Extra detail: The transformation of the Soviet Union's international position Flashcards
When did the US reveal its atomic bomb?
1945
What was the impact of the US revealing its atomic bomb?
Put the USSR at a disadvantage & Beria was put in charge of accelerating the development of a Soviet atomic bomb
How many captured Polish army officers were killed in the Katyn Forest Massacre?
22,000
When did the Katyn Forest Massacre take place?
April-May 1940
Why did the Katyn Forest Massacre take place?
To eliminate Polish nationalist elements who might oppose communism
When did Roosevelt die and who replaced him?
April 1945, Harry Truman
Who took over from Churchill?
Attlee, midway through the Potsdam conference
When/how did communists take power in Czechoslovakia?
Feb 1948, Kliment Gottwald (leader of Czech communists) took full control of the govt
How did the West and East view communist power in Czechoslovakia?
The West: saw it as a ‘communist coup’ backed by the USSR
Stalin & Czech communists: ‘Victorious February’, the legitimate success of ‘anti-fascist’ politics
What did Stalin want for Berlin?
Wanted it to become fully Soviet so he could better control Germany
What did Stalin think the Berlin Blockade would do?
Force the US into settling on Soviet terms
How did the US get around the Berlin Blockade?
With the Berlin Airlift, coordinated by US military general Clay
What was the Berlin Airlift?
A massive operation by Allied aircrafts which flew essential supplies into West Berlin throughout the winter of 1948-49
How long did the Berlin Blockade last?
318 days
June 1948-May 1949
