Cold War Conflict and Consensus (1945-1965)

Question 1

Yalta conference; end of WWII in Europe; Potsdam conference; Nuremberg trials begin

Answer 1

1945
in Yalta the allies agreed to divide Germany into zones and Soviets would receive reparations from Germany. Stalin also agreed to declare war on Japan after Germany’s defeat. Eastern Poland was to remain under USSR and other states occupied by Soviets “USSR friendly”.
In Potsdam the differences over election in Soviet occupied Europe surged up. Truman insisted free elections and Stalin flatly refused. the alliance of necessity drew to an end.
an international military tribunal tried the highest ranking Nazi military and civilian leaders at the Nuremberg trials. this was the last time the 4 allies worked together to punish former Nazis.

Question 2

Decolonization of Asia and Africa

Answer 2

1945-1960s
the postwar reversal of Europe’s overseas expansion caused by the rising demand of the colonized peoples themselves, the declining power of European nations, and the freedoms promised by US and Soviet ideals.

Question 3

US takes lead in Big Science

Answer 3

1945-1965
during the war many people went to work on top-secret project made possible by the connection of theoretical and applied science.
big science is expensive, and a large part of it started to support the cold war arms race.
innovations in computer technology and nuclear technology were impressive.
this is all came to a head in the space race, which soviets started successfully, but Americans completed successfully.
agricultural innovations also helped to increase food supply.

Question 4

Truman doctrine; Marshall plan

Answer 4

1947
Truman doctrine was America’s policy geared to containing communism to those countries already under Soviet control.
Marshall Plan was an American plan for providing economic aid to western Europe to help it rebuild.

Question 5

Foundation of Israel

Answer 5

1948

Question 6

Berlin airlift

Answer 6

1948-1949
a successful western response to the Soviet attempts at blocking traffic through the Soviet zone from Germany to Berlin.
it did pave the way to the creation of two separate German states.

Question 7

Creation of East and West Germany; formation of NATO; establishment of COMECON

Answer 7

1949
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization was an anti-Soviet military alliance of western governments.
COMECON was an economic organization of Communist states meant to help rebuild East Bloc countries under Soviet auspices.

Question 8

Korean War

Answer 8

1950-1953
US sent troops in but nothing much happened. the war was indecisive and the fragile peace left the peninsula divided between the communist North and capitalist South.
this war also showed that while the superpowers wanted to keep peace in Europe they had no qualms about fighting in other areas.

Question 9

Death of Stalin

Answer 9

1953

Question 10

Algerian War of Independence

Answer 10

1954-1962

Question 11

Warsaw Pact founded

Answer 11

in 1955. it was a Soviet-backed military alliance of East bloc communist countries in Europe. it was a response to the formation of NATO and the Western Germany joining NATO.

Question 12

Khrushchev in power’ de-stalinization in USSR

Answer 12

1955-1964
the process was a liberation of the post-Stalin USSR led by N. Khrushchev.
Stalin’s successors realized that reforms were necessary due to widespread fear and hatred created by Stalin’s political terrorism. it was also necessary to further economic growth. the shift toward a consumer society improved living standards.
party still maintained its monopoly on political power but new members were brought in.

Question 13

Suez crisis

Answer 13

1956
Nasser nationalized the foreign owned Suez canal company. Israelis invaded the Sinai peninsula and British and French bombers attacked Egyptian air fields. Americans feared the Arab nations aligning with USSR and made sure to force the western powers and Israelis out. Egyptian nationalism triumphed.

Question 14

formation of Common Market; Pasternak publishes “Doctor Zhivago”

Answer 14

1957
Common market with the full name European Economic Community was created by six western and central European countries in the west bloc as part of a larger search for European unity.

Question 15

Building of Berlin Wall

Answer 15

1961
Khrushchev’s attempts to lessen the migration of Eastern Germans. Kennedy also did not very vocally oppose the wall as he thought it would lessen cold war tensions and the situation in Berlin.

Question 16

Cuban Missle crisis; Solzhenitsyn publishes “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”

Answer 16

1962
Khrushchev was emboldened by the lack of action against the wall in Berlin and thus ordered missiles to be placed in Cuba. Kennedy countered with a naval blockade of the island. Soviets removed the missiles with the US promise not to disturb Castro’s regime.

Question 17

Brezhnev replaces Khrushchev as USSR leader

Answer 17

1964
Khrushchev became increasingly unpopular among the party and he was removed under a peaceful coup. He remained under house arrest for the rest of his life.
a period of re-Stalinization began.

Question 18

cold war

Answer 18

the rivalry between USSR and USA that divided much of Europe into a Soviet-aligned communist bloc and a US-aligned capitalist bloc between 1945 and 1989.

Question 19

displaced persons

Answer 19

postwar refugees, including 13 million Germans, former Nazi prisoners and forced labourers, and orphaned children.

Question 20

legacies of WWII

Answer 20

huge destruction of infrastructure in cities across Europe, massive human costs on all sides, huge numbers of refugees and homeless people emerged due to the war, many Jews had to live in DP camps or migrated to the US and Israel. Germany and Austria were divided into 4 occupation zones and war criminals were convicted (especially harshly in the east) and collaborators humiliated and/or tried.

Question 21

peace settlement and cold war origins

Answer 21

in 1943 the Big Three began to discuss postwar settlements, including Polish border and strategy to win the war.
Stalin wanted the second front to open in France to lessen the brunt of fighting on his forces and Roosevelt sided with this idea.
Churchill insisted on an Italian campaign through the Balkans.

Question 22

west vs east

Answer 22

Truman cut off aid to the USSR after Japan’s defeat. The term iron curtain was coined by Churchill and Soviets enjoyed some popular support in central and eastern Europe.
Greek Civil War and Chinese Civil War seemed like a looming threat of the spread of communism and made the US more strict in opposition.
when in 1949 the Soviets exploded their own atomic bomb the fear of a nuclear Holocaust arose. The US engaged in an anti-communist crusade at home and abroad.

Question 23

Warsaw Pact

Answer 23

made in 1949 it was a Soviet-backed military alliance of East bloc communist countries in Europe. it was a response to the formation of NATO.

Question 24

economic miracle

Answer 24

term contemporaries used to describe rapid economic growth, often based on the consumer sector, in post-WWII Europe.

Question 25

Christian Democrats

Answer 25

center right political parties that rose to power in western Europe after WWII.

Question 26

toward European unity

Answer 26

with regional differences all politicians and citizen supported limited state planning, strong economic growth, democratic government and that enabled the nations to take first steps toward unification. the main objectives were economic and cultural cooperation (headed by Christian democrats).

Question 27

consumer revolution

Answer 27

in the late 1950s the standard of living was rising and a growth in the availability of standardized consumer goods appeared.
the percentage of income spent on necessities decreased a lot. appliances and entertainment devices were very popular.
instalment purchasing increased and that furthered the move towards a consumer society.

Question 28

postwar life in the East bloc

Answer 28

Coniform was established to extend communist influence across the globe. US as an enemy was the excuse to reestablish harsh dictatorship.
in the Soviet bloc the restructuring of national economies along Soviet lines begun. priority still remained on heavy industry and military. collectivising agriculture was also a main concern. there were shortages of basic household items and production problems persisted. pay was poor and work was hard and long.

Question 29

socialist realism

Answer 29

artistic movement that followed the dictates of communist ideals, enforced by state control in the USSR and east bloc countries in the 1950s and 1960s.

Question 30

foreign policy and domestic rebellion

Answer 30

between 1955 and 1957 cold war tensions relaxed considerably and Khrushchev believed that peaceful cooperation with the capitalist west was possible. USSR also began to court Asian nations.
reforms sparked resistance in Germany and rebellion in Poland and Hungary. the repression in Hungary made many western communists despise the system.

Question 31

nonalignement

Answer 31

policy of postcolonial governments to remain neutral in the cold war and play both the US and USSR for what they could get.

Question 32

decolonizaton and struggle for power in Asia

Answer 32

NL accepted Indonesian independence in 1949.
French Indochina liberated itself in 1954 when the French army was defeated in Vietnam. the communist north and pro-west south found themselves in conflict.
Britain withdrew from India peacefully but Hindu and Muslim populations remained in conflict. In 1947 the independence resulted in Pakistan and India.
In China civil war started and the communist Mao Zedong won in the end.

Question 33

independence and conflict in the middle east

Answer 33

Palestine and Egypt were not easily sacrificed and conflict emerged. the establishment of Israel only ignited more sparks.

Question 34

decolonization in Africa

Answer 34

most areas gained independence peacefully but Kenya had to go through a struggle until gaining independence in 1963. South Africa declared independence in 1961.
decolonization of Belgian Congo was a huge mess and a black stain of the cold war era.
Algeria was another nationa that had to fight for its independence from the French.

Question 35

neocolonialism

Answer 35

a postcolonial system that perpetuates western economic exploitation in former colonial territories.

Question 36

changing class structures

Answer 36

class barriers relaxed and class distinction became fuzzier. white collar workers replaced property owners as the leaders of middle class. the middle class also grew massively and became harder to define. 
number of farmers and industrial workers began to fall and urban migration continued on a larger scale.

Question 37

patterns of postwar migration

Answer 37

some migration took place within countries (rural-urban migration). many europeans moved across national borders while seeking work and the general pattern was from the south to the north.
former colonial citizens started claiming their citizenships. Europe saw a growing ethnic diversity. social integration was an issue already at the early stage.

Question 38

guest worker programs

Answer 38

government-run programs in western Europe designed to recruit labor for the booming postwar economy.

Question 39

postcolonial migration

Answer 39

the postwar movement of people from former colonies and the developing world into Europe.

Question 40

new roles for women

Answer 40

pregnancy and childcare took up much less time. the long term trend of declining birth rates resumed. divorce rates rose.
economic boom demanded more labor, economy moved away from male dominated factory work toward white collar service industries which were more suitable for women and education was available for women. the east too opened up more possibilities for women.
women still faced discrimination in pay, advancement, occupational choice and treatment. many could only find part-time work.

Question 41

youth culture and the generation gap

Answer 41

distinctive and International youth culture exaggerated by music, fashion.
youths played a key role in consumer revolution with them being a target for many products.
this youth culture was also furthered by the increasing numbers of universities and college students.