Cold War Flashcards
When was the Yalta Conference & what was agreed?
- February 1945
- Germany and Berlin would be divided into 4 zones
- Germany to pay 20 million reparations (& half will go to the Soviets)
What were the consequences of the Yalta Conference?
- showed lack of agreement e.g. over reparation process
- showed Stalin wanted lots of land
When was the Tehran Conference & what was agreed?
- 1943
- USSR could keep land in Eastern Europe if they won the war ( to make Germany weaker)
- international organisation would be created
- USA & Britain launch another attack on Germany so German army would reduce troops in the East
What were the consequences of the Tehran Conference?
- very good & beneficial for USSR
- gained lots of land
When was the Potsdam Conference & what was agreed?
- July 1945
- Germany would be demilitarised
- there would be democracy
- Soviets would gain a quarter of goods made in Western Europe in return for supplying food and coal
What were the consequences of the Potsdam Conference?
- lots of disagreements
- highlighted differences between capitalism and communism
When was the atomic bomb dropped, where & how many people died?
- 6th August 1945
- Truman dropped it over Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- over 120,000
What were the consequences of the atomic bomb dropping?
- USSR saw the USA as a great danger to the world
- Stalin took control of more land between USSR & Germany as a ‘buffer zone’
Describe the first telegram sent out & when?
- 1946
- Long telegram
- Kennan sent a detailed telegram about the USSR’s attitude towards the USA (that Stalin wanted disruption of (capitalism)
What were the consequences of the Long Telegram?
- USA started ‘containment’
- which meant keeping communism in the USSR only
Describe the second telegram & when was it?
- 1946
- Novikov telegram
- sent by soviet diplomat, shows USA didn’t trust USSR
- showed that America not afraid of war
What were the consequences of the Novikov Telegram?
- USSR felt the need to occupy more land for safety
What was the Iron Curtain speech?
Winston Churchill’s speech when he said that Europe is divided by “an iron curtain” in 1946 , behind it was USSR controlled countries
What were the consequences of the Iron Curtain speech?
- increased tension
- both sides strengthened their forces
Why were satellite states made?
- barrier between Germany and USSR
- showed power and strength
- increase of communist influence
Name 5 satellite states & how/when?
- East Germany
- Poland (1947 as a communist government)
- Czechoslovakia (1948 as a communist government)
- Hungary (1949)
- Romania (voted communist after intimidation)
What was the Truman Doctrine?
- 12th March 1947
- Truman announced he would provide economic help to countries being threatened by communism
- promised 400 million dollars, sent US soldiers to Greece and Turkey
Describe what followed the Truman Doctrine
- Marshall Plan (gave 12.7 billion dollars between 1948-52)
- economic aid to countries hit by war
- offered money to satellite states, Stalin refused
What did Stalin call the Marshall Plan?
- Dollar imperialism
- he thought it was the USA trying to be more powerful and create American Empire in Europe
What were the consequences of the Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan?
- friendly Grand Alliance now gone
- USA in direct opposition to USSR
- Europe divided into Western and East
What was Cominform? When?
- 1947
- every Eastern European country was to follow Stalin’s orders, every country would have a Cominform office
What was Comecon? When?
- 1949
- no Eastern European country could take money from the USA
- there would be trade only between communist countries
- communist party took over all industries
What were the consequences of Comecon & Cominform?
- increased tensions
- made divide greater
What was the Berlin Crisis & when?
- March 1948
- USA, Britain & France united their zones in Trizonia
- they created a currency called Deutsche Mark
What was the Berlin Blockade?
- USSR blocked off any land route in and out of Berlin
- this stopped food & essentials reaching Trizonia
When & what was the Berlin Airlift?
- June 1948 to May 1949
- America flew in food and resources instead
- there was a risk the planes might have been shot but it didn’t happen
- over 1000 tonnes of food flown in
- after a year, Stalin removed the blockade
What were the consequences of the Berlin Airlift?
- made Stalin look weak
- West proved they could success peacefully
- 3 days after, USA, Britain & France officially united
When & what was NATO?
- 1949
- Western powers e.g. USA, Britain, France & 9 others united
- from 1949 American troops stationed in Europe
When & what was the Warsaw Pact?
- 1955
- all of Satellite States, lead by the Soviet Union
- promised support
Describe the 6 stages of the arms race
- 1945: US atomic bomb
- 1949: Soviets made their own
- 1950: American Hydrogen Bomb
- 1957: Soviet Hydrogen Bomb
- USA: ballistic missiles
- 2 months later: Soviets also had ballistic missiles
What occurred under Khrushchev’s leadership?
- he openly criticises Stalin, he suggests peace
- the reasons as to why people had hope for peace: war in Korea ended, both countries broke from arms race, Austria calmed tensions through their 1955 meeting
How did the Hungarian Uprising start?
- Hungary didn’t like Soviet control
- they couldn’t vote, food shortages, their leader was brutal