Cold War 1945-49 Flashcards
Why was the Treaty of Versailles a root cause of the Cold War?
The Russians pulled out of WW1 before it ended so did not gain anything under the terms of the Treaty- this angered them
Why was the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 a reason for the breakdown of the wartime alliance in WW2?
The Russians should have helped the London Poles fighting against the Germans but they did not- this was because, selfishly, they wanted Poland to be communist after the war
When was the Yalta Conference?
February 1945
What were the main 3 things discussed at the Yalta Conference?
Poland- the largest Eastern European country
The shape of post-war Europe
What should happen to Germany- a framework settlement was discussed
What happened to the ‘Big Three’ leaders by the time of the Potsdam Conference?
Stalin was the only original member- Roosevelt had died and been replaced by Truman and Churchill had not be re-elected and had been replaced by Atlee
When was the Potsdam Conference?
July-August 1945
What breaking news was announced by the USA at the Potsdam Conference?
The USA announced that they had developed, and tested, an atomic bomb
Name 3 effects of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan
70,000 of Hiroshima’s 78,000 buildings were destroyed
Long term radiation poisoning
Blast wave burned people immediately
Shadows were burnt into the ground
Wildlife and vegetation was completely destroyed
When did the USSR develop and test their own atomic bomb?
August 1949
What did the ‘Big Three’ decide to do with Germany after the war ended?
It was to be split into 4 occupational zones- each run by one of the allies (Britain, France, the USA and the USSR)
What did the western powers do to their zones of Germany after 1947?
They fused them together- firstly, the USA and Britain created Bizonia and then the French joined not later on and it became Trizonia
What was the trigger reason for Stalin’s Berlin Blockade?
When the western powers created their own currency (the Deutschmark) which was a higher value than the currency in the eastern zone
How did the allies respond to the Berlin Blockade?
They used the Berlin Airlift- they flew supplies in and out of West Berlin
What was the Truman Doctrine?
Truman’s belief system based on the domino theory- he wanted to help countries vulnerable to communism and pledged to support them and ‘contain’ the spread of communism in Europe
What was the Marshall Plan?
The financial aid and resources sent to countries it help them recover after WW2