Origins of the cold war Flashcards
When was the Yalta conference
February 1945
When was the Potsdam conference
July-August 1945
Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
- Roosevelt replaced with Truman - who was anti-communism
- The relations of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin was broken up
- the USA tested the atomic bomb provoking an arms race between them and the USSR
When was the first atomic bomb tested
July 1945
What was the ‘Cold War’? (4 marks)
- The Cold War was a period of geo-political tension between the Soviet Union and the USA.
- It spanned from a development of mistrust following the Second World War to the fall of the USSR in 1991.
- The term ‘cold’ is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides
- They each supported major regional conflicts known as proxy wars.
What was the ‘Iron Curtain’? (4 marks)
- The Iron Curtain was the name for the non-physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of the Second World War in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991.
- The term was first coined by Winston Church in a speech given in Missouri in 1946.
- On the East side of the Iron Curtain were the countries that were connected to or influenced by the Soviet Union, while on the West side were the countries that were allied to the United States.
- Economic and military alliances on both sides reinforced this divide.
What was decided at the Yalta Conference? (4 marks)
- Germany (and its capital Berlin) would be divided into four zones: American, French, British and Soviet
- Germany’s Eastern border would be moved Westwards (at Potsdam it was decided that this would be settled at the Oder-Neisse Line).
- Reparations would be paid in kind, a total of $20 billion to be paid, half of this going to the USSR.
- Finally, at Potsdam it was agreed that Germany would be de-nazified and war crimes trials were to be held in Germany and Japan.
What disagreements were there between the superpowers at Potsdam? (4 marks)
- Stalin wanted to completely cripple Germany to protect the USSR against future threats, but Truman did not want to repeat the mistake of the Treaty of Versailles.
- Stalin also wanted high compensation for the millions of Russians who died in the war, but again Truman was cautious not to repeat the errors of Versailles.
- Stalin had won agreement from the Allies that he could set up pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe, Truman became very unhappy about this and especially the methods being used to achieve this.
- When Stalin demanded that he wanted to gain a foothold in Japan, Truman rejected this.
Why was there mistrust between the USSR and the Western Allies in 1945? (6 marks)
- Underlying ideological differences - Communism Vs Capitalism, Free trade Vs state-controlled economy, freedom of control Vs good of society, democracy Vs one-party dictatorship
- Behaviour of the West and Stalin preceding and during the Second World War.
- End of the of unifying factor of Germany as the common enemy.
How much of Eastern Europe had become Communist by 1948?
All of it except Greece & Turkey
What is ‘Cominform’
The information Bureau of the Communist and Workers’ Parties and was founded by Stalin.
What was the leader of Yugoslavia called and why were they expelled from Cominform in 1948?
Marshall Tito, hostility to Cominform
What was the Truman Doctrine?
Truman stated that the USA was prepared to send money, equipment and advice to any country threatened by a Communist take-over, in order to stop communism spreading any further. This policy became known as containment.
What was Marshall Aid
The American General George Marshall was appointed by Truman to assess the economic state of Europe. Marshall said approximately $17 billion would be needed to rebuild Europe after WW2
