Cold war Flashcards
soviet union?
USSR, ruled from moscow Russia
ideology?
set of shared beliefs
isolationism?
not getting involved in the affairs of other countries
FRG (federal republic of Germany)
west Germany
GDR (German Democratic Republic)
East Germany
What is the nuclear deterrent?
People thought countries would be less likely to use nuclear weapons due to the fear that the other side would respond with an equal attack.
What is the nuclear deterrent?
People thought countries would be less likely to use nuclear weapons due to the fear that the other side would respond with an equal attack.
what is detente?
period of peace between 2 groups previously at war
what does perestroika mean?
Russian for reconstruction, part of new thinking, reorganising the structure of the soviet state and economy.
what does Glasnost mean?
Russian for openness, part of gorbachevs new thinking, allow more freedom of speech and openness in government and foreign relations
How were early tensions started?
during WW2, USSR, USA and Britain had a grand alliance against Germany, now Germany had been defeated tensions beging to increase
What ideological differences lead to tensions?
The USA and Britain had a democracy where as the soviet union was a single party ruling
USA and Britain was capitalist where USSR was communist
In the USSr the rights of all workers was more important than individual rights where as in USA individual freedoms were guaranteed.
How did the differences between leaders lead to tensions rising?
Franklin D. Roosevelt believed in democracy, was not as tough with stalin as Churchill wanted him to be.
Winston Churchill- conservative with traditional values, strong belief in democracy and British empire, was very suspicious of Stalin
Joseph Stalin- 1 party rule, cut back personal freedoms, convinced west wanted to destroy communism
How did a new world order lead to tensions rising?
After WW2, the old powers like Britain and France were less important but new superpowers like USA and USSR had rivalry due to their strong militaries and economies
How did the Grand Alliance lead to tensions rising?
they united against Germany and Japan but still suspicious of communist soviet union where as USSR had great distrust in the capitalist world.
What happened at the Tehran conference and who attended?
November 1943, Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
USA and Britain would attack Germany in Western Europe, helping soviets in east fighting
Stalin would declare war against Japan and help USA to defeat them once war in Europe was over.
Agreed aim of war was for Germany’s surrender and it should be kept weak after
Poland could take land from Germany, USSR can keep land taken from Poland
United Nations should be set
What happened at the Yalta conference and who attended?
February 1945, Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
Germany split into 4 zones
Half of $20 billion reparations would go to Soviet union
Nazi party would be banned
United Nations set up
Soviet Union joined war against Japan
Stalin agreed to free future elections
Polish borders agreed
What happened at the Potsdam conference and who attended?
July- August 1945, Truman, Attlee, Stalin
Germany split into 4 but economy ran all together
Berlin split into 4 zones
Each country would take its reparations from the zone in Germany it controlled (USSR owned poorest zone so could take 1/4 of the industrial equipment from other zones)
Truman objected soviet control over countries of Eastern Europe
Why did the USA created the atom bomb?
To win war against Japan, dropped over Hiroshima on 6th August 1945 and Nagasaki on 9th August 1945
120,000 Japanese civilians killed altogether
How did the creation of the atom bomb increase tensions?
Soviet union was determined to spread its influence in order to create buffer zone
Soviet union successfully tested an atom bomb 29th August 1949, 1964 Britain, France and China also had the atom bomb
both sides now had weapons capable of killing millions
How did the atom bomb decrease tensions?
Both sides were less willing to go to war as risks became higher as many more people would be killed.
What happened during the George Kennan Long Telegram to Washington?
Reported attitudes in Moscow as being hostile towards USA
Stalin held firm belief in destruction of capitalism
Kennan believed the soviet would back down if faced with tough resistance
What happened during the Nikolai Novikov’s telegram to Moscow?
believed US wanted to use their strong military to dominate the world
Told Moscow Americans no longer wanted to cooperate with the Soviets
What happened during Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech?
March 1946, visit to USA, made speech criticising the Soviet Union as a threat to world peace. Stalin took this as a reflection of American beliefs, encouraged USSR to strengthen forces, increased anti-western propaganda
What was the creation of the Soviet Satellite states in Eastern Europe?
countries that USSR freed from Nazi Germany became satellite states
Stalin refused to give up control of these countries as they were a useful buffer zone
Truman saw this as the Soviet Union wanting to spread communism worldwide
What was the Truman Doctrine? 12th March 1947
$400 million aid package to Greece and Turkey
voiced his opinions on evil communism
said he would use American troops to prevent the spread especially through vulnerable countries devistated by war
What was the Marshall Plan?
George Marshall, us secretary of state, USA would provide economic aid to the war-torn countries of Europe to help them recover and prevent them from turning to communism.
1948-1952 USA gave $12.7 billion in aid
What were consequences of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall plan?
‘Dollar imperialism’ Stalin saw it as a way for the USA to spread its own influence of capitalism, America’s way of splitting Europe in 2
Stalin grew suspicious of the USA
Rivalry properly begun
What was cominform? its purpose? its members? 22nd September 1947
Communist parties, soviet union, Bulgaria, Poland ect.
Purpose- political organisation, gave Stalin power to control governments of satallite states to follow Moscow orders
What was comecon? its members? its purpose? 25th January 1949
Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania
provide economic aid ( alternative to Marshall plan), organise industrial planning and encourage trade between members
What was the creation of NATO in response to?
Creation of cominform and comecon, USA and Western European countries created new military alliance.
what caused the 1948 Berlin crisis?
Western powers wanted to rebuild Germany’s economy but the USSR wanted to rebuild their own.
March 1948, Britain, France and USA combined zones to create Trizonia
3 months later created new single currency for this zone (Deutschmark)
Soviets were annoyed as Germany was now 2 countries East and West
What happened during the Berlin Blockade?
June 1948, Stalin shut off land routes across soviet controlled zone of Germany
Western zone of Berlin was cut off from Western Germany , no communication and food running out.
What was the Berlin Airlift?
Western powers launched operation vittles (Berlin airlift)
flew food, coal and other necessities into west zone of Berlin
a year later, 9th May 1949 soviets gave in and lifted blockade
Stalins attempt to provoke west had backfired, west responded peacefully, he was now seen as unwise and aggressive
What were consequences of the Berlin crisis?
3 days after blockade lifted, Britain, France, American came together to from a state (FRG)
democratic state, chancellor Konrad Adenauer elected 15 September 1949
FRG much larger than East Germany
October 1949 Stalin responded creating the GDR
Why was NATO and the Warsaw Pact created?
April 1949, USA, Britain, France, 9 other western countries formed NATO
military alliance intended to protect western countries from communism
all members agreed that if one was attacked all others would come to its aid
Stalin created the same but for the USSR called the Warsaw Pact
What were the key events of the arms race?
1945: Usa develops atomic bomb
1949: USSR develops the atomic bomb
1952: USA develops the hydrogen bomb
1953: USSR develops the hydrogen bomb
1957: USA develops the inter-continental ballistic missile
1956: USSR begins to test ICBMs
Why was a new leader reducing tensions?
January 1953, Dwight D, Eisenhower became new president of USA
Strongly anti-communist and were determined to prevent communist expansion
March 5th 1953 Stalin died, Khrushchev new leader 1956, criticised Stalins policies, called for peaceful co-existence