Development Of the Cold War Flashcards
what was a famous speech given about the cold war
the iron curtain speech Winston Churchill
what was the significance of this speech
describes the relationship between the people in the cold war, it was then physically represented by the berlin wall
what were Russia’s aims after ww2
Stalin was determined not to let them be invaded again and wanted Eastern Europe to act as a defensive buffer zone.
Although the Bolshevik Revolution initially wanted to spread communism worldwide, Stalin was less concerned about the regimes in Eastern Europe so long as they were subservient to the USSR.
what did Russia do to the Baltic states during and after ww2
Latvia, Lithuania & Estonia became independent from Russia and the end of WW1.
They were vital for the USSR who wanted to control the Baltic Sea. In 1940 the foreign ministers of the 3 countries were summoned to Moscow and told that if they did not sign a treaty of compliance with USSR they would be invaded. With little choice all 3 signed the treaty and the Red Army established bases in all three countries. During this time thousands of people including the presidents of all three nations were deported to Moscow and left to die in Gulags. Therefore, when Germany invaded in 1941 they were welcomed as liberators. Although Nazi rule was harsh it was less harsh than Stalin as the Nazi’s concentrated mainly on persecuting the nations Jewish inhabitants. When the Red Army reoccupied the Baltic States in 1944 any hopes of independence were dashed. All three Nations were subjected to Soviet style rule and economy. The West accepted this takeover with minimal opposition. In the 1943 Tehran Conference , FDR accepted Stalin’s Promise to hold referendums over Soviet control. The votes Never took place and Nationalist groups were crushed, ethnic Russians were placed in positions of power. The USSR had consolidated the Baltic States and secured part of its Western border.
what did Russia do with Poland during and after the war
Poland was seen as vital to the Russian defensive zone. The country was needed as a buffer to protect Russia from German aggression as the invasions from both World War I & 2 had come via Poland. Poland had two governments the exiled London. At the Yalta conference and agreement was made to unify the two groups. When 16 representatives of the London Poles arrived for talks in March 1945 they were arrested by the Russian secret police and made to confess to aiding the Nazis. Stalin had however promised free elections and formed a coalition between the Polish Communist Party and the Social Democrats, this went head-to-head with the Western favoured Peasant Party. The Polish Communist leader intimidated and bullied the Peasant Party and defeated them with an 80% majority in a heavily rigged election. Stalin had succeeded in controlling a nation where Communism was Not overly popular via intimidated, fear and bullying tactics. This was a pattern that he repeated across Eastern Europe.
what did Russia do with Romania during and after the war
The decision was made to redistribute land to the peasantry this
increased popularity for the communist led coalition called theDemocratic Front. The Democratic Front win a rigged election in
1946 by 70% of the vote. The presence of the Red Army meant that the Democratic Front felt secure in attacking and intimidating other political parties after their election. King Michael was forced to abdicate In 1947 and Romania became a pro-Soviet people’s republic and a one-party state.
what did Russia do with Bulgaria during and after the war
The Communist party was popular, with the leader of the Bulgarian Communists Georgi Dimitrov spending most of the war in Moscow with his close friend Stalin. A coalition government, The Fatherland Front is set up in 1945 it includes both Communists and Non-Communists. The Communist party took control of important ministries including the ministry of justice. When other political parties demanded these ministries to be shared, Stalin purges the army of non-communists and Bulgaria votes in a rigged election to disband their monarchy. The leaders of opposition parties are arrested and executed in September 1947. Led by Dimitrov, Bulgaria becomes the most enthusiastic of the satellite states following Soviet wishes regarding both domestic and foreign policy.
what did Russia do with Hungary during and after the war
Stalin was more cautious with his approach to Hungary as his main goal was the control of Poland. He had agreed to split Hungry 50/50 with Churchill in the “Percentages Agreement.” A genuine coalition government is set up with the Communists in a minority. The Communists do however use their leverage over the ministries of Trade and Agriculture and use this to gain support following a bill that sees the re-distribution of land. In 1945 the Communist party won only 17 percent of the parliamentary seats, however the communist leader Imre Nagy is appointed minister for the interior which gave him control of the Police. This resulted in the communists arresting opposition party leaders and forcing the resignation of the Prime minister after his son is kidnapped. A rigged election in 1947 ensured a communist victory with the Communists led by Imre Nagy taking complete control of Hungary’s government by 1948.
what did Russia do with Czechoslovakia during and after the war
Stalin was very liberal when he dealt with the Czechoslovakian government. He was on good terms with the pre-war president and even let the exiled government return to Prague and create a coalition government with the Communists. Communism was very popular in Czechoslovakia with the people feeling distrust toward the West following the betrayal at Munich in 1938. The 1938 Munich Agreement saw the West allowing Adolf Hitler to annex the German speaking parts of the Sudetenland which was part of Czechoslovakia. Elections were free and fair and the communist party won the largest share of the vote, a coalition between the Socialist and Peasant parties sees the birth of the United Front. Their leader Klement Gottwald becomes Prime Minister. This situation was only tested when Czechoslovakia showed interest in American Marshal Aid in 1947, this act enraged Stalin.
what did Russia do with Finland during and after the war
Finland broke their alliance with Germany and signed an Armistice with the USSR in 1944. They agreed to cede 10% of their territory(mainly that lost in 1940) as well as $300m of reparations.
Finland now went on to fight against their former allies driving the Nazis out of their country. Although the Communist party was popular in Finland, holding 25% of the vote the USSRd id not push to take control. Uniquely Finland remained ademocratic free market while still being within the Soviet Sphere of Influence. They signed the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance with The USSR in 1948. This ensured Finish neutrality throughout the Cold War.
what did Russia do with Yugoslavia during and after the war
A partisan communist movement had taken control of the country in 1945. Led by Joseph Tito, Yugoslavia was one of the only countries to be liberated by its own 800k army rather than the Red Army. As the country was also furthest away from the Russian boarder it was not in Stalin’s defensive buffer zone so he did not worry about it as much as Poland or Romania. Yugoslavian Communists were fiercely loyal to Tito and he wanted a Worldwide Communist perhaps even more than Stalin, even going as far as supporting the Greek Communist movement. Fearing that Tito was trying to set up a rival Communist block, Moscow cut ties with the country isolating It from the other satellite states. Yugoslavia spent most of the Cold War post 1953 as one of the leading members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
what did Russia do with Albania during and after the war
Albania managed to liberate itself from the Nazi’s in late 1944. Envar Hoxha’s communist guerrillas captured the capital and declared his movement the government of Albania. The Albanian King, Zog was deposed. The Albanians were heavily reliant on Teto’s Yugoslavia however they got resentful of Tito trying to dominate the country and sided with Stalin in 1948. Albania continued using a Stalinist system until 1991.
what did Russia do with Greece during and after the war
Following German and Italian occipation of Greece in 1941 the allies supported and supplied two partisan groups in fighting the Axis forces. One Communist and one republican.However from the start the two partisan groups fought each other as well as the Axis forces. Following a German withdrawal in 1944 the British sent troops to occupy Athens and assist a smooth transition of power. The did so to a combined government which held more Republicans than Communists. Relations between the Communist elements and the British deteriorated and they rose-up to attempt to seize Athens by force. The British forces called for reinforcements and even Churchill himself visited in 1944 to attempt to negotiate a peace settlement. With superior troops and the use of tanks the British managed to regain control of Athens forcing a Greek Communist surrender.This was however short lived as Greek Communists took full advantage of supplies given to them by Yugoslavia. The Greek communists went of the offensive again in 1946 and it was the British that once again supported the Greek government.
what was the theory harry Truman made to combat communism
containment- hold communism in place and stop its growth though any means possible.
what are the 2 aspects of containment
Truman doctrine
Marshall aid
