Cold war origin/other Flashcards
What are some of the origins of the cold war (mutual suspicion)
Mutual suspicion - Britain and France had turned down an offer of an alliance with the Soviet Union in 1938.
The Allies had delayed invading France with a Second Front until 1944. This made Stalin very suspicious of the West. He believed that they had wanted the Soviet Union to destroy itself fighting Germany on its own.
What are some of the origins of the cold war (The grand alliance)
It was set up in 1941 to help defeat the nazis
It included Britain, USSR, USA
The alliance between capitalists and communists was purely to defeat the Nazis, therefore it is referred to as a ‘Marriage of Convenience’.
Once Hitler had been defeated the ‘marriage of convenience’ became strained as the two opposing ideologies clashed
Between 1943-45, the leaders of the Grand Alliance met at 3 international conferences
What were the 3 international conferences and when were they
Teheran - 1943
Yalta - February 1945
Potsdam - July 1945
What happened at the Teheran conference
Main objective: Liberate Nazi-occupied France
The Big 3 agreed that the Soviet Union should have a ‘sphere of influence’ in Eastern Europe which would guarantee that the USSR did not feel threatened by any of its neighbouring countries.
Outcomes - The USA and Britain would invade France by May 1944
The USSR would join the USA and Britain in the war against Japan, once Nazi Germany was defeated
What happened at the Yalta conference
Main objective - To agree on post-war settlements and decide what to do with Germany once it had been defeated
Outcomes - Germany would be divided up into 4 zones
Germany would be demilitarised
Germany would be forced to pay reparations
The Nazi party would be banned and war criminals tried
The Allies agreed to the setting up of the United Nations, an organisation dedicated to international cooperation and the prevention of war.
All countries freed from Nazi control were to be guaranteed the right to hold free, democratic elections to choose their own governments. However, Stalin was offered a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe (Poland)
What happened at the Potsdam conference
Main objective: To put into action the post-war settlements agreed at Yalta
Outcomes - Germany was divided into four zones.
The size of Germany was reduced
Berlin was divided into four sectors - DESPITE IT BEING IN SOVIET ZONE
The Nazi Party would be dissolved. War criminals would be tried and punished
The USSR could have a quarter of the industrial equipment from the other 3 zones. This was because the Soviet zone was less developed. In return the USSR would provide the other zones with raw materials such as coal.
What disagreements happened due to Potsdam and caused tension
Truman had replaced Roosevelt and Atlee had replaced Churchill. Therefore the personal trust and relationships built at previous conferences was lost.
By Potsdam the big 3 no longer had a common enemy because the war with Nazi Germany had finished in May.
Truman tested the first atomic bomb without Stalin’s knowledge (however Stalin had spies so he already knew)
The new US president, Harry Truman (more anti-communist) tried to force the USSR to allow free elections in the countries of Eastern Europe which had been occupied after the end of the war. He said that he wanted to ‘get tough with Russia’.
The allies could not agree on the reparations. The USSR wanted to impose heavy reparations, where-as America wanted to rebuild Germany
By the time of the Potsdam Conference, Stalin had broken his promise to allow free elections in Poland.
What was the Iron Curtain
Europe had been separated by two very different ideologies. Capitalism in the West and Communism in the East.
How did the end of WW2 lead to the cold war
After WW2 USA and USSR had emerged as superpowers. Britain and France were no longer big or rich enough to be world international leaders. Only USA and USSR could be, they were both determined not to be pushed around by the others
Why did the Grand Alliance breakdown in 1945
They no longer had a common enemy
What did the secret telegrams cause
Both governments believed they were facing war
What was the long telegram
America’s ambassador George Kennan reported that:
Stalin had given a speech calling for the destruction of capitalism
There could be no peace between the two countries whilst the USSR opposed capitalism
The USSR was building up its military power
What was the novikov’s telegram
The Soviet ambassador Nikolai Novikov reported that:
The USA was determined to dominate the world
Following Roosevelt’s death the American government was no longer interested in co-operation with the USSR
The American public was being prepared for war with the USSR
Ideological differences between Churchill and Stalin
Churchill believed that Germany should be rebuilt
Stalin wanted to weaken Germany through reparations
Churchill suspected that Soviet troops would not leave the Eastern European countries that they had liberated
Britain’s economy had been severely impacted by the war and could not act against the USSR on its own so:
It allied more closely with the USA - led to divisions which caused the Cold War
Capitalism vs Communism
USSR supported communism - advocated confiscating private property, the gov would own all assets and control enterprise
In a communist society, a central government would decide what goods & services to offer and no other goods or services would be permitted.
USA and Britain supported capitalism - advocated entrepreneurs and businesses competing to innovate and create the best goods & services for consumers, with the a large portion of the benefit of their work going to them
