How did the Cold War Develop? 1943-56

Question 1

What was the main political feature of the USA?

Answer 1

USA has a democratic system of Government where the President and Congress are chosen in free democratic elections.

Question 2

What was the main economic feature of the USA?

Answer 2

USA has a capitalist economy.
Business and property were privately owned.
Individuals could make profits in a business or move jobs.

Question 3

What policy did the USA follow?

Answer 3

USA followed a policy of isolationism. They withdrew from international politics and policies.

Question 4

What was the main political feature of the USSR?

Answer 4

USSR was a communist state. People could vote in elections for the Supreme Soviet but could only vote for members of the Communist Party and the Supreme Soviet had no real power.

Question 5

What was the main economic feature of the USSR?

Answer 5

USSR had a planned economy. The Government owned all industry and planned what all factories should produce.

Question 6

Who were the Allies?

Answer 6

Great Britain, USA and USSR.

Question 7

When was the Tehran Conference?

Answer 7

November-December 1943

Question 8

What was agreed at the Tehran Conference,1943?

Answer 8

Britain and USA would open a second front by invading France.
United Nations would be set up after the war.
Soviet Union would open an offensive in the East against Germany.
Soviet Union would declare war against Japan once Germany was defeated.

Question 9

What were the disagreements in the Tehran Conference,1943?

Answer 9

Stalin wanted to punish and weaken Germany so it’d never be a military power again.
Churchill and Roosevelt wanted to rebuild Germany

Question 10

When was the Yalta conference?

Answer 10

February 1945

Question 11

What agreements were made at the Yalta Conference,1945?

Answer 11

Germany would be divided into 4 zones.
Berlin would be divided into 4 zones.
Countries of Eastern Europe would be allowed to hold free elections
USSR would join in war against Japan in exchange for territory.

Question 12

When was the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 12

July-August 1945

Question 13

What agreements were made at the Potsdam conference,1945?

Answer 13

Nazi Party would be dissolved.
Nazi members would be tried as war criminals and would be punished.
Germany would pay reparations for damage caused by the war.
Oder-Neisse line would form part of the border between Poland and Germany.

Question 14

What were the disagreements made at the Potsdam conference,1945?

Answer 14

USA and Britain denied Stalin a naval base in the Mediterranean.
Stalin wanted more reparations from Germany than Britain and the USA did.
Stalin set up a communist government in Lublin, capital of Poland

Question 15

When did the Berlin Blockade take place?

Answer 15

1948-49

Question 16

Why did Stalin blockade Berlin?

Answer 16

Britain and USA zones joined together in ‘Bizonia’ to rebuild the economy. He said this broke the Potsdam agreements. French zone was later added.
Western Allies introduced a new currency to help the economy.
He did not want to rebuild Germany.

Question 17

How did the Allies react to the blockade?

Answer 17

The solution was to fly supplies into West Berlin.

Question 18

What were the consequences of the of the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 18

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was set up in April 1949.

The division between East and West was confirmed.

Question 19

What was West Germany renamed by the Allies?

Answer 19

It was renamed Federal Republic of Germany in May 1949.

Question 20

What was East Germany renamed by the Soviet Union?

Answer 20

It was renamed German Democratic Republic in October 1949.

Question 21

What was the policy of containment?

Answer 21

Foreign policy aimed at containing political influence or military power of another country.

Question 22

What was the domino theory?

Answer 22

The theory that if one nation fell to communism then it would be followed by many others.

Question 23

What was the ‘iron curtain’?

Answer 23

The division between the East and West.

A thousand mile armed border cutting off the communist countries of Eastern Europe from the non-communist West.

Question 24

Why did Stalin build the ‘iron curtain’?

Answer 24

To set up a buffer zone of countries in Eastern Europe to protect the USSR against another invasion from Germany.
Prevent Western influence from reaching the East + keep refugees from leaving the East for Western Europe.

Question 25

What was the Allies response to Soviet control of Eastern Europe?

Answer 25

Truman Doctrine, 1947

Question 26

What was the purpose of the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 26

A warning to Stalin to show him the USA would not let him take over Europe.
To show USA would not return to isolationism
The aim was to the stop the spread of communism.

Question 27

How would the USA contain communism?

Answer 27

USA would use economic and military strength to protect the world from communism.

Question 28

Why was the Marshall Plan/Aid introduced?`

Answer 28

To stop the spread of communism

To help the economies of Europe recover from the effects of the Second World War.

Question 29

How would the Marshall Plan/Aid benefit the USA?

Answer 29

Truman believed poverty and hardship provided a breeding ground for communism so helping Europe’s economy prosper would stop communism from spreading.
It would provide the USA trading partners in the future.

Question 30

What was the Soviet Union’s reaction to the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan/Aid?

Answer 30

Cominform was set up in 1947.

Comecon was set up in 1949

Question 31

What was the purpose of Cominform,1947?

Answer 31

To spread communism
To co-ordinate the activities of the communist parties in the world
To restrict the contact between Communist parties and the West.

Question 32

What was the purpose of Comecon,1949?

Answer 32

To co-ordinate the production and trade of the Eastern European countries.
Stalin’s economic rescue plan.

Question 33

What did the Berlin Blockade do?

Answer 33

It stopped all traffic between West Germany and West Berlin.

Closed all road, canal and rail routes.

Question 34

What was the purpose of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation?

Answer 34

To defend its members.
USA was now formally committed to the defence of Western Europe.
USA was able to build air bases in Western Europe with planes armed with nuclear weapons could be stationed ready for use against the Soviet Union

Question 35

What was the Soviet Union’s response to NATO?

Answer 35

Set up the Warsaw Pact in 1955.

Question 36

What were the features of the Warsaw Pact?

Answer 36

Created a joint command of the armed forces of the alliance.
Set up political committee to co-ordinate the foreign policies of the members.
Aid its members.

Question 37

Why did the Soviet Union treat Hungary harshly?

Answer 37

Hungary allied with Germany during the Second World War and fought against the Soviet Union.

Question 38

When did the Hungarian Uprising happen?

Answer 38

1956

Question 39

What were the causes of the Hungarian Uprising?

Answer 39

Falling standard of living and poverty = people resented forced collectivisation leading to a fall in agricultural output.

People hated Rakosi and his secret police, AVH = brutality shown executing or imprisoning opponents.

Question 40

What did the Hungarian Uprising include?

Answer 40

Student demonstrations in Budapest = fighting between Hungarians and Soviet troops

Question 41

What did Nagy want in Hungary?

Answer 41

Free elections
End of the AVH (secret police)
Removal of Soviet army occupation

Question 42

Why did Khrushchev decide to act on Hungary?

Answer 42

Nagy wanted to withdraw Hungary from the Warsaw Pact

Create a hole in Eastern Europe satellite states (buffer zone) and weaken Warsaw Pact

Question 43

What did Khrushchev do to end the Hungarian Uprising?

Answer 43

Ordered Soviet Army to invade

Sent 200,000 Soviet troops 6000 tanks

Question 44

What was the result of the Soviet invasion of Hungary?

Answer 44

4000 Hungarians + 7000 Soviet troops were killed

No active support from the West

Over 200,000 refugees fled Hungary

Highlighted the limitations of Khrushchev’s policy of peaceful co-existence

New pro-Soviet Gov set up under Janos Kadar