KQ4: Who was to blame for the Cold War, 1945-49?

Question 1

What were the aims of the Yalta conference?

Answer 1

-Demiltarise and denazify Germany
-Make sure Germany wouldn’t be a military threat in the future
-Ensure all main allies would be involved in temporary occupation of Germany
-Ensure Nazis who committed major human rights abuses were punished
-Take measures to ensure war in Japan would end asap
-Form a new international organisation to keep peace to replace LoN

Question 2

What was agreed at the Yalta Conference, Feb 1945?

Answer 2

-USSR would enter war against Japan
-Germany to be divided into Br, USA, Fr and USSR occupation zones
-Nazi war criminals hunted down and punished
-5 steps in G (denazification, demilitarisation, democratisation, deindustrialisation, decentralisation)
-Liberated countries allowed to hold free elections
-USA, USSR and Br join UN and work through it to keep peace
-Eastern Europe considered soviet sphere of influence
-USSR would not intervene in Greece where Br were trying to stop Communist takeover - in return for fixing Poland-Soviet border further westwards than Churchill or Roosevelt wanted
-Give Poland German territory in the West as compensation for territory in the East surrendered to USSR

Question 3

What tension remained at the Yalta conference?

Answer 3

-Division of G was only temporary
-Stalin wanted more reparations from G than was agreed
-Stalin wanted Polish government friendly to USSR. He supported Lublin Poles (Communist), whereas R and C supported London Poles (non-Communist)
-Stalin wanted governments friendly to the USSR in EE and worried free elections wouldn’t provide them
-Stalin wanted all Soviet republics to have seats in the UN assembly, but USA and Br only agreed to 3

Question 4

What events took place between Yalta (Feb) and Potsdam (Jul)?

Answer 4

-The war in Europe was over
-Soviet troops moved in to occupy most of Eastern Europe
-Roosevelt died in April, Truman replaced him. Truman more anti-communist and more suspicious of Soviet Eastern European intentions
-USA successfully tests first atomic bomb - potential threat to USSR
-Half way through Potsdam Churchill was replaced by Clement Attlee

Question 5

What agreements were there at Potsdam?

Answer 5

-Official division of Germany and Berlin into 4 zones
-Payment of reparations confirmed, but sum reduced and industrial goods had to come from each powers own zone
-Decision of 5 D’s and war crimes trials confirmed
-Stalin agrees to let more London Poles join Lublin Pole’s government
-USSR would take land from Germany, Romania and Czechoslovakia. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia become part of USSR
-Germans living in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia will move to Germany
-UN formally created

Question 6

What were the main disagreements at Potsdam (Jul)?

Answer 6

-Conference dominated by rivalry and suspicion between conflicting personalities of Truman and Stalin
-Germany - Stalin wanted Germany crippled to protect USSR, but Truman thought this would repeat the mistakes of Versailles
-Stalin wanted massive compensation for damage caused to USSR and loss of 20 million Russian lives. Truman resisted this and reparations were only limited.
-Denazification was implemented differently in each zone, causing USSR to be worried Nazis would come back to power in Western zones. West wanted quick economic recovery for G, whereas Stalin wanted to keep it weak. Stalin concerned about impact of Capitalist Western zones on Eastern zone
-Truman’s request for elections in Poland turned down
-Roosevelt agreed that Eastern Europe would become Soviet Sphere of influence, but Truman became unhappy about this and worried about Russian intentions towards occupied countries
-Truman decides to use atomic bombs on Japan, refusing USSR a role in post-war occupation of Japan, disregarding agreement at Yalta

Question 7

How did Stalin expand into Eastern Europe (salami tactics)?

Answer 7

1. Soviet forces remain in liberated countries
2. Foothold through elections or coalition governments
3. Remove political opposition using terror and fear
4. Take full control of government (through rigged elections)

Question 8

How did Communism spread into Poland?

Answer 8

-Soviet troops remain after liberation
-Communists join a coalition government in 1945
-They become ruling party in 1947 through rigged elections
-They force Poland’s non-communist leader into exile

Question 9

How did Communism spread into Hungary?

Answer 9

-Soviet troops remain after liberation
-Soviets use secret police to discredit and persecute rival politicians and parties
-Communists become largest party in 1947 rigged elections
-Social Democratic Party and Communist Party merge in 1948

Question 10

How did Communism spread into Romania?

Answer 10

-Soviet troops remain after liberation
-Soviets accept coalition government in 1945
-Gradually take over police and security forces
-Rigged election 1946 brings Communists to power

Question 11

How did Communism spread into Bulgaria?

Answer 11

-Soviet troops remain after liberation
-Elections won by left-wing coalition in 1945
-Communists execute leaders of other parties

Question 12

How did Communism spread into East Germany?

Answer 12

-Run by USSR under Red Army
-Creation of communist German Democratic Republic in 1949

Question 13

How did Communism spread into Czechoslovakia?

Answer 13

-Left-wing coalition win elections in 1945
-Communists become largest party in 1946
-One-party state established in 1948

Question 14

How did Communism spread into Albania?

Answer 14

-Communists gain power after the war with little opposition

Question 15

How did Communism spread into Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania?

Answer 15

-Absorbed into the USSR

Question 16

How did Communism spread into Yugoslavia?

Answer 16

-Wartime resistance leader and communist Marshal Tito elected president in 1945
-Determined to rule independently of USSR
-Expelled from Cominform in 1948

Question 17

How did Communism spread into France and Italy?

Answer 17

-Had strong Communist parties belonging to cominform

Question 18

What is the Iron Curtain?

Answer 18

-Said by Churchill
-Countries effectively controlled by the USSR said to lie behind the ‘Iron Curtain’

Question 19

Why did Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech have such an impact?

Answer 19

-Churchill was not even PM at the time, so how did it have such an impact?
-World still respected him for wartime leadership. Views still enormously influential, especially when it came to international affairs
-Widely believed that Br and US govts. knew what he was going to say and approved of it
-Controversial nature of what he said: accused USSR of expansionist policies which could leave to world domination, and called for military alliance between Br Empire and Commonwealth states and US to stop Soviet expansionist
-Furious reaction to Churchills speech in USSR. Stalin gave interview to Soviet paper Pravda attacking Churchills views. Other Soviet media followed up with attacks on Churchill

Question 20

What was the impact of Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech?

Answer 20

-Raised tensions
-Could have forced Americans into an anti-Soviet policy
-Could have forced Stalin into a conflict with the USA
-Could have threatened USSR and given Stalin an excuse to take an even tighter grip on EE, and make Cold War worse as a result

Question 21

How did Stalin tighten his grip on the Iron Curtain countries?

Answer 21

-Secret police - imprison opponents of communist rule and critics of USSR
-Cominform - set up to coordinate work of Communist parties throughout Eastern Europe
-Communist party leaders summonsed to Moscow to be briefed by Stalin
-Independent-minded leaders replaced by men completely loyal to Stalin
-Tito in Yugoslavia was the only one who escaped close Soviet control

Question 22

Why did wartime friendship between USA and USSR break down?

Answer 22

-Only had been friends due to necessity of winning war - before war distrusted each other as they are natural enemies
-Soviets remembered US troops fighting communists in Russian civil war 1918-21
-Americans applied at Stalins and Hitlers Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939
-The two had little in common - USA capitalist democracy and USSR communist dictatorship
-Stalin believed his policy in EE was to make USSR secure - Truman saw it as Stalin wanting to expand Soviet Empire

Question 23

What were the main differences between USA and USSR?

Answer 23

-USA capitalist, USSR communist
-USA democracy, USSR dictatorship
-Most Americans believed freedom from govt. control was more important than equality, communists believed it was ok to control lives of citizens if it was good for society as a whole
-Americans believed other countries should be capitalist democracies, Soviet leaders believed other countries should be communist

Question 24

What happened to Greece after the war?

Answer 24

-Communists wanted Soviet republic, monarchists wanted return of the king
-Churchill sent British troops in 1945, supposedly to restore order and supervise free elections
-Britain actually supported monarchists; king of Greece returned
-In 1946 a civil war developed when communists attempted to take control
-Britain couldn’t afford this war, withdrew in 1947
-USA paid for some British troops to remain to prop up royalist government
-This government ruled in 1950, but was weak

Question 25

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 25

-Determination by Truman to resist further spread of Communism
-CONTAINMENT
-US intervention in Greece marked start of this new policy
-USA sent money, equipment and advice to any countries threaten by communist takeover

Question 26

Why did the Truman Doctrine contribute to rising tensions between the West and USSR?

Answer 26

-Public condemnation of Communism
-America has declared that they’re prepared to fight Communism
-Stalin views it as the US using force and resources to spread US influence and power ($ imperialism)

Question 27

What was Marshall Aid?

Answer 27

-Economic steps to put Truman Doctrine into practice
-Provide economic assistance to countries vulnerable to communist takeover - idea that communist thrives in countries with poverty and hardship
-Masterminded by General George Marshall
-Plan rejected by US congress at first, but then approved after purge of anti-Soviet leaders in Czechoslovakia in 1948 - Cz close to central Europe
-$17 billion paid to Western European countries over a 4 year period
-Good for US business- creates new markets for US goods and helping to prevent another worldwide economic slump
-EE countries offered MA, but Stalin didn’t permit this - feared it would weaken his hold on EE, and make EE states dependent on USD

Question 28

Why did Marshall Aid increase tension between the USA and USSR?

Answer 28

-West Europe recovers whereas East Europe doesn’t
-USSR sees it as USA trying to control Europe and create their own sphere of influence
-Friction between USSR and satellite states

Question 29

Why did USSR blockade Berlin?

Answer 29

-Br, Fr and USA combined their occupation zones in 1946. Became known as West Germany
-1948 new currency in WG
-Stalin saw this as a threat, felt the need to reassert Soviet control of Berlin by trying to gain control of West Berlin
-WB prosperous under allied control whereas EB was in poverty under Russian control. Communism undermined
-Berlin deep in Soviet zone - feared espionage and Berlin being there made him seem weak

Question 30

What was the Soviet plan in the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 30

-In June 1948, USSR blocked all supply lines into WB (roads, railways, canals)
-This cut off 2 million WB people from western help
-USSR hoped Americans would abandon WB for fear of provoking war

Question 31

How well did the Soviet plan for the Berlin Blockade work?

Answer 31

-Didn’t work
-USA not prepared to lose WB - Truman wanted to prove to USSR that USA was serious about containment
-Berlin supplied by air for 10 months
-May 1949, Stalin gave up and reopened communication

Question 32

What was the significance of the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 32

-Could have resulted in war if USA used tanks to break through or USSR shot down American planes
-Demonstrated to USSR that West was not willing to abandon WB, and would continue containment policy
-Berlin became symbol of freedom behind the Iron Curtain
-Formation of NATO and WP
-Psychological and propaganda victory for the West
-Increases tension

Question 33

How did historical distrust cause The Cold War?

Answer 33

-USA: 1917 during the Russian Revolution, the USA helped and supported enemies of the Communists in an attempt to keep them out of power
-USSR: signed Nazi-Soviet pact with Hitler in 1939, sowing seeds of mistrust

Question 34

How did the Potsdam Conference cause The Cold War?

Answer 34

-USA: Truman was more hostile and less tolerant of Communism
-Did not tell Stalin about the A-bomb until start of conference undermining trust
-Truman did not want USSR to intervene in Japan despite agreement at Yalta
-Wanted Germany to recover
-USSR: aggressive actions in EE (e.g: leaving Red Army soldiers in liberated countries)
-Set up Communist govt. in Poland despite agreement at Yalta for free elections
-Wanted Germany crippled

Question 35

How did the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan cause The Cold War?

Answer 35

-USA: changes foreign policy to play active roll in containing Communism
-MA seen as provocative by USSR as actively helping to rebuild and strengthen WE and WG. Accused of $ imperialism
-USSR: reaction to MA led to destruction of last democratic government in EE in Cz. Used agressive methods to take control
-Set up Cominform

Question 36

How did the Berlin Blockade cause The Cold War?

Answer 36

-USA: provocative actions of USA - using MA to rebuild WG and WB, merging zones with Br and Fr, introduced new currency, made Stalin feel threatened
-USSR: aggressive response by blockading WB, trying to force western powers out of Berlin

Question 37

How did lack of understanding cause The Cold War?

Answer 37

-USA: failed to appreciate war damage of USSR (20 million dead, country in ruins) and therefore its attitude towards G. Russians had justified fear of economically strong G
-Failed to appreciate USSR’s concerns over its security and therefore the need for a buffer zone in EE
-USSR: failed to appreciate that democracy in EE has been a vital factor in the West and USA getting involved in WW2
-Failed to appreciate turning G into barren wasteland was unrealistic and potentially damaging after consequences of harsh ToV