Development of the Cold War (1947-9) Flashcards
What was the Truman Doctrine, and when was it made?
- In 1947, Truman began a policy of containment; using US influence and resources to prevent the expansion of communism
List 4 reasons why the Truman doctrine was made.
- The USA and Truman especially believed the USSR was trying to spread communism everywhere, eventually
- Truman believed that the USA had a duty to prevent the spread of communism in Eastern Europe and the rest of the world, even if this meant using their army
- The USA wanted to put pressure on the USSR to stop expanding by using its atomic bomb and superior economy
- The situation in Greece
What was happening in Greece up until 1947?
It had been agreed that Britain would have influence in Greece.
- There had been a civil war since 1944 between the royalist government (with Britain’s aid) and the communist forces (backed by other communist countries)
- The communist forces were defeated in the 1946 election, but continued to fight a guerrilla war against the government
- Britain had 40,000 troops in Greece and gave it financial support alongside Turkey, which was also threatened by communist rebels
- In early 1947, Britain told the USA it could no longer afford to financially help Turkey and Greece
- The USA took over giving financial aid to prevent them from turning communist, and announced support for them in March 1947 in a speech
- In his speech Truman also said that the world was divided in two camps: the capitalist, free one, and the communist one, which wasn’t
List 5 consequences of the Truman Doctrine.
- The communists in Greece were defeated by the government
- Truman’s speech had increased rivalry
- The USA became far more involved in Europe (in the interwar years and after 1945, the USA had had little to do with Europe)
- The USA decided to provide financial aid to Europe, known as the Marshall Plan
- Stalin set up Cominform (the Communist Information Bureau) to link communist parties together
When was Cominform set up, and why?
- 1947
- To enable the Soviet government to co-ordinate communist parties in Europe
- It was a response to the Truman Doctrine
What were 3 uses of Cominform?
- It made sure Eastern Europe followed Soviet aims in their foreign policy
- It also introduced Soviet-style policies such as collectivisation and the state control of industry
- The USSR used it purge anyone who disagreed with them, such as Marshal Tito
- Yugoslavia was expelled from Cominform in 1948
What did Truman believe was an effective way of preventing the spread of communism in 1947, 3 reasons why, and what did he do as a result?
- Truman believed communism won support in countries with financial issues (unemployment and poverty)
- These issues were usually due to WW2, and the damage and shortages of goods caused
- He also didn’t want to commit the US military to preventing the spread of communism in Western Europe
- In June 1947, the European Recovery Plan was announced by the Secretary of State, General George Marshall
- It became nicknamed the Marshall Plan
How was Marshall Aid given?
Marshall Aid: financial and economic help given to Europe. Marshall Plan: system of loans from the USA to European countries for reconstruction and economic regeneration after WW2
- Machinery, food and technology were all given as well as money
- Britain received the most at $3.7 billion
What were 6 consequences of the Marshall Plan?
- By 1953, the USA had given Europe $17 billion to rebuild and improve the standard of living
- Divisions became more clear as Stalin pulled out from the plans, as he was distrustful and didn’t want to show how economically weak the USSR was
- He also prevented other countries, such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, from receiving the aid
- The Plan also benefitted the USA as US companies were allowed to invest in European companies, and Europe agreed to buy US goods
- Stalin accused the USA of doing this for their own gain- to boost the US market and dominate Europe (‘dollar imperialism’)
- Comecon was set up
Why did the Marshall Plan cause more tension between the USA and USSR?
- Both wanted to be seen to be doing more for the ordinary people of Europe
What did Yugoslavia do to further challenge the USSR?
- In 1948 they accepted Marshall Aid
What did the USSR do to retaliate against the Marshall Plan?
- They set up Comcecon (The Council for Mutual Assistance) in 1949
- It was meant to be an organisation through which the USSR helped other Eastern European countries financially
What were 3 things the Soviets used Comecon for?
- To control the economies of the countries involved
- To give the USSR access to their resources
- To encourage economic specialisation within the Soviet bloc (e.g. Czechoslovakia and East Germany were told to focus on heavy industry)
What was the Allies’ original plan of what to do with Germany after WW2?
- They agreed to split both Germany and Berlin into 4 sectors (American, British, French and Soviet)
- However, Germany was supposed to be kept as one country and to hold free elections
List 6 long-term causes of the Berlin Blockade.
- The USSR made sure the eastern zone came under the control of the minority communist party
- They tried to do the same to the Berlin city council, but the socialist majority (supported by the western powers) took over instead
- The West wanted to help Germany recover economically faster, as they still faced serious food and fuel shortages
- The USSR wanted to keep Germany weak (including by not allowing their zone to trade with the other 3) to protect themselves against future attack
- Berlin was deep inside Eastern Germany, so Stalin didn’t want the Allies there as it would show the affluent, capitalist way of life to people in the East
- The Western Allies wanted to stay in Berlin to stay aware about Soviet activities inside the Iron Curtain
What were 2 short-term causes of the Berlin Blockade?
- The Western zones in Germany and Berlin had free elections to establish democracy
- Stalin was afraid that democratic ideas would spread to the Eastern zones
- In January 1947, the US and British zones in Berlin and Germany became one economic unit called Bizonia
What 4 events led up to the Berlin Crisis of 1948?
- March 1948: Soviet representatives walked out of the Allied Control Commission (which ran Germany), stating that Western attitudes made it impossible to work
- April: large quantities of Marshall Aid was given to the Allied zones, and Soviet troops started searching traffic to West Berlin
- June: the Western powers announce a new currency- the Western Deutschmark, and the Soviet Union introduces the Ostmark in response
- 24th June: Stalin accuses the West of interfering in his zone and in a bid to get them to abandon their sectors, he cuts off road, rail and canal traffic to starve West Berlin
How did the West respond to the Berlin blockade, and list 2 reasons why.
- Truman was determined to stand up to Stalin and not make concessions, as he felt this would continue
- He wanted Berlin to be a symbol of freedom
- Starting on 28th June 1948, they began to airlift supplies, and this lasted for 11 months
- Planes were flying day and night in air corridors from bases in West Germany, and had exact 90-second intervals to land
- By September the planes were flying 4,600 tons of supplies a day, but this still wasn’t enough
What 2 things did the USSR do during the Berlin Airlift?
- The Soviet Union tried to persuade people to move from West to East Berlin, and only 3% did
- Stalin kept the blockade going through the winter, hoping that severe weather would stop the airlift, but the winter had been mild, and didn’t affect it
When did the Berlin Airlift reach its peak, and how much in supplies had been delivered?
- 16-17 April 1949
- 1349 flights had landed, carrying almost 13,000 tonnes of supplies in 24 hours
When did the Blockade end and why?
- Stalin called the Blockade off on 12th May 1949, as his plan had failed
What was the Berlin Blockade like for people living in West Berlin?
- Despite the arriving supplies, there were still shortages
- However the Allies did try to supply them with everything, ranging from food to oil to building materials
- The evening Stalin called off the Blockade they celebrated in the streets
What 2 things caused the greatest tension during the Berlin Blockade?
- The West were afraid that when the first started the Airlift, the USSR would shoot down the planes
- In order to warn the Soviet Union, Truman ordered B-29 bombers to be sent to Britain- these could carry atomic bombs, and the USSR was now within their bombing range
What were 3 consequences of the 1948 Berlin Crisis?
- It led to the creation of NATO
- It increased East-West rivalry as Stalin was humiliated while Truman was victorious
- Germany was now clearly divided; a few days after the Blockade ended, the Western zones made the Federal Republic of Germany from their zones, and in October Stalin made the German Democratic Republic
What was NATO, when was it set up, and 3 other reasons why it was set up?
The Berlin Crisis had confirmed Truman’s commitment to Western Europe
- North Atlantic Treat Organisation, formed in April 1949
- The Western European states knew they could not fight the USSR alone, and wanted the USA’s formal support- ‘collective security’
- It was meant as a defensive alliance
- Had the aim to stop Soviet expansion
How did the USSR perceive NATO, and what in particular caused the most tension?
- Stalin saw NATO as an aggressive alliance against the USSR
- In 1955 West Germany was made a member of NATO, and allowed to remilitarise, which in particular made Stalin think of West Germany as a threat
- West Germany could also act as a missile base
What were 3 consequences of setting up NATO?
- It intensified the arms race between the 2 sides
- Within six years the Soviet Union set up the Warsaw Pact
- The USA set up its own missile bases in Western Europe
