KQ4 Flashcards
marriage of convenience
USA, USSR and GB fought together during WW2, however they had very opposing views (USSR communist for over 30 years, GB and USA strongly against this)
USA -
- believed capitalism was best
- were proud in role of defeating nazis. - - Americans fear communism will jeopardise their freedom and individual liberty.
- They fear for their way of life and democracy
USSR -
- soviets were equally proud of their countries critical role in the defeat of Germany
- believed their way of life was superior.
- Soviets believed USA is attacking their political ideologies
- usa want to destroy communism potentially through nuclear weapons
Yalta Conference
February 1945
- allied leaders met in Yalta to plan what would happen after Germany’s defeat
- BIG THREE - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill
1) Japan- Stalin agreed to enter war with japan once Germany had surrendered
2) Germany - they agreed it would be divided in four zones, American, French, British and Soviet.
3) Elections - agreed as countries were liberated from Germany occupation they would e allowed to hold free elections to choose the government they wanted
4) UN - all agreed to join the new United nations organisation to maintain peace
5) War Criminals - would be punished and hunted down
6) Eastern Europe - Soviet Union had suffered terribly i war with estimated 20 million soviet people dead. Stalin was concerned about future security and risks of invasion so big three agreed Eastern Europe should be seen as a soviet sphere of influence
DISAGREEMENTS*
poland- stain wanted to move ussr border west and give poland german land. churchill and roosevelt were against ut red army in europe so little they could do. USSR would gain 30% polish land.
Yalta Perspectives*
Stalin - saw himself in position of strength, soldiers had done well and were pushing back Nazi’s in East.
-Soldiers were only 40 miles from Berlin.
-wants soviet sphere of influence
-20 million casualties
Roosevelt - wanted USSR to join pacific war once Germany was defeated.
-Also wanted USSR to be part of UN
-had brought america out of isolationalism and feared repeat of vengance 1918
Churchill: sus of stalin
-deep hatred of communism
-supported free elections and Democratic governments in eastern and central europe
Potsdam Conference
July 1945
- may 1945 allied troops reached Berlin and won war
Changes since Yalta:
1) Stalin’s army is occupying most of eastern Europe
2) America has a new president (harry Truman) and GB has new PM (Clement Atlee)
3) allies have tested atomic bomb
-halfway throuh conference election in britain meant churchill was replaced with atlee
DISAGREEMENTS:
1) Germany. USSR wanted to cripple, Truman didn’t want to repeat TOV
2) ussr had been severly affected and stalin wanted reparations. Truman was determined to avoid WW1 mistakes
3) Eastern europe - Truman was against “soviet sphere of influence”
Iron Curtain
Over next nine months from potsdam Stalin achieved the domination of Eastern Europe. By 1946 Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania all had communist governments loyal to stalin. Soviet described border between soviet- controlled countries and west the “iron curtain”
Comiform
Secret Police impriosned ayone agaist communist rule
Oct 1947 Stalin set up Communist Information Bureau to coordinate work of eastern parties and keep a close eye on them. Had leaders of each party to Moscow to be briefed by him and his ministers. He replaced independent- minded leaders with those loyal to him.
Tito from Yugoslavia resented being controlled by comiform ad was expelled for hostility in 1948
Examples:
Czechoslovakia - left-wing coalition elected in 1945. 1946 communism became largest single party but still coalition. 1948 when their position was threatened they banned other parties and made Czechoslovakia a communist, one party state.
Romania - 1945 communist was elected prime misnister within left-wing coalition. 1947 -abolish monarchy
missing more examples
Greece 1947
when Germans retreated from Greece in 1944 there were two rival groups - monarchists and communists. Churchill sent troops in 1945 to restore order and supervise elections (supposedly) but they supported monarchists
1946 ussr protests to the UN that british troops were threat to peace in greece. UN took no action so communists tried to take greece by force . civil war developed but british could not afford
24th feb 1947 britain anounced they would step back but Truman stepped in and payed for British
1950 monarquists were in control of greece, but as a weak crisis-filled government
Truman Doctrine
American intervention marked new american attitude to world politics.
Under Truman Doctrine the USA was willing to spend money equipment and advance to any country in american view, threatened by communist takeover. His aim was to stop communism from sprewading further - containament.
Marshall Plan
Truman believes communism succeeded because people faced poverty and hardships. He sent george marshall to access economic situation of europe.
Countries of Europe already owed 11.5 billion to USA but had extreme shortage of goods, coal and bread. winter 1947 electricity was turned off in britain for period of day due to shortages
Problems Included;
-refugees
-shortage of food and clothing
-shortage of fuel
-debt from war effort
-homeless people
-cost of rebuilding damaged homes
-damaged caused by war to infasructure
Czechslovakia 1948
american attitude changed when communists took over governmet of czech. They had been ruled by coalition government which included gov but did not follow Moskow policies.
March 1948 - anticomunists were purged Jan Masaryk was found bellow his open window comunists claimed suicide, US suspected murder
as a result congress accepted marshall plan and made 17 billion available over the next four years
Marshall Aid
could be considered as:
-extreme generous act by american people
-motivated by american self-interest:
- new markets for american goods, to prevent a depression like 1930
- many argued aid should only be given to states that embraced democracy and free market
Stalin viewed Marshall aid with suspicion, but mostly ignored it, he forbade eastern Europe countries from applying for Marchall aid as stalin feared it would weaken his hold and felt us was trying to make as many states as possible dependant on dollars
Berlin Blockade Context
1948- trust between USA and USSR was alarming, both sides increased weapons. porpaganda war developed
Germany was divided in 4 zones.
At first US had the Morgenthau plan (to remove all infustry from germany) but as Truman grew more concerned about USSR he decided a strong Germany might be a useful ally, also he did not want millions of germans to starve
1946 - Britain France and USA combined their zones , which became known as west GermanyB
Berlin Blockade and Airlift
Stalin felt he had to show Western Leaders he would fight back if they thretened the soviet sphere of influence. Although Berlin was also divided in four zones, the city itslef lay deep in soviet zone, linked by railways and canals. In June 1948 stalin blocked these supply lines.
if USA had tried to get through forcebly it would have been seen as an act of agression, so stalin expected truman to anounc humiliating withdrawal of berlin, which would give soviets control of berlin and propaganda victory
Truman ordered aircraft to fly supplies into berlin. At first planes taking of from bases in west germany feared they would be taken down, but no shots were fired. For ten months - Berlin recieved all its supplies until blockade was lifted in may 1949
Consequences Berlin Blockade
Berlin became a Powerful Symbol of Cold War rivalry, and from US point of view, a democratic freedom in the middle of a communist repression. From STalins point of view, a cancer disturbing worker’s paradise in East Germany
Cold War flashpoint - one of few places were US and Societ troops faced each other directly and vrey vunerable if soviets chose to act
Cold war patterns of thinking/ acting: depite mistrust shown by superpowers, crisis in berlin showed there would not be direct conflict. Each side would critixise the other and never accept the other had a valid point and use propaganda to morally critizise. They would fight proxy wars but never face to face
Nato and Warsaw pact
At hight of blockade tenisions western powers met in washington and agreed to work together. The new organisation was called North Atlantic Treaty Organisation which united there armies
1955 - Allies allowed west germany to join organisation and as response USSR and main comunist states formed an alliance known as Warsaw Pact who also promised to defend each other if one was attacked
