Key Topic One Flashcards
Truman Doctrine
British gov. no longer providing support to the Greek government
March 1947, Truman delivered speech to US compress, announcing economic aid to Greece and Turkey
- Military aid and $400 million
- Stated communism shouldn’t be allowed to grow and they would provide aid to countries resisting it (ideas of containment)
Marshall Plan
Outcome of the Truman Doctrine
1948-52 $12.7 billion and $13 billion before the Marshall Plan to European countries had an enormous impact in Western Europe.
Debated aid to USSR and satellite states if countries agreed for the US to review their finances
- Stalin didn’t allow this so European countries did not benefit
Cominform 1947
Political organisation set up by Stalin in September 1947
Tensions between Yugoslavia and USSR led to the expulsion of Yugoslavia in 1948
New body gave Stalin a new way to control satellite states, by ensuring they followed communism and Moscows orders.
Comicon 1949
Stalin wanted communist states to keep their independence from capitalist countries.
Comecon created in January 1949 to support communist development in its satellite states
eg. credit and trade agreements
After 1953, SU used Comecon to organise industrial planning across the satellite states.
NATO 1949
Stalin threats to take over Czechoslovakia persuading western powers to send Stalin a message about standing firm against communism
April 1949, US, Britain, France and 9 other countries set up the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- If any allied member were attacked, all of NATO were to assist
European countries were to welcome American involvement and Western European countries to reach out to the US if necessary.
Warsaw Pact 1955
Federal Republic of Germany joining NATO in 1949 led to increasing Soviet fears
Soviets formed an equivalent communist defence military alliance known as the Warsaw Pact in May 1955, including countries such as the SU, Bulgaria, Poland and the democratic republic of Germany.
Entirely soviet leadership and under soviet command.
Atomic bomb on relatives
August 1945, US exploded an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki with an estimated over 120,000 killed.
Stalin felt determined to make the Soviet Union more secure with soviet scientists working on a successful atomic bomb.
This made the US and the USSR more reluctant to go to war - entered an arms race to see who has more power over rivals
Kennons Long Telegram
February 1946, George Kennon, an American ambassador in Moscow.
Reported Stalin wanted to destroy capitalism and that he felt the world outside the US was hostile and wanted to destroy communism.
and that the USSR would stand down if strong resistance.
The Novikov telegram
Novikov was a soviet diplomat in Washington.
Reported the US wanted to use military power to dominate the world.
And that since Roosevelts death, the US no longer want to work with the USSR.
Causes of the Berlin Crisis
June 1948, allies introduced a new currency, ‘ the Deutschmark’ to give Trizonia economic unity.
- Soviets furious as it created a separate economic unit from the East
- Acknowledged that there were now 2 Germany’s - the East and the West
Stalin saw the formation of Trizonia more effectively and deliberately forced the Soviet zone into poverty - determined to stand firm and protect soviet interests.
The Berlin blockade
June 1948, Stalin shut off all land routes into Berlin - Stalin perceived many moves by the West as aggressive.
The west knew the only way to force supplies into Berlin is through air corridors, which was risky as the only way to prevent this was for them to be shot down.
Operation Vittles
Western allies flew coal, food and other necessities from allied zones along air corridors.
West Berlin and troops allied together to build a runway at Berlin Tempelhof and an entirely new airport called Berlin Tegel to fly supplies into western zones.
US / UK flew 1000 tonnes of supplies daily.
Stalin’s attempt to win propaganda over the west had backfired.
Consequences of the Berlin crisis
NATO and WARSAW
Formation of East and West Germany -
Federal republic of Germany May 1949 (West) allies permitted zones to come together
August, Germans allowed to elect government called ‘Bundestag’
September, Chancellor Adenauer took office and new capital named ‘Bonn’
Democratic republic of Germany created by Stalin in October 1949
Federal republic refused to recognise Germany splitting into two – each German regarded their side as the ‘real one’
Hungarian Uprising causes
Stalin control of satellite states - people of Hungary began to protest about lack of political freedoms created by fuel shortages and poor harvests.
Hungarians very patriotic and hated Russian control - censorship, secret police force and education
Catholic Church- communist party banned religion and put leader of the church into prison.
Events of the Hungarian uprising
Student, workers and soldier riots where they smashed Stalin statue and attacked AVH / Russian soldiers.
Imre Nagy as prime minister asked Khrushchev to withdraw soviet troops.
Khrushchev agreed and pulled troops out of Budapest.
New Hungarian Democracy introduced freedom of speech and religion as the Catholic leader was freed.
