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History > Cold War > Flashcards

Cold War Flashcards

1
Q

When did the USA join WW1

A

December 17th 1941 after attack on Pearl Harbour by the japanese. Japan declared war 2 hours after followed by Hitler on Dec 11th

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2
Q

What were the losses for each ally after WW2

A

Soviets 25-27 million
USA 420,000
Britain 451,000

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3
Q

When was the Yalta Conference and who attended

A

February 1945, FDR Stalin and Churchill

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4
Q

Who was George F Kennan

A

American Diplomat in American Embassy in Russia
Delivered Long Telegram Speech
Anti-Communist
Warned of Soviet Expansionism and therefore shaped US foreign policy

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5
Q

When did the USSR join the league of nations

A

November 1934 to gain British and French trust
To try to secure alliance with France there was a military treaty signed in May 1935

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6
Q

Statistics for Stalin’s purges during the 1930’s

A

At its peak, 20,000+ people were killed a day
3 million approx. total sent to slavery
1.2 million total die

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7
Q

When was the Nazi-Soviet pact made and why did Stalin agree to it?

A

23rd August 1939, Stalin’s aim was to ensure Britain and France involve themselves fully in the war as Chamberlain’s original plan was to let the Soviets do most of the fighting.

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8
Q

When did the Nazi-Soviet pact fall apart?

A

June 1941 as Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, the Soviets then officially became a part of the allies relationship

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9
Q

Statistics of Soviet suffering during WW2/ Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

A

25-27 million dead
65,000km of railroad lost
25 million homeless
70,000 villages destroyed

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10
Q

Pariah State meaning

A

A state whose actions are regarded as out of step with international norms of conduct

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11
Q

Neocolonialism meaning

A

When a foreign power indirectly influences a territory usually through financial means

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12
Q

Hegemon meaning

A

A powerhouse culturally, economically and industrially - a supreme leader

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13
Q

How much in reparations from Germany did Stalin think he was going to get as of the Yalta Conference

A

$10 billion

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14
Q

When was the Potsdam Conference and who attended

A

July-August 1945
Truman, Stalin and Churchill (replaced after 1st day by new PM Clement Atlee)

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15
Q

Date of FDR death

A

April 12th 1945, replaced by Harry Truman

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16
Q

Date of Germany’s surrender

A

May 9th 1945

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17
Q

Date of first American atom bomb test

A

July 16th - Stalin is aware of something big happening due to his spies but he doesn’t know what

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18
Q

Date of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A

6th August and 15th August 1945

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19
Q

Truman’s reasons for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945

A
  • Predicted 2 million americans would have died during invasion
  • revenge for Pearl Harbour
  • Truman trying to prove himself to the Soviets via atomic diplomacy
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20
Q

Salami tactics meaning

A

Marginalise socialist and peasant parties by falsifying elections, using Soviet secret police (NKVD) to get rid of opposition
Used by Soviets in EE to establish influence

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21
Q

Fellow traveller meaning

A

Not a part of the communist party but wants the same things

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22
Q

Who was Dr Petru Groza

A

PM of Romania, fellow traveller, became PM in march 1945 as he was put in change by the Soviets

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23
Q

Who was King Michael I

A

Last King of Romania before his forced abdication at gunpoint on the 30th december 1947

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24
Q

What were the names of the leaders of the french and italian communist party

A

Maurice Thorez - French (Party of the Martyrs)
Palmiro Togliatti - Italian

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25
Q

By May 1947, most communists were thrown out of Western governments?

A

The expanding influence of the USA meant that Truman was gaining influence, meaning communists got kicked out of governments - genuine popularity of communism was a problem

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26
Q

When did the Block of Democratic Parties (the BPD) win the election in Romania

A

19th November 1946 with 84% of the votes - used intimidation, electoral fraud and assassinations

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27
Q

When was the Romanian Workers Party formed

A

February 1948 after communists forced merge with socialists

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28
Q

What percent of the votes did the Hungarian Communist Party win in 1945

A

17%

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29
Q

Who was Zoltán Tildy

A

The PM of Hungary from 1945-46 until he was disregarded by Stalin’s puppet government

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30
Q

When did the communists win the majority of voted in Hungary

A

August 1947 with Lajos Dinnyés

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31
Q

When was the Hungarian Working Peoples Party formed

A

June 1948 after the Communists forced merge with Social Democrats

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32
Q

When was Dinnyés replaced as PM of Hungary and who by

A

December 1948, replaced by István Dobi who was openly communist

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33
Q

When did Hungary become the People’s Republic of Hungary

A

20th August 1949

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34
Q

When did the Communists win the first postwar election in Czechoslovakia

A

May 1946, Klement Gottwald brought in

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35
Q

When did the communists fully assume control in Czechoslovakia

A

February 25th 1948

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36
Q

Evidence for Communism growing in popularity in Italy during the 1940’s

A

Italian Communist Party membership increased from 5,000 in 1943 to 1.7 million at the end of 1945

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37
Q

Evidence for Communism growing in popularity in France during the 1940’s

A

In November 1946 the French Communist Party became the largest party in parliament - rougly 29% of seats

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38
Q

When was Kennan’s Long Telegram speech

A

February 1946, outlining his views on how Soviet Expansionism was dangerous, creating the idea of containment

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39
Q

When was Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech

A

March 1946 - first public expression of the end of the grand alliance

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40
Q

Who was James F Byrnes

A

Truman’s secretary of state July 1945- Jan 1947

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41
Q

When was the French Indochina War

A

1946-1954

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42
Q

Statistics for post-war Germany

A

40% of German housing destroyed
1/3 of their railway system is impassable

43
Q

Factors of the satellite states

A

Bureaucratic regimes created by Stalin, similar to that of the USSR
Secret police, censorship, show trials, 5 year plans that furthered development of heavy industry

44
Q

When did the USA and UK stop Soviets from taking reparations from their zones?

A

July 1946 (it was originally agreed Soviets could take 25%of reparations from their zones - excuse was refugee crisis

45
Q

When was Bizonia created

A

1st January 1947 by merging USA and British zones

46
Q

When was the Moscow Conference for foreign ministers?

A

Spring 1947 - Soviets tried to destroy Bizonia by demanding new central German government - opposed

47
Q

When did Britain invade Greece to kill Greek resistance

A

December 1944

48
Q

When did Britain pull out of Greece during the Greek civil war

A

February 1947 as they don’t have enough money

49
Q

How much did the Truman Doctrine grant and to who (and when was it outlined)

A

March 1947 - granting a total of $400 million
$300 million to Greece to contain communism
$100 million to Turkey to prevent invasion

50
Q

When was the Marshall Plan launched and how much was granted in total

A

Launched 5th June 1947
$13.5 billion to 13 countries total

51
Q

How much did Japan receive in Marshall aid

A

$500 million to the economy to protect from communism - prospering economy meant less communist influence

52
Q

How much did China receive in Marshall aid?

A

$2.8 billion to defeat Chinese communism

53
Q

How much did France receive in Marshall aid and what for

A

$4 billion to use in French Indochina war - which they lost

54
Q

What cemented the abandonment of isolationism

A

The containment strategy as it officially got American goods involved in European markets

55
Q

What triggered the shift from passive to active containment

A

The start of the Korean War

56
Q

Define passive containment

A

Political aid to countries, not getting directly involved

57
Q

When was NATO created

A

1949

58
Q

What was the issue of accepting Marshall aid in France

A

The French wanted to reject marshall aid from a nationalist view but politicians were desperate
French communists were also extremely Pro-Soviet and therefore against the war in Vietnam

59
Q

Who was Tito and why didn’t Stalin like him

A

Communist leader of Yugoslavia, came to leader himself due to genuine popularity of communism in Yugoslavia
He was an independent thinker and a threat to Stalin as Stalin failed to assert power in Yugoslavia - He didn’t follow Stalinist communism and therefore criticised it which threatened Stalin’s power

60
Q

What were the effects of Titoism

A

Laszlo Rajk - Hungarian foreign minister - was executed for ‘Titoism’ in October 1949 (he disagreed with Stalin and was then framed as a spy)
Jan Masaryk - Czech foreign minister - objected communist coup in Czechoslovakia and then ‘commited suicide’ in March 1948

61
Q

What was Cominform and what triggered it

A

Created in September 1947 so that all communist parties and regimes had the same ideas
Triggered by ‘Titoism’

62
Q

When was Comecon launched

A

25th January 1949

63
Q

When did the Czechs accept Marshall aid

A

February 1948

64
Q

When did Yugoslavia accept Marshall Aid

A

June 1948 after Tito broadcasted how Stalin had sent 6 assassins total to kill him and had all failed (and how he was willing to send one over to Stalin)

65
Q

Between 1948-1952 how many communists were imprisoned for fears of Titoism

A

Approx 250,000

66
Q

When did the Soviets invade Hungary

A

November 1956

67
Q

When did the Soviets invade Czechoslovakia to overthrow Dubcek

A

August 1968 as he was trying to create reformed communism

68
Q

When was Trizonia created

A

June 1948

69
Q

What is a power vaccuum

A

A situation where there is a lack of leadership in a government due to there no longer being a leader

70
Q

When was the SED founded

A

April 1946 by unifying SPD and KPD

71
Q

When was the Deutschmark launched

A

20th June 1948

72
Q

When was the Berlin Blockade launched

A

24th June 1948

73
Q

When did the Berlin Blockade end

A

12th May 1949

74
Q

When did Adenauer come to power In West Germany

A

September 1949 - became Chancellor of FDR

75
Q

When did Ulbricht come to power in East Germany

A

October 1949 - General Secretary of the SED

76
Q

Who was the leader of North Korea during the Korean War

A

Kim Il Sung

77
Q

Who was the leader of South Korea during the Korean War

A

Syngmann Rhee

78
Q

Duration of the Korean War

A

June 1950 - July 1953

79
Q

How much did the US spend on the Korean War

A

$18 billion - $3 billion spent on Japan for tech advancements and repairs as it was used as a Western Base (economic boom lasts until 1990’s)

80
Q

When was the People’s Republic of China created

A

October 1949

81
Q

When was the San Francisco Peace Treaty

A

September 1951, involved the USA and Japan

82
Q

When was Japan allowed to have a defence force

A

1st July 1954 - creation of the JSDF

83
Q

2 Examples of Domino Theory during the late 1940’s

A

1947 - If Greece fell to communism then Turkey would fall, causing eventual Soviet domination through Middle East and Asia
Late 1947 - If West Germany was weak it would create a power vaccuum meaning communist takeover - eventual communist influence spreads through Europe

84
Q

What did domino theory justify

A

The West’s involvement in SE Asia

85
Q

When was NSC-68 created

A

January 30th 1950

86
Q

Third world nationalism meaning

A

A political response t o colonialism, hoping to achieve economic development, national sovereignty and peace

87
Q

How could the West’s interventions in East Asia be described

A

Imperialism vs third world nationalism

88
Q

Dates for the Century of Humiliation

A

1840 - 1940’s (1949)

89
Q

When did Japan take over Singapore

A

15th Feb 1942 (fall of Singapore) - 1945

90
Q

When was the 2nd Chinese Civil War

A

1946-1949

91
Q

Who was Ho Chi Minh

A

Leader of Vietnamese Workers Party

92
Q

When was the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence created

A

2nd September 1945 by Ho Chi Minh

93
Q

Who was General Doug MacArthur

A

US military governor in charge of Japan

94
Q

How much money was pumped into Japanese economy before the Korean War for containment (not Marshall Aid)

A

$500 million

95
Q

In 1948, if Japan were to fall to communist influence how much more war-making potential would the USSR had gained

A

an additional 25%

96
Q

When was Acheson’s Defensive Perimeter Speech

A

January 1950

97
Q

When did Stalin and Mao sign the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance

A

February 1950

98
Q

When did Stalin start to back Mao and the CCP

A

Summer of 1949 after his reputation was damaged due to the Berlin Blockade

99
Q

How much money had Truman given to Jiang Jieshi and the GMD for the civil war

A

$2.8 billion which was wasted

100
Q

When does the breakdown in relations between the Soviets and the Chinese begin

A

February 1956

101
Q

When is the full breakdown in relations between the Soviets and the Chinese

A

October 1962 with the Cuban Missile Crisis

102
Q

What was the Domino Theory in relation to SE Asia

A

The Loss of Indochina - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos:
Swift alignment with communism with the rest of SE Asia,
India aligns,
Middle East falls to communism with probable exception of Pakistan and Turkey,
Endangers stablility of Europe and loss of major sources of materials and trade routes

103
Q

When was the first CIA coup and where

A

July 1953, Iran

104
Q
A

History (2 decks)

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