Historic US / USSR Tensions Flashcards
When did Russia turn communist?
In 1917
What is another name for the 1917 Communist Revolution?
The Bolshevik Revolution
Who led the Bolshevik Revolution?
Lenin
What did the USA and Britain do shortly after the Communists came to power in Russia?
They provided military forces to fight against the Communists in the Russian Civil War (1917-22)
What did Britain react harshly to in 1926?
The General Strike
What was the General Strike?
When about 1.5million workers went on strike in Britain
Why did the British government react harshly to the 1926 General Strike?
They believed it was the work of the USSR
Why did businessmen and politicians in the West fear Communism?
They feared their private property would be taken away and they would be made poorer under a Communist regime
What was one of Hitler’s foreign policy aims (to do with Communism)?
To abolish Communism
Why did tensions increase between the West and the USSR during the 1930s?
Stalin believed Britain and the USA were appeasing Hitler so that Hitler would attack the USSR
What did Hitler and Stalin sign in 1938?
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
When did Hitler and Stalin sign the Nazi Soviet Pact?
In 1938
What did the Nazi-Soviet Pact state?
1) Germany and the USSR would not fight each other
2) They would divide Poland between them
Why was the Nazi-Soviet Pact a surprise?
Because the Nazis and Soviets hated each other!
When did Hitler invade the USSR?
June 1941
Why did the USA and USSR ally with Stalin during WWII?
To defeat their common enemy: Hitler
What did the USA and Britain send to the USSR during the war?
Vital supplies
At which battle were the mighty German army finally defeated, turning the tide of the war?
The Battle of Stalingrad
What was the Soviet army known as?
The Red Army
What did Churchill say about the Red Army during WWII?
That they ‘ripped the heart out’ of the German army
What did Stalin ask the USA and Britain to do to help win the war?
Open a second front (e.g. invade France)
Why was there tension between the USSR and Britain and USA in 1942-43?
Stalin thought his allies were delaying opening a second front so more Soviet troops would die
When did the West finally open a second front?
In June 1944
What is the second front also known as?
D-Day (The Normandy Beach Landings)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSKerypwUDM
