early cold war Flashcards
1
Q
(a) What decisions, in relation to Germany, were agreed at Yalta and Potsdam? [4]
A
– Yalta -> Germany should be divided into four different zones -> one for USA, USSR, Britain and France
– Potsdam -> Confirmed the four zones spoken about in Yalta and Berlin would also be divided
– Potsdam -> Each country could take as much money from their German sector as they wanted in reparations
– Potsdam -> New German and Polish borders were finalised
2
Q
(a) What did Stalin gain from the Yalta conference? [4]
A
– USSR would take some land from the east of Poland
– USSR would enter the war against Japan in return for control over the islands north of Japan
– Eastern Europe would be a “Soviet Sphere of influence”
– Soviet prisoners of war would be returned to the USSR
– They would get a sector of Germany to control
3
Q
(a) What was the ‘Iron Curtain’? [4]
A
– March 1946 -> Churchill made a speech in America, warning them about the spread of Communism in Europe
– He described the split across Europe between Communism and Capitalism as an “iron curtain”
– It was effectively the cross over point between the “Soviet Sphere of influence” or the Soviet satellites states and the rest of Europe
– His speech changed the public perception of Stalin, turning them against him and it effectively ended the alliance between Britain and the USA, and the USSR.
4
Q
(b) Why was the Truman Doctrine significant? [6]
A
- Outlined the American policy of containment
– Stated that America would help people maintain or gain freedom away from Communism through economic aid to create stable economies and governments
– Any country that was being threatened by Communist control was entitled to money, equipment and advice from America
– Showed new policy of Containment which sought to stop the spread of Communism throughout the world -> USA would no longer remain isolationist
– The Marshall Plan (the effective part of this doctrine) gave $17 billion to Europe - Clearly showed the division between capitalism and communism
– He described Communism as a “totalitarian regime”
– Compared to the “freedom and independence” of Capitalism
– Crucially marked the total breakdown of any alliance between the USSR and USA and showed how their ideologies meant that they were now totally incompatible without the common enemy of Germany
5
Q
(b) Why did the USA introduce the Marshall Plan? [6]
A
- Slow the spread of Communism in Europe by giving financial aid
– Greek Civil War (1946) -> British had to retract their help due to severe economic problems giving the Communists an advantage over the Greek Monarchists
– Luckily the Americans funded for some of British troops to remain in Greece and they regained control over the country by 1950
– The Americans sent battle ships to the Turkish coast to scare off the Russians (with more money, the Turkish would have been able to defend themselves)
– The Marshall Plan gave America the security that the European countries would be able to contribute to the fight against communism in the future using the $17 billion that was being made available to them - Prevent spread of Communism by making it less attractive
– President Truman believed that becoming Communist was a popular idea when countries were experiencing poverty and hardship
– European economies were extremely weak-> still owed America $11.5 billion
– Many European countries, including France and Italy, were experiencing an extreme economic crisis in the late 1940s
– Building countries’ economic stability would stop them from joining Communism -> Communist ideologies wouldn’t be so attractive and relevant
6
Q
(b) Why was it difficult to reach agreements at the Potsdam Conference? [6]
A
- Russia had already broken some of the agreements made at Yalta
– Talks which followed Yalta between Russian, American and British Ambassadors led to the USSR refusing to allow the London poles to be part of the Polish government
– 16 leaders of the Polish resistance (London Poles) had gone to talk to Stalin about the expansion of the Polish government but they never returned and it presumed that Stalin had them murdered
– The USA was very disappointed and saddened (USSR = untrustworthy)
– This meant that Britain and USA were unlikely to give Stalin what he wanted, creating disagreements and further tension - Changes in leadership
– President Roosevelt died on 12th April 1945 and was replaced Harry Truman who was very anti-Communist and suspicious of Stalin
– On 16th July 1945, the Americans successfully tested an atomic bomb and informed Stalin of this at the start of the conference. This increased the rivalry between the two countries: making Truman more confident and Stalin somewhat wary
– During the Potsdam Conference in July, the British General election voted out Churchill who was replaced by Clement Attlee who was nowhere near as experienced at dealing with Stalin as Churchill was.
– These changes in government added to the tension as Truman and Attlee didn’t have the history, understanding and “trust” that their predecessors had maintained with Stalin throughout the war.
7
Q
(b) Why was Berlin a cause of tension between East and West after the Second World War? [6]
A
- East and West had very different opinions on how Germany should be treated
– East -> wanted to cripple Germany as much as possible as feared they would be a potential threat in the future
– West -> wanted to help Germany recover, as wanted them as a future ally and feared a repeat of the Treaty of Versailles
– The West took steps to help rebuild Germany -> meetings without Stalin and created a joint government and a new stable currency called the German Mark
– This severely angered Stalin who was powerless to combat these changes - Stalin wanted to control West Berlin
– The first leader of West Berlin was Konrad Adenauer and he was anti-Communist
– When Bizonia merged with the French zone to form Trizonia in 1948 Stalin felt threatened
– Stalin hated having an area of Western democracy within East Germany
– June 1948 - Stalin cut off all connections (trains, roads, canals) between West Germany and West Berlin, hoping to force the Allies out of West Berlin and make the 2 million West Berliners totally dependent on the USSR
– Truman refused to let this work, airlifting in 1.5 million tonnes of supplies to West Berlin as he thought Stalin would try to take control of West Germany if he got control of West Berlin
8
Q
(c) Who was more to blame for starting the Cold War, the USA or the USSR? Explain your answer. [10]
A
- USSR -> spread control over Eastern Europe
– Used undemocratic methods of rigged elections and force
– Bulgaria -> Red Army invaded in late 1944, rigged elections in Nov 1945 and monarchy abolished in Sept 1946 - USSR -> Cominform (1947) and Comecon (1949)
– Further polarised the USA and the USSR
– Comecon prevented the Eastern Bloc countries from trading with Western countries which would have decreased America’s international trade, angering them.
– Cominform encouraged Communists in Western countries to strike against the Marshall Plan, causing 2 million French workers to strike in the winter of 1947. - USA -> Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
– Truman Doctrine -> described the USSR as a “totalitarian regime” compared to the “individual liberty” and “freedom” of the USA and made the two sides explicitly clear -> angered the USSR as USA was trying to stop what Stalin described as “the natural spread of Communism”
– Marshall Plan -> made Communism look less desirable -> arguably prevented Greece from becoming Communist by supporting Greek Monarchists and British troops (regained total control in Greece by 1950) - USA -> Trizonia and NATO
– Trizonia creation -> felt like the West was ganging up on Stalin -> created own government and new currency
– NATO -> the creation of this military alliance excluded the USSR which made them feel both angry and threatened by the united powers against him
USA less important -> Marshall Plan rejected by Congress until defenestration of pro-American minister Jan Masaryk (March 1948) and Soviet take-over of Czechoslovakia. All America actions were just in response of Russian ones.
9
Q
(c) Which country had the more successful policies towards Europe between 1945 and 1949: the USA or the USSR? Explain your answer. [10]
A
- USSR more successful -> spread control over Eastern Europe
– Used undemocratic methods of rigged elections and force
– Bulgaria -> Red Army invaded in late 1944, rigged elections in Nov 1945 and monarchy abolished in Sept 1946
– By 1949: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania were all controlled by the USSR - USSR more successful -> Cominform (1947) and Comecon (1949)
– Cominform -> prevented countries from taking Marshall aid and moving away from Communism
– Increased opposition to USA -> 2 million French workers went on strike against Marshall Plan in the winter of 1947
– “Removed” ministers and employees in Eastern Bloc countries who were not loyal to Stalin => By 1953, 5% of the Hungarian population was in prison
– Co-ordinated economic plans of Eastern countries, making it easier to trade and share technology => created an official economic alliance
– Attempted to prevent Western countries and America from trading with Communist countries => made it harder for the West to infiltrate the East - USA more successful -> Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
– Greek Civil War (1946) -> British had to retract their help due to severe economic problems giving the Communists an advantage over the Greek Monarchists
– Luckily the Americans funded for some of British troops to remain in Greece and they regained control over the country by 1950
– The Americans sent battle ships to the Turkish coast to scare off the Russians (with more money, the Turkish would have been able to defend themselves)
– Bound countries in friendship with the USA, preventing them from becoming Communist - USA more successful -> American Airlift
– Therefore, the Allies decided to air-lift in supplies to West Berlin, making over 200,000 trips to West Berlin over the next eleven months
– They brought in over 1.5 million tons of food, clothing, oil, coal, building materials and other necessities which kept the 2 million West Berliners alive
– At the peak of the airlift, American planes were landing in Tempelhof Airport every 30s
– In May 1949, Stalin reopened supply lines, realising that the Blockade would not make to Western Allies give up on West Berlin
