Development of the Cold War 1946-1955 Flashcards
What 4 issues caused the Grand Alliance to break down between 1945-1947?
THE UNITED NATIONS
- Creation of the Security Council whereby the four powers present would have the right of a Veto (the power to stop an official action of a legislation) The USSR disagreed on the introduction of a Veto.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
- November 1945 UN atomic energy - exchange of basic scientific information for all nations
TREATIES WITH AXIS POWERS
- Discuss the treaties of Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary and Romania - there were immediate arguments
- USSR wanted a harsh treaty on Italy, however USA and Britain felt Italy deserved leniency
GERMANY
- Germany’s economic and military strength meant that neither side could back down and let the other control it
- Stalin hoped that Germany would fall in to the Soviet’s sphere of Influence. He hoped that communism would take over control
- West were keen to get the German economy running again to pay for food imports
- At the Moscow Conference of Ministers, the Soviets demanded a new central German administration. Britain feared that this would damage the economy.
What was the Iron Curtain Speech 1946?
- Churchill expresses the divide between the East and the West
What was the Baruch Plan 1946?
- Truman proposed joint superpower control over nuclear weapon production, but Stalin rejected this offer of co-operation
What did US and Britain do in 1947 in Germany?
- Joined their German zones together economically to from Bizonia
What was the Truman Doctrine 1947?
- President Truman had informed congress that it was America’s responsibility to contain communism
- USA would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat of communism - protection and containment
- The US offered billions of dollars in aid across the whole of Europe through the Marshall Plan
What was Cominform 1947?
- Organisation set up by Russia to promote ideological unity among the communist parties
What was Comecon 1949?
- The council for Mutual Economic Assistance ( Russia’s Marshall Plan)
What was the Marshall Plan 1948/49?
- The giving of $5 billion of Marshal Aid was passed through congress, ended up totalling around $13 billion, in economic assistance to Western Europe (rebuild economies)
What was the Brussels Pact?
- Signed between Belgium, Britain, France, Luxembourg and Holland - it promised mutual defence against any aggressor
What were the causes of the Berlin blockade 1948?
- Issued immediately after Marshal Plan???
- It was decided at Potsdam that Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones. The USSR took heavy reparations whereas the Western allies wanted to improve the economy by issuing a new currency which they said would help trade. West could now be seen as more prosperous than communism.
- West and East had different aims with what they wanted to do with Germany - conflict inevitable?
- The next day, Stalin cut off all rail and road links to West Berlin.
What was the Berlin Airlift 1949 and what were the reasons behind it?
- Truman wanted to show that he was serious about containment
- Truman wanted Berlin to be a symbol of freedom behind the Iron Curtain
- June 1948 the allies decided the only answer to the problem was a less aggressive policy of air lifting supplies to Berlin.
- A plane landed every 45 seconds carrying in oil, food and electrical supplies.
What was NATO? When was NATO formed?
- April 1949 - a military alliance agreeing that if one party in the alliance was attacked, all the other parties would come too its aid.
When did USSR successfully detonate their first atomic bomb?
- August 1949
What were the short term consequences of the Berlin Crisis?
- The Western Powers approved the constitution of West Germany called the FRG ( Federal Republic of Germany)
- Stalin therefore created the GDR
- Ulbricht attempted to make an all German constitution
What were the long term consequences of the Berlin Crisis?
- The Berlin Crisis had persuaded the Western allies that there had to be an alliance against Russia and expansion of communism in Western Europe
- Brussels Pact
What was the Spofford Compromise?
- Parallel to the creation of a European Army, NATO itself would create an integrated force within Europe
What was the Korean War?
- North Korean troops invaded South Korea in June 1950
What did the French Prime Minister propose in 1950?
- The creation of an EDC - its purpose to create a European Army
What was the impact of the Korean War in Europe?
- The North Korean invasion appeared to many in Western Europe and the USA to be a prelude to a new global conflict in which the Soviets would finally overrun Western Europe
- North Korea acted under Stalin’s orders
- East German leader, Ulbricht, supported North Korean aggression and appeared to recommend similar action to unify Germany.
When did US test their first hydrogen bomb?
- 1952 - the USA test first ever hydrogen bomb, 1000x bigger than atomic bombs
What major event occurred in 1953?
- Stalin died
When was the reason behind the 1953 East German demonstrations? How did Russia react?
- June 1953 - demonstrations against harsh working conditions in GDR. East German government had announced that they wanted workers to produce 10% more under the same pay
- Soviet troops intervened resulting in the death of 125 people.
When did USSR test their first hydrogen bomb?
- 1953 a year after USA detonation (scared US due to the unawareness of the scientific improvements)
What showed an improvement in relations in 1954?
- Molotov proposes the reunification of Germany. This proposal was rejected but was seen as more constructive than previous proposals.
