origin of the cold war 1941-58 Flashcards
what was the grand alliance and when was it created
the grand alliance was a ‘marriage of convenience’ between Britain, USA and the soviet union created in 1941, these countries shared the aim of defeating their common enemy - Nazi Germany
who were the leaders of Britain, USA and the soviet during the grand alliance and why were they coming together to destroy Germany
Britain a democracy led by Churchill, had been at war with Germany since 1939
USA a democracy led by Roosevelt had been at war with Germany and Japan since December 1941
Soviet Union a communist one-party state led by Stalin had been at war with Germany since 1941
when did the Tehran conference happen
name two things it did
November - December 1943
any two from below
the USA and Britain opened up a second front by invading the Nazi-occupied Europe
USSR would declare war on Japan once Germany was defeated
the boundaries of Poland would be moved westward, they would gain territory from Germany and lose it to the soviets
set the scene for the establishment of the united nations to settle further disputes between countries
when did the Yalta conference happen
name two things it did
February 1945
Germany would be reduced in size, divided and demilitarised and would have to pay reparations
Europe would be rebuilt along the lines of the Atlantic charter and have democratic elections
the United Nations (UN) would be set up
soviets would declare war on japan once Germany is defeated
Poland would be in the soviet sphere of influence but run on a border democratic basis
when did the Potsdam conference happen
name two things it did
July - August 1945
a council of ministers was set up to organise the rebuilding of Europe
the Nazi party was banned and war criminals were to prosecuted
Germany was to be reduced in size and divided into four zones of occupation run by Britain, France, USA and soviet union
Berlin was also divided up into zones of occupation
the soviet union was to receive 25% of the output from the other three occupied zones
even thought the countries were working together they was still tension rising, give two reason why
differences were emerging over the future of Germany and Eastern Europe
Roosevelt’s death had led Truman to become president and he was much more distrustful of the Soviet Union
what did each of the leaders want to do with Germany after the war
Roosevelt (later Truman) - Europe to be a capitalists democracy, which meant different political parties and free elections after Stalin failed to do what he promised in Poland
Stalin - Europe to be a Communist democracy, because only communism truly represents the workers
Churchill - to rebuild Germany unlike Stalin who wanted to ensure Germany would never be strong enough to start another war
how did Roosevelt’s death worsen the relations between the USA and USSR
Truman, just like Churchill , was suspicious of the USSR which led to a lot of mistrust
describe the events that led to the end of the grand alliance
USA dropped an A-bomb in Japan August 1945, giving them a huge military advantage over other countries
Roosevelt = prepared to work with Stalin but died April 1945 and was replaced
Truman = mistrusting Stalin who broke promise about Poland he mad at Yalta, because he had A-bomb he could push Stalin around at Potsdam
Stalin = dislikes the way Truman had tried to push him around at Potsdam 1945
increased tension between superpowers = start of cold war
UK= broke (economically exhausted) = unable to stand up to USSR = becomes an ally to the USA
give three differences in USA and USSR ideologies
USA=capitalist
everyone should make money for themselves
individuals are better at deciding what to make/sell to the state
trade between countries makes everyone richer
USSR=communist
capitalism only makes some people richer by exploiting everyone else
individuals are not as strong as everyone working together fro the same aim
the state should take control of the economy and run it to benefit everyone
What was the long telegram and when did it happen
1946
A secret message from US ambassador in Moscow to Truman
Give three things the long telegram said
The soviet Union saw capitalism as a threat to communism that had to be destroyed
The soviet Union was building its military powers
Peace between a communists soviet Union and a capitalist USA was not possible
What was the novikov telegram and when did it happen
1946
A report from novikov the Soviet ambassador to the USA, to Stalin
Name three thing the novikov telegram said
The USA wanted world domination and was building up its military strength
The soviet Union was the only cou tri left after the war that could stand up to the USA
The USA was preparing its people for war with the soviet union
After russia agreed to have free elections what did it lead to
The people didn’t choose communism so they fixed the elections so that the communist party won
