Early developments in the cold war 1945-49

Question 1

How did Stalin create the ‘buffer zone’?

Answer 1

• Soviet red army freed countries in Eastern Europe which were occupied by the Nazis
• Stalin turned countries into satellite states with communist governments

Question 2

Which counties were satellite states by 1945?

Answer 2

-East Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania

Question 3

What did George Kennan’s views in the long telegram state about the Soviet union?

Answer 3

• reported Stalin wanted to see the destruction of capitalism and felt the world outside the Soviet union was unfriendly and wanting to destroy communism=worried USA
• Kennan believed Soviet union was not self-destructive, so if faced with strong resistance would soften it’s position= USA created ‘policy of containment’, to stop communism spreading

Question 4

What was the view of Nikolai Novikov on the US?

Answer 4

• US wanted to use it’s massive military power to dominate the world
• believed that since Roosevelt’s death, they no longer wanted to co-operate with the Soviet union
• said the Americans would support the US if they went to war= further encouraged Stalin to take control of it’s borders

Question 5

What did Winston Churchill’s iron curtain speech state and what were the effects?

Answer 5

• made clear that Soviet union was a threat to world peace + freedom
• Stalin thought what Churchill said was reflecting American beliefs
• increased tension and led to propaganda
• made the hostility between East + West worse

Question 6

When did Truman first take action against the spread of communism?

Answer 6

-Britain could no longer give aid to Greek government in 1947, Truman decided to take action

Question 7

What was the Truman doctrine?

Answer 7

-Truman’s ideas and beliefs about communism in his speech to US congress

Question 8

What were the ideas and beliefs in the Truman doctrine?

Answer 8

• capitalism was freedom from political oppression, communism was the will of the minority to be forced upon the majority
• choosing democracy over communism was like choosing good over evil
• communism should not be allowed to grow + USA was prepared to send troops + economic aid to those trying to resist it

Question 9

What did Truman state in his speech about Greece and Turkey?

Answer 9

• announce an economic aid package
• $400 million to both
• send military

Question 10

2 effects of the Truman doctrine.

Answer 10

• Marshall plan introduced

- Stalin introduced Comecon