History: The Cold War Flashcards
Who were the two major players in the Cold War
USA and USSR
Who were the main allies in WW2
USA, Britain and USSR
It was a strategic wartime alliance
What do cartoons criticise
People or their actions
why did the USA USSR alliance collapse
Different ideologies
strong national pride
Strong sense of identity
the main differences between the USA and the USSR
Elections
Industry
Individual rights
when did USA and USSR emerge as superpowers
After the war
what happened to France and Britain after the war
They were regarded as second tier
The Potsdam conference
July 1945
Germany surrendered and Hitler committed suicide
the war in Europe won
A second conference was organised in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam
A number of changes had taken place since the first meeting (the first meeting was during WW2)
changes since the Yalta conference (first conference)
Stalins armies were occupying most of Eastern Europe
America had a new president Harry Truman
The Allies had tested an atomic bomb
Harry Truman
Was very anti communist
very sus of Stalin
Stalin vs truman
the Potsdam conference finally got under way on July 17th 1945
It didn’t go smoothly
Britain also had elections in July and Winston Churchill was defeated and was replaced at the conference by Clement Attlee
disagreements regarding Germany at the Potsdam
Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect the USSR
Truman did not want to repeat the mistake of the treaty of versailles
disagreements regarding Reparations at the Potsdam
20 million Russians and died in the war and the Soviet Union had been devastated. Stalin wanted compensation from Germany. Truman however, didn’t want to repeat the mistakes caused by the treaty of versailles
How did the USSR gain control of Eastern Europe by 1948
WW2
The Iron Curtain
the Potsdam Conference ended without complete agreement on any of the disagreements previously mentioned
Over the next 9 months, Stalin achieved the domination of Eastern Europe that he was seeking
By 1946, what countries had been taken over by Stalin
Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania
How did Stalin take control
Stalin gradually tightened his control in each country that had communist governments
He had secret police that imprisoned anyone who opposed communist rule
Cominform
In October 1947 Stalin set up the communist information bureau (Cominform) to co-ordinate the work of the communist parties of Eastern Europe
what did cominform do
They regularly bought the leaders of each communist party to Moscow to be Briefed by Stalin and his ministers. If there was a leader that was not fully communist, Stalin would replace him.
How did the western powers react to Stalins takeover of Eastern Europe
they were alarmed, they did not know how fast Stalin would take Eastern Europe over Eastern Europe
How did Stalin and Truman see the take over of Eastern Europe
Stalin saw his policy in Eastern Europe as making himself secure
Truman could only see the spread of communism
When the Germanys retreated from Greece in 1944, what were the 2 rival groups who wanted to rule the country
the monarchists — wanted the return of the king of Greece
The communist — wanted Greece to be a Soviet Republic
what did Churchill do to restore order to Greece in 1945
Send in troops to supervise free elections. The British supported the monarchists and the king was returned to power
How did the USSR react to Britain sending troops into Greece
In 1946, the USSR protested to the United Nations (UN) that British troops were a threat to peace in Greece
How did they solve the Greece crisis
The UN took no actions - the commies tried to take Greece by force and a civil war quickly developed. The British withdrew their troops, Truman then paid for British troops to stay behind, and thus they won against the commies.
the Truman Doctrine
This allowed USA to send money and equipment to any country that was ‘threatened’ by the commies.
Truman had accepted that Eastern Europe had became communist
The European economy in 1947
They owed 11.5 billion to USA
Extreme shortages of all goods
Most countries were rationing bread
Coal shortage was so bad that in the 1947 winter Britain turned off electricity for a period every day
Churchill described Europe as a ‘rubble heap’ and a breeding ground for hate
How much money did Marshall suggest it would take to rebuild Europe
17 billion
What was the Marshall policy about
directed against hunger, poverty, desperation, chaos
Did Truman give 17 million to Europe
no, he said it was too much money
Czechoslovakia, 1948
had been trying to pursue policies independent of Moscow.
The communists came down hard on March 1948.
Anti-Soviet leaders were purged.
One pro-American minister, Jan Masaryk, was found dead below his open window.
The communists had said that he jumped while the American’s suspected that he had been pushed
Marshal aid
Marshall Aid was an extremely generous act by the American people.
It was also motivated by American self-interest.
The USA wanted to create new markets for American goods.
Aid should only be given to democratic countries and free markets.
They wanted an ‘open door’ policy with no trade tariffs or other restrictions to stop US companies.
how did Stalin view marshal aid
Stalin viewed Marshall Aid with suspicion.
After expressing some initial interest, he wanted nothing to do with it.
He forbade any of the eastern European countries from applying for Marshall Aid.
The Berlin Blockade: causes
the distrust between the USA and USSR became alarming in 1948
The 2 sides increased their stocks of weapons and a propaganda war developed
the Berlin Blockade: Consequences
Each side took every opportunity that they could to denounce the others polices or plans.
Truman and Stalin were anxious to show their people that they would not be pushed around
Despite all the threatening talk, not a single weapon was fired at each other
but in 1948, it looked like they finally would, the clash came over Germany
How many zones was Germany divided into
four zones
What was the US plan for Germany after the war
strip Germany of all industries and make it an agricultural country so it would never wage war again. (Known as the Morgenthau Plan)
Was Germany turned into an agricultural country?
No, Truman grew more concerned with the USSR, he decided it might be better to have a strong and useful German ally. It was also clear that if the industries weren’t allowed to recover, then millions of Germans would starve.
When was west and east Germany invented
In 1946, Britain, France and the USA combined their zones to become known as West Germany in 1949.
How did Stalin blockade Berlin
June 1948 – Stalin blocked supply lines, stopping the Western Powers from reaching their zones of Berlin.
If the USA tried to ram the roadblocks or railway blocks, it could be seen as an act of war.
Stalin expected Truman to announce a humiliating withdrawal from Berlin, which would have given the Soviets control of Berlin and a propaganda victory.
what did Truman do in response to the blockades
Truman ordered that aircraft should fly in supplies to Berlin.
This was known as the Berlin Airlift.
As the first planes left their bases in West Germany, there were fears that the Soviets may shoot them down.
An undeniable act of war.
what happened to the planes
There were no shots fired at the planes as they flew over Soviet territory.
West Berlin received all their supplies this way over the next 10 months.
Everything from food and clothing to building materials and oil.
When did Stalin lift the blockade
in May 1949
Why was Nato and the Warsaw Pact made
War between the USA and the USSR seemed like a real possibility during the blockade
What was Nato
(North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) Formed in April 1949
USSR was critical of NATO, but Stalin took no action against them until 1955, when the NATO powers allowed West Germany to join the organisation.
What was the Warsaw Pact
The USSR and the main communist states in eastern Europe formed their own alliance know as the Warsaw Pact.
Its members promised to defend each other if any of them were attacked.
How did the communists gained control of Eastern Europe
after the WWII the communists quickly gained control of eastern Europe with the help of the Soviet Union and the Red Army.
What did Stalin gain from taking over Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe served as a buffer from future attacks on the USSR.
Used resources from other countries to build up the USSR’s industries and economy after the terrible damage suffered from the War.
Comecon
Council for mutual economic assistance
set up in 1949 to co-ordinate the industries and trade of the Eastern European countries
Cominform
Communist information Bureau
Set up in 1947 by Stalin, as an organisation to co-ordinate the various communist governments in Eastern Europe
restrictions on freedom when the Soviet Union took over Eastern European countries
Newspapers were censored.
Non-communists were put into prison for criticizing the government.
People were forbidden to travel to countries in western Europe.
Protests, such as those in East Germany in 1953, were crushed by security forces.
What was the economy like in Eastern Europe
People in eastern Europe were short of coal to heat their houses.
Clothing and shoes were very expensive.
Were consumer goods common in the Soviet Union
People could not get consumer goods like radios, electric kettles or televisions, which were becoming common in the West.
The economies of eastern Europe were geared towards helping the Soviet Union.
When did Stalin die
1953
Who replaced Stalin and when
1955 – after numerous power struggles in the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev emerged victorious and appeared to be very different to Stalin
what happened when Nikita Khrushchev took over from Stalin
He closed down Cominform and released thousands of political prisoners.
1956 – Denounced Stalin for his harsh rule during an astonishing speech.
He allowed people to protest and speak out about the government
what happened in the Poland protests of 1956
Protesters demanded reforms and the appointment of the Polish war-time resistance leader Wladyslaw Gomulka as the new Polish leader.
There were violent clashes between the protesters and the Polish police
How did Nikita Khrushchev react to the protests
Gomulka was not the loyal ally Khrushchev would have wanted, but he compromised and accepted Gomulka as the new Polish leader.
He also moved Soviet tanks and troops to the Polish border just to make it clear that he would only compromise so far.
What was Hungary like in 1949-1956
It was led by a hard line communist called Matyas Rakosi
Most Hungarians hated the restriction imposed on them and lived in fear of the secret police
There were thousands of Soviet troops and officials in their country
opposition to Hungary in 1956
June 1956 – a group within the Communist Party in Hungary opposed Rakosi.
He appealed to Khrushchev for help.
He wanted to arrest 400 leading opponents.
Moscow would not back him.
Khrushchev ordered Rakosi to be retired ‘for health reasons’.
Protests in Hungary 1956
The new leader, Erno Gero, was no more acceptable to the Hungarian people.
Discontent came to a head with a huge student demonstration on 23 October, when the giant statue of Stalin in Budapest was pulled down.
Reform in hungary
In October 1956, the Soviet tanks and troops that had been stationed in Hungary since WWII started to be withdrawn.
Hungarians created thousands of local councils to replace Soviet power.
Several thousand Hungarian soldiers defected from the army to the rebel cause, taking their weapons with them.
What were Nagy’s new plans for the government
It would hold free elections, create impartial courts and restore farmland to private ownership.
It wanted the total withdrawal of the Soviet army from Hungary.
It also planned to lave the Warsaw Pact and declare Hungary neutral in the Cold War struggle between East and West.
how did the Soviet Union respond to some of the changes in Hungarys government
November 1956 – thousands of Soviet troops and tanks moved into Budapest.
The Hungarians did not give in and 2 weeks of bitter fighting ensued
How many Hungarians were killed and how many fled during the Hungary conflict
It’s estimated that 30 000 Hungarian were killed – however the latest research suggests only 3 000 Hungarians and up to 1 000 Russians were killed.
Another 200 000 Hungarians fled across the border to Austria.
Outcomes of the Hungarian crisis
Around 35 000 anti-communist activists were arrested and 300 were executed.
Kadar cautiously introduced some of the reforms demanded by the Hungarian people.
However, he did not waver on the central issue – membership of the Warsaw Pact.
