how did the cold war develop? (1941-58) Flashcards
which countries were allies in the fight against Hitler’s Germany?
the USSR, USA and UK
when did WW2 take place?
1939-1945
how did the cold war have many of the characteristics of a traditional war?
military alliances were formed
huge arsenals of conventional and nuclear weapons were developed
what was the cold war limited to?
a war of words, fought through diplomacy, propaganda and spying
what did the USA, UK and other allies do in the closing stages of WW2?
freed western Europe from German occupation
what did the soviet red army do towards the end of WW2?
take control of most of Eastern Europe
what did the soviet red army’s actions towards the end of WW2 lead to?
Europe being split in 2, with a capitalist and democratic west and a communist east
when was Franklin D. Roosevelt president of the USA?
1933-1945
when was Harry S. Truman president of the USA?
1945-1953
hen was Dwight D. Eisenhower president of the USA?
1953-1961
when was John F. Kennedy president of the USA?
1961-1963
when was Lyndon B. Johnson president of the USA?
1963-1969
when was Richard M. Nixon president of the USA?
1969-1974?
when was Gerald R. Ford president of the USA?
1974-1977
when was Jimmy Carter president of the USA?
1977-1981
when was Ronald Reagan president of the USA?
1981-1989
when was Joseph Stalin premier of the USSR?
1924-1953
when was Georgy Malenkov premier of the USSR
1953-1953
when was Nikita Krushchev premier of the USSR?
1953-1964
when was Leonid Brezhnev premier of the USSR?
1964-1982
when was Yuri Andropov premier of the USSR?
1982-1984
when was Konstantin Chernenko premier of the USSR?
1984-1985
when was Mikhail Gorbachev president of the USSR?
1985-1991
what was the cold war?
a conflict in which the USA and USSR never actually declared war on each other as they knew any war would be nuclear and unwinnable
what were Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin referred to as and why?
the big three, since it was their beliefs and ambitions that dominated world politics from 1941 until Roosevelt’s death in 1945
what were politics in the USSR like?
single party rule
what was social structure in the USSR like?
classless society, everyone is equal
what was economy like in the USSR?
all property owned by the state not individuals
what were rights like in the USSR?
rights of all workers were focused on more than rights of individual people
what were politics like in the USA?
free elections with a choice of parties
what was social structure like in the USA?
some people have more power than others (because of family, background, wealth, education or achievements)
what was economy like in the USA?
private ownership and a competitive workplace
what were rights like in the USA?
individual freedoms valued but limited by majority opinion
what was the grand alliance formed for in 1941?
to mastermind the defeat of Germany and Japan in the second world war. The alliance was formed when 4 million German troops invaded the USSR in June 1941- despite a non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union
when did the Tehran conference take place?
28th November-1st December 1943
what was the 1943 Tehran conference designed to do?
make plans for the eventual reconstruction of Europe when the war was over
who attended the 1943 Tehran conference?
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt
what was decided at the 1943 Tehran conference?
when the war was over, the USSR would have a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe where communism would be respected and the USSR held influence whilst Western Europe would be a British/American sphere of influence where Capitalism would be dominant and the USA and UK would have influence
what did the big three not agree on at the 1943 Tehran conference?
Germany’s future, Stalin wanted Germany to br punished for starting the world war and argued for Germany to give up territory and pay reparations. However Roosevelt and Churchill both believed that Germany should be rebuilt
why did Stalin want Germany to pay reparations?
so that they could never be a threat to the Soviet Union again
why did Churchill and Roosevelt no want Germany to pay reparations?
they believed that one of the root causes of the second world war was the economic problems that Germany had had to endure as a result of its harsh treatment after the end of the first world war. They believed that for Europe to be peaceful they should not make the same mistake again and that Europe therefore needed a prosperous Germany
what was Stalin’s ultimate aim at the Tehran conference?
to secure his eastern border after the war
what was the impact of the Tehran conference on relations?
there was some tension between the USA and UK as Roosevelt sided with Stalin on several matters- like where the a new front should be opened, however tensions between Stalin and Roosevelt decreased
what was decided during the Tehran conference in 1943?
-UK and USA would open a second front by invading Nazi occupied France in 1944
-The Soviet union would simultaneously mount an attack on Germany from the east
-the soviet union would declare war on Japan once Germany was defeated
-a united nations organisation was to be set up after the war
-Stalin was promised the lands that the USSR had lost to Poland in 1920
when was the Yalta conference?
4th-11th February 1945
what did the 1945 Yalta conference mark?
a high point in relations between the Grand alliance as many things were agreed at this conference
what figure was put forwards for reparations?
$20 billion
what was Stalin keen to do at the 1945 Yalta conference?
cripple Germany
what did the big three agree would happen in April 1945?
another conference, held in San Fransisco
when did the Potsdam conference take place?
17th July- 2nd August 1945
who attended the Potsdam conference?
Harry Truman, Clement Attlee, Joseph Stalin
when did Germany surrender?
May 1945
when was the USA atomic bomb developed?
1945
when did US scientists successfully test the new atomic bomb?
the day before the Potsdam conference
when was the United Nations created?
June 1945
what was Truman determined to do at the 1945 Potsdam conference?
take a get tough approach with Stalin, he deliberately delayed the date of the conference until the atomic bomb was ready
why did Truman delay the Potsdam conference?
he thought that having a working atomic bomb would give him an edge in discussions
what did the defeat of Germany take away?
the need to work towards a common enemy
what happened on the 6th August 1945?
the USA exploded an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima
how many Japanese citizens were killed as a result of the 2 atomic bombs dropped?
over 120,000
when had Stalin begun instructing his scientists to start work on an Atomic bomb?
1940
what did the successful testing of the USA atomic bomb make Stalin even more determined to do?
make the soviet union secure. His immediate aim was to create a buffer zone of countries sympathetic to communism between Germany and the Soviet Union’s western borders
what did Truman say Stalin’s response to hearing about the atomic bomb was?
Truman commented that he appeared to show no special interest
when did the USSR have their first successful test of an atomic bomb?
1949
by what date did Britain, France and China also have the atomic bomb?
1964
what did the atomic bomb drastically increase
cold war tensions
what soured the relationship of the grand alliance?
Truman’s arrogance and Stalin’s determination to prove the USSR as a rival to the USA
what did the USSR taking action in Poland do to the grand alliance?
it put strain on it, Stalin had agreed to establish a government in Poland which consisted of both Capitalists and communists, however by the time the Potsdam conference came around it was clear he was not sticking to his word
what did Stalin agree to at the Yalta conference?
To use Russian troops to help America defeat Japan once Hitler had been defeated
what did Roosevelt and Churchill agree to allow at the Yalta conference?
they agreed to allow a communist government to be set up in Poland
what did the declaration on liberated Europe commit the USA, USSR and UK to do?
work together for democracy in Europe
what was the United Nations set up to do?
keep the peace
what was proposed regarding Germany at the Yalta conference?
Germany would be divided into 4 zones, each occupied by one of the 4 allies. It was also decided that once this happened Berlin would also be divided into 4 sectors
what was decided regarding Nazi war criminals at the Yalta conference?
they would be tried in an international court of justice
what agreements were made regarding the Nazi party at the Potsdam conference?
-to ban the Nazi party
-to dissolve the Nazi party
-to remove known Nazis from important positions
-to put leading Nazis on trial for war crimes, these trials were held in Nuremberg during 1946
what compromise was reached regarding reparations at the Potsdam conference?
each ally would take reparations from there sector of Germany
what agreements were reached regarding Germany at the Potsdam conference?
-Germany should be reduced by about a quarter of its size
-there would be free elections in Germany
-freedom of Speech and freedom of press
-Germans living in eastern Europe would be transferred into Germany
-Germany should be immediately and temporarily divided into 4 zones, each zone would be occupied by one of the 4 allies, Great Britain, France, the USA and the USSR
Germany was to be demilitarised. All German merchant and Naval ships were to be given to the allies
when was Churchill’s iron curtain speech?
March 1946
what did Churchill’s iron curtain speech say?
Russia is trying to take over Europe, eastern Europe is under increasing levels of control from Moscow, communism should be feared
how did Stalin respond to Churchill’s iron curtain speech?
by calling Churchill a Nazi and a warmonger
what did the iron curtain speech do?
raise tensions and show the start of the war of words- and the cold war. It also showed that the grand alliance had fallen apart
what was the iron curtain?
Stalin’s buffer zone of eastern European countries, indirectly controlled from Moscow, which separated Russia from Germany
when was the long telegram sent?
1946
what was the long telegram?
A secret report to Truman from an ambassador in Moscow. It said that Stalin had given a speech calling for the destruction of capitalism, there would be no peace with the USSR while it was opposed to capitalism and that the USSR was building up its military power
when was Novikov’s telegram sent
1946
what was Novikov’s telegram?
a secret report to Stalin from the Soviet ambassador to America saying that; America wanted to dominate the world, following Roosevelt’s death, the USA was no longer interested in working with the USSR and that the American public was being prepared for war with the USSR
by what time was the grand alliance essentially over
1946
when was the Truman doctrine released?
1947
what was the aim of the Truman doctrine?
to contain communism and limit its spread as much as possible- Truman was scared that as many economies in Europe were suffering greatly after the second world war, communism might look very appealing to some. Therefore he was worried that Stalin might try and encourage communist revolutions
what did the Truman doctrine say?
. the world has a choice between communist tyranny and democratic freedom
. America has a responsibility to fight for liberty wherever in the world it is threatened
. America would send troops and economic resources to help governments that were threatened by communism
. communism should not be allowed to grow and gain territory
why was the Truman doctrine significant?
it divided the world into 2 clear ideologies- Communist and Capitalist
when was the Marshall plan first introduced?
1947
the Truman doctrine and the Marshall plan were…
two halves of the same walnut
what was the Marshall plan?
the Marshall plan would commit $13 billion of American money to rebuilding the damaged economies of Europe. It was hoped that this would weaken the attraction of communism
what did countries have to do in order to qualify for money from the Marshall plan?
agree to trade freely with America- therefore a consequence of the Marshall plan was to benefit America’s economy as well
what did European countries discuss at the Paris conference of 1948?
The American offer of marshall aid
the Truman doctrine was a policy of what?
containment
what did delegates from the USSR claim at the 1948 Paris conference?
America was deliberately trying to divide Europe into 2 camps and that Marshall aid was simply the first step in forging a military alliance which would wage war on the USSR
What did Stalin insist his eastern european satellite states do in regard to the Marshall plan
refuse the help offered by the USA
how many countries did accept Marshall aid?
16, including countries such as the UK and France
what did Stalin refer to the Marshall plan as?
dollar imperialism
what is a satellite state?
a country which is officially independent, but in reality controlled by another country
when was cominform founded?
1947
why was cominform created and what was it?
cominform was created so that Stalin could extend and consolidate soviet power. Cominform was the communist information bureau and was an international organisation which represented the communist parties across Europe and brought them together under the direction of the USSR
who were the 9 members of cominform?
. the communist states of the soviet union
. the satellite states of:
. Bulgaria
. Czechoslovakia
. Hungary
. Poland
. Communist parties of:
. Yugoslavia (expelled in 1948 due to tensions)
. France
. Italy
what did the first Cominform conference totally reject?
the Marshall plan
what were communist parties in western europe encouraged to do?
organise strikes and demonstrations against the American plan- a good example of this was seen in France where 2 million workers, sympathetic to the communists went on strike in the winter of 1947 and demanded that France reject Marshall aid
how did cominform ensure the loyalty of Eastern European governments?
by investigating ministers and employees and removing all those who were not completely loyal- this process was often very violent
what was comecon and why was it created?
Stalin recognised that Marshall aid would look very attractive for many eastern European countries, and although he had ordered his satellite states to boycott it, he realised he needed a communist alternative- hence comecon- the council for mutual economic assistance, which was started in 1949
what were the consequences of comecon?
it minimised American influence in Eastern Europe and the USSR and ensured that the economic recovery from ww2 in eastern europe remained within the soviet sphere of influence
what did comecon aim to do?
encourage the economic development of Eastern Europe, it also attempted to prevent trade with western europe and America, its main activities were arranging trade and credit agreements between members
when was bizonia formed and what was it?
by 1947, the American and British zones of germany were effectively running as one, so they therefore became known as Bizonia
after bizonia was formed in 1947, who else joined bizonia?
France soon joined bizonia, making it trizonia
what did the western allies start to do in western germany
develop a policy of what to do with western germany- however this was very much at odds with what Stalin believed should happen
what were some of the changes the allies made in western Germany which angered stalin as he did not agree with them?
- Britain, France and America agreed to set up a German assembly and create a new German constitution
- they made a new currency- the deutschmark, which became the official currency of Trizonia
Stalin had not been consulted about any of these changes and saw it as the first step towards permanently dividing Germany
why did Stalin oppose the permanent division of Germany?
- He was reluctant to allow America to have even greater influence over Germany
- He didn’t want German troops to remain stationed in Germany
- He realised that Germany’s most valuable economic resources were in the west and feared that they would be used against the USSR in a war
what did Stalin do to try and prevent a separate state in Western Germany?
in June 1948, he set up a military blockade around West Berlin, his plan was to cut Western Germany off from its capitol- Berlin, so that the new government which was based in Berlin could could not control its territory in western Germany. He hoped to prove that a divided Germany could not work on a practical level
how did truman respond to the berlin blockade?
with the berlin airlift
what was the berlin airlift?
in response to Stalin’s blockade, Truman organised berlin airlift- otherwise known as operation vittles. In this arlift, supplies were transported into west Berlin around the clock by allied planes.
how many planes how much supplies/food were initially committed by the USA for the Berlin airlift and how much did this increase to?
At the start of the Berlin airlift, American committed 70 large cargo planes and airlifted between 600-700 tonnes of supplies per day. Within a couple of weeks this had increased to 1000 tonnes of supplies and food a day, the British maintained a similar system
at the peak of the Berlin airlift, how much food/ supplies were transported into west Berlin?
over 170,000 tonnes of food and supplies were provided in January 1949
what did the people of west berlin build to help the Berlin airlift?
a new runway at an old airport and a whole new airport so more supplies could be landed
what did the Berlin airlift mean?
it meant that Stalin’s blockade did not work, forcing him to end the blockade in May 1949. It also meant that America looked peaceful and good, whilst the USSR looked aggressive
what state was formed on the 23rd May 1949, just 3 days after the end of the Berlin blockade?
The Federal republic of Germany (West Germany) the USA, UK and France allowed their 3 sectors of Germany to be officially joined together as one state
what state was formed in October 1949?
the German Democratic republic (East Germany) Stalin responded to the formation of the Federal republic of Germany with, several months later the formation of his own state, the german democratic republic
what did the Berlin Blockade raise?
the possibility of a future war in Europe
what was NATO and when was it established?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was established in 1949 with the aim of keeping the USA in and the USSR out. It was essentially a military alliance between the USA and many of the countries in Western Europe, which agreed that, should any NATO country come under attack, all NATO members would come to its defence
when was the Warsaw pact formed and what was it?
The Warsaw pact was formed in 1955 and was an Eastern European equivalent to NATO- it was a military alliance between the USSR and the USSR’s satellite states which was formed after West Germany was allowed to join NATO- which made the USSR feel threatened
what were the 3 important features of the Warsaw pact?
- It created a joint command of the armed forces of the alliance
- it set up a political committee to co-ordinate the foreign policies of its members
- it bound its members to come to the aid of the others, should any of them be the victim of foreign aggression- this was no different from NATO, however the Warsaw pact was under the command of the Soviet union
when did the USA develop the atomic bomb?
1945
when did the USSR develop the atomic bomb?
1949
when did the USA develop the Hydrogen bomb?
1952
when did the USSR develop the Hydrogen bomb?
1953
when did the USA launch their first ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)?
1957
when did the USSR launch their first ICBM?
1957
why was the arms race significant?
it actually prevented a war in Europe. Neither side dared to attack the other because they knew how quickly the other could retaliate with a nuclear weapon- which could destroy and devastate cities with little to no warning, this prevented the USA and USSR from attacking each other
what made Dwight Eisenhower willing to listen to proposals from the Soviet union despite being strongly ant- communist?
he recognised the dangers posed by nuclear weapons
when did Stalin die?
1953
what did Stalin always claim about Hungary?
that the USSR had liberated Hungary from the Nazis- however in 1949, Cominform imposed an equally oppressive regime
what happened to Hungary under the rule of Stalin and Matyas Rakosi?
- Hungarian land was redistributed to other eastern European countries
- Hungarian coal, oil and wheat were shipped to Russia while Hungarian citizens were deprived of their own food
- Non- communist political parties were abolished
- Russian officials controlled the government, the police and the army
- Cominform began a reign of terror, executing popular political leaders and their supporters
when was Matyas Rakosi dictator of Hungary?
1949-1956
what did Matyas Rakosi describe himself as?
Stalin’s best pupil- however, secretly the people of Hungary nicknamed him the bald butcher
what were Rakosi’s salami tactics?
Rakosi dealt with his opponents ‘slice by slice’- meaning he got rid of his opposition by dividing it a bit at a time
how many people did Rakosi imprison and kill during his time as dictator of Hungary?
he imprisoned 387,00 people and was responsible for 2,000 deaths
how many people’s deaths is Stalin believed to be responsible for?
20 million people
what was stalinism?
Stalin’s style of government, its key feature was that it was inordinately oppressive
what did Nikita Krushchev bring with him when he emerged as the new leader of the Soviet union
a new wave of more liberal thinking
when did Krushchev give the secret speech and what was it?
the secret speech was given by Krushchev in 1956 and in it he promised an end to stalinism throughout the soviet sphere of influence- De- stalinisation
what happened in Hungary following Krushchev’s secret speech?
students rioted and attacked Soviet troops with petrol bombs and grenades. Despite the fact that it was illegal to demonstrate in Hungary, massive demonstrations took place in Budapest - Hungary’s capitol. These demonstrations soon escalated into violence, the police lost control of the situation and similar protests began to occur in Hungary’s other major cities.
how did Krushhev respond to the massive demonstrations in Hungary, following his secret speech in 1956?
he agreed to put in place a more liberal Hungarian leader, Imre Nagy
what reforms did Imre Nagy propose?
- Hungary should leave the Warsaw pact
- Communist government in Hungary should end
- Hungary should become a Western style democracy with free elections
- Hungary should ask the UN for protection from Russia
what did the reforms of Imre Nagy effectively do?
End Hungary’s alliance with the USSR
why did the reforms of Imre Nagy effectively end Hungary’s alliance with the USSR?
Krushchev saw Nagy’s reforms as unacceptable and realised that it Hungary were allowed to leave the Warsaw pact, then other Eastern European countries might soon ask for the same thing
what did the secret information Krushchev had access to say about feelings about communism?
discontent with communism was widespread across Eastern Europe
what did the secret reports Krushchev received make him believe?
The reports reinforced his view that allowing greater freedom for these unhappy countries would mean an end to Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe
How did Krushchev respond to Imre Nagy’s reforms?
With a show of force. In November 1956, 200,000 USSR troops were sent to Hungary with the mission to crush the Hungarian Government.
what happened during the Hungarian uprising?
In November 1956, 200,000 USSR troops were sent to Hungary with the mission of crushing the Hungarian government . 2 weeks of fighting ensued in which about 20,000 Hungarians were killed and another 200,000 escaped to Austria. Eventually Nagy’s government was defeated.
what did Nagy do during and after the Hungarian uprising?
He sought shelter with the Yugoslavian embassy. The Yugoslavian ambassador agreed that he was free to leave Hungary, as soon as Nagy left the embassy he was arrested by Soviet troops. He was accused of treason and found guilty in a trial overseen by Krushchev. He was hanged in June 1958.
what did Krushchev state that Nagy’s fate was?
” A lesson to the leaders of all socialist countries”
how many USSR troops were sent to Hungary to stop the Hungarian Uprising?
200,000
how many Hungarians were killed during the Hungarian uprising?
20,000
how many Hungarians escaped to Austria during the Hungarian uprising?
200,000
what did Krushchev do after the Hungarian uprising had been crushed?
he appointed Janos Kadar as the new Hungarian leader. TO begin with Kadar had no real powers as Hungary was strictly under the control of the USSR and its army
what was included in Nagy’s 15 point programme?
- Re- establishing Soviet control in Hungary
- Using Hungarian troops to stop attacks on Soviet forces
- Remaining part of the Warsaw pact
- Negotiating the withdrawal of Soviet forces once the crisis was over
what did America’s failure to support Nagy’s government do?
It left the Hungarian people with no choice but to accept Kadar’s government
what was the impact of the Hungarian uprising on international relations?
It made Krushchev’s position in the Soviet union much stronger and gave him a stronger position in the Warsaw pact- members now knew they must do as they were told and that if they rebelled they could not expect military support from the USA. Krushchev now also became more confident in dealing with the USA because he knew they were unlikely to risk taking military action.
what did the Hungarian uprising and Krushchev’s response to it do to relations?
worsened and further soured them
what did America do during the Hungarian uprising?
Although America had encouraged the Hungarian Uprising, a US funded radio station had encouraged uprisings, they did not actually offer any military help during it.
why did the USA not send military aid to help the Hungarian uprisng?
They believed it was of the upmost importance to prevent the outbreak of war which could lead to nuclear annihilation of Hungary and the rest of the world
what aid did the USA send to Hungary and Nagy’s government?
they offered $20 million in food and medical aid to Nagy’s government. American president Eisenhower also openly praised the bravery of the Hungarians. Likewise, the UN condemned the invasion but did nothing to actually help
