Origins of Cold War Flashcards
What are the key differences between capitalism and communism?
Capitalism believed in equal opportunity. Communism believed in equal outcome. Capitalist states had free market economies while communist states had state owned assets and state controlled markets.
When was the Yalta Conference? Who were the leaders which attended it?
Feb 1945
Roosevelt Stalin Churchill
What was agreed about Germany at Yalta?
2 points
It was to be divided into 4 zones
Berlin would be further divided into 4 zones
Which key organisations were created formally at Yalta?
The United Nations and The World Bank and the IMF
What is the declaration of a Liberated Europe and when was it agreed?
A commitment to free elections and post war rebuilding of Europe through mutual cooperation.
Agreed at Yalta
When and what was the percentages agreement.?
An informal agreement between Churchill and Stalin denoting the percentage influence the UK and USSR would have on Eastern European countries.
What was the key misconception that FDR had regarding foreign policy?
FDR underestimated the security needs of the USSR and naively believed that post war Europe would be based on democracy.
When was the Potsdam Conference?
06/07-1945
What was agreed for Germany at Potsdam?
one point
4D’s
No Long term plan
Denazification of society and governance
Demilitarisation
Decentralisation of political power
Democratisation
What were the 4 D’s agreed at Potsdam?
Denazification of society and governance
Demilitarisation
Decentralisation of political power
Democratisation
What were the possible reasons why the Grand alliance ended at Potsdam?
(5 points)
Change in leadership as Harry S Truman (HST)had confrontation as the basis of USSR relationships rather than the FDR policy of cooperation.
HST delayed the conference till the atomic bomb testing was complete and then used atomic diplomacy on the USSR
Difference in ideologies (USA wanted liberal democracy)
Lack of long term plan for Germany
Stalin establishing Lublin government over Poland
What were the ‘salami tactics’?
Establishing a government with the complete political spectrum and slowly removing parties from the right through fearmongering and mergers until Soviet backed communist party is the only party remaining.
How did Stalin gain control of Poland?
Established the Lublin government with entire political spectrum and then used salami tactics.
When was the Long Telegram?
Who wrote it?
February 1946
George Kennan ; a senior officer in the US embassy in Moscow
What are the key messages in the Long Telegram
(4 points)
Unrelenting communist ideological threat
Asks USA to be more proactive in its response
Recommends containment as an ideal solution
Creates a sense of urgency in the need for a response
Who gave the Iron Curtain speech?
When?
Winston Churchill
03/1946
What was the Russian reaction to the Iron Curtain speech?
Was inflamed by the speech
Stalin was convinced that the UK and US were collectively plotting for the downfall of the USSR
Molotov accused USA of being imperialistic and abandoning the declaration of a liberated Europe
When did the UK withdraw forces from the Greek civil war and Turkish conflicts?
Why?
February 1947
They couldn’t afford it
Why was the UK involved in the Greek civil war?
Under the percentages agreement the UK had 90% control over Greece and they wanted to prevent the country falling into the power of the Greek communists even if they weren’t affiliated with Moscow.
What were the key messages on the Truman doctrine
Portrayed the USSR in a negative light and the US in a positive light
Introduced containment as post-war US foreign policy
What was the Soviet response to the Marshall Plan & when did this response happen
Stalin called Marshall plan dollar imperialism
Cominform (communist information bureau)
Means to coordinate the communist states actions under Moscow
Cominform was established in Sept 1947
When was the Marshall plan and what was it originally called?
June 1947
Called the European recovery programme
What were the humanitarian reasons for the Marshall plan?
The war had destroyed energy and transport networks in Europe. A large population was facing starvation. This would lead to the disintegration of society in some European areas.
What were the economic reasons for the Marshall Plan?
The Marshall plan stated that the money provided had to be spent on a US company which would improve trade links between Europe and US which would in turn improve US economy.
The Marshall plan would lay the groundwork to the creation of the European coal and steel community which would lead to the creation of the single European market.
European states economically dependent on US.
What were the Ideological reasons for the Marshall plan?
Communism spreads in poverty theory (could lead to democratically elected communist governments)
The communist parties in Italy and France were getting more popular.
Re-establishment of free market economies leading to increased integration with US
How much money did the Marshall plan provide and who received the largest share of it?
$13.5 billion to 16 countries over 5 years
UK largest share $3 billion
What was the key change in US foreign policy can the Marshall plan considered as
Movement from isolationism to globalism
Which country did Stalin prevent taking Marshall aid?
Czechoslovakia
What was the ACC?
Allied Control Council
What was the purpose of the allied control council?
Coordination of decisions taken by the four powers in each of their German zones in order to allow the four zones to remain as a single economic and political unit.
What were the four political parties Stalin initially established in the Soviet zone of Germany?
KPD communists
SPD socialists
LDPD Liberal democrats
CDU Christian democrats
Which two parties did the Soviet military administration forcibly merge and what was the new party created?
Joined the KPD and SPD to form the SED ( Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschland )
Why did Stalin not manage to control politics in Germany beyond the Soviet zone?
The German public came to see the Soviet zone as a place of tyranny and repression
When was the SED created?
February 1946
What were some unilateral policies enforced by the Soviets in their zone in Germany?
(3 points)
Land reform
nationalisation of industries
Compulsory Russian language tuition for students
What were the aims of Soviet policy in their German zone?
To model the soviet zone into a peoples democracy
Why was the UK dependent on the US to aid them in the administration of their (UK’s) German zone?
There was a large population in their zone and found it hard to feed all the people (22.5 million)
Both France and Russia wanted to influence the Ruhr
Why was it important that the UK didn’t allow the soviets or France to control the Ruhr?
The Ruhr being the industrial heartland was important to the economic rebuilding of Germany. IF the Soviets or French were to impose reparations on it it would lead to economic deflation which might allow a communist government to be democratically elected.
What was USA’s long term plan for Germany?
They wanted Germany to be a democratic, economically independent nation. They were prepared to accept a divided Germany.
What was the USA’s plan for the national structure of Germany?
They wanted a structure based on Federalism (the system in place in the US)
What is federalism?
A sharing of power between states and national government
When did the western German zones stop paying reparation to the USSR?
May 1946
Why did the US prevent the payment of reparations from Germany?
What did the US demand in order to resume the payment of reparations?
Recognised that it was weakening economic rebuilding in western zones
They demanded the creation of an overall plan for European economic recovery
When was Bizonia formed?
January 1947
What were the two conferences held in 1947 regarding Germany?
When did they happen?
Moscow conference 03-04/1947
London conference 11-12/1947
When was it agreed that Western German zones would have a new currency introduced and would have a new constitution?
June 1948
What was the new currency introduced in Germany called?
Deutsch Mark
When did the Berlin Blockade start?
June 1948
What agreement was the introduction of the Deutsch Mark against?
The agreement of a single German economic unit at Potsdam
When did the Berlin Blockade end?
May 1949
Why did the Berlin Blockade end?
It failed to achive it’s purpose as supplies were successfully airlifted throught the winter.
A West German state with an official constituiton was formed.
Who was the first elected leader of West Germany?
Konrad Adenauer
When was the East Germany officially formed
September 1949
When was the Nato officially created?
April 1949
How many members were there in the French communist party in 1947?
1.7 million
