COLD WAR Flashcards
TEHRAN CONFERENCE
DATE=
1943
LEADERS=
Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
AGREEMENTS=
-Opening second front in west by invading Nazi occupied France in June 1944
-International Body would be set up
-Poland would gain territory from Poland and lose it to Soviet union
DISAGREEMENTS=
None
TENSION=
No tension - Hitler still needed to be defeated
YALTA CONFERENCE
DATE=
1945
LEADERS=
Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
AGREEMENTS=
-Poland would be under soviet sphere of influence (communist)
-USSR would help war against Japan
-UN would be set up
DISAGREEMENTS=
Should Germany pay reparations? Stalin wanted to treat Germany harshly, USA and Britain wanted Germany to rebuild
TENSION=
Low tension - Hitler still needed to be defeated
POTSDAM CONFERENCE
DATE=
1945
LEADERS=
TRUMAN, CHURCHILL, STALIN
AGREEMENTS=
-Germany will divide into 4 zones of occupation
-Nazi party banned and prosecuted for Holocaust
-Germany would lose its army
DISAGREEMENTS=
-Stalin wanted massive compensation to make up for 20M Russians killed in WW2 from Germany, Truman wanted Germany to be string to prevent communism spreading
-Truman wanted free elections, Stalin wanted ‘buffer zone’ to protect Russia
TENSION=
-Increased tension - Truman has an atomic bomb (threat), Hitler is dead
END OF GREAT ALLIANCE
-USA had military bombs (advantage)
-Stalin didn’t like being pushed around by Truman at Potsdam
-Truman trusted Stalin less, as he broke promises made about poland (free elections)
BREAKDOWN OF TRUST
LONG TELEGRAM 1946=
US ambassador said in a secret report to Truman:
-Soviet saw capitalism as threat to communism
-Soviet was building military power
-Peace between communist Soviet and capitalist USA was not possible
NOVIKOV TELEGRAM 1946
Soviet ambassador to USA said in a report to Stalin:
-USA wanted world domination and was building military strength
-Soviet was only country left after war to stand up to USA
-USA was preparing for war with Soviet Union
STALLINS SPREAD OF COMMUNISM
ROMANIA=
-Coalition government set up
-Communist members of government threatened non communist
-Communist army won next election with 80% of the vote
HUNGARY=
-Communists controlled police
-1947 communist took control of government and banned all other political parties
-Rakosi became leader of Hungary and imprisoned 20,000 opponents and killed 2000 enemies of communism
POLAND=
-1945 coalition gov was elected
-Elections were rigged to make sure communism won
TRUMAN DOCTRINE
MARSHALL PLAN
CONSEQUENCES OF CONTAINMENT
TRUMAN DOCTRINE=
-Truman was worried communism was spreading across Europe
-USA would use military & economic means to stop communism from spreading and contain it within Eastern Europe (would provide money and troops)
MARSHALL PLAN=
-Aimed to reduce poverty to stop spread of communism
-USA offered $17B to rebuild Europe (12 countries accepted, Britain received $3B) - would have to trade with USA to get the money
-Communist countries in Eastern Europe were also offered this help to try to make them switch to capitalism but weren’t allowed to accept it by USSR.
CONSEQUENCES OF CONTAINMENT=
-Economic - By 1953 (Stalin’s death), USA provided $17B to help rebuild Europe - US machinery and US advisers helped a lot
Political - Europe became more divided (tensions increased) Stalin prevented Eastern countries from accepting Marshall plan as he didn’t want to seem weak or show how weak Soviet economy was
COMINFORM
COMECON
NATO
COMINFORM 1947=
-Allowed USSR leader to control communist parties throughout Europe
-Set so communist countries like Poland would follow rules
-Got rid of any opposition and encouraged communist parties to block Marshall plan help
COMECON 1949=
-Allowed USSR leader to control communist economies throughout Europe
-Encouraged trade between communist countries
NATO 1949=
-Military alliance between USA, Britain, France, Holland etc
-If one country attacked it, all other countries would have to assist
CONSEQUENCE=
-Stalin saw as a threat to him, which increased tension
-USA was now committed to defending western Europe
-Warsaw pact was formed in 1955
BERLIN BLOCKADE AND AIRLIFT 1948-49
CAUSES=
-Trizonia - USA, UK and French zones of West Berlin became 1, so more stronger and powerful as they could join resources
-New Currency - Deutschmark was created in Trizonia, so made economy of West Berlin stronger and stable
-Marshall Aid - West Berlin was capitalist, so could get Marshall Aid, so West Berlin was recovering quickly than East
EVENTS=
-Stalin blocked off roads and railways entering West Berlin from East Germany
-Stalin shut off power stations in East Berlin supplying power to Western sectors
#pettyking
CONSEQUENCES=
-Berlin Airlift = for 10 months USA and UK flew supplies in to West Berlin from West Germany for eg coal, luxuries aka chocolate, 1 plane landed every 90 seconds
-Stalin called off Blockade in may, he had accepted defeat which made him look weak and harmful whilst USA and UK looked peaceful
-NATO formed in April 1949 by West
-Warsaw pact formed in 1955 by East
-East and West Germany become diff countries - GDR (East) & FRG (West)
WARSAW PACT
ARMS RACE
-Countries in East Europe to defend against threat from Capitalist countries
-Formed after west Germany joined NATO
CONSEQUENCES=
-Arms race intensifies
-World divided into 2 rival camps, NATO vs Warsaw Pact
-Soviet had tighter control on Eastern Europe
ARMS RACE=
1945 - USA drops 2 atomic bombs on Japanese cities
1949 - Soviet tests its 1st atomic bomb
1952 - USA develops H bomb (Hydrogen bomb)
1953 - Soviet develops H bomb
KRUSHCHEV
-Became soviet leader in 1955 and in his speech stated:
Stalin was a brutal despot, and promised to ‘De-Stalinise’ the USSR - end censorship and free political prisoners
CONSEQUENCES=
-Freedom of expression
-1000s of political prisoners were freed
-led to Hungary Uprising
HUNGARIAN CRISIS 1956
CAUSES=
-Rakosi killed many people
-October 1956 - riots in Budapest and Stalin’s statues torn down
-Nagy became PM, made big reforms, wanted to leave Warsaw Pact and become neutral, free elections and shut down AVO aka secret police
-Khrushchev accepted reforms initially, but when Nagy asked to leave Warsaw Pact Soviet troops invaded Hungary
EVENTS=
-1000 Soviet tanks
-2000 Hungarians killed
-20,000 Wounded
-80,000 Fled to USA
-200,00 Fled to Austria
-USA send $20M in aid
CONSEQUENCES=
-Nagy arrested, taken to Moscow and executed ‘a lesson’ yo leaders of socialist countries
-Replaced by strict leader Kadar
-Condemned by UN and USA, but nowt more
-Boycotted Olympics by Spain, Netherlands and Sweden in protest
BERLIN CRISIS
REFUGEE CRISIS 1945-61=
-2.7 fled from East to West Germany as East German gov was strict and unpopular, there was a feared secret police
-Living standards were higher in West Germany cause of Marshall Aid, so some went for wealth and freedom
-Khrushchev wanted to control ALL of Berlin, so he issued an ULTIMATUM, telling the USA they had to withdraw their troops from Berlin in 6 months
CONFERENCES=
Geneva 1959
-Khrushchev and president Eisenhower agreed to discuss Berlin
Camp David 1959
-Khrushchev withdrew ultimatum
Paris Summit 1960
-US spy plane was shot down over USSR before the Summit
-Eisenhower refused to apologise and Khrushchev walked out and talks ended
Vienna Conference 1961
-Khrushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience as a weakness
-Khrushchev reissued ultimatum but Kennedy refused to leave Berlin and in case of war, put $3.2B more into military funds and spend $270M on nuclear fall out shelters
BERLIN WALL 1961
-Khrushchev could not force USA troops to leave Berlin, but had to be seen as powerful
-12 August 1961 East Germany sealed off West Berlin with Barbed wire
-By September it became a wall and in October USSR and USA tanks ‘faced off’ at checkpoint Charlie - only place to cross from East to West) and after 12 hours of tension, USSR tanks slowly pulled back
CUBAN CRISES 1959-62
REVOLUTION 1959=
-Jan 1959 - CASTRO replaces BATISTA (corrupt leader of Cuba, who is backed by USA)
-Jan 1960 - CASTRO NATIONALISES LAND in Cuba (takes land from USA business and gives it to Cuban ppl)
-Feb 1960 - Castro makes a deal with Khrushchev to buy Russian oil, Khrushchev promises to buy 1M tonnes of Cuban sugar per year
-July 1960 - USA bans all trade with Cuba
BAY OF PIGS APTIL 1961=
-USA COUP to overthrow Castro
-2000 EXILES invaded - CIA wanted to make it look like a revolt to overthrow Castro
-Castro’s gov knew ab attack and initial planes missed target, JFK cancelled 2nd air strike
-2000 exiles faced 20,000 of Castro’s troops - 500 killed
-JFK had to pay $53M in aid to get exiles released
-1961 Khrushchev placed missiles in Cuba for protection
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS OCT 1962=
16 oct - EX COMM formed - HAWKS and DOVES
22 oct - USA BLOCKADE of CUBA
24 oct - USSR ships approach blockade, stop and turn around
26 oct - Khrushchev sends JFK a letter saying he will withdraw missiles from Cuba
27 oct - USA spy plane shot down over Cuba, new deal made with Khrushchev: USSR withdraw weapons from Cuba in exchange, USA won’t invade Cuba and will withdraw missiles in Turkey in secret
-UN overseas withdrawal of USSR missiles in Cuba and USA withdraws missiles from turkey in secret
CZECHOSLOVAKIAN CRISIS 1968
CAUSES=
-DUBCEK - leader of Czechoslovakia in 1968
-Made Prague Spring reforms in April which allowed freedom of speech, travel and ended censorship
-Dubcek wanted Czechoslovakia to remain communist, but wanted to create ‘socialism with human face’ (communism=easy & better to live with)
-To reassure Brezhnev, Dubcek said he wouldn’t leave Warsaw Pact
EVENTS=
-Brezhnev warned Dubcek his reforms were going too far
-Czechoslovakia was invaded by 50,000 Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968
-Less than 100 ppl were killed and Dubcek was arrested and taken to Moscow
CONSEQUENCES=
-Political - Dubcek was forced to sign Moscow Protocol, which meant reforms were reversed and Husak replaced Dubcek
-Political/International - Brezhnev Doctrine - ‘if any Warsaw Pact country threatens the security of the Eastern Bloc, they will be invaded by the Warsaw Pact’s army’
-International - USA did not get involved - they ‘condemned’ Brezhnev’s actions but were too busy in Vietnam to commit money or troops to solving the problem
