Origins of the Cold War

Question 1

What is the cold war (CW)?

Answer 1

The ideological struggle between the USA and the USSR, two superpowers after WWII

Question 2

The USA and allies are known as?

Answer 2

The West

Question 3

The USSR and allies are known as?

Answer 3

The Soviet Bloc or the East

Question 4

The CW was a clash between what ideologies?

Answer 4

Capitalism and communism.

Question 5

How did the CW get its name?

Answer 5

‘Cold’ war because it never turned into a ‘hot’ war between the two countries - no shots were directly fired.
Fought proxy wars around the world (global conflict)

Question 6

When was the CW?

Answer 6

Lasted between 1945 and 1989/early 1990s

Question 7

The CW consisted of what 3 elements between the two world powers?

Answer 7

Consisted of an arms race, space race and espionage.

Question 8

Why did the East mistrust the West?

Answer 8

• the Western powers sent aid to the “White” army who fought against the Bolsheviks (Red
  Army) in the Civil War
• In 1919 the allies, as a result of the Paris Peace Conference (Treaty of Versailles), gave Russian lands to other countries
• In the 1930s, Stalin distrusted the policy of Appeasement adopted by Britain and France vs
  Germany
• Stalin suspected that Britain and France saw the Soviet Union as the real enemy
• This view was strengthened when the Soviets were left out of the Munich Conference in 1938
• Convinced Stalin that, to protect his own interests, he should side with Hitler
• 1939 he signs the Non-Aggression Treaty with Germany
• During WWII East and West set aside their differences and formed an alliance (after Hitler invades the
  USSR in 1941)

Question 9

What is the ‘Grand Alliance?’

Answer 9

The alliance of Britain, USA and USSR

Question 10

Discuss the uneasy alliance between the West and the Soviets during WW2.

Answer 10

• From 1941 the USSR carried the main burden in the fight against the Nazis and as a result more Soviets died.
• Two years went by before the USA opened up a second front by invading
  Normandy, France in 1944.
• Stalin viewed this delay as a deliberate attempt to weaken the USSR
• The USA ended the Lend-Lease Programme that was providing supplies to the
  USSR.
• Stalin grew more suspicious over Western secrecy around the Atomic Bomb (had been developed during the war)

Question 11

Why didn’t the Soviet Bloc and the West fight directly?

Answer 11

Mutually assured destruction (MAD).

Question 12

What were each superpower’s espionages?

Answer 12

The US has the CIA, USSR has the KGB.

Question 13

What was the lend lease program?

Answer 13

The Lend-Lease program was a U.S. policy during World War II, initiated in March 1941, that allowed the United States to provide military aid and supplies to its allies, primarily Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and other nations fighting for the Allies.

Question 14

What were the major war-time conferences? When were they?

Answer 14

• The Yalta conference (Feb 1945)
• The Potsdam conference (July 1945).

Question 15

What was the purpose of the Yalta conference? Which major figures attended it?

Answer 15

Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met to discuss what to do about Germany, and the countries they
controlled in Eastern Europe, after the Nazi’s defeat

Question 16

What agreement did the powers come to at the Yalta conference?

Answer 16

Agreed that Germany was to be divided into ZONES OF OCCUPATION:
- Each to be administered by one of the Big Three Allied powers until they were ready for independence
- Agreed that countries in Eastern Europe should be allowed to hold free elections to determine the
type of government they wanted
- A joint “Allied Declaration on Liberated Europe” (ADLE) committed the USSR to democracy in
Eastern Europe – BUT Stalin was determined to create a large buffer zone against future German
aggression
- The USSR agreed to join in the war against Japan after the war in Europe
was over.
- No agreements were reached on the scale of German payment of
reparations
- Soviets wanted a fixed large sum – aimed to cripple Germany completely so that they couldn’t
invade the USSR again
- Western allies thought this was too large & didn’t want to create a hostile Germany

Question 17

What did the Soviets want to happen to Germany after WW2? What did the West think of this?

Answer 17

No agreements were reached on the scale of German payment of
reparations:
- Soviets wanted a fixed large sum – aimed to cripple Germany completely so that they couldn’t
invade the USSR again
- Western allies thought this was too large & didn’t want to create a hostile Germany

Question 18

The Potsdam conference began in ______ and was a continuation of the _________.

Answer 18

July 1945
Yalta conference

Question 19

What was the Potsdam conference called to discuss? What issues would be covered?

Answer 19

By this time the war was over and the conference was organised to discuss post war settlement.
The issues were the same:
- Germany and reparations
- Eastern Europe
- Japan

Question 20

Why was the relationship between the US and USSR strained at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 20

• Relationships between the West and East were strained due to a number of changes:
• Soviet army was in control of much of eastern Europe
• Stalin had a communist government in Poland (despite the wishes of the Polish people)
• Truman had replaced Roosevelt (died) & was more anti-communist and suspicious of Stalin
• Americans had developed and successfully tested the Atomic bomb
• Churchill replaced by Atlee shortly after the conference started – in Churchill’s absence, suspicion between Truman and Stalin dominated the conference

Question 21

What was the agreed upon outcome of the Potsdam conference?

Answer 21

Finalised agreement on division of Germany:
- Eastern zone of Germany = Soviet Union
- Three Western zones of Germany = USA, Britain, France
- City of Berlin: divided into four sectors
- Germany was to remain united and they would co-operate economically so as to keep Germany one country in the long term
- Reparations:
Occupying nations to exact reparations from their zone of occupation

Question 22

Why did the West distrust the USSR after the end of WW2?

Answer 22

• Feared the communist takeover of western Europe
• The Soviet Union annexed (take over an area and include it as part of your country) the independent Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as eastern Poland
• USSR established Soviet Satellite States in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, E-Germany, Czechoslovakia – all had communist & Soviet-friendly governments
• Satellite state = states under the strong influence of another country
• Winston Churchill warned that an ‘IRON CURTAIN’ was dividing Europe into a Communist East and Capitalist West

Question 23

Summarise Winston Churchill’s famous speech in 1946.

Answer 23

Churchill describes an “iron curtain” dividing Europe, with cities like Warsaw and Berlin under Soviet control. He notes the rise of communist parties in these regions and warns of the oppressive, totalitarian governments that have emerged

Question 24

Why did the USSR distrust the West after the end of WW2?

Answer 24

• Concerns about the extension of Soviet control led to a radical change in American foreign policy
• USA became actively involved in world affairs to prevent spread of Communism
• USA implemented a Policy of Containment
• Consisted of two key plans:
  1) The Truman Doctrine (1947)
  2) The Marshall Plan (1948)

Question 25

What did the UK govt inform the US govt of in 1947? What did Truman decide based off of this information?

Answer 25

• In 1947, the UK govt informed the USA that it could no longer afford to support the Greek govt in its civil war against the Communists
• Truman decided that both Greece and Turkey were vulnerable to a Communist takeover, and
  believed Stalin wanted control of the Mediterranean via the Black Sea

Question 26

What two plans did the policy of containment consist of?

Answer 26

The Marshall plan and the Truman doctrine.

Question 27

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 27

• March 1947, Truman gives a speech that outlines his foreign policy
• Truman promised that the USA “would support free peoples who are resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”
• This support took the form of economic and financial aid, and the US later set up a nuclear base in Turkey
• Truman Doctrine directly went against the USA’s former isolationist policy
  they were involving themselves in international affairs
• Doctrine was successful in stopping the spread of communism to Turkey and Greece

Question 28

What was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 28

• Economic and financial aid, but only countries with capitalist economies were eligible.
• Over four years it extended more than $13 billion of support to Western and Central Europe
• It helped rebuild post-war economies and created a market for USA goods overseas
• Led to a boom in the USA economy at home
• Stalin viewed Marshall Aid with much suspicion - saw it as aggressive USA expansionism
• Would not allow any Soviet Satellite states to accept it

Question 29

Was the Marshall Plan successful?

Answer 29

Marshall Plan was very successful in bringing about economic recovery in Western Europe

Question 30

What was the aim of the Marshall plan? Did it achieve this aim?

Answer 30

Achieved its main aim of creating stable economies and preventing the spread of communism.

Question 31

What were the states of the Western European economies after WW2?

Answer 31

By early 1947, Western Europe faced a serious economic and psychological crisis as people suffered after the war. The 1946-1947 winter had been severe and there were poor harvests due. As a result, Western Europe could not afford to pay for American imports.

Question 32

Why did the USA introduce the Marshall plan?

Answer 32

The US govt feared that poor economic conditions would lead to political upheaval and Communist takeovers. Thus, they decided to increase economic and financial aid.
June 1947: General George Marshall said the US would assist recipients in reviving their economies (= The Marshall Plan).

Question 33

How did Stalin view the Marshall Aid?

Answer 33

Stalin viewed Marshall Aid with much suspicion - saw it as aggressive USA expansionism. He would not allow any Soviet Satellite states to accept it.

Question 34

What was the Soviet response to the Marshall Aid?

Answer 34

1. COMINFORM
2. EUROPEAN COMMUNISTS STRIKE
3. COMECON or MOLOTOV PLAN

Question 35

Discuss part 1 of the Soviet response to the Marshall Aid.

Answer 35

1. COMINFORM
   An organisation set up to represent Communist Parties all across Europe and bring them under the direction of the USSR
   Set up to strengthen links in Communist Party.

Question 36

Discuss part 2 of the Soviet response to the Marshall Aid.

Answer 36

2. EUROPEAN COMMUNISTS STRIKE
   European communists told to wreck Marshall Plan by striking.
   This did not work as the USA’s money flowed into Western Europe and strikes ended.

Question 37

Discuss part 3 of the Soviet response to the Marshall Aid.

Answer 37

3. COMECON or MOLOTOV PLAN
   This was the Communist version of Marshall Aid.
   Trading organisation of communist countries.
   Nowhere near as successful as Marshall Plan.
   Did not involve giving money to Eastern European countries.
   Soviets encouraged countries to specialise in different products and trade with one another.

Question 38

How was Germany divided after WW2?

Answer 38

Germany was divided into 4 zones after WWII
USA, Britain, France, USSR
Berlin was in Soviet zone and also divided into 4 zones.

Question 39

What did the allies do in 1948?

Answer 39

In June 1948, the USA, UK and France agreed to unify their three zones of Germany to set up a West German state. They introduced a new currency, the Deutschmark to their combined zone. This made West Berlin an island of Capitalism in a sea of East German Communism.

Question 40

What was the Soviet response to the Allies’ action in 1948?

Answer 40

• Stopping all rail, road and canal traffic as well as postal and electricity services between the Allied zones of West Germany and West Berlin
• Stalin tried to starve West Berlin into submission and get Western powers out
• This became known as the Berlin Blockade and lasted for nearly a year.

Question 41

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 41

The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949) was a Soviet effort to cut off access to West Berlin in response to the Allies uniting and introducing a new currency in West Germany. In an attempt to force the Allies out of the city, the Soviet Union blocked all ground routes. In response, the United States and its allies organised the Berlin Airlift, delivering supplies by air to sustain the city’s residents. The blockade ended in May 1949, solidifying the division of Berlin and intensifying Cold War tensions.

Question 42

What was the Ally response to the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 42

• Supply West Berlin by air
• They flew in food, fuel and medical supplies through three air corridors they had acquired in 1945
• Over 300 000 flights delivered 2.5 million tons of cargo, with a plane landing in West Berlin every minute
• “Candy Bombers” from the USA also drop packages of sweets, chocolates and bubblegum over Berlin for children!
• The threat of war was close: increased tensions between the two superpowers.
• On 12 May 1949, the blockade was lifted unconditionally
• It was a victory for the West, who then set up the German Federal Republic in September 1949

Question 43

When was the Berlin Blockade lifted?

Answer 43

12 May 1949

Question 44

What was done with Germany after the lifting of the Blockade?

Answer 44

The West set up the German Federal Republic in September 1949.
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was proclaimed in East Germany and the division was complete.

Question 45

What was the significance of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift?

Answer 45

• The Berlin Blockade and Airlift was the first confrontation between the West and the Soviet Union, and the first of several over Berlin
• The West claimed it as a victory:
  successfully kept Berlin going: stopped the spread of communism throughout the whole of Berlin
• But the tensions over Berlin remained unchanged
• It remained a powerful symbol of Cold War tensions
• It hastened the formal division of Germany into two separate countries – East and West Germany – which remained in place for the next 40 years
• It contributed to the decision by the West to form NATO as a defence against future Soviet expansion
• This in turn led to the formation of the Warsaw Pact

Question 46

Why was NATO formed?

Answer 46

• In 1947-1948, Western European nations feared a Communist takeover
• They believed US military support was needed to ensure the security and safety of their countries
• As part of its policy of containment, the USA formed a military alliance with its Western European allies

Question 47

When and where was NATO formed?

Answer 47

• It was formed in 1949, as a result of the Berlin Blockade, with its headquarters in Paris
• Its terms dictated that any attack on a member country would be regarded as an attack on all the members - they would come to each other’s defence.

Question 48

Who was NATO’s greatest contributor? When did this contributor set up military bases?

Answer 48

The USA was the main financial and material contributor. They also set up military bases in Britain, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

Question 49

What effect did the Marshall Aid and the formation of NATO have on the USA’s position in Western Europe?

Answer 49

NATO + Marshall Aid strengthened the US’s position in Western Europe

Question 50

What were the feelings of the USSR for the formation of NATO?

Answer 50

The USSR saw it as another attempt by the USA to increase its influence in Europe
And possibly attack the Soviet Union in the future

Question 51

Why did France withdraw their troops from NATO?

Answer 51

France resented U.S. dominance in NATO because it felt its national sovereignty was being undermined, with the U.S. largely calling the shots on military strategy. President Charles de Gaulle wanted to reassert France’s independence and restore its standing as a global power. In 1966, he withdrew French troops from NATO’s integrated command and requested that NATO headquarters be moved out of France. This move was all about asserting France’s autonomy in defence matters and reclaiming its influence on the world stage.

Question 52

Greece _____ in ______ over conflict with Turkey in _____ Civil War

Answer 52

Withdrew ; 1974 ; Cyprus

Question 53

What did the USSR do in response to the formation of NATO?

Answer 53

The USSR responded by forming the Warsaw Treaty Organisation or the Warsaw Pact, in 1955.

Question 54

What was the Warsaw Pact?

Answer 54

• The Warsaw Pact was meant to be a counter-weight to NATO
• Had a unified military command that was based in Moscow
• As an agreement of the Warsaw Pact, Soviet troops remained in most member country areas
• The USSR used Warsaw Pact troops to crush anti-communist uprisings in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968)
• This gave rise to the Brezhnev Doctrine:
  The pact had the right to authorise military intervention in any member country if communism was threatened
• The West saw the Warsaw Pact as a Soviet means of controlling Eastern Europe.

Question 55

What happened in Berlin in 1953? Why?

Answer 55

1953: Protests by workers in East Berlin for:
- greater political and economic freedom
- union with West Germany
- the end of communism
- the withdrawal of Soviet forces

Question 56

What was the outcome of the uprisings in 1953?

Answer 56

Uprising crushed by Soviet army:
- 600 East Germans were executed and 300 000 East Germans fled to the West
- The West was not involved in this crisis and so the uprising did not have a direct impact on relations between the Superpowers
- However, it did raise tensions

Question 57

What happened in 1958 between the superpowers?

Answer 57

1958: Khrushchev demanded the handover of West Berlin to East Germany
- The West ignored demand and the USSR dropped the issue
- This seemed to indicate improved relations between superpowers
- Khrushchev and Eisenhower planned a meeting in Paris to discuss Berlin

Question 58

What was the U2 Spy plane incident?

Answer 58

1960: Khrushchev cancelled the meeting in Paris in protest after U2 spy plane incident:
- US spy plane shot down carrying out reconnaissance in Soviet territory
- This led to increased tensions between the Superpowers and the issue of Berlin remained unresolved

Question 59

How did the Marshall aid effect West Berlin and West Germany’s economy? What was the state of East Germany’s economy?

Answer 59

With the Marshall Plan, the West German and West Berlin economies recovered rapidly from the effects of the war. In contrast, East Germany and East Berlin’s economies slumped due to a lack of capital investment and increased Soviet demands for reparations.

Question 60

By 1961, how many Germans had fled East Germany since its beginning?

Answer 60

3 million. By July 1961 about 10 000 were leaving a week. They were opting for a higher standard of living and more freedoms in the West.
This meant the East German economy was on the brink of collapse.

Question 61

What was the Berlin wall? What was its significance?

Answer 61

• In August 1961, the East German authorities built the Berlin Wall
  dividing East and West Berlin, cutting the city in half.
• Highly fortified wall, with machine gun posts and search lights
  stopped the flow of refugees.
• Many East Germans died trying to cross the wall
• The West was powerless to prevent the building of the wall
• The Wall separated families and friends for many years and brought about economic stability in the East
• The USSR did not try to force Western powers out again, and the West accepted the permanent division of Berlin
• This Wall became a symbol of the Cold War period