA, USSR
Tension as east and west had different ideas on what to do w Germany
East - Germany should be rebuilt to make Europe stable (Churchill)
West - Germany should pay respirations and be communist.
When was Yalta? What was discussed?
February 1945
Agreement with what to do w Germany
- it would pay $20b in respirations
- divided into 4
Also when Germany was defeated, USSR would go to war w Japan.
When was Potsdam?
What was it?
July 1945
Council of foreign ministers set up to organise the rebuilding of Europe
Nazi party banned
Berlin divided:
- France
- Britain
- USA
- USSR
How did Roosevelt’s death increase tension?
Because Harry Truman, his replacement, was much more distrustful of the USSR
Date of both atomic bombs and where?
What was the outcome of it?
First:
6 august 1945
Second:
9 august 1945
Japan surrendered
How did the atomic bombs dropped in Japan lead to an increase in tension between the east and the west?
Stalin wanted to close the technology gap between USSR and USA
Truman’s secrecy about the bomb raised fears the user may be the next target.
What was The Iron Curtain? When did it start and why?
• March 1946
Secret report from us ambassador in Moscow to Truman in feb 1946 said the ussr saw capitalism as a threat to be destroyed.
Churchill have a speech in the USA about soviet relations and described an iron curtain separating east and west
How did the iron curtain speech lead to an increase in tension?
Stalin saw the speech as an unfair attack
What did Churchill describe the ussr like in his iron curtain speech?
A threat to world peace and freedom
What happened in September 1946 that lead to an increase in tension?
A telegram from a soviet ambassador to the USA told Stalin the USA wanted world domination and was building up military strength
What were disagreements at Potsdam?
Stalin - punish Germany and keep it week
USA - help Germany to recover to avoid future conflict
How did Poland lead to an increase in tension?
Stalin wanted to secure a buffer zone
Britain wanted to defend Poland’s independence
Britain and USA didn’t want Stalin to gain more ground
What salami tactics did Stalin use to ensure communism won at ‘free’ elections?
He fixed and rigged elections
Shut down opposition parties
How did soviet expansion increase tension?
The west saw it as a betrayal of Yalta agreements
When was the Truman doctrine and what was it?
1947
Stopping the spread of communism
What was Marshall aid and when was it?
1947
$13B of aid from the USA to help rebuild Europe
To receive this money they must be trading with the US
How did Marshall aid increase tension
The ussr saw it as an attack on them as it threatened communist control
How did Stalin react to things such as Marshall aid?
Cominform
Comecon
When was comiform set up and what was it?
1947
Got rid of any opposition to ussr control in satellite states
Encouraged communist parties in western countries to block marshal aid
Organised all communist parties in Europe and their leadership so they did as Moscow told
What was Comecon and when was it set up?
1949
Built trade links between Comecon countries
Prevented them from signing up to marshal aid
Which countries were part of Comecon?
USSR
Bulgaria
Czechoslovakia
Poland
Romania
Albania
East Germany
Which countries took Marshall aid?
16 western countries including
Britain
France
West Germany
What was the Berlin blockade and when was it?
June 1948
Soviets physically trying to block supplies going into West Berlin
How did the formation of west Germany increase tension?
Because Stalin wasn’t consulted and he thought it went against Potsdam agreements
What did Stalin hope to achieve from the Berlin blockade?
He wanted the west to leave their Berlin zones
June 1948 he closed all railroads and Canal links into west berlin
what was the wests response to the Berlin blockade and when was it?
The Berlin airlift - supplying things via planes
26th June 1948 - 30th sep 1949
How did the Berlin airlift make the west look better?
Made them look more peaceful and supportive and the east look aggressive.
Increase in tension as this was not stalins plan
What was NATO and when was it formed?
April 1949
To counter soviet military threat
What was the Warsaw pact and when was it formed?
May 1955
Counter military threat from NATO
When did Mao’s Chinese communist party take control of China?
1949
When did China and Russia sign a treaty on friendship?
Feb 1950
How did the death of Stalin worsen relationships w China and Russia?
Mao did not get on with Khrushchev
How much did the soviets promise in aid to China?
$300M
When was the Korean War? Why?
1950 -1953
After WW2, Korea was divided in 2. The north communist and south capitalist. Kim (NK) leader attempted to invade the south
When was the Vietnam war?
1955 - 1975
What was agreed on and Geneva? When was it?
July 1954
Vietnam to be divided into a communist north and French south
What was the domino theory?
Eisenhower said if Vietnamese became communist, nearby countries would follow.
when did the use make the atomic bomb and how did the ussr respond
1945
by making their own atomic bomb in 1949
when did the use drop bombs on Japanese cities
1945