Cold War- Origins Of The Cold War Flashcards
WHY did alliances change after WW2 (Allies and Axis)
- Lack of common enemy
- Development of nuclear weapons and development of both USA and USSR economies
Yalta - USSR : what they agreed to and what they were unhappy about
- Agreed to enter war with Japan once Germany surrendered
- Agreed to join the UN
- 1 zone of Berlin in Germany would go to them
- Agreed to punish war crimes : Holocaust and liberate camps
Weren’t happy that Churchill was greedy and Roosevelt was difficult to negotiate with
Territory : no Poland = no communism
Yalta - USA : what they agreed to and what they were unhappy about
- One of Germany’s 4 zones would be theirs
- Hunt down and punish war criminals
- Countries liberated from Germany could hold free elections
- Stalin could have Poland
Unhappy that USSR was too aggressive and their only purpose of WW2 was to defeat Germany
Yalta - Britain : what they agreed to and what they were unhappy with
- one of Germany’s 4 zones would go to them
- Joined UN to prevent war
- punish war criminals
- USSR could have Poland
Unhappy that the USSR was dominating and controlling Poland
Potsdam - what was it
- 17th July 1945 to decide what to do with Europe after WW2
- the leaders of USA and Britain had changed - Truman (disagreed the most with Stalin’s request) and Atlee
- Hitler was dead so they had a lack of a common enemy
Disagreements at Potsdam
1. Disagreed over what to do with Germany
- whilst the 4 zones agreement was still in place Stalin wanted to cripple Germany to protect against future threats
- Truman disagreed saying he didn’t want a repeat of the Treaty of Versailles
Disagreements at Potsdam
2. Disagreed on reparations
- 20 million Russian soldiers died = Stalin demanded $10 billion from Germany
- Truman disagreed - didn’t want a repeat of WW2 (Germany bitter and unstable)
Disagreements at Potsdam
3. Disagreed over Soviet Policy in Eastern Europe
- At Yalta Stalin won the agreement to set up pro - Soviet governments in Eastern Europe (he saw it as a way to protect the USSR)
- Truman saw it as Stalin trying to build the Soviet Union in Europe
Causes of the Cold War
- Capitalism
2, Death of Hitler - Potsdam
- Yalta
- Atomic bombs : Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic Bombs : Hiroshima
- Called little boy and was first developed in 1941
- 80,000 people were killed instantly
- After this the Emperor of Japan surrendered
Atomic Bombs : Nagasaki
- Fat Man, was dropped 3 days after Little Boy
- 40,000 people died
American Reaction and Justification to Atomic bombs
They danced and drank at the news of the end of the war
They justified it saying:
- It was to bring the war to an end
- It was to prevent and invasion from Japan which would devastate them both
- It was retaliation to Pearl Harbour
Effect of Atomic Bombs on International Relations
- USSR threatened by USAs actions and started making their own atomic bombs
- USA May have felt the need to maintain power = starting arms race + wanted to expand into the pacific
- Other nations wanted to make stronger relations with USA
Why did Stalin want to expand into Europe
- To create a buffer zone between the USSR and the West Europe
- Intimidating the west to prevent invasion
- To spread communism - ‘Soviet Sphere of influence’
- Expand his own power and influence
Why did Soviet Expansion cause tensions with Britain and USA
- They were anxious of the speed of expansion
- Anxious of the force being used to establish communism
- Anxious that people were actually voting for communism
Number of countries taken over by USSR 1945 - 48
8 - Significant ones are Czechoslovakia and Hungary
Iron Curtain Speech
Why ?
- to change public views and aimed at Americans to encourage them to help drive back Soviet expansion
He demonised communists and established the official divide.
Why did the USSR want GREECE?
- They wanted Greece to become a SOVIET republic whilst the monarchists in Greece wanted the King to return
- In 1945 the British sent troops to help restore order and supervise free elections : they supported the monarchists
- In 1946 a civil war broke out between the communists and the monarchists and the Briths had to leave as they didn’t have the resources to deal with the civil war
Why did the USSR want TURKEY?
- Stalin wanted to get access to the Mediterranean for Soviet ships through the Black Sea straits
- Truman was concerned as Stalin may use Turkey as a stepping stone to spread the communist influence into the Middle East
Truman Doctrine - policy against communism
- March 1947
Said that - US should assist these nations (Greece and Turkey)
- Policy of Containment : wouldn’t eliminate communism but limit it to the countries already communist (Domino Theory)
- Financial Aid to Greece and Turkey - $400million toward establishing governments and improving economy
The Marshall Plan
A European Recovery Programme set up to:
- Restore economic infrastructure that had been destroyed in WW2
- To help those in starvation due to the coldest winter on record
It kickstarted growth of European economy post-war and stopped communism spreading
Marshall Plan Aid
In July of 1947 - Ernest Berlin organised a meeting with European nations to get $22 billion of aid
- Truman asked congress for $17 billion and they gave him $13 billion
- Aid also took form of : fuel, raw materials, goods, loans and food + US machinery to help factories and advisors to help rebuild transport systems.
- UK received the most aid
Stalin ‘s Response to the Marshall Plan
- Thought USA was trying to expand its territory by controlling Europe and its trade
- Thought Marshall Plan was harmful to European countries and the USA were backstabbing them
- Thought USA was using blackmail to get the EU on their side and imitating Hitler
Comecon
- Council for the Mutual Economic Assistance set up in 1949
- Aimed to coordinate the trade and industries of Eastern European countries
- Set up an international bank for Communist and socialist countries in 1964
- Was not listed to by 1 country - Yugoslavia
Cominform
- Communist Information Bureau set up in 1947
- Aimed to co-ordinate the various Communist governments in Eastern Europe
- Ran meetings and sent instructions to Communist governments about what the USSR wanted them to do
- Was not listed to by 1 country - Yugoslavia
How did events in Berlin lead to tensions ?
- USA - due to successful airlift they would be confident to continue with other plans such as the Marshall Plan
- USSR - want revenge : retaliate by seeking support elsewhere (China)
- By the West making plans in London the allied cooperation between USSR, USA, UK was brought to an end
- Became economic, military and political rivals
- Stalin was angry at defeat
However at this point nobody had shown that they wanted to go to war with each other
