From Allies to Enemies a Clash of Ideologies Flashcards
Identify the 4 characteristics which make a nation a ‘superpower’
- military strength
- economic strength
- Allies *
- Strong leadership
What are the main differences between capitalism and communism?
capitalist democrracies
political system
Free and regular elections where people vote for candidates from a wide range of parties and viewpoints
Media
Freedom of the press and of speech is protected. People are free to disagree with the political system.
Wealth
Individuals own the different industries. They are free to keep the profits they make.
Communist Dictatorships
Political system
Elections - If they are held at all - have no choice, all candidates are for the same party. Only the government party’s ideas are heard.
Media
no freedom of speech. The media is only allowed to print and say what the government allows it to.
wealth
All industry is under the control of the government individuals are not allowed to make a profit
What evidence is there of mutual suspicion and mistrust between East and West in the 1920s and 1930s?
Mutual suspicion continued and deepened throughout the 1920s and 1930s. This distrust was made clear in a number of ways;
- Russia was not invited to the 1919 Paris peace settlement
- Russia was not allowed to join the league of nations
- It was not until 1924 that the British government recognised the communist regime as Russia’s government (the USA followed suit in 1933)
- During the later 1930s Britain and France refused to form an alliance with Russia against Nazi Germany
Why did Russia sign a non-aggressive pact with Germany in 1939?
When Britain and France failed to agree an alliance with the USSR against Hitler, Stalin signed a non-aggression pact with the Nazi’s in August 1939. Stalin knew that Hitler wanted to destroy communism, but it suited him to delay war for a while until the USSR was ready to fight.
What happened in June 1941? How did this impact the relationship between Russia and the Western Allies?
Stalin and the allies joined together when Germany invaded Russia in June 1941, however Stalin remained suspicious of the West, claiming that they delayed D-day until June 1944 to see if Germany and the USSR would wear each other out.
