Origins of Cold War/ Foreign policy in Europe Flashcards
What were all the events in Europe and within the USA that contributed to the Cold War ? (6)
1) Kennan’s long telegram
2) Truman Doctrine
3) the Marshall plan
4) Berlin Airlift
5) Creation of NATO
6) NSC 68
What 3 things did Kennan’s long telegram argue ?
1) USSR is illogical
2) If force is shown to the USSR, they will back down
3) USA should make alliances
How long was Kennans’ long telegram ?
8000 words
When was Kennan’s long telegram ?
Feb 22nd 1946
How did Kennan’s long telegram increase tensions between the US and USSR ?
This is because it isolated communism as a threat and shaped Truman’s foreign policy on how to deal with it.
What were the 2 driving factors that influenced Truman to introduce the Truman doctrine ?
1) Soviet troops failed to leave Iran in search of oil
2) Greek communists started to receive support
When was the Truman Doctrine ?
12th March 1947
What did the Truman Doctrine do ?
It requested $400 million in military and economic assistance to Turkey and Greece.
What did the Truman Doctrine mean for the US’s foreign policy ?
It declared that the US policy was to ‘support free peoples resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures’.
How can the Truman Doctrine be seen to be significant ?
This is because it shaped US foreign policy for the next 40 years.
What was the Marshall plan the ‘action’ of ?
the Truman Doctrine
What was the aim of the Marshall plan ?
A plan to provide financial aid to European countries to help rebuild their shattered economies after WW2.
When was the Marshall plan ?
April 1948 - December 1951
How did Congress initially feel towards the Marshall plan ?
they were reluctant to grant the financial aid to European countries.
Why did Congress become willing to grant financial aid to Shattered European economies when they were initially hesitant ?
This is because the Communist party seized power in Czechoslovakia.
When did Congress approve financial aid to shattered European countries with the Marshall plan ?
Feb 1948
What was the Marshall plan officially known as ?
European Recovery Programme
Why did Truman introduce the Marshall plan ?
To rebuild European economies after the wake of WW2 as poorer countries would be more willing to accept communism.
How much money was given to European countries including those who were already communist as part of the Marshall plan ?
$13.3bn
How can the European recovery programme be said to be successful ?
The 4 years in which it operated for saw the fastest growth of European History with Industrial production increasing by 35%.
Which countries were forbidden for applying for Marshall aid and why.
Stalin prohibited Eastern European countries from applying for Marshall aid.
What were USA, Britain and France discussing in early 1948 about the future of Germany ?
France, Britain and USA were discussing about uniting their zones in Germany to create a West German government and a new common money system called the deutschmark
When was the Deutschmark introduced ?
20th June 1948
What did the introduction of the Deutschmark in West Germany mean for the future West Germany ?
This would stabilise the West German economy
Was Berlin divided among the four countries ?
Despite being in East Germany, Berlin (the capital) was divided amongst the four countries: France, USA, UK and the USSR.
Why did the introduction of the Deutschmark in all western zones of Germany on the 20th June 1948 anger Stalin ?
As Berlin was also divided into 4 zones, Stalin’s control was slipping as East Berliners saw the wealth of the West Berliners.
What action did Stalin take due to his control of East Berlin slipping as a result of the introduction of the Deutschmark in West Berlin ?
on the 14th June 1948, Stalin blocked access to West Berlin cutting rail and road links. This became known as the Berlin Blockade.
How did Truman react to the Berlin blockade ? (24th June 1948)
Truman decided to supply West Berlin via aircraft.
How did Truman supply West Berlin via aircraft ?
RAF and US planes took off from West German bases and for the next 10 months, supplied food, clothing, oil, building material and other supplies to West Berlin.
How many supplies were flown into West Berlin by RAF and US planes and by how many flights ?
1.5 million tonnes of supplies
by 275,000 flights
How long did the Berlin Blockade last ?
324 days (24th June 1948 - 12th May 1948)
What military technique did Truman use during the Berlin Blockade to come out on top over the USSR ?
brinkmanship
Which group was formed as a result of the Berlin Blockade ?
the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
How many countries were responsible for the creation of NATO ?
12 member states
Give three examples of countries responsible for the establishment of NATO.
1) France
2) Britain
3) US
What was the purpose of NATO ? (at the time when it was created)
Formed an alliance in which other member states would defend any member attacked by the USSR.
What was NSC 68 ?
was a top secret policy paper outlining American foreign policy.
According to Scholar, Herman Wolk, What impact did NSC 68 have on the Cold War ?
The blueprint for the militarization of the cold war from 1950 to the collapse of the USSR at the beginning of the 1990s.
What 3 things did NSC 68 argue for ?
1) increased military spending
2) work on a hydrogen bomb
3) roll back of communism rather than containment
What was the increased military spending that NSC-68 recommended ?
suggested was from $13 billion up to $50 billion by 1950
How was NSC-68’s recommendation of work on a hydrogen bomb fulfilled ?
By 1952, the US had developed a hydrogen bomb and tested it.
What was operation Paperclip ?
A secret United states intelligence program whereby more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the US government for employment after end of WW2 in Europe
From what Time period did operation Paperclip last ?
1945 - 1959
Give an example of a German engineer who came to the US in 1945 as part of operation paperclip
Wernher Von Braun - aerospace engineer
