Cold war

Question 1

Why were relations between the Soviet union and the west bad before WW2

Answer 1

1. Ideological differences
   –> Communism vs capitalism
2. Early conflict
   –> The Russian revolution

Question 2

Why and when was the grand alliance formed, and who was apart of it

Answer 2

Britain, Soviet Union, USA
came together to fight Germany in WW2
1941-1945

Question 3

What was the first conference and when was it

Answer 3

Tehran Conference, 1943

Question 4

What relations were improved at the Tehran conference, why?

Answer 4

Stalin and Roosevelt,
Roosevelt agreed with Stalin on the positioning of the second front while Churchill disagreed,
Stalin therefore thought more highly of USA
-

Question 5

what relations were damaged at the Tehran conference, why?

Answer 5

USA and Britain,
Not only because of Roosevelt siding with Stalin on the second front positioning, but also USA were critical of Britains colonial stance.
Britain felt left out of the decision making and felt USA were siding with USSR more

Question 6

What was the second conference and when was it?

Answer 6

Yalta conference, Feb 1945

Question 7

What agreements were made in the Yalta conference?

Answer 7

• Free elections would take place in Eastern Europe
• United nations would be set up
• Division of Germany

Question 8

What was the final conference and when was it

Answer 8

Potsdam Conference, July 1945

Question 9

What leaders had changed at the Potsdam conference

Answer 9

Churchill –> Attlee
Roosevelt –> Truman
Stalin.

Question 10

What agreements were made at Potsdam

Answer 10

• Split Germany into 4 occupation zones, each independent zone could take reparations to compensate
• Germany de-nazified, de-militarised, de
• Polands borders would be redrawn and the USSR would gain some of the land

Question 11

What caused rising tensions at the Potsdam conference

Answer 11

USA’s atomic bomb, kept secret from Stalin, this caused Stalin to be angry and lack trust in the West

Question 12

What did the USA’s atomic bomb cause in the Cold war

Answer 12

The arm’s race, as both sides were trying to keep up with the others weapons and make sure they had powerful nuclear weapons

Question 13

Why did Stalin not want to lose control of the Eastern European countries which had been freed from Nazi occupation

Answer 13

As they were a useful buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Germany

Question 14

How did Stalin expand into Eastern Europe

Answer 14

Communists would gradually kill, beat their opposition
therefore voters were intimidated by the communist party and vote for them

Question 15

What countries did Stalin have control over

Answer 15

Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria

Question 16

What did George Kennan have to say about Stalin in his long telegram

Answer 16

Said that Stalin wanted to destroy Capitalism and advocated a policy of containment to stop the spread of communism

Question 17

How did the USSR defend its actions for expanding into Eastern Europe

Answer 17

Said that USA wanted to use their military power to dominate the world and they were only protecting themselves

Question 18

What were 2 effects of the communist takeover in Eastern Europe

Answer 18

1. Marshall Plan
2. Truman Doctrine

Question 19

What was the Truman Doctrine

Answer 19

Put forward in a speech, it exaggerated the threat if communism to get money to protect GREECE AND TURKEY from becoming communism

Question 20

Why was the Truman Doctrine introduced

Answer 20

USA were worried that Turkey and Greece would become communism and communism would spread through the domino theory

Question 21

How much money was granted by the congress to the Truman Doctrine

Answer 21

$400 million dollars

Question 22

What was said by the USSR about the USA’s Truman Doctrine

Answer 22

It was another sign of US expansion

Question 23

What was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 23

Giving money to Europe, but those countries had to open their trade to the USA

Question 24

Why may the Marshall Plan have been introduced?

Answer 24

• US needed Europe to recover for trading purposes
• It was believed ‘communism bred in poverty’

Question 25

Why did the Soviets think USA introduced the Marshall plan

Answer 25

‘Dollar imperialism’
they believed USA were trying to get control over Europe for their own economic reasons and trying to build alliances against the USSR

Question 26

How much money did Congress grant for the Marshall Plan

Answer 26

$17 billion dollars

Question 27

What effects did the Marshall Plan have on the soviet Union

Answer 27

• Stalin did not allow any of his satellite states to take the money
• Stalin tightened his grip over his buffer zone

Question 28

What were two effects of the Marshall Plan

Answer 28

1. Cominform
2. Comecom

Question 29

What was Cominform?

Answer 29

Stalins direct response to the Truman Doctrine
–> It tried to contain American influence
–> forced states to reject the Marshall Plan
Stalins way of ensuring loyalty from the Eastern European Governments
- Consolidated the USSR’s power

Question 30

What was Comecom

Answer 30

Stalins communist alternative to the Marshall plan
- encouraged economic development in Eastern Europe
- prevented trade with the west

Question 31

How was the Marshall plan so important?

Answer 31

Entrenched the division of Europe
- Two spheres of influence

Question 32

How did USA run its zone in Germany?

Answer 32

• Wanted the German economy to recover
• Ran the zone as Capitalist and introduced, Bizonia and Deutschmark

Question 33

How did Russia run its zone in Germany?

Answer 33

• Wanted to keep Germany weak and divided so they could never attack them again
• Whatever was produced was taken back to the USSR as reparations
• Used their zone exclusively for their own benefits
• Ran the zone as Communist

Question 34

Why was Berlin so significant

Answer 34

As it was in East Germany, it was the only place the west could see behind the iron curtain
“ an island of prosperous capitalism in a sea of communism”

Question 35

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 35

Stalin cut all links between West Germany and West Berlin
- Operation Vittles was authorised by the US government flying in supplies

Question 36

How many tonnes of supplies were flown in each day

Answer 36

1000 tonnes

Question 37

Why did Stalin conceded the Blockade

Answer 37

realised it was doing more harm than good

Question 38

Why did Stalin blockade Berlin?

Answer 38

• Bizonia and Trizonia
• Deutschmark
  Stalin saw this as breaking the Conferences agreement of 4 power controls in Germany
  He thought they were trying to build up Germany to attack him again

Question 39

Why did the West think Stalin blockaded Berlin

Answer 39

• Believed Stalin was trying to take control of all Berlin, steal West Berlin
• The blockade was seen as cruel and heartless

Question 40

What were the consequences of Berlin Blockade?

Answer 40

• USA and GB seen as hero’s and USSR as evil by the German public
• Creation of NATO
• accelerated creation of Western Bloc against Stalin which is what he was trying to prevent
• Division of Germany (USSR vs USA, GB, FR)

Question 41

What was NATO, when was it set up

Answer 41

1949 - it was a peacetime military alliance, an attack on one of its members would be seen as an attack on all

Question 42

What did the USSR think NATO was

Answer 42

An anti-soviet action, as no countries from the Eastern Bloc were asked to join
- Their official reaction stated it violated the UN charter as well as wartime treaties