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The Cold War GCSE Edexcel Mrs Brockington > Origins > Flashcards

Origins Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the Cold War?

A

Period of enormous tension between the 2 superpowers (USA and USSR) 1945-1991.

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2
Q

What were the USA and USSR’s different ideologies?

A

USA was capitalist and democratic - free elections and more freedoms for their people.
USSR was communist - no free elections, very few freedoms.

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3
Q

How did the USA and the USSR’s different ideologies help cause the Cold War?

A

They were scared of each other and didn’t trust each other. Both thought the other side wanted to destroy them.

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4
Q

What was the Grand Alliance?

A

Name given to USA, USSR and GB who were the allies fighting Nazi Germany in WW2.

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5
Q

When was the Tehran Conference?

A

November 1943

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6
Q

What happened at the Tehran Conference?

A

Roosevelt (USA), Churchill (GB) and Stalin (USSR) met to plan how to win WW2. They agreed that:
1. USA and GB would launch an attack from the West to ease pressure on USSR on the Eastern Front.
2. USSR would provide troops to help USA defeat Japan (after Germany had been defeated).
3. A United Nations organisation would be set up after the war.

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7
Q

When was the Yalta Conference?

A

February 1945 (WW2 still going)

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8
Q

Who went to the Yalta Conference?

A

Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin

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9
Q

What did they agree at the Yalta Conference?

A
  1. To divide Germany into 4 zones - and Berlin (capital city). USA, GB, USSR and France would each look after a zone.
  2. USSR agreed to allow free elections in Poland and other Eastern European countries.
  3. Germany would pay reparations once defeated.
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10
Q

When was the Potsdam Conference?

A

July 1945 (War in Europe over but war in the Pacific against Japan was still going on).

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11
Q

Who went to the Potsdam Conference?

A

Truman (USA), Attlee (GB) and Stalin

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12
Q

What did they agree at the Potsdam Conference?

A

Finalised many of the plans from the Yalta Conference.

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13
Q

What did they argue about at Potsdam?

A
  1. The amount of reparations Germany should pay. USSR wanted more, USA and GB wanted less (thought a stronger Germany would be a buffer to spread of communism).
  2. Poland - USSR had not allowed free elections there and had arrested non-communists.
  3. The atom bomb - Truman hadn’t told Stalin about the atom bomb and that he planned to use it on Japan.
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14
Q

What effect did the USA’s atom bombs have?

A

USA dropped 2 bombs. 1 on Hiroshima (killed 135,000) and 1 on Nagasaki (killed 70,000). This caused Japan to surrender and ended WW2.
It angered and scared USSR as they thought USA might use the atom bomb against them. This started the arms race.

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15
Q

What were the Long and Novikov telegrams?

A

Long telegram sent by George Kennan (American diplomat) to President Truman. It said USSR was aggressive and USA should take firm action against Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe.
Novikov telegram was sent to Stalin by the Soviet ambassador to the USA. It said USA wanted world dominance and was increasing its army.
Both telegrams helped create suspicion and fear between USA and USSR.

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16
Q

Where did communism spread to in Eastern Europe?

A

e.g. Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany

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17
Q

How did communism spreading help cause the Cold War?

A

USA was angry because USSR hadn’t allowed free elections. USA was scared because communism was spreading quickly.
USSR wanted friendly countries near them as they were scared USA wanted to destroy communism.

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18
Q

What was the Iron Curtain?

A

A nickname given by Churchill to the divide between communist and capitalist countries in Europe.

19
Q

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A

March 1947, American plan to help any country threatened by communism. It was designed to stop communism spreading (containment).

20
Q

Which countries did USA help thorough the Truman Doctrine?

A

Greece and Turkey. Gave them $400 million in aid to defeat the communists. USA was then allowed to put missiles in Turkey (on the border with USSR). This scared USSR as they didn’t have nuclear weapons yet.

21
Q

What was the Marshall Plan?

A

1947 plan to help European countries recover after WW2. $15 billion (e.g. in form of machinery or fertilisers) was given to 16 countries (like GB or West Germany).

22
Q

How did the Marshall Plan help cause the Cold War?

A

It scared and angered USSR. He accused USA of trying to spread capitalism and destroy communism. Marshall Aid was offered to communist countries but Stalin didn’t allow them to have it.

23
Q

What was Comecon?

A

Soviet version of Marshall Aid. Set up in 1949.

24
Q

What was Cominform?

A

Soviet political organisation designed to increase Soviet control over other communist countries in Eastern Europe e.g. told them to not have contact with non-communist countries and to only trade with communist countries.

25
Q

What happened to Berlin after WW2?

A

Divided into 4 zones. in 1948, USA, GB and France joined their zones together to form West Germany and West Berlin (called Trizonia). It recovered well (thanks to Marshall Aid).
East Germany and East Berlin were still poor. People left East Germany to go to West Germany.

26
Q

What did Stalin do about Berlin in 1948?

A

He blockaded the road, rail and canal routes into West Berlin in June 1948.

27
Q

Why did Stalin blockade West Berlin?

A

He wanted the West to give up on West Berlin by starving the 2 million people living there and let it become communist.

28
Q

What did the West do when Stalin blockaded West Berlin?

A

They flew in supplies. Known as Operation Vittles. By Spring 1949, the West were flying in 8,000 tons of food and fuel a day.

29
Q

When did Stalin call off the Berlin blockade?

A

May 1949

30
Q

How did the Berlin Blockade and Airlift make the Cold War worse?

A
  1. It caused tension. It could’ve caused war if Stalin had dared to shoot down the planes.
  2. Any hopes of joining Germany back together were gone. It remained as West and East Germany until the end of the Cold War.
  3. It led to the setting up of NATO (which led to the setting up of the Warsaw Pact).
31
Q

What was NATO?

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Set up in 1949. Capitalist countries e.g. USA, GB agreed to go to war if one of them was attacked.

32
Q

How did the setting up of NATO make the Cold War worse?

A

It made USSR feel scared as it surrounded them. It meant USA had military bases in Europe near USSR and communist countries.

33
Q

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A

Communist version of NATO. Set up in 1955 after West Germany allowed to join NATO.

34
Q

What was peaceful co-existence?

A

Stalin died in 1953 and Khrushchev became new leader of USSR. He talked of communist and capitalist countries living together peacefully. Known as a ‘thaw’ in the Cold War.

35
Q

What was the Hungarian Uprising?

A

In 1956 there was an uprising by the people of Hungary and new laws by their leader, Nagy, which made Hungary less ‘communist’ e.g. free elections were promised and Hungary wanted to leave the Warsaw Pact.

36
Q

Why did the people of Hungary think they could change the communist system?

A

Stalin had died and Khrushchev’s talk of peaceful co-existence encouraged them. Plus when the people of Poland rebelled they had been allowed some more freedoms.

37
Q

What did USSR do about the Hungarian Uprising?

A

November 1956 they sent 6,000 tanks into Hungary to crush the uprising. Over 30,000 Hungarians died and 200,000 escaped to Western Europe. Nagy was arrested and executed. All new freedoms were removed. Kadar, a communist loyal to USSR, was the new leader in Hungary.

38
Q

Did the West do anything to help the Hungarian people?

A

No. USA didn’t want to interfere in a communist country that was controlled by USSR because they didn’t want to risk a nuclear war.

39
Q

What was the arms race?

A

A race between USA and USSR to develop better weapons that the enemy.

40
Q

What were the results of the Hungarian Uprising?

A

It showed USSR wouldn’t allow communist countries to have more freedoms. The West was criticised for not helping Hungary. It worsened relations between USA and USSR.

41
Q

What was the space race?

A

A race to get into space, land on the moon etc. This would show their country was better as they had the best technology.

42
Q

What were the main developments in the arms race, 1945-53?

A

1945 - USA developed atom bomb
1949 - USSR developed A bomb
1952 - USA got Hydrogen bomb
1953 - USSR got H-bomb

43
Q

What were the main developments in the space race, 1957-58?

A

1957 - USSR got 1st satellite into space (called Sputnik). First time USSR had overtaken USA.
The rocket technology led to the development of inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by both sides.
1958 - USA got their 1st satellite into space.

44
Q

What does nuclear deterrent mean?

A

Both USA and USSR scared to use nuclear weapons as they knew the other country would fire them back and destroy them.

The Cold War GCSE Edexcel Mrs Brockington (3 decks)

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