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Cold War 1941 - 1955 Flashcards

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1
Q

Which countries were in the Grand Alliance in WW2?

A

Britain, USA and the Soviet Union

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2
Q

Who was the Grand Alliance members common enemy?

A

Germany and Japan

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3
Q

What action caused the Grand Alliance to be formed?

A

When German troops invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, despite a non-aggression pact.

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4
Q

Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?

A

As soon as the common threats of Germany and Japan were removed, it was inevitable a conflict would develop between the two super powers.

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5
Q

What were the 2 different beliefs that the USA and the USSR had which led to the break down of their relations?

A

Capitalist and Democratic versus Communist and Dictatorship

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6
Q

What different aims did the USA and USSR have which led to the break down of their relations?

A

America - help Germany to recover, stop Russia getting control of Eastern Europe
USSR - wanted huge reparations from Germany, a buffer of friendly states in eastern Europe

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7
Q

One reason why the USA resented USSR prior to WW2?

A

Nazi-Soviet pact 1939

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8
Q

2 reasons why USSR resented USA prior to WW2?

A

Britain and America tried to destroy Russian revolution in 1918.
Britain and America did not stand up to Germany in the run up to WW2.

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9
Q

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A

Truman retaliates to soviet expansion by providing money and troops to democratic nations such as Greece and Turkey that are under threat.

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10
Q

When was the Truman Doctrine?

A

1947

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11
Q

What provoked the Truman Doctrine?

A

When wealthy European countries could no longer provide support for shattered economies that were being influenced by communism.

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12
Q

What policy did the USA follow before WW2?

A

Policy of isolation.

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13
Q

What was the policy of isolation?

A

Not getting involved in the affairs of others.

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14
Q

What policy had the US adapted?

A

Policy of containment.

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15
Q

What was the policy of containment?

A

Trying to limit the spread of communism.

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16
Q

What point did Truman want to make with the Truman Doctrine?

A

That capitalism was a better option than communism.

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17
Q

What was the Marshall Plan aim?

A

-To rebuild the economies of western Europe
-to contain the spread of communism
-to create new markets in Europe for American goods.

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18
Q

What methods did Truman use to carry out the Marshall plan?

A

Between 1948 and 1952, American sent 12.7 billion dollars of aid in addition to the 13 billion dollars of aid already given before the Marshall plan.

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19
Q

What were the impacts of the Marshall plan on US-Soviet relations?

A

It made the USSR look weak and poor.
It strengthened the ties between America and Western Europe.

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20
Q

What was the impact of the Truman Doctrine on US-Soviet relations?

A

America had put itself in direct opposition with the USSR.
Stalin saw Truman’s plan as evidence to destroy the USSR by dominating in as many countries as he could and making those countries depend on American money e.g. “dollar imperialism”.
Stalin’s suspicions of the US were reinforced - USA trying to crush communism.

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21
Q

How did the USSR respond to the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan?

A

Cominform (1947) and Comecon (1949)

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22
Q

When was the Marshall Plan?

A

1947

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23
Q

Why did Stalin set up Cominform?

A

Gave Stalin a way of directing and controlling the satellite states.

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24
Q

What did Stalin want from Cominform?

A

To ensure they followed communism.
Encouraged satellite states to trade with each other.
All contact from non-communist countries was discouraged.

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25
Q

What was Comecon?

A

Aimed to support economic development in it’s member states.

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26
Q

What were Stalin’s methods to enforce Comecon?

A

Arranged trade agreements between satellite states.
Encouraged trade between member states.

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27
Q

What was the impact of Cominform and Camecon on US-Soviet relations?

A

Increased tensions and encouraged America to seek a new military alliance with Western European countries (NATO).

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28
Q

When was the Berlin Blockade?

A

1948

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29
Q

What caused the Berlin Blockade?

A

Formation of Trizonia and the creation of the Deutschmark (giving west Germany economic unity) enraged the east as it acknowledged that there were two Germany’s: West and East.
Stalin thought the west were ganging up on the USSR and that by developing the west more effectively, they were deliberately trying to force the east into poverty. He now was even more determined to protect Soviet interests in Germany.

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30
Q

How did Stalin want Germany to be ruled?

A

One united Germany under communist ideology.

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31
Q

Four reasons Stalin blockaded West Berlin.

A

To make him appear strong.
To spread communism further.
To increase Soviet security.
To show that a divided Germany would not work.

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32
Q

How many days after the Deuschmark was invented did the USSR block all road and rail links into West Berlin?

A

6

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33
Q

How many tonnes of supplies would they have to deliver to keep Berlin going?

A

2000 tonnes a day.

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34
Q

When did the blockade stop?

A

May 1949

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35
Q

Why did the blockade end?

A

A massive US-British airlift of vital supplies to West Berlin’s two million citizens.

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36
Q

Why did Stalin want to blockade Berlin?

A

A strong Germany would be a threat to Stalin, so wanted to starve western sector of supplies and force them out.

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37
Q

What 4 points led to the development of the Cold War?

A

Lost common enemy of the Nazi’s
USSR and it’s buffer states were feared.
Conflicting ideologies
Nuclear arms

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38
Q

When was Yalta?

A

Feb 1945

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39
Q

What happened at Yalta?

A

Germany slit into 4.
Germany to pay $20 billion in reparations
UN set up
USSR could have a sphere of influence but elections had to be free.

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40
Q

What happened the day after the first day of Potsdam?

A

US tested atomic bomb.

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41
Q

What was the impact of the testing of the bomb after Potsdam day 1?

A

Stalin felt threatened - increased tensions
Created buffer zones to protect himself
Start of nuclear arms race.

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42
Q

When was Potsdam?

A

July 1945

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43
Q

What happened in Aug 1945?

A

Hiroshima and Nagasaki - 120,000 civilians killed.

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44
Q

When was the Long Telegram?

A

Feb 1946

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45
Q

What did George Kennan report in the Long Telegram?

A

Stalin wants to destroy capitalism and take over the world.
However, USSR would back down if USA showed strength.

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46
Q

What did the Novikov telegram state?

A

USA aim to dominate the world
Truman is not willing to co-operate and the American people are supportive of nuclear war.

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47
Q

When were Bulgaria and Romania taken over?

A

1945

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48
Q

What led to Poland being under Soviet control?

A

“Free elections” however, voters intimidated by Soviets.

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49
Q

When were Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia conquered by USSR?

A

1940

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50
Q

What was the change of policy in the US as a response to Soviet Expansion?

A

From policy of isolation to policy of containment.

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51
Q

What happened in Hungary in 1947 that led to a communist party being elected?

A

Voters intimidated by a campaign supported in Moscow and therefore, communist party elected.

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52
Q

What did Benes try to do in Czechoslovakia that led to his removal of power?

A

Restore pre-war democracy. Stalin saw this as a threat to a buffer-state he was trying to set up. Benes removed from power.

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53
Q

When was NATO formed?

A

April 1949

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54
Q

When was the Grand Alliance created?

A

1941

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55
Q

Why was the Grand Alliance created?

A

To defeat Nazi Germany and other Axis powers including Japan (Nazi Germany’s allies).

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56
Q

Who was part of the Grand Alliance?

A
  • Britain
    -USA
    -The Soviet Union
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57
Q

Which conference came first?

A

The Tehran Conference

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58
Q

When did the Tehran Conference happen?

A

November- December 1943

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59
Q

What were the agreements about Germany at the Tehran Conference?

A

USA and Britain to open a second front by launching an attack on Germany in Western Europe.

60
Q

What were the agreements about Japan at the Tehran Conference?

A
  • USSR would declare war against Japan and supply USSR troops to help the US (but only once the war in Europe was finished)
61
Q

Why was the Tehran Conference important?

A

Better relations between leaders.
Working together against a common enemy.

62
Q

Which conference was second?

A

The Yalta Conference

63
Q

When did the Yalta Conference happen?

A

February 1945

64
Q

What agreements about Nazi Germany were made at the Yalta Conference?

A
  • Germany forced to pay $20bn in reparations (half of which goes to the Soviet Union.
  • Germany split into 4 zones.
  • Germany would be demilitarised (have their army banned)
    -Nazi war criminals would be tried in courts of law
65
Q

What were the agreements about international organisations at the Yalta Conference?

A
  • UN was set up (in February 1945)
66
Q

When was Germany defeated?

A

May 1945

67
Q

When did the Potsdam Conference take place?

A

Between July and August 1945

68
Q

How had the leadership changed between Potsdam and Yalta?

A
  • Roosevelt died in April 1945 and was replaced by Truman
  • Churchill was replaced by Attlee in July 1945
69
Q

What were the issues raised regarding Eastern Europe at the Potsdam Conference?

A
  • Truman objected to the control the USSR had over countries in Eastern Europe that it had liberated from Nazi rule. (but little he could do)
  • UK and USA considered Stalin’s installation of an entirely pro-communist government in Poland to be a violation of the Yalta agreements.
70
Q

What had both countries tested in 1953?

A

Hydrogen bomb

71
Q

Why was Stalin pleased with the outcome of the Tehran conference?

A

He had come to Tehran thinking the USA and Britain had been deliberately delaying opening a second front to weaken the USSR.
So he was pleased with the agreement to open a second front.

72
Q

Why was there some tension between the USA and Britain at Tehran?

A

Churchill wanted to open a second front in the Balkans not in the West.
Roosevelt thought British colonialism was a bigger threat to world peace than the USSR.

73
Q

What suspicions did Roosevelt and Churchill have about Stalin and vice versa in the early stages of the the Cold War?

A

They had major suspicions about what each other were trying to achieve.

74
Q

What differences between leaders in the early Cold War lead to the breakdown of relations as WW2 began to draw to a close?

A

Different personal political beliefs.

75
Q

What were the USA and Britain very critical of in the early stages of the Cold War?

A

Stalin’s methods to industrialise the USSR and the terrible cost in human lives that the reforms brought about it.

76
Q

When did Churchill make the iron curtain speech?

A

March 1946

77
Q

Why was the speech significant?

A

It was the first time there had been an announcement of the beginning of the Cold War.

78
Q

Give a significant quote from Churchill’s speech.

A

An iron curtain has descended across the continent.

79
Q

What was Churchill trying to say in his iron curtain speech?

A

That the Allies had spent six years fighting for the freedom from fascism in Europe, only to have half the continent now under Soviet dictatorship.

80
Q

What did Stalin agree to do with Japan at Yalta?

A

Join in the war (this was 3 months after the defeat of Germany)

81
Q

What did Stalin agree to in terms of the future governments of Eastern Europe?

A

There would be free elections.

82
Q

What agreements about reparations were made at Potsdam?

A

Each country should take reparations from it’s own zone. As the USSR controlled the poorest zone it was allowed to take a quarter of industrial equipment from the other zones.

83
Q

What did the USSR want from Germany at Potsdam?

A

Heavy reparations.

84
Q

Why did Truman not want Germany to pay heavy reparations at Postdam?

A

Didn’t want it to make it harder for the German economy to recover.

85
Q

What were relations like at the end of Potsdam?

A

Clear there were significant issues they could not agree on.
Truman believed Stalin was trying to spread communism by getting control of Eastern Europe.
In Stalin’s view it was just a reasonable defensive measure.

86
Q

When was Hiroshima?

A

August 6 1945

87
Q

When was Nagasaki?

A

August 9 1945

88
Q

How many people were killed by the 2 bombs?

A

120,000

89
Q

Why did the USA use the 2 bombs in Japan?

A

To establish a stronger position with the USSR.
Made Truman feel more confident with negotiations at Potsdam.
Made countries in Western Europe look to American protection rather than the USSR.

90
Q

What was Stalin’s response to the bombing of Japan?

A

Felt more determined to make Soviet zone more secure (make a buffer zone).

91
Q

Explain why Stalin’s response to the bombing of Japan was the opposite to what the USA hoped for.

A

The USA hoped that it would make it easier to persuade Stalin to allow Eastern European countries more freedom (out of fear).
However, his response was the opposite (created a buffer zone).

92
Q

When did the USSR first successfully test their atomic bomb?

A

29 August 1949.

93
Q

What provoked the Iron Curtain speech?

A

The communist governments set up in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.

94
Q

What was the impact of Churchill’s speech?

A

Intensified the hostility between East and West.

95
Q

What did Stalin interpret Churchill’s speech to be?

A

The beliefs of American’s as well (as Churchill must of cleared his speech with Truman first).

96
Q

What is the significance of the Long Telegram?

A

The American government now believe they should remain strong on communism.
Adapted policy of containment.

97
Q

What is the significance of the Novikov telegram?

A

Stalin wanted as much protection in Eastern Europe as possible.

98
Q

Why was communism attractive to the poor countries of Eastern Europe?

A

Because the wealth of the richest would be redistributed and shared by all.
Worried Truman - led to Truman Doctrine and Marshall plan.

99
Q

What did the Truman Doctrine state?

A

US would provide $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey.

100
Q

What did Truman say about communism in the Truman Doctrine?

A

Choosing democracy over communism was like choosing good over evil.
Communism was when the will of the minority is forced upon the majority.

101
Q

Why did Truman send economic aid to Greece and Turkey?

A

To help them resist communism.

102
Q

What was the Marshall Plan?

A

A practical outcome of the Truman Doctrine.

103
Q

What was the main idea of the Truman Doctrine?

A

To stop communism spreading into Western Europe.

104
Q

What was cominform?

A

A political organisiation set up by Stalin that consisted of communist parties of the satellite states.

105
Q

What was comecon a response to?

A

The Marshall plan - 2 years before

106
Q

Why did Stalin set up Comecon?

A

To ensure the US did not become influential in Eastern Europe.

107
Q

What did Stalin discourage to the countries in Comecon?

A

Trade with the USA and Western Europe.

108
Q

What were the agreements about Poland made at Tehran?

A

Germany must surrender and give land back to Poland.
But the USSR could keep land it had taken from Poland.

109
Q

What were the agreements about the UN made in Tehran?

A

Only discussions about creating an international peacekeeping body aimed at avoiding war.

110
Q

What were disagreements made at Tehran?

A

Churchill wanted to open a second front in the Balkans not in the west.
However, Roosevelt sided with Stalin.

111
Q

Impact of Tehran conference on US-Soviet relations.

A

Good - Stalin happy about second front - had been upset about his soldier losses.

112
Q

What were disagreements at Potsdam?

A

A communist government was being set up in Poland.
Arguments over where boundaries between zones would be set.
How much USSR could take in reparations.

113
Q

What agreement at Yalta was to do with elections?

A

Stalin agreed to hold free elections.

114
Q

Impact of Yalta on US-Soviet relations.

A

Pleased to get an agreement on free elections and the UN but Poland was difficult to solve.

115
Q

What approach did Truman have with Stalin at potsdam?

A

Get tough approach - planned atomic bomb to scare Stalin.

116
Q

Disagreements at Potsdam.

A

USA angry about Soviet expansion and Poland arrangement.
USSR wanted heavy reparations.
Truman thought this would stop Germany’s recovery.

117
Q

Why did Stalin’s promise of free elections at Yalta not happen?

A

Worsening relations between the US and USSR (atomic bomb dropped by US) , meant that Stalin felt he needed the buffer zone to protect the USSR.

118
Q

2 methods Stalin used to gain control of countries.

A
  1. Rigged elections
  2. Intimidation against non-communist opponents.
119
Q

What happened in Poland that led to a communist government taking over?

A

Supposedly free elections in 1947 - London Poles forced to flee country.

120
Q

How did USSR gain control of Hungary?

A

Seized control of police after they had won only 20% of the vote, and used the police to intimidate those who had won.

121
Q

What was the only democratic nation in Eastern Europe before WW2?

A

Czechoslovakia.

122
Q

How did President Benes try to restore pre-war democracy in 1948?

A

Coalition government of communists and non-communists.

123
Q

Why did Benes coalition government come to an end in 1948?

A

Soviet-backed coup ousted the non-communists.

124
Q

What happened to Jan Masaryk in 1948?

A

Pro-American minister of Czecholovakia - communists say he jumped, Americans convinced he was pushed.

125
Q

3 consequences of Telegrams.

A

Suspicion and distrust.
Change in US policy.
Puts them in competition to spread ideologies.

126
Q

Consequence of the formation of NATO 1949.

A

Cemented the US role in Europe.
Joined 11 Western European nations.

127
Q

What were the different ways that the USSR and the west looked at Germany in 1948?

A

Wanted to take as much as possible from Germany to rebuild USSR.
West wanted to rebuild Germany’s economy.

128
Q

How was Germany split by March 1948?

A

Western Trizonia
Eastern Soviet-controlled Germany

129
Q

Why was Truman clever with the idea of flying planes over to supply West Berlin in 1948?

A

Knew that by forcing supplies through it would seem a potential act of war.
So, if he flew, Stalin would have to shoot the planes down to stop them, and Truman knew it wouldn’t go that far.

130
Q

What was the impression of the West after Berlin Airlift?

A

They had responded in a peaceful way to what now looked like an aggressive and unwise ACT BY STALIN.

131
Q

What happened 3 days after the end of the blockade?

A

Formation of the FRG - 23 May 1949

132
Q

How did Stalin respond to the formation of FRG?

A

Made the GDR in October 1949.

133
Q

Why was NATO formed?

A

To protect Western powers against USSR.

134
Q

Who was involved in NATO?

A

USA, Britain, France and 9 other Western countries.

135
Q

What did the members of NATO agree on?

A

If any member was attacked all members would come to it’s assisstance.

136
Q

What did NATO mean for US-Soviet relations?

A

An ongoing US military presence in Europe.

137
Q

What sparked the formation of the Warsaw Pact?

A

When the FRG joined NATO.
Now there was a real danger of an armed and powerful Germany on the borders of the USSR.

138
Q

When was the Warsaw Pact formed?

A

1955 - within a week of FRG joining NATO

139
Q

What was the purpose of NATO?

A

Defensive military alliance.

140
Q

What was the difference between the Warsaw Pact and NATO?

A

Warsaw Pact alliance under the control of the USSR.

141
Q

When did the USA make the hydrogen bomb?

A

1952 - 1000 times more powerful than atomic bomb.

142
Q

When did the USSR develop a hydrogen bomb?

A

One year after USA did - 1953

143
Q

When did USA develop ICBM’s?

A

1957.

144
Q

When did USSR develop ICBM’s?

A

A few months after USA did.

145
Q

What wer ICBM’s?

A

Could fire a nuclear warhead at a target more than 4,500 km away.

History (27 decks)

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