Cold-war

Question 1

When it happened

Answer 1

1947-64

Question 2

Long-term causes

Answer 2

Conflicting political ideologies:
-Stalin blamed WW2 on Western capitalism
-Said success in WW2 due to strength of Soviet economy/communist system of government

Question 3

Short-term causes

Answer 3

US mistrust of USSR

Caused by:
-Communist regime in North Korea
-discovery of Communist spy network in Canada
-Kennan “long telegram”
-Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech

Question 4

“Kennan long telegram” (short-term causes)

Answer 4

22nd Feb 1946 US diplomat Kennan sent telegram expressing concerns about Soviet foreign policy
-Said concessions to Russia would not work/only solution was to contain communism

=Significant impact on thinking of senior US politicians

Question 5

Churchill’s iron Curtain speech (short-term causes)

Answer 5

5th March 1946 in Missouri:
-Views echoed Kennan’s
-Said iron curtain had descended/communism= loss of freedom for a country’s people (took advantage of public fears)

Question 6

Truman Doctrine (short-term causes)

Answer 6

March 1947 President Truman said US would support freedom of Greek/Turkish ppl if ever taken over by communists
=Soviets felt antagonised/threatened

Question 7

Marshall plan (short-term causes)

Answer 7

June 1947 plan for European economic recovery
-Rejected by soviets as saw as scam to spread capitalism- responded with cominform
=More mistrust of Soviets from West

Question 8

Cominform (short-term causes)

Answer 8

Communist Information Bureau (September 1947):
-Aimed to coordinate own economic recovery

Not successful:
-Created more problems for Eastern countries
-Heightened tensions- (along with Truman Doctrine/Marshall plan) marked start of cold war

Question 9

Effects on development of Russian government

Answer 9

Little direct impact HOWEVER
-Destalinisation by Krushchev attempt to present Russia in more positive light while US containment policy (Shows K political ideology partly determined by war)
-Nuclear arms/space race expensive= lower living standards
-Cuban Missile crisis showed R would back down as not financially strong enough for war

Question 10

March 1947

Answer 10

Truman Doctrine
Summer= Marshall plan

Question 11

September 1947

Answer 11

Cominform set up

Question 12

June 1948

Answer 12

Start of Berlin Blockade

Question 13

April 1949

Answer 13

NATO founded- members agreed to support eachother if one attacked
-Anti-communist

Question 14

May 1949

Answer 14

End of Berlin Blockade

Question 15

June 1950

Answer 15

Korean war

Question 16

November 1952

Answer 16

First tested US hydrogen bomb

Question 17

August 1953

Answer 17

First tested Soviet hydrogen bomb

Question 18

May 1955

Answer 18

Eastern block countries sign Warsaw pact (peace and security treaty)

Question 19

April 1956

Answer 19

Cominform disbanded

Question 19

October 1956

Answer 19

Hungarian revolution:
-Following Krushchev’s destalinisation speech
-Rebels won 1st phase= Imre Nagy as PM- declared Hungarian neutrality/appealed to UN for support but West no respond
-Invaded by Soviet Union 3 days later (4th Nov)

Question 20

November 1956

Answer 20

-SU cut off diplomatic ties with Israel
-Warned B/F about the consequences of their behaviour during the Suez crisis
-Hinted at possible missile attack

Question 21

space race

Answer 21

October 1957 Sputnik 1 launched by Russia
Led to new political/military/technological/scientific developments

Question 22

September 1959

Answer 22

Krushchev negotiations with President Eisenhower
-Demands over Berlin withdrawn

Question 23

May 1962

Answer 23

US spy plane shot down while flying over Russia
-Krushchev demanded apology

Question 24

June 1961

Answer 24

Krushchev demanded demilitarisation of Berlin

Question 24

August 1961

Answer 24

Berlin war

Question 25

Cuban missile crisis

Answer 25

September 1962-January 1963
-Kruschev secretly installs missiles in Cuba, US finds out= naval blockade on Cuba/said would be war if missiles fired
-Krushchev agreed to dismantle (28 October)= US ended blockade/promised not to go ahead with planned invasion of Cuba

Question 26

June-July 1963

Answer 26

Rapid deterioration of Chinese-Soviet relations as Chinese accused Soviet leaders of restoring capitalism

Question 27

“The wars Russia fought in the years from 1855-1964 always hindered economic development. How far do you agree?”

Answer 27

Economy:
-Heavy industry

WWI hindered
-Military failures blamed on “shells crisis” so workers had to put + effort into munitions production BUT industry already working at full capacity
-Communication/transport problems= stockpiling of supplies (e.g in Archangel mountains of hardware sunk into ground)

-Lead up to WW2= Third 5-year plans focussed on preparing economy for war

Helped
-Expansion of railway system:
-2 billion roubles from foreign loans= 20km of track (1861-78)
Helped with logistical problems of expanding/protecting/maintaining empire

Light industry
-K focussed on consumer goods as fear of cold war but not completely successful
=Bottlenecks in production/shortages of shoes
-Nicholas II WW1 consumer goods famine e.g food and fuel shortages

-Agriculture
Crimean war led to emancipation of the serfs= more urban workers/industrialisation
-Lenin and Civil war led to replacement of war communism with NEP. War communism failed due to unpopularity of requisitioning. NEP replaced with tax in kind. NEP= scissors crisis

Conclusion
-Mostly negative impact but most positive impact in industry as led to understanding that they were backwards so made improvements