Origins of the Cold War 1941 - 45

Question 1

Issue of second front (examples)

Answer 1

• 1938 Munich agreement, Soviets excluded + Stalin suspicious of West
• 1941 Nazi invasion of USSR (against Nazi-Soviet pact ‘39), millions dead
• Stalin calls for 2nd front as USSR bare brunt of fighting eg. Stalingrad ‘42 , but allies invade Italy ‘43
• by ‘44 issue lessened by Soviets making gains + Operation Overlord 6th June

Question 2

Division of Europe (examples)

Answer 2

• Greece ‘44 Brit. troops support royalists in civ. war to stop commies
• NKVD killed anti soviet Poles + set up Lublin Committee recognising it as gov’t Jan ‘45 instead of those exiled in London
• Romania + Bulgaria (10,000 ruling class killed) liberated ‘44, Soviets help commies take control

Question 3

Plans for post war Germany (examples)

Answer 3

Yalta Feb ‘45 - div of Ger. + Berlin into 4 zones (buffer zone), Stalin Roosevelt + Churchill

Potsdam Aug ‘45 - Stalin wanted to cripple Ger. but Truman sought to avoid ToV repeat.
Agreed reparations agreement did not work (25% of western zones reparations to Soviets)

Question 4

Diplomatic relations between leaders (examples)

Answer 4

• Churchill + Roosevelt close ‘41 -‘43, agreed on Atlantic Charter + met in Canada
• > military beliefs/plan did not align
• mutual respect btw. Stalin + Church. despite fears of expanding communism + disagreements over Poland
• Roosevelt less concerned w/ Soviet domination in E.Europe by ‘45 but:
• > Truman strongly against it, wanted to ‘get tough’ w/ Soviets
• > UK foreign minister Bevin tough negotiator who disliked communism

Question 5

Ideological divisions east Vs west (examples)

Answer 5

• 1920s + 1930s ‘collectivisation’ of Russian farmland -> famine/rebellion, rebels executed or sent to Gulags - by 1939 99% of farmland gov’t owned
• 1918 Bolsheviks fought Civ. War against ‘White Army’ supported by west, after commies won Comintern set up 1919 to spread it across globe