Cold War Chapter 1 Flashcards
When was the Tehran conference?
November 1943
When was the Yalta conference?
February 1945
When was the Potsdam conference?
July 1945
When was Kennan’s Long telegram?
February 1946
When was Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech?
March 1946
When was the Novikov telegram?
September 1946
When was a communist government elected in Poland?
January 1947
When did communists seize power in Czechoslovakia?
February 1948
When was a Communist government elected in Hungary?
May 1949
What did Churchill see his role as during the time of grand alliance?
He saw his role as trying to stop Soviet expansion
What were the agreements made at Tehran?
- The USA and Britain would open a second front.
- When the war in europe was over Stalin would declare war on Japan.
- groundwork for UN.
- They discussed what would happen to Germany, it was agreed in principal that the aim of the war was to being about the unconditional surrender of Germany. And it should remain weak after the war.
Why was Stalin pleased after the Tehran conference?
The soviet union could keep land it seized from Poland in 1939. A second front would be opened to bring about the end of the war and ease the pressure on the Soviets.
Why was there some tension between the USA and Britain at Tehran?
Roosevelt viewed British colonialism as more of a threat to world peace than the Soviet Union.
Why was churchill less pleased after Tehran?
He had wanted to open the second front in the Balkans not the west.
What was agreed at Yalta?
- Germany would be split into four zones. Germany would pay $20 billion in reparations, half of which would go to the Soviet Union.
- The UN would be set up. All nations could join but the USA and France didn’t agree that all 16 Soviet republics should be admitted, instead Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were admitted.
- Stalin agreed that future governments of countries in Eastern Europe would be decided in free elections.
- It was agreed that Poland’s borders should be returned to their position in 1921, and that there would be free elections.
When was the first meeting of the UN?
25 April 1945
Who was the change of personnel at the Potsdam conference?
Roosevelt had died in April 1945 and he’d been replaced by Harry S. Truman.
The Tories lost the election and churchill was replaced by Clement Atlee of the labour party.
What world events had happened by Potsdam?
Germany had surrendered in May 1945.
The USA had developed an Atomic bomb (which they tested successfully the day after the conference began).
Why was it harder for Truman and Atlee to get their way with Stalin?
They were new to diplomatic discussions.
Agreements made at Potsdam
- Germany would be split into four zones but the German economy would be run as a whole.
- Berlin would also be split into four zones even though it was deep inside Soviet-controlled Germany.
What was the effect on relations after the US dropped the Atomic Bomb?
The americans hoped having the atomic bomb would make it easier to persuade Stalin to allow the eastern European countries to have more freedom. However Stalin felt more determined to make the Soviet union secure.
When did Soviet scientists successfully test their atomic bomb for the first time?
29 August 1949
What did George Kennan’s long telegram say?
He reported that Stalin wanted to see the destruction of Capitalism and he felt the world outside the Soviet Union was hostile and wanted to destroy communism. However Kennan believed the Soviet Union was not suicidal, so if faced with strong resistance, would back down.
What did Nikolai Novikove say in his telegram?
He said the USA wanted to use their massive military power to dominate the world. He believed that, since Roosevelt’s death, the Americans no longer wanted to co-operate with the Soviet Union and the American people would support their government if this led to war.
Extract from Churchill’s iron curtain speech
” From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that lie all the capitals of the ancient states of central and eastern europe… all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.”
Where did Churchill give his iron curtain speech?
Fulton, Missouri
What did Churchill make clear in his Iron Curtain speech?
He thought the Soviet Union was a threat to freedom and world peace.
Why was the location of Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech significant?
He was speaking in the USA and must have cleared his speech with Truman first. So Stalin interpreted what Churchill said as reflecting American beliefs too.
What did the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech and Novikov telegram result in?
It increased tension and mistrust, and led the Soviet Union to strengthen its forces and step up a campaign of anti-Western propaganda.
Why was Stalin relunctant to give up countries liberated by the Red Army in WW2?
They were a useful buffer zone between the West and the Soviet Union.
How did Truman interpret Stalin’s creation of the Satellite states?
Truman saw this as evidence that the Soviet Union wanted to spread communism worldwide, and relations became worse.
When was the Truman Doctrine announced?
March 1947
When was the Marshall Aid plan announced?
June 1947
When was the first Cominform meeting.
September 1947
When was the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia and who became president?
February 1945, Klemment Gottwald.
When was the Berlin blockade set up?
June 1948
