Developing tensions Flashcards
Soviet Union occupation/control of eastern and southern Europe, Kennan's Long Telegram, Iron Curtain speech, Cominform, Greek Civil War, Truman Doctrine on containment
1
Q
What are the key events for 1946 up to 1948?
A
- Feb 1946
- Kennan’s ‘Long Telegram’
- March 1946
- Churchill delivers ‘Iron Curtain’ speech
- June 1946
- Communist-led Democratic Bloc wins Polish elections
- Oct 1946
- Communists win 75% of popular vote in Bulgaria
- Nov 1946
- Communists win 80% of votes in Romania
- March 1947
- Truman announces his Doctrine
- Sep 1947
- Cominform created
- June 1948
- Communists control Czechoslovakia
2
Q
What did the 1944 percentages agreement confirm for Stalin?
A
Eastern Europe and states that USSR had liberated from Nazi occupation would fall within Soviet sphere of influence
3
Q
What was Stalin’s initial focus?
A
influence rather than ideological expansion
4
Q
What were Stalin’s actions in Eastern Europe motivated by?
A
his determination to safeguard Soviet international interests and Soviet security
5
Q
What had the USSR succeeded in establishing by 1948?
A
- a buffer zone based on satellite states
- established pro-Soviet communist regimes across Eastern Europe
- Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, and Czechoslovakia
6
Q
What was common for the Soviets/communists to do in order to impose pro-Soviet communist regimes in Eastern Europe?
A
- communists form alliances with other left-wing parties and then take control of them
- opposition candidates intimidated and election results manipulated to ensure communist victory
7
Q
What were pro-agrarian parties?
A
- political parties focused on representing the interests of the farming communities
- in many Eastern European states
8
Q
What was Stalin committed to?
A
power, before his commitment to ideology
9
Q
A
