cold war and blame

Question 1

what was a big difference which played a role in the US-Soviet alliance break down?

Answer 1

the USA had been a communist country for over 50 years at that time and many business’ in the USA hates and feared communism.

Question 2

name some issued which played a role in the breakdown of the Nazi-soviet pact.

Answer 2

• They had different world views in politics,
• many Americans passionately belived that their way of life was best and they were justifiably proud that the USA played a leading role in the defeat of Nazism.
• however, soviet people were also proud of their country’s critical role in defeating Germany, which came at a devastating cost, and they too belived that their way of life was superior
• USA was a democracy and the USSR was a dictatorship
• USA was the world’s wealthiest country but there was extremes of poor and rich due to capitalism. USSR was an economic power due to the growth of industry in the 1920s+30s but the general standard of living was much lower in the USSR than USA but unemployment and poverty was lower
• for americans equality was less important than freedom from the government, whereas it was the other war wound for soviets
• many in the USSR saw the USA’s action as selfishly building its economic empire and political influence whereas in America they saw their policies as doing the right thing

Question 3

who was the leader of USA from 1930s to 1945? who was it after that?

Answer 3

Roosevelt, then Truman

Question 4

why had the attitude towards the USSR changed by the 1940s?

Answer 4

The USA’s attitude towards their policy of isolation had changed to firmly against it which effectively meant opposing communism. There would be no more appeasement of dictators.

Question 5

what is the name of the conference that took place in 1945?

Answer 5

it was called the Yalta conference

Question 6

when was the Yalta conference?

Answer 6

Feb 1945

Question 7

what is the difference between capitalism and communism?

Answer 7

In a communist economy, the factors of production are owned by the government. In a capitalist economy, production is determined by free market forces such as supply and demand. In a communist economy, the government determines which goods and services get produced and how much is available at any given time.
In capitalism, business’ are privately owned.

Question 8

what happened at Yalta in 1945?

Answer 8

the allied leaders met at yalta in ukraine to to plan what would happen to Europe after Germany’s defeat because it was clear that they were losing the war

Question 9

who were the big three at the Yalta conference (name of leaders)?

Answer 9

Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill

Question 10

what was agreed at the Yalta conference?

Answer 10

• Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany had surrendered
• They agreed that as countries were liberated from occupation by the German army, they would be allowed to hold gree elections to choose the government they wanted
• as allied soldiers advanced though Germany, they were revealing the horrors of the concentration camps. the B3 agreed to hunt down and punish war criminals who were responsible for the genocide
• they agreed that Germany wold be divided into 4 zones : America, Fr, Br, and Soviet
• B3 agreed to join the new UN organisation, which would aim to keep peace after the war
• The USSR had suffered terribly in the war. Around 20 million soviet people had died and Stalin was concerned about the future security of the USSR and specifically the risk of another invasion from europe. the B3 that E Europe should be seen as a soviet sphere of influence

Question 11

what was agreed at the Yalta conference?

Answer 11

• Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany had surrendered
• They agreed that as countries were liberated from occupation by the German army, they would be allowed to hold gree elections to choose the government they wanted
• as allied soldiers advanced though Germany, they were revealing the horrors of the concentration camps. the B3 agreed to hunt down and punish war criminals who were responsible for the genocide
• they agreed that Germany wold be divided into 4 zones : America, Fr, Br, and Soviet
• B3 agreed to join the new UN organisation, which would aim to keep peace after the war
• The USSR had suffered terribly in the war. Around 20 million soviet people had died and Stalin was concerned about the future security of the USSR and specifically the risk of another invasion from europe. the B3 that E Europe should be seen as a soviet sphere of influence

Question 12

what were the disagreements at the Yalta conference?

Answer 12

• the main disagreements were about Poland
• Stalin wanted the border of the USSRE to move westwards into Poland. Stalin argues that Poland, in turn, could move its border westwards into German territory.
• Churchill did not approve of Stalin’s plans for Poland, but he also knew that there was not very much he could do about it because Stalin’s Red Army was in total control of Both Poland and Eastern Germany
• Roosevelt was also unhappy about Stalin’s plan, but Chuchhill persuaded Roosevelt to accept it, as long as the USSR agreed not to interfere in Greece where the British were attempting to prevent the communists taking over. Stalin accepted this.

Question 13

what were the disagreements at the Yalta conference?

Answer 13

• the main disagreements were about Poland
• Stalin wanted the border of the USSRE to move westwards into Poland. Stalin argues that Poland, in turn, could move its border westwards into German territory.
• Churchill did not approve of Stalin’s plans for Poland, but he also knew that there was not very much he could do about it because Stalin’s Red Army was in total control of Both Poland and Eastern Germany
• Roosevelt was also unhappy about Stalin’s plan, but Chuchhill persuaded Roosevelt to accept it, as long as the USSR agreed not to interfere in Greece where the British were attempting to prevent the communists taking over. Stalin accepted this.

Question 14

what happened three months after the Yalta conference?

Answer 14

in May 1945, Hitler committed suicide and Germany surrendered.
A second conference of the Allied leaders was arranged for July 1945 in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam.

However, a number of changes had taken place since the Yalta conference, affecting the relationships between the leaders

Question 15

what changes had taken place since Yalta?

Answer 15

• Stalin’s armies were occupying most of eastern Europe. The soviet troops had liberated country after country in Eastern Europe, but instead of withdrawing these troops Stalin had left them there.
  Refugees fled fearing a communist takeover and Stalin set up a communist government in Poland, ignoring the wishes of the majority of Poles. He insisted that chis contol of Eastern Europe was a defensive measure against possible attacks
• IN April 1945, Roosevelt died and was replaced by Truman. Truman was much more anti-communist than Roosevelt and suspicious of Stalin. Truman and his advisory saw soviet actions in Eastern Europe as preparations for a Soviet take over of the rest of Europe

Question 16

who was the president in 1945 (usa)?

Answer 16

Harry Truman

Question 17

who was the president in 1945 (uk)? when exactly did this happen

Answer 17

Clement Atlee. he won against Churchill. this took place half way the Potsdam conference

Question 18

what tensions were there at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 18

in the absence of Churchill, the conference was dominated by tension and rivalry between Truman and Stalin.

Question 19

what were the disagreements at Potsdam?

Answer 19

• Germany - Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect the USSR against future threats. Truman did not want to repeat the mistake of the ToV
• Reparations - 20 million Russians died in the war and USSR had been devastated. Stalin wanted compensation from Germany. Truman however was determined not to repeat mistakes of WW1 and resisted this demand
• Eastern Europe - At Yalta, Stalin had won agreement from the allies that he would be able to set up pro-Soviet governments in E Europe. Truman became unhappy about Russian intentions and adopted a ‘get tough’ attitude towards Stalin

Question 20

what were the disagreements at Potsdam?

Answer 20

• Germany - Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect the USSR against future threats. Truman did not want to repeat the mistake of the ToV
• Reparations - 20 million Russians died in the war and USSR had been devastated. Stalin wanted compensation from Germany. Truman however was determined not to repeat mistakes of WW1 and resisted this demand
• Eastern Europe - At Yalta, Stalin had won agreement from the allies that he would be able to set up pro-Soviet governments in E Europe. Truman became unhappy about Russian intentions and adopted a ‘get tough’ attitude towards Stalin

Question 21

what was actually agreed upon at Potsdam?

Answer 21

• Germany - Germany would be divided into four zones of occupation, with the United States in the south, the United Kingdom in the northwest, France in the southwest, and the Soviet Union in the east. Berlin would also be divided into four zones. Germany would be demilitarized and disarmed, and its industry would be dismantled. The Nazi era’s discriminatory laws would be repealed, and war criminals would be tried and punished. The country would be run by an Allied Control Commission, and democratic political parties would be encouraged to participate in local and state administration. However, Germany’s reconstitution as a sovereign state was postponed
• Poland - A Soviet-backed group would be recognized as the legitimate government of Poland
• Vietnam- Vietnam would be partitioned at the 16th parallel
• Atomic bomb- The United States informed the Soviet Union that it possessed a new weapon of unusual destructive force
• Japan- Japan would be required to remove obstacles to the establishment of democratic tendencies, including freedom of speech, religion, and thought. Japan would be permitted to maintain industries that would sustain its economy and pay reparations, but not industries that would allow it to re-arm. The Allies would withdraw from Japan once these objectives were accomplished

Question 22

what was actually agreed upon at Potsdam?

Answer 22

• Germany - Germany would be divided into four zones of occupation, with the United States in the south, the United Kingdom in the northwest, France in the southwest, and the Soviet Union in the east. Berlin would also be divided into four zones. Germany would be demilitarized and disarmed, and its industry would be dismantled. The Nazi era’s discriminatory laws would be repealed, and war criminals would be tried and punished. The country would be run by an Allied Control Commission, and democratic political parties would be encouraged to participate in local and state administration. However, Germany’s reconstitution as a sovereign state was postponed
• Poland - A Soviet-backed group would be recognized as the legitimate government of Poland
• Vietnam- Vietnam would be partitioned at the 16th parallel
• Atomic bomb- The United States informed the Soviet Union that it possessed a new weapon of unusual destructive force
• Japan- Japan would be required to remove obstacles to the establishment of democratic tendencies, including freedom of speech, religion, and thought. Japan would be permitted to maintain industries that would sustain its economy and pay reparations, but not industries that would allow it to re-arm. The Allies would withdraw from Japan once these objectives were accomplished

Question 23

what was the Tehran conference? when was it?

Answer 23

The Tehran Conference was a meeting between the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union that took place in Tehran, Iran from November 28 to December 1, 1943.

Question 24

what was the purpose of the Tehran conference?

Answer 24

The conference was the first meeting between the “Big Three” Allied leaders to discuss military strategy and the post-war world.

Question 25

who attended the Tehran conference?

Answer 25

Attendees
The attendees were US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin

Question 26

what was agreed at the Tehran conference?

Answer 26

Outcomes
The conference resulted in several important decisions, including:
Operation Overlord: The Allies committed to launching an invasion of northern France by May 1944.
Soviet entry into the war against Japan: The Soviets agreed to declare war on Japan after the Allies defeated Germany.
Support for Iran and Turkey: The Allies agreed to support Iran’s government and the Soviet Union agreed to support Turkey if they entered the war.
United Nations: The Allies agreed on the institutional design of a new organization to maintain international peace and security after the war.

Question 27

what had Stalin been able to take over by 1946?

Answer 27

Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania (they all had communist governments which owed their loyalty to Stalin)

Question 28

who coined the name ‘iron curtain’?

Answer 28

Churchill

Question 29

how did Stalin extend Soviet power across Eastern Europe?

Answer 29

• the allies had given the USSR control of the eastern sector of Germany. It was run by the USSR effectively under Red Army control until the creation of the German democratic republic in 1949?
• poland - after WW2, communists joined a coalition government, then became outright leader in 1947, when their non-communist leader was forced into exile
• hungary - communists became the largest single party in 1947 elections. they imprisoned opposition politicians, and attacked church leaders
• romania - in 1945 a communist was elected PM within a left wing coalition. in 1947, the communists also abolished the monarchy
• bulgaria - a left wing coalition won elections in 1945. the communist members of the coalition executed the leaders of the other parties
• albania - communists gained power immediately after the war. there was little opposition as during the war the war communist and national resistance had opposed the Italian and later German forces. As the was ended, the strong communist movement had the backing of communist Yugoslavia and the USSR
• yugoslavia - Marshall Tito had led wartime resistance to the Nazis. he was elected president in 1945, however, he was determined to apply communism in his own way and was expelled from cominform in 1948
  -czechoslovakia - a left-wing coalition won elections in 1945. in 1946, communists became the largest single party, but still in a coalition. In 1948, when their position was threatened, they banned other parties and made Czechoslovakia a communist, on-state party
• both Italy and Fr had strong communist parties which belonged to cominform
• Br and USA supported the royalist side of the Greek side, which defeated the communist opposition

Question 30

how has Stalin extended his control over E Germany?

Answer 30

• the allies had given the USSR control of the eastern sector of Germany. It was run by the USSR effectively under Red Army control until the creation of the German democratic republic in 1949

Question 31

how has Stalin extended his control over Poland?

Answer 31

• poland - after WW2, communists joined a coalition government, then became outright leader in 1947, when their non-communist leader was forced into exile

Question 32

how has Stalin extended his control over Hungary?

Answer 32

• hungary - communists became the largest single party in 1947 elections. they imprisoned opposition politicians, and attacked church leaders

Question 33

how has Stalin extended his control over Romania?

Answer 33

romania - in 1945 a communist was elected PM within a left wing coalition. in 1947, the communists also abolished the monarchy

Question 34

how has Stalin extended his control over bulgaria?

Answer 34

bulgaria - a left wing coalition won elections in 1945. the communist members of the coalition executed the leaders of the other parties

Question 35

how has Stalin extended his control over Albania?

Answer 35

• albania - communists gained power immediately after the war. there was little opposition as during the war the war communist and national resistance had opposed the Italian and later German forces. As the was ended, the strong communist movement had the backing of communist Yugoslavia and the USSR

Question 36

how has Stalin extended his control over Yugoslavia? Why was it different?

Answer 36

• yugoslavia - Marshall Tito had led wartime resistance to the Nazis. he was elected president in 1945, however, he was determined to apply communism in his own way and was expelled from cominform in 1948. Tito managed to escape Stalin’s close control, making him different

Question 37

how has Stalin extended his control over Czechoslovakia?

Answer 37

-czechoslovakia - a left-wing coalition won elections in 1945. in 1946, communists became the largest single party, but still in a coalition. In 1948, when their position was threatened, they banned other parties and made Czechoslovakia a communist, on-state party

Question 38

how has Stalin extended his control over other parts of Europe?

Answer 38

• both Italy and Fr had strong communist parties which belonged to cominform
• Br and USA supported the royalist side of the Greek side, which defeated the communist opposition

Question 39

what is cominform? when was it set up?

Answer 39

cominform was set up in October 1947. It was set up to coordinate the work of the communist parties of Eastern Europe. Cominform, regularly brought the leaders of each communist party to Moscow to be briefed by Stalin and his ministers. This meant he could keep an eye on them and spot independent-minded leaders that needed to be replaced with those who could be loyal to him The only exception to this was Tito

Question 40

what was Western reaction to the USSR’s actions?

Answer 40

they were alarmed as they had not expected Soviet domination. They felt that it should have been possible to have governments int E Europe that were both democratic and friendly to the USSR. Stalin saw his actions as making himself secure, whereas Truman saw it as spreading communism

Question 41

why was there conflict in Greece? what did each side want?

Answer 41

when the Germans retreated in 1944, there were two rival groups, the monarchists and the communists, who wanted to rule the country. Both had been involved in the resistance against the Nazis
the communists wanted Greece to be a Soviet Republic. The monarchists wanted the return of the Greek king

Question 42

how was involved in the Greek civil war

Answer 42

• Br - Churchill sent troops into Greece in 1945 (‘supposedly’ to help restore order and supervise the free elections, however they really supported the return of the King)
• USA - when Britain could no longer afford the cost of the civil war, Truman stepped in and paid for some of the Br troops to stay in Greece and tried to porp up the King’s government

Question 43

what was the USSR’s response to their involvement in the Greek civil war?

Answer 43

the USSR protested to the UN that British troops were a threat to peace in Greece, however, the UN took no action and so the communists tried to take control of Greccec by force. And, so a civil war quickly developed

Question 44

what was the truman doctrine?

Answer 44

The Truman Doctrine was a foreign policy established by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 that committed the United States to providing aid to democratic nations threatened by authoritarian forces
Policy- The United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to democratic nations threatened by authoritarian forces.
Goals -The doctrine aimed to stop the spread of communism and position the United States as a defender of the free world

Question 45

what was another name for the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 45

it was a policy of containment

Question 46

what was the Kennan Telegram?

Answer 46

In 1946, George Kennan, an official at the US Embassy in Moscow, was asked to provide a summary of what the Soviets were up to. His response became known as The Long Telegram because it was also 8,000 words.

Kennan’s telegram said was that the USSR was heavily armed and feared the outside world. It was determined to spread communism and therefore there could be no peaceful co-existence between the USSR and the USA. However, the USA was stronger than the USSR and so communism could be ‘contained’.w

Question 47

when was the long telegram sent?

Answer 47

The ‘Long Telegram’ was sent on 22nd February, 1946.

Question 48

summarise what the long telegram said

Answer 48

❖ The USSR was a threat to capitalism and should be eliminated.
❖ The USSR was building its military power.
❖ Peace between the USA and the USSR was not possible.
❖ The USSR was determined to expand.

Question 49

bonus question - what was the response to the long telegram? what did it way?

Answer 49

The Novikov Telegram was The Soviet response to The Long Telegram. the Soviet ambassador to the USA, Nikolai Novikov, warned that the USA had emerged from World War Two economically strong and bent on world domination. As a result, the USSR needed to secure its
buffer zone in Eastern Europe

Question 50

what was the iron curtain speech?

Answer 50

On 5 March 1946, the by-now former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, condemned the Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe in his famous Iron Curtain speech. In that speech, he famously noted that from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.
In a nutshell, what Churchill meant by this was that the Allies had spent six years fighting for freedom from Fascism in Europe, only to have half the continent now under Soviet dictatorship.
- it was a fundamentally anti-soviet speech
- he didn’t want a soviet Germany
- he complained that the USSR was exploiting land given to them by Br and US armies
- says that Nazi domination has swapped to Soviet domination and that there is no longer a liberated Europe

Question 51

what was the soviet response to the Marshall plan?

Answer 51

• It declared Marshall Aid to be ‘dollar imperialism’ and claimed the USA was throwing its economic weight around, using it to gain influence in Europe.
• It forbade the Eastern Bloc countries under its control to apply for Marshall Aid.
• In September 1947 it set up Cominform – the Communist Information Bureau – which had as its aim to tighten Soviet control in Eastern Europe, to build collective heavy industry in those countries and to create a trade network between Communist countries. It published its own newspaper to spread Communist ideals and held conferences in the Eastern Bloc. However, its effectiveness was limited, as demonstrated when Yugoslavia left the group in June 1948.
• In January 1949 it also established Comecon – the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance – to administer its own Molotov Plan of financial aid to keep the Eastern Bloc countries on side. Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania all joined the Soviet Union in this group and were joined by Albania and East Germany shortly after. The group was not as successful as it might have been as the USSR dominated in terms of industrial production and total economy size, however all countries were committed to Communist economic theory such as state-ownership and state-planning of the economy. The group became more important after Cominform disbanded in 1956.

Question 52

what was the marshall plan? how did it start?

Answer 52

a program of economic aid from the United States to Western European countries after World War II.

1947 President Truman sent General George Marshall to see what could be done to ensure communism didn’t spread further and to dilute popular support for communism.. Marshall recommended spending a lot of money - over $12 billion to be exact. This is because many European countries were in a lot of debt (especially to the USA and there were extreme shortages of food). This Marshall Aid money would be spent to help the economies of Western Europe recover after World War Two and make them less likely to fall prey to communism.

Question 53

what happened when the Marshall plan was put to congress?

Answer 53

The American Congress refused to grant the money because they were becoming concerned with Truman’s involvement in foreign affairs and 17$ billion (estimated amount that it would cost) was a lot of money

Question 54

which countries did the marshall plan help and how?

Answer 54

United Kingdom: Received the most aid, roughly one-quarter of the total
France: Received less than one-fifth of the total aid
West Germany: Received about $1.5 billion in aid.
other countries including iceland, norway, portugal, italy, greece, and turkey recieved aid.
The western European countries involved experienced a rise in their gross national products of 15 to 25 percent during this period. The plan contributed greatly to the rapid renewal of the western European chemical, engineering, and steel industries.

Question 55

what was comecon?

Answer 55

Comecon, or the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, was an economic organization of communist countries during the Cold War.
The Soviet Union created Comecon in 1949 to strengthen its influence in Eastern Europe and to keep its satellite nations loyal. Comecon was a response to the U.S. Marshall Plan, which was intended to help Europe recover after World War II.

Question 56

what was Comecon a response to?

Answer 56

the marshall plan

Question 57

name some members of Comecon

Answer 57

Member countries included Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Mongolian People’s Republic, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. Yugoslavia had an associate statu

Question 58

what did Comecon actually do?

Answer 58

Comecon gave countries financial aid and encouraged them to trade with the USSR. Any nation that joined the Comecon was banned from accepting any money from the Americans under the Marshall Plan

Question 59

what were the aims of cominform?

Answer 59

Cominform was a Soviet organisation that tried to encourage communist uprising in nations across Europe.
Cominform would try to encourage communist parties, like the Revolutionary Communist Party in Great Britain, whilst also trying to destroy communist opposition in the USSR’s satellite states in Eastern Europe.

Question 60

what happened to Czechoslovakia in the 1940s? how/why?

Answer 60

in 1948, USSR took over Czechoslovakia. It had been ruled bu a coalition government, which although it included communists had been trying to pursue politics independent of Moscow. In March 1948, the communist leaders came down hard. Anti communist leaders were purged. One pro-American minister, Jan Masaryk, was found dead below his open window

Question 61

what happened in response to what happened in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 61

the congress accepted the marshall plan and made 17$ billion available over a period of 4 years

Question 62

what were the motivations for the Marshall plan?

Answer 62

The Marshall Plan was created to address several motivations, including:
- Prevent the spread of communism
The Marshall Plan was a response to the fear of communism spreading across Europe after World War II. The plan was intended to make free market capitalism more appealing to countries that might be on the fence.
- Rebuild Europe’s economy
The plan was intended to help rebuild Europe’s economy after the war, which had been ravaged by conflict.
- Create stable democratic governments
- The plan was intended to support the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe.
- Create markets for American goods
- The plan provided markets for American goods and created reliable trading partners.
- Stimulate European production
The plan was intended to stimulate European production and increase trade among European countries.

Question 63

why could one say that the marshall plan was motivated by American self interest?

Answer 63

• USA wanted to create new markets for American goods and they wanted to avoid a repeat of the 1930s depression & worldwide slump
• many in the US gov argued that ad should only be given to states that embraced democracy and free markets - so basically gov and economy that the USA approved of. these countries would receive an open-door policy and there would be no TRADE RESTRICTIONS OR TARIFFS or other restrictions to stop US companies

Question 64

what showed the increasing distrust between the USA and USSR by 1948?

Answer 64

the 2 sides were actually increasing their stock of weapons and they took any oppurtunity given to denounce the policies or plans of one another. They each wanted to show that they would not be pushed around

Question 65

what was agreed at Yalta?

Answer 65

Germany’s occupation: Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, with the U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union each controlling one zone. The capital city of Berlin would also be divided into four zones.
Demilitarization and denazification: Germany would be demilitarized and denazified.
Free elections: Countries liberated from Nazi control would be allowed to hold free elections to choose their governments.
The United Nations: The Allies agreed to establish the United Nations, an international organization to prevent war, uphold international law, and set human rights standards.
Trials for war criminals: The Allies agreed to try suspected Nazi war criminals.
Soviet participation in the war against Japan: Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan after Germany’s defeat.
Reparations: Germany would pay reparations, partly in the form of forced labor.
Soviet representation at the UN: Ukraine and Byelorussia, two Soviet Socialist Republics, would be represented at the UN

Question 66

what did stalin gain from the Yalta conference

Answer 66

• it was agreed that he would have a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe
  (with an agreement to install pro-Soviet governments in countries like Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria)
• Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, with the U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union each controlling one zone. - USSR got eastern Germany
• Stalin was granted territorial gains, including the incorporation of parts of Eastern Poland and the annexation of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) into the Soviet Union
• Stalin obtained a commitment from the Allies to support the creation of the United Nations, where the Soviet Union would hold significant influence

Question 67

Why did tensions between the USSR and the Western allies increase at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 67

• increased due to changing roles
  
  • Churchill was replaced by Atlee in the middle of the conference due to elections and Churchill was mostly absent due to this
    - between the Yalta and Potsdam, Roosevelt died and was replaced by Truman - he was far more anti communist
• Truman didn’t like Soviet expansionism and Britain and USA sought to promote democracy and capitalism - they were afraid of the effects of soviet expansionism and it was clear that Stalin wanted more control
• The United States, under President Truman, had successfully tested an atomic bomb just before the Potsdam Conference. Truman did not initially inform Stalin about the bomb, leading to further mistrust. Stalin’s suspicion grew that the U.S. was attempting to establish nuclear dominance, which added to the rising tensions between the two sides
• At Yalta, Stalin had been promised a more Soviet-friendly government in Poland, but the Western Allies were unhappy with the way Stalin had already installed a communist government in Warsaw. There was a lack of trust about Stalin’s intentions to allow free elections, which he had previously promised. The growing influence of communism in Eastern Europe further alarmed the Western Allies.
• disputes over reparations USSR v USA

Question 68

what is the cold war?

Answer 68

a period of tension and global from 1945-1991 between the western world, led by the USA, and the Eastern Bloc, led by the USSR

Question 69

what are some main reasons the grand alliance fell apart?

Answer 69

• political differences, nazi-soviet pact, only happened because it had to, Br and USA and history of isolationism in the USA, USA disapproved of the British Empire

Question 70

what is Stalin’s response to the Iron Curtain speech?

Answer 70

• Churchill adopted some of Hitler’s ideas like proclaiming the racial theory (only nations that speak English are proper nations)
• After the War, non-English speaking countries won’t accept this ‘slavery’ therefore war is inevitable
• it was a tactless speech
• says Churchill is slandering neighboring countries and Moscow. Communism is naturally growing
• Russia lost much more than any other country and they want security

Question 71

what happened to Greece during WW2?

Answer 71

it was occupied by the Axis powers but the communists and republicans fiercely resisted

Question 72

how did the Truman doctrine contribute to the development of the cold war?

Answer 72

The Truman Doctrine shifted U.S. policy from a wartime alliance with the Soviet Union to a policy of containing Soviet expansion. This new policy involved the U.S. providing political, military, and economic aid to democratic nations threatened by authoritarian forces.
It increased tensions + showed that the USA was committed to prevention of soviet expansion

Question 73

who sent the long telegram?

Answer 73

George Kennan

Question 74

what was the berlin blockade?

Answer 74

a 1948 Cold War crisis when the Soviet Union cut off all land access to West Berlin, forcing the Western Allies to airlift supplies into the city

Question 75

what did the USA reject in 1945? why?

Answer 75

they refused to give the USSR a loan to cover the cost of occupying the eastern zone in Germany. It was clear that Satlin was using German resources to rebuild the USSR, whereas the western powers wanted to actually help Germany recover

Question 76

what happened in January 1947? How did this affect the USSR?

Answer 76

Britain and the USA created a single economic unit out of their zones, called Bizonia. France joined a year later. this made the USSR feel threatened and feared that the western powers were trying to force him out of Berlin

Question 77

what happened in March 1947?

Answer 77

Br, Fr, USA SECRETLY agreed to unite their 3 zones politically aswell. Stalin knew about this through Soviet agents working in British intelligence in the Foreign office

Question 78

What happened in June 1948?

Answer 78

western powers created a new currency to use in all 4 zones. The soviets refused to allow it to be introduced in their zone.

Question 79

What did the USA do between 1947/8? How did the USSR respond?

Answer 79

the USA recided to make Marshall aid available to the western Zones and the Soviets reacted by inspecting all freight shipments into West Berlin