Early cold war

Question 1

Three conferences

Answer 1

Tehran (Nov, 1943)
Yalta (Feb, 1945)
Potsdam (July- August 1945)

Question 2

East Germany (How it became communist)

Answer 2

Original soviet zone of occupation in Germany, 1949
became a communist state in 1949

Question 3

Hungary (How it became communist)

Answer 3

1945: Rakosi took control of the secret police,
he also executed and imprisoned his opposition

Question 4

Poland (How it became communist)

Answer 4

Stalin promised to set up a communist Government
16 non-communist leader were arrested
by 1947, non-communists won the election

Question 5

Romania (How it became communist)

Answer 5

A communist-led coalition took over
However, by 1947 communists had taken over Romania

Question 6

Bulgaria (How it became communist)

Answer 6

communist Government was elected in 1945
non-communists were executed

Question 7

Communism and ‘Free elections’

Answer 7

Stalin promised at Yalta conference to hold ‘fair’ elections
However, elections were fixed to make sure the communists won

Question 8

Novikov telegram (1946)

Answer 8

USA wanted world domination
USA was preparing for global warfare (WW3) with the Soviet Union

Question 9

Long telegram (1946)

Answer 9

Soviet Union saw capitalism as a threat to society
Soviet union was strengthening its military power
Peace between the USSR and other capitalist countries was not possible

Question 10

Soviet Union and other Communist Countries

Answer 10

Individuals are not as strong as everyone working together for the same goal
State should take control of the economy

Question 11

USA, Britain and other capitalist countries

Answer 11

everyone should be free to make money themselves
Trade between countries makes everyone more wealthy

Question 12

Ideology

Answer 12

set of political objectives on how society should be run

Question 13

End of the Grand alliance:

Answer 13

Truman trusted Stalin even less, as Stalin broke his promises
Stalin disliked the way in which Truman pushed him around
USA dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This lead to an increase in tension between both superpowers

Question 14

Potsdam conference (July-August 1945) agreements:

Answer 14

Nazi party banned and war criminals prosecuted
Germany divided into four zones (USA, USSR, UK, France)
Berlin also divided into four zones

Question 15

Yalta conference (February 1945) agreements:

Answer 15

United Nations would be set up
Poland would be in the Soviet ‘Sphere of influence’
Soviet would declare war on Imperial Japan

Question 16

Truman’s concerns

Answer 16

Europe was devastated after WW2
Communism was attractive in France and Italy
Greece and Türkiye could fall to communism

Question 17

Truman Doctrine (1947)

Answer 17

The USA must try and contain the spread of communism
USA should provide money and arms to countries if necessary

Question 18

Marshall Plan (1947)

Answer 18

$13 billion from USA to help rebuild Europe
Soviet Union criticised the Marshall plan

Question 19

Cominform

Answer 19

Stood for the Communist Information Bureau
Stalin set it up in 1947
Arranged all communist countries to discuss their leadership

Question 20

Cominform (2)

Answer 20

Encouraged Western countries to block the Marshall Plan
Cominform got rid of any opposition to the USSR

Question 21

Comecon

Answer 21

Stood for the Council of Mutual and Economic Assistance
Stalin set this up in 1949
Alternative to the Marshall plan

Question 22

Comecon (2)

Answer 22

Built up trade links with Communist countries
Prevented communist countries from signing up to the Marshall Plan
Comecon included all Soviet Union countries

Question 23

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) 1949

Answer 23

Military alliance that consisted of USA, Canada, UK, France and West Germany
NATO was a directed against a possible attack from the USSR

Question 24

Bizonia and West Germany

Answer 24

The UK and the USA gave up their land in order to form Bizonia
Later the French occupation was added which made West Germany
Stalin thought that it went against the agreements made at Potsdam

Question 25

East Germany and Berlin Blockade

Answer 25

East Germany grew almost without all the food that West Berlin ate
Berlin was deep in Soviet- controlled Germany and divided into four zones (USA, UK, France, USSR)

Question 26

East Germany and Berlin Blockade (2)

Answer 26

June 1948, Soviet Union blocked all supplies into Berlin which showed the USSR’s dominance
The Soviet Union also blocked any supplies coming into Germany

Question 27

Impact on Soviet’s rule in Hungary

Answer 27

Hungary suffered a lot under Stalin’s regime
Rakosi was a brutal leader
Communist rule became very unpopular

Question 28

Imre Nagy as Hungary Prime minister

Answer 28

Leave the Warsaw pact and become a neutral country
UN protection from Soviet Union
Hold free-elections in Hungary