Origins of the Cold War Flashcards
When was the Long Telegram written
1946
Which countries were in the Grand Alliance?
USA, Britain, and Soviet Russia
What were the opposing economic ideologies of the USA and the USSR
capitalism, and communism
Name properties of capitalism
Free market, freedom of press and speech, democratic
elections, several political parties
name properties of communism
one party system, no democracy, censorship and state controlled media
When was the Tehran conference
1943 (Nov-Dec)
What were the objectives of the Tehran conference
To discuss the group’s planned invasion of Nazi occupied France.
What were the outcomes of the Tehran conference
- USA and Britain would invade France by May 1944
- The USSR would join the USA and Britain in the war against Japan once Nazi Germany was defeated.
When was the Yalta conference
February 1945
Who were the leaders of the Big Three
Winston Churchill
Franklin D Roosevelt
Joseph Stalin
What was the main objective of the yalta conference
To agree on a post war settlement and decide what to do with Germany once it had been defeated
What were the outcomes of the Yalta conference
- Germany split up into 4 zones, with the USSR, France, Britain and the USA controlling a zone each.
- Berlin (the capital) would also be split into 4 zones with an ally controlling each.
- Countries freed from Nazi control would be allowed to have free, democratic elections
- Stalin committed to joining the war against Japan once Germany had been defeated, as the Americans were suffering heavy losses in the pacific.
- All the leaders committed to pursue and put on trial Nazi war criminals
- The allies agreed to the setting up of the United Nations
What was the United Nations
An organisation dedicated to international cooperation and the prevention of war
What was the “Declaration Of Liberated Europe”
A statement saying that all countries freed from Nazi control would be allowed to hold free democratic elections.
What month did Germany surrender WW2
May 1945
Why was France included in the Yalta conference
-Britain wanted a European ally whom it could share the
cost of the post war reconstruction of Germany with
- Pressure from French leader: General de Gaulle
Who was the new British PM at the Potsdam conference
Clement Atlee
Who was the new USA president at the Potsdam conference
Harry S Truman
Why was the relationship between Stalin and Truman tense
Truman made clear his dislike for communism and Stalin personally
What remarks did Truman make about the USSR?
Truman was “Tired of babying the Soviets”
On what date did the USA successfully drop an atomic bomb in the New Mexico Desert?
16th July 1945
When Truman was informed of the nuclear threat at his disposal what remark did he supposedly make?
“If it works, [The Bomb] I’ll be sure to have a hammer on those boys”
How did Stalin know about the USA’s nuclear threat before Truman told him
Through his spy networks
What “agreements” were made at Potsdam?
To put into practice the agreements made at Yalta
During the 1940s, what types of committees did Truman lead ?
Exposing fraud and corruption within the military
Truman was a “Wilsonian”, what does this mean?
He admired Woodrow Wilson’s hopes for American intervention in Europe
What was the Manhattan project?
The scheme developing the USA’s nuclear weapons
What date did the USA drop the bomb on Hiroshima?
6 August 1945
How many people were murdered in the Hiroshima bombing?
around 140,000
What percentage of buildings were destroyed in the Hiroshima bombing?
Over 60%
What date did the USA drop bombs on Nagasaki?
9th August 1945
How many people were murdered in the Nagasaki bombing?
74,000 people
On what date did the Japanese government surrender WW2?
14th August 1945
The USA’s official justification for dropping the bombs on Japan were to force their government to surrender, however for what other reason could they have done this?
To send a warning to the Soviets about the strength of the USA’s nuclear arsenal
What is nuclear Hegonomy?
Only one country being in possession of nuclear arms
What is a buffer zone?
A neutral area serving to separate hostile forces or nations
Why did the USSR want a buffer zone around them?
They had been invaded during both world wars
When and how did East Germany become communist?
1945,
East Germany was part of the Soviet Zone of occupation agreed at Yalta, and a communist regime was set up
When and how did Poland become communist?
1947,
Stalin invited 16 non communist politicians to Moscow, and arrested them, leaving a communist government to be elected
When and how did Czechoslovakia become communist?
1948,
All elections that year only allowed communists to stand, and a communist government was duly elected
Who wrote the Long Telegram
George Kennan, an official of the US Embassy in Moscow
What were the contents of the Long Telegram
- The USSR was heavily armed and feared the outside
world - The USSR was determined to spread communism and
therefore could be no peaceful co-existence between
the USA and USSR
When and why was the Novikov Telegram written?
1946, In response to the Long Telegram
Who wrote the Novikov Telegram?
Nikolai Novikov ( Soviet ambassador)
What were the contents of the Novikov Telegram?
- A warning that the US had emerged from WW2
economically strong and bent on world domination - Encouraging the USSR to secure their buffer zone in
Eastern Europe
What was the US policy of containment?
A policy trying to resist the spread of communism in Eastern Europe
When was The Iron Curtain speech
5th March 1946
Who delivered The Iron Curtain speech?
Winston Churchill
Who did Churchill condemn during his iron curtain speech?
The Soviets
FTQ (Churchill) “From Stettin in the Baltic…..
” From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron curtain has descended across the continent “
~Churchill
When was the Truman Doctrine
12 March 1947
What were the contents of the Truman Doctrine?
The USA would promise aid to any country taking a stand to communism
What circumstances influenced the Truman Doctrine?
American and British politicians were worried about events in Greece and Turkey. Britain had previously been influential in the area but no longer had the means to support governments who would be pro Western. Communism was beginning to spread to many of Greeces neighbours and The Greek Communist Party was becoming more popular. Concerns arose that Greece would be the next country to fall to communism, the USA intervened as it was the only Western ally with the financial means to do so. :)
When was Marshall Aid introduced?
1947
What was the Marshall plan?
General George Marshall recommending to use 17Bil dollars to help the economies of western European countries recover and stop them from falling to Communism
How did Stalin attempt to stop Marshall aid?
He called Marshall aid “dollar imperialism”, and forbade all Eastern Bloc countries from applying for it
What was the overall aim of Marshall Aid?
To stop countries in Europe from falling to communism; effectively a propaganda tool
What did Cominform stand for?
The Communist Information Bureau
When was Cominform established?
September 1947
What was the aim of Cominform and how was it pursued?
Its aim was tighten Soviet control in Eastern Europe by establishing a trade network between communist countries.
They published their own newspaper “𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺!” to spread communist ideals and held conferences in the Eastern Bloc
How was the effectiveness of Cominform limited?
Yugoslavia left in June 1948
When was Comecon established?
January 1949
What did Comecon stand for?
Council of mutual economic assistance
What was Comecon?
A council which administered its own plan of financial aid to Eastern Bloc countries on their side. Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary , Poland etc all joined the USSR in this group. It countered Marshall Aid by nationalising industries and collectivising agriculture. All countries were committed to communist theory, e.g - state ownership and planning of the economy.
Why wasn’t Comecon successful initially?
The USSR dominated in terms of industrial production and economy size.
When did Comecon become more important?
After Cominform disbanded in 1956
When was Cominform disbanded?
1956
What is a blockade?
Cutting off an area from all communications and connections
How long was the Berlin Blockade?
June 1948 - May 1949 (11 months)
What factors triggered Stalin to commit the Berlin Blockade?
- Using money from Marshall aid, the Allies were helping the Germans restore their economy, introducing a new currency called the Deutsche Mark. This also made jobs in the Western sector
- Under the Marshall plan, the USA supplied goods to German shops for workers to buy. This cleverly showed communists that America’s capitalist economy was flourishing.
- At a meeting in London in January 1948, Britain and the USA joined their zones to make “Bizonia” and make it easier to administer them. France would later join them and the name would be changed to West Germany.
What were the effects of the Berlin Blockade on West Berlin?
- Berlin could now only be accessed by air, resulting in a restriction on the freedom to travel outside Berlin for all Germans
- There was a food shortage - West Berlin only had enough food for 30 days
- A lack in basic necessities i.e fuel and medicine
Why did the Allies use the Marshall aid money to help repair Germany’s economy?
They had learnt their lesson from the treaty of Versailles, and didn’t want to make Germany financially crippled again.
- Also wanted to prove the point that capitalism was better
What was the Berlin Blockade?
Stalin cutting off all land access to West Berlin
What was the one condition that Stalin said that he’d withdraw the blockade on?
If the Allies withdrew the Deutsche Mark from West Germany
How did the Allies respond to the Berlin Blockade?
With the Berlin Airlift
What was the Berlin Airlift?
The Allies supplying goods and food to West Berlin by air for 11 months
At the height of the Berlin Airlift, a plane landed at _______ airport every _______
… Landed at Templehof airport every minute
How much did the Berlin Airlift cost for the USA and Britain?
It cost the USA $350 million and Britain £17 million
Why couldn’t Stalin do anything about the Berlin Airlift?
Shooting down a plane would instigate a war
When did the USA, France and Britain officially announce the formation of West Germany?
April 1949
What was West Germany also known as?
The German Federal Republic
Which party won the first democratic election in West Germany?
The Christian Democratic Union
Who was the leader of the Christian Democratic Union
Konrad Adenauer
What did NATO stand for?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
When was NATO formed?
April 1949
What was the purpose of NATO?
Was to establish an alliance of countries around the North Atlantic for mutual defense
What did the USSR form in response to NATO?
The Warsaw pact
When was the Warsaw Pact established?
May 1955
What was the purpose of the Warsaw pact?
To establish an alliance of communist countries for mutual defence
When did the USSR explode their first atomic bomb?
29th August 1949
When was the Potsdam conference?
July-August 1945
What was the name of the newspaper published by Cominform?
“𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺!”
what was mutually assured destruction
a theory that stated that the existence of such massive nuclear weapons meant that a future world war could end life on earth
describe the events pf the early arms race 45 - 58
1945 - USA drops atomic bombs in Japanese cities Nagasaki and Hiroshima
1949 - the USSR’s first atomic bomb test ends American nuclear monopoly
1950 - UK carries out nuclear tests in Western Australia
1952 - USA tests first Hydrogen bomb
1953 - USSR tests its own hydrogen bomb
1955 - USA publishes Doctrine of massive retaliation stating that any attack on the usa or its allies would be met with incredible destructive force
1957 - USSR launches Sputnik 1 - the worlds first telecommunications satellite
1958 - the USA tests its own ICBMs
describe the rest of the arms race 59 - 69
1959 - USSR launches Luna 1, the first man made object to orbit the sun
1959 - USA deploys Polaris submarines which are capable of launching missiles close to the shore of the USSR
1960 - the US launches discover XIV, the first satellite equipped with a spy camera
1961 - First man from USSR, Yuri Gagarin into space
1961 - April, Alan Shepard first American into space
October - USSR detonates the Tsar Bomba
1962 - CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
1
