Cold War Flashcards
Why was there so much mistrust before the second world war between USA and USSR
Ideological differences: USA was capitalst.great emphasis on the ‘American dream’, USSR was communist
Propaganga:’red scare’ of 1920s saw panic and arrests in USA.In USSr, western governments were seen as a threat to revolution
Nazi soviet pact- Nazi germany and USSR signed this in 1939
Stalin’s regime- Secrattive nature and muder of high profile figures led many in west to mistrust Stalin’s government
First Wild war: USSR withdrew in 1917 which made them untrustworthy
Russian revolution: Reds (communists) fought against whites (anti-communists) in a brutal civil war for control of the country. Western countries sent in troops to support the whites
Who was in the grand alliance
1941 - USA, USSR, Britain
What was the percentages agreement and when was it
October 1944- Stalin and Churchill met in Moscow. Churchill wrote his idea on how to split Eastern Europe after the war on a table napkin and Stalin ticked to show his approval
Who attended the Yalta Conference ad when was it
1945- Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
What was agreed at Yalta
Germany divided into 4 zones, one each for USSR USA britain and france. Berlin which was in the soviet zone was split the same way
United nations formed to ensure future cooperation
Liberated countries of eastern europe allowed to hold free elections
Declaration of Liberated Europe was signed - right of people to choose the form of government
Stalin committed to joining the war against Japan
Germany had to pay $20 billion reparations( half would go to USSR)
Who attended Potsdam Conference and when was it
1945- Attlee, Truman,Stalin
What was agreed at Potsdam
Division of Germany was confirmed
The Nazi Party was banned and its leaders put on trial
Germans living in Poland,Hungary and Czechoslovakia were to be returned to Germany
Poland was to lose some territory to USSR
What and when was the Manhattan project and how did it increase tensions
USA’s secret project to develop the atomic bomb, had begun in 1939
espionage- contributed to the worsening relationship between the superpower
two spies for the USSR, Klaus Fuchs and Rudolf Peierls, had started working for the Manhattan Project and sending information back to the USSR
When was the bomb dropped on hiroshima and how many people were killed
6th august 1945 -140000
When was the bomb dropped on Nagasaki and how many people were killed
9th august 1945 -74000
What was the impact of the droppping of the atom bomb
Truman did not inform Stalin officially about the atom bomb which added to tension and distrust
USSR become more determined to set up a soviet bloc to create a buffer zone
It lead to the spiraling arms race as USSR tested their own atom bomb in 1949
USSR and USA no longer had a common enemy
Decreased tension- both sides became much less willing to go to war,
Who wrote the long telegram and what was it about
George Keenan 1946 (8000 words)
believed that ussr wanted to spread influence as widely as possible
USSR aw USA as its enemy
Any attempt at cooperation
What was the response to the long telegram
Novikov telegram sent by USSR diplomat
Shows USA didnt trust USSR
When and what was the iron curtain speech
March 1946
USSR was attempting to spread its influence across the rest of Europe and increase its power
Invisible line (iron curtain) set up
What was Stalins response to the iron curtain speech
Encouraged USSR to strengthen forces and increase anti Western propaganda
Iron curtain ended all countact between either side including trade and tourism
How did the soviets expand in europe
Countries soviet freed from nazi occupation between 194 and 1945 became satellite states
Soviet bloc- Stalin was reluctant to give up control of these countries as they were a useful buffer zone between ussr and germany
What are 5 satellites states and when and how were they taken over
1945- east germany yalta conference
1945 Romania a communist-led coalition government was elected
1947- Poland Stalin invited 16 non-communist politicians to Moscow, where they were arrested and couldnt stand in election
1948 -Hungary Rakosi, took control of the secret police and used it to arrest and execute his political opponents
1948 - Czechoslovakia- communist governmetn elected
What and when was the Truman doctrine
March 1947
Truman said: communism posed a serious threat to usa and rest of the world
USA would support any country under threat from communism
Focus on containment-contain the spread of communism
What was the truman doctrine a response to (which two countries
Greece- in the middle of a civil war
Turkey- suffering from unrest after war
Both in danger of turning communist
What were the 3 aims of marshall plan
To aid economic recovery in europe to stop people turning to communism
To support containment of communism
To create a market for american good
How much money was given in marshall Aid
$13.15 billion
Uk gained 3.2 billion
What did stalin see marshall plan as and what was the effect
Stalin saw it as dollar imperalism-usa gained its power over countries that accepted their aid
Stalin forbade countries behind the iron curtain from accepting aid
Division of East and West became more firmly established
When and what was Cominform
1947:response to truman doctrine
Ensure unity in eastern europe
All members countries would meet regularly in moscow to ensure they all followed the same policies
Gave stalin the power to contol the governments of his satellite states
When and what was comecon
1949: Soviet alternative to marshall aid
Council for Mutual economic assistance
Countries agreed to work together and share resources
encouraged trade between members
Why was yugoslavia a problem for stalin
it did not owe its freedom from the nazis to the red army
Tito was unwilling to follow all of stalins instruction
1948: accepted marshall aid. stalin expelled them from comecon
when and What did France britain and america unify to form and what new currency was introduced
March 1948- trizonia
Deutchmark introduced
When did the mini blockade begin and what happened
April 1948- blocking military supply routes,traffic restrictions
When was the full blockade launched and what did this include
june 1948-transport links into west berlin blocked
No food fuels or medical supplies could reach people in non soviet part
Electricity was cut
How many inhabitants had to rely on food reserves
2.5 million
What was the western response
Truman and Atlee were both determined not to give in.
Operation vittles or berlin airlift-necessities flown into western zone
At its peak, how many supplies were flying in
june 1948-Plane arriving every three minutes and 4000 tonnes of supplies delivered a day
When and what was the easter parade
april 1949-nearly 12000 tonnes of coal delivered
Why and when did the blockade end
May 1949- Stalin is portrayed as unwise and aggressive. eventually gave in
What were the consequences of the berlin airlift
May 1949- Federal republic of germany (FDR) created in west germany.independent democratic country
October 1949- German democratic republic (GDR) created as soviet style communist state
April 1949- USA Britain and 10 other non communist countries formed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
1955- Warsaw pact created
What was the domino theory
developed in the early 1950s. It stated that if communism spread to one country, it would spread to nearby countries.
When and what was the chinese revolution
Mao declared peoples republic of china on 1st october 1949.
The nationalists under Chiang Kai Shek retreated to Taiwan
What was US reaction to chinese revolution
Concerned because china was the most populated country in the world an they though this was a gain for stalin. Truman believed containment had failed
What action did US take
Refused to recognise the new government
Millions of dollars pumped into Taiwan and Japan to build up their economies
September 1949, National Secrity Council Resolution 68 (NSC-68) allowed for a major build up of the american military
What was USSR reaction to the chinese revolution
First major country to recognise mao and the communists as the rightful government of china
When and what was the treaty of friendship about
1950
$300 million in aid sent to china
8000 chinese students could travel to ussr to study science and technology
20000 soviet experts sent to help development of china
China gave two of its major ports to USSR and to give soviets the right to mine in the Xingjiang territory
In 1945 what parallel was Korea divided along
38th parallel
North communist
South Nationalist
Who were north and south korea led by
North- Kim Il Sung
South- Syngman Rhee
How did the invasion of the korean war start
1949- Kim asked Stalin to help him invade south
1950-stalin agreed to provide weapons
USA already had 7500 troops in south
June 1950-North korean troops invade south
What was the UN response
USA asked UN to call a ceasefire
USSR boycotted the UN and the UN voted for the immediate withdrawal of north korean troops
North Korea’s troops remained so the UN sent troops to support Rhee
How did the was escalate
September 1950- US led forces landed at Inchon and drove north koreans back to 38th parallel
October 1950- Chinese troops helped to push Americans back and took control of south korea capital, Seoul
April 1951, General Macarthur dismissed after calling for the use of nuclear weapons
July 1953- Ceasefire was agreed
What were the consequences of the korean war
Korea remained divided in almost exactly the same place as when the war started
Showed USA was willing to go to war to contain communism
Shows the power the USA had in the UN
First proxy war
Dismissal of MacArthur showed USA did not want direct conflict with USSR to use military weapons
What were the most popular rebels in Vietnam and who were they led by
Viet Minh-led by Ho Chi Minh
What year did Ho Chi Minh declare independence and what did he establish
1945- Declared independence from France and set up democratic republic of Vietnam
What battle were French soldiers defeated and when and what happened
1954-Battle of Dien Bien Phu
France resisted but withdrew from Vietnam
What was Eisenhower concerned about
Vietnam would turn communism
When was the geneva conference and what was discussed
July 1954- Vietnam was temporarily split in two along the 17th parallel until elections could be held: french left the north and Viet Minh left the south
Why did the US government devise the domino theory in 1950s
It thought that if South Vietnam fell to communism, the ideology would spread to nearby countries
What was the New Look Policy- who was south vietnam led by
To avoid conflict and growing stocks of nuclear weapons, Einsenhower sent money,equipment and military and political experts to south vietnam to help the country become secure
Led by Ngo Dinh Diem
What was the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam and what was the aim
Vietcong
Aim was to overthrow Diem
How many advisors did Kennedy send to South Vietnam and in what year
1960 - 16000 experts
What was US role in assassination of Diem and what year was it
November 1963-USA secretly backed the assassination of Diem by his opponents. It was hoped that new leader would improve the situation
What were the USA tactics under Johnson
Bombing - air raids on the capital city, Hanoi, and bases and supply routes for the Vietcong. -Operation Rolling Thunder.
Escalation - In July 1965, Johnson sent another 100,000 troops, and a further 100,000 in 1966.
Air and artillery - American troops were sent on patrols, to be supported by air and artillery if attacked by the Vietcong. This demoralised soldiers, who realised they were being used as bait to draw out the enemy.
Search and Destroy - led to a high number of civilian casualties, destruction of villages and atrocities like the My Lai Massacre 1968 all of which damaged the USA’s reputation.
Technology - They used jets to dump napalm, a chemical that burnt skin to the bone, on suspected Vietcong strongholds.
Agent Orange, a powerful defoliant, to destroy jungle cover. Television propaganda was used in the USA to report the ‘body count’ of estimated Vietcong casualties.
Why was the vietnam war a success for the vietcong
Guerrilla warfare
The Vietcong used the cover of the jungle, which they knew well, to their advantage. s. The threat of an invisible enemy and hidden traps like punji sticks– sharpened sticks of bamboo which were laid in traps - had a demoralising psychological impact on US troops.
Ho Chi Minh trail
Vietcong guerrillas were kept well supplied by a constant stream of food and arms from the North carried along trail.bombed by the US Army but never fully disrupted.
Tet Offensive
In 1968, the Vietcong used the cover of the Buddhist New Year (Tet) celebrations to change tactics and launch a massive attack on US-held areas across South Vietnam, including the US Embassy in Saigon. .
