cold war Flashcards
when was the grand alliance formed and between who
The grand alliance was formed between the USA, the Soviet Union and Britain. Th alliance was formed when a force of 4 million German troops invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
Why was the Grand alliance set up
To mastermind the defeat of Germany and Japan in the second world war
When were the conferences
Tehran - November 1943
Yalta - February 1945
Potsdam, July-August 1945
What was agreed on in Tehran (4)
-The USA and Britain would open a second front y launching an attack on Germany to ease the pressure on the Eastern Front- The Germans would have to withdraw troops from the Soviet to fight the West
-Stalin would declare war against Japan and supply Soviet troops to help the USA - but only once the war in Europe was over
- Poland should receive land from Germany, but the Soviet Union could keep land it had seized from Poland in 1939
-There was a general agreement that an international body should be set up to settle disputes - this laid the ground for the future formation of the UN
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What impact did the Tehran conference have on international relations
Stalin was initially concerned that Britain and USA were trying to weaken the Soviet Union so he was pleased with the agreement of the ‘second front’. Churchill was less pleased as he wanted the ‘second front’ in the Balkans not in the West so there was some tension between the USA and Britain
What was agreed on in the Yalta conference
- After the war Germany would split into 4 zones and each zone would be controlled by a power. Germany would also pay $20 billion in reparations. The Nazi Party would be banned and war criminals prosecuted
-A United Nations would be set up, with its first meeting on 25th April 1945, Stalin wanted all 16 Soviet republics to be given individual membership instead, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were admitted
-Stalin agreed that future governments in the east would be decided by free elections
-It was agreed that borders of Poland would be returned to their position in 1921 and that there would be free elections but the Stalin expected those elections to bring about a communist government, whereas the British supported the non-communist London Poles.
What events took place between the Yalta and Potsdam conferences
-Roosevelt died and was replaced by Truman
- Churchill and the conservative party lost the election and was replaced by Clement Atlee
- Scientists in the USA had developed an atomic bomb
How did Truman and Atlee compare to Churchill and Roosevelt
They were new to diplomatic discussions so it was much harder for them too get their way with Stalin
Agreements made at Potsdam
- The whole German economy would run as a whole despite it being split into 4 zones
-Berlin would also be divided into 4 zones
-The Soviets wanted Germany to pay heavy reparations but Truman was concerned that this would make this harder for the German economy to recover.
Why did Truman object to the control that then Soviet Union had over the countries it had liberated from Nazi rule
He was beginning to see the red army as an army of occupation
Why did Truman object to the agreements for Poland and the borders that had previously been agreed
He wanted to see a new government with less communist influence
What impacts did the conferences as a whole have on internal relations
Stalin wanted control of Eastern Europe to ensure the security of the Soviet Union but Truman believed that Stalin was trying to spread communism and looked upon Stalin’s ambitions as examples of communist aggression. In the years 1945-1946 this basic disagreement and mutual suspicion turned the wartime alliance into peacetime hostility.
When did the USA explode an atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
6th August 1945 and 9th August
How many people died in the bombings in Japan
120,000
How did developing the atomic bomb help Truman
It made him feel more confident and determined in the conversations in Potsdam and Western Europe felt more secure about placing themselves under American protection
How did the Soviet Union react to the atomic bomb
Stalin felt more determined to make the soviet union secure and his immediate aim was to make a buffer zone of countries that were sympathetic to communism
When was the Soviets first successful test of the atomic bomb
29th August 1949
How did the atomic bomb affect tensions
The bomb dramatically increased tensions and led to the arms race in which each side tried to make sure their nuclear weapons were more powerful than the other
What did Kennan’s long telegram contain that worried the American Government
He said that Stalin wanted to see the destruction of capitalism and that he felt the world outside the Soviet Union was hostile and looking to destroy communism
When did Churchill give his iron curtain speech
In March 1946
What did the iron curtain speech talk about
In the speech Churchill made it plain that he thought the Soviet Union was a threat to freedom and world peace
What provoked Churchill to make his speech
Communist governments had recently been set up in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria
How did the Iron Curtain speech affect internal relations
Increased tensions and mistrust, and led to the Soviet Union strengthen its forces and step up a campaign of anti-western propaganda. Churchills speech intesified the growing hostility
Why was Stalin reluctant to give up the Eastern European countries he had freed from Nazi control in the war and what did he end up doing with them
They were useful buffer zones between the Soviet Union and Germany and therefore turned them into satellite states with communist governments
What was Trumans reaction to the formation of the satellite states
Truman saw this as evidence that Stalin wanted to spread communism
What helped Stalin to spread communism and form satellite states
After the war many European countries were in ruins, with homes, infrastructure and factories destroyed, so a communist state where everyone was equal would be attractive to citizens.
When did the British government announce that it could no longer provide support to the Greek government
1947
When did Truman deliver his speech to the US congress (Truman doctrine)
On 12 March 1947
How much did Truman announce he was going to give to Greece and Turkey as an economic package
$400 million and sent American civilian and military personnel to the region
What did Truman also talk about surrounding communism in his speech in 1947
He spoke of 2 ways of life, one that offered majority rule and freedom, the other was for the will of minority to be forced upon the majority. Truman believed choosing democracy of communism was like choosing good over evil
How did the Truman Doctrine signal a new approach to international relations
before the war the USA had followed a policy of isolationism which was now being displaced by containment
What was the Marshall Plan
It was a practical outcome of the Truman Doctrine to help war torn countries in order to stop communism taking over
How much did the US give of aid to war torn countries in the Marshall plan
between 1948 and 1952 the US gave $12.7 billion dollars in addition to $13 billion already given by the USA before the Marshall Plan
What was the Soviet’s response to the Marshall Plan
Dollar Imperialism- Stalin believed that Truman was trying to extend the US’s influence in Europe and thought that he was undermining the role of the UN. He argued that the Marshall Plan was a way of using economic might to divide the world into 2.
How did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan affect internal relations
- The grand alliance was destroyed
- Stalin’s suspicions of the West were reinforced
- Europe was now divided into two economic and political camps
When was Cominform set up
22 September 1947
what was Cominform
a political organisation set up on Stalin’s orders. The satellite states were encouraged to trade with other members of Cominform and contact with non-communist countries was discouraged
How many members did Cominform have and who
It had nine members; the communist party of the soviet union, and the communist party of the satellite states
Where was the Cominform headquarters and why
Yugoslav and it showed the most support for Cominform
Why were the headquarters for Cominform changed from Belgrade to Bucharest and when
growing tensions between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union led to the expulsion of Yugoslavia in June 1948
How did Cominform help the Soviet Union
the new body gave Stalin a way of directing and controlling the governments of the satellite states
Why did Stalin not allow Satellite states to accept Marshall Aid
He did not want the US to become influential in Eastern Europe
When was Comecon established
25 January 1949
what was Comecon
Comecon was the Soviet competition to the Marshall Plan and aimed to support economic development in it’s member states.
After 1953 what did the Soviets use Comecon for
to organise industrial planning across all satellite states. Each state had a five year plan, trade with the USA and Western Europe was discorouged
How did Bulgaria’s trade with other Comecon members increase
in 1930s - 10%
in 1951 - over 90%
How did Comiform and Comecon affect international relations
increased tensions and played a significant part in the formation of NATO in 1949
What were the disagreements between the 3 powers regarding Germany
The Soviets wanted to take as much material back as possible to help the Soviet Union, but the Western countries wanted to build up the German economy
when was the Deutschmark given to western Germany
March 1948
Why were the Soviets furious about the decision to introduce the Deutschmark
The new single currency in Trizonia created a separate economic unit from the East and it acknowledged that there were in affect 2 Germanys
How did Stalin feel about Trizonia
He felt that the West were deliberately forcing the East into poverty. He was now even more determined to stand firm and protect soviet interests
What was the Berlin Blockade and when
In June 1948, Stalin decided to cut off the land routes across Soviet controlled Germany into Berlin
Why did Stalin make the berlin blockade
he wanted to show the USA. Britain and France that a divided Germany would not work. he was hoping that the western countries would give up their zones in Berlin and allow the whole of the capital to be controlled by the Soviets
consequences of the Berlin Blockade
the main section of Trizonia would not be able to communicate with Berlin and the people of Berlin would soon run short of food
What was the Berlin Airlift
The only way that the west could get supplies to their zones in Berlin without causing potential war was to fly them over and therefore flew food, coal and other necessities along the air corridors
How did the west carry out the berlin airlift
The people of West Berlin and Western troops in the city came together to build a new runaway the old airport so that supplies could be landed in the Western zones
How much supplies could the Americans fly in everyday (BAL)
1,000 tonnes
when was the peak month of flying and how many supplies did the Americans bring in
January 1949, no fewer than 170,000 tonnes
When was the Berlin Blockade lifted
9 May 1949
How did the Berlin Blockade make the soviets look
The wests peaceful reaction to the blockade made the act look unwise and aggressive
What was the Federal Republic of Germany and when was it set up
On 23rd May 1949 the USA, Britain and France permitted zones to come together as a state known as the Federal Republic of Germany
What was Stalin’s response to the Federal Republic of Germany
German Democratic Republic
Why and when was NATO set up
The Western Powers felt they needed a formal military alliance to protect themselves - April 1949
What did members of NATO agree on
agreed that if any member was attacked, all members of NATO would come to its assistance
When and why did the Soviets create the Warsaw Pact
After the Federal Republic of Germany was allowed to join NATO in 1955, Stalin feared the armed and powerful Germany on its borders
What were the countries that joined the Warsaw Pact called
The Eastern Bloc
What were the developments in the arms race 1945-58
1945 - atomic bomb US
1949 - atomic bomb Soviet Union
1952 - hydrogen bomb US (100 times more powerful than atomic bomb)
1953 - hydrogen bomb Soviet Union
1957 - ICBM US
How far could an ICBM fire
could fire a nuclear warhead at a target more than 4500 kilometres away
what was difference about the arms race compared to conventional wars
Previously weapons and armed forces were developed to win wars but they were being developed to stop the other side from going to war at all
When was Eisenhower elected president
1952 and took office in 1953
