Origins Of The Cold War

Question 1

Who was the Cold War between?

Answer 1

USSR and USA

Question 2

What was the clash of ideology’s between USA and USSR

Answer 2

USA- capitalist, multiparty democracy, more individual rights, industries privately owned, higher standard of life
USSR- communist, single-party dictatorship, secret police, state owned industries, lower standard of living (but less poverty), censorship

Question 3

When and where was the Yalta conference? Who was involved?

Answer 3

February 1945
In Ukraine
Stalin (USSR)
Roosevelt (USA)
Churchill (UK)

Question 4

What were Stalins aims during the Yalta conference?

Answer 4

To create a protective soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe to secure borders.

Question 5

What were Roosevelt’s aims during the Yalta conference?

Answer 5

-persuade USSR to join war against Japan
- persuade nations to join United Nations (a post-war international organisation)

Question 6

What was Churchill’s aims during the Yalta conference?

Answer 6

Persuade USA to oppose soviet expansion

Question 7

What was the outcome of the Yalta conference?

Answer 7

-Nazi Germany was divided between Br,Fr,USA &USSR
-Poland was made part of the soviet sphere of influence
-USSR agreed to join was against Japan with USA
- All agreed to join future United Nations

Question 8

When and where was the Potsdam conference and who took part?

Answer 8

-July 1945
-held in Germany
-Truman (USA)
-Stalin (USSR)
-Attle (Br)

Question 9

What were the terms of the Potsdam conference in 1945?

Answer 9

-Agreed Germany would remain a single economic unit with one currency
-Agreed each country could take reparations in the form of industry and resources from their zone of occupation in Germany
-Polands new boarders set out giving them a part of Germany

Question 10

How far apart were the Yalta and Potsdam conference?

Answer 10

-5 months
Yalta: February 1945
Potsdam: July 1945

Question 11

What were the changes between the Yalta and Potsdam conferences?

Answer 11

-Hitlers suicide ended war in may
-Roosevelt-> Truman (inexperienced)
-Churchill-> Attle (Br’s role reduced)
- USA had tested first atomic bomb before Postman putting them in a dominant position (dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki)
-By postman the red army had occupied many parts of Eastern Europe (strong position)

Question 12

What was the Truman doctrine?

Answer 12

-made containment of communism an official US policy
-Truman pledged to ‘support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjection’ (give aid and assistance to countries that were fighting against attempts to be controlled)

Question 13

Why did the USA develop a strategy of containment?

Answer 13

-soviet expansion
-intervention of influential figures
-Greek civil war

Question 14

What was containment?

Answer 14

The US policy of containing the communism

Question 15

What was Marshall aid?

Answer 15

-US allocated $17 billion financial aid to Europe over 4 years

Question 16

Why was Marshall aid developed?

Answer 16

-to help European recovery after being destroyed in war
-to help European countries become less vulnerable to communism

Question 17

What was the Berlin blockade?

Answer 17

1948-1949
-Stalin cut off all access and supplies to western zones of Berlin (controlled by US, UK and fr)

Question 18

What was the US response to the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 18

-A US/Br airlift supplied Berlin with food and fuel from the air
-Stalin lifted the blockade in may 1949 (victory for the west)

Question 19

What was the reason for Stalin to put forward a Blockade?

Answer 19

-Germany received Marshall aid and a new deutschmark currency was introduced
-Stalin saw this as a provocative challenge to soviet power in Germany and a betrayal of the agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam

Question 20

What was the iron curtain speech about?

Answer 20

• delivered in 1946
  -Churchill spoke about the division (iron curtain) between the democratic western countries and the communist eastern block