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History 📜 > Cold War > Flashcards

Cold War Flashcards

1
Q

When was the Grand Alliance created?

A

1941

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2
Q

How are communism and capitalism different?

A

Capitalism - economy runs itself through free market, democratic govt, individuals can buy / sell / make profit
Communism - state run economy eg collectivisation, profits shared out, revolutionary dictatorship

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3
Q

Britain had been at war with Germany since…

A

1939

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4
Q

The USA had been at war with Germany since…

A

December 1941

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5
Q

The USSR had been at war with Germany since…

A

1941

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6
Q

When did the Tehran conference take place?

A

1943

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7
Q

What was agreed at the Tehran conference?

A
  1. USA + Britain to set up second front by invading Nazi occupied Europe
  2. USSR would declare war on Japan
  3. Borders of Poland moved to west
  4. International body would be set up to settle future disputes
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8
Q

When did the Yalta conference take place?

A

February 1945

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9
Q

What was agreed at the Yalta conference?

A
  1. Germany demilitarised, pay reparations, split (zones of occupation)
  2. UN would be set up
  3. Poland would be in Soviet sphere of influence but democratic
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10
Q

What changes of leadership happened between the Yalta and Potsdam conferences?

A

Attlee replaced Churchill
Truman replaced Roosevelt

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11
Q

When did the Potsdam conference take place?

A

July - August 1945

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12
Q

What was agreed at the Potsdam conference?

A
  1. Council of Foreign Ministers set up to organise rebuilding of Europe
  2. Germany divided into four zones of occupation (Britain, France, USA and USSR)
  3. Berlin also divided
  4. USSR would receive 1/4 of output from other three zones
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13
Q

How did Stalin secure control over satellite states?

A

Used “free” elections to get communists into power (eg Poland, Romania)
Red Army conquered some parts (Estonia, Latvia)
Used coup to take over Czechoslovakia
Voter intimidation (Hungary)

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14
Q

What did Stalin believe about democracy?

A

That a democratic government had to be communist because only they truly represented the working people

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15
Q

What did Roosevelt believe about democracy?

A

Different political parties would compete to win voters’ support in free elections

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16
Q

Why did Roosevelt’s death cause the end of the Grand Alliance?

A

He had a good relationship with Stalin whereas Truman was more suspicious

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17
Q

How did the atomic bomb cause the end of the Grand Alliance?

A

USA dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 giving them a military advantage over other nations
Truman felt he had the upper hand over Stalin at Potsdam bc of the bomb

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18
Q

Why did Britain become increasingly less involved in the Cold War?

A

It was economically exhausted after the war so became only an ally of the USA

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19
Q

What were the three key acts in the “war of words”?

A

Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech
Kennan’s Long Telegram
Novikov Telegram

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20
Q

What is an ideology?

A

A set of political ideas about how society should be run

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21
Q

What were the key points and impact of Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech?

A

Churchill thought USSR was threat to freedom and world peace
Stalin interpreted this as Truman’s view as well as Churchill’s
Increased suspicion bc warned that situation in Europe would lead to conflict

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22
Q

What were the key points and impact of Kennan’s Long Telegram?

A

Stalin wanted to destroy capitalism
USSR was building military power
USSR may back down if faced with strong resistance
USA believed there should be a policy of containment

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23
Q

What were the key points and impact of the Novikov Telegram?

A

USA wanted world domination and was building up military strength
USA didn’t want to cooperate with USSR
USA was preparing its people for war

24
Q

Secret reports told Truman that the USSR couldn’t currently ___ but that Stalin was a “____” in Europe

A

Fight another war
“Menace to freedom”

25
Q

What were conditions like in Europe in the late 1940s?

A

Food shortages + poverty
Britain withdrew aid
Truman concerned this would drive Germans to communism
Truman made speech accepting US responsibility of containment

26
Q

Between 19__ and 19__ the USSR began spreading its sphere of influence

A

1947
1949

27
Q

What was the impact of Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe on superpower relations?

A

USA saw it as a betrayal of the Yalta agreement
Some saw it as a stepping stone to a Soviet takeover of Western Europe
USA determined to contain spread
USSR needed buffer zone against West

28
Q

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A

A speech where Truman said:
The USA would try to contain the spread of communism
The USA would provide money / troops to support people resisting communism

29
Q

When did the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan take place?

A

1947

30
Q

What was the Marshall Plan?

A

Aid from USA to help rebuild Europe

31
Q

How much money did the US spend on Marshall Aid?

A

$13 billion

32
Q

How effective was Marshall Aid in Greece?

A

$700 million
Imported American miles to help fulfil need for draft animals

33
Q

How did Stalin see Marshall Aid?

A

US attempt to increase influence in Europe
“Dollar imperialism”

34
Q

What did Stalin do in response to the Marshall Plan?

A

Set up Cominform and Comecon

35
Q

What did Cominform stand for?

A

Communist Information Bureau

36
Q

When was Cominform set up?

A

1947

37
Q

What did Cominform do?

A

Organised communist parties in Europe
Gave Stalin control over satellite states
Contact with non-communist countries discouraged
Rejected Marshall Plan, spread anti-US propaganda

38
Q

When was Comecon set up?

A

1949

39
Q

What did Comecon stand for?

A

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

40
Q

What did Comecon do?

A

Arranged trade agreements, Five Year Plan for each state, nationalised industry and collectivisation
Trade with USA / W. Europe discouraged
Prevented countries getting Marshall Aid

41
Q

The spheres of ___ that had developed in Europe were converted by Marshall Aid and ___ into official ___ ___

A

Influence
Comecon
Economic alliances

42
Q

The line that divided the two spheres of influence was known as…

A

The Iron Curtain

43
Q

What does NATO stand for?

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

44
Q

When was NATO set up?

A

1949

45
Q

NATO was a military alliance based around the principle of…

A

Collective security - if one member was attacked, others would assist it

46
Q

What did the USA want for Germany?

A

A united capitalist Germany that it could trade with and would help prevent spread of communism

47
Q

What did the USSR want for Germany?

A

A weak, divided, Communist Germany that wouldn’t be able to attack them again

48
Q

Why was Stalin unhappy about France, Britain and the USA combining their zones to create West Germany?

A

He felt threatened and thought it went against the Potsdam agreements

49
Q

The USSR had ___ troops in East Berlin whereas the Western countries had sent most of theirs ___

A

1.5 million
Home

50
Q

Eastern Germany grew almost all the ___ that Western Germany needed

A

Food

51
Q

In ___ the USSR closed all road and ___ links into West Berlin

A

1948
Rail

52
Q

The USSR blocked all ___ into Berlin

A

Supplied

53
Q

Britain, France + USA set up a new currency called the ___ that was worth ___ than the Soviet currency

A

Deutschmark
More

54
Q

Stalin set up the blockade to show…

A

That a divided Germany would not work

55
Q

How did the Allies respond to the Berlin blockade?

A

Airlifted supplies - up to 1000 tonnes per day
This continued from June 1948 to September 1949
Gave the USA a propaganda victory

History 📜 (8 decks)

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