Origins Of The Cold War: Longer Term Origins Of The Cold War/ The Emergence Of The USSR and The US as Superpowers Flashcards
1
Q
History of communism: Industrial Revolution
A
- late 18th century and early 19th century- the Industrial Revolution spread across Europe and America
- Developments in technology and business led to new methods of industrial manufacture e.g steam powered machines
- new era of capitalism - improved many people’s standard of living and widened the range of consumer goods.
- liberalism - new economic changes, new social and political order led to democratic ideas of individual rights and freedom
2
Q
History of communism: Demographic changes
A
- the mass of the poor working population lived in overcrowded unsanitary cities
- millions lived in slums and had poor health
- in factories, the work was king, dangerous and poorly paid
3
Q
History of communism: Karl Marx
A
- Mid 19th century - political activities studies new system and protested against it
- Karl Marx was one of the most influential figures in the movement
- Marx worked in London and analysed the working of capitalism
- Marx developed ideas that suggested that capitalism should be destroyed and replaced by a fairer system: communism
- in 1917, the Russian revolution began and was inspired by Marxist ideas
- The new USSR was set about spreading communism and destroying capitalism
4
Q
Russian revolution
A
- During WWI the Russians grew war - weary -army was made of working class and peasants, and they were poorly trained and equipped; food shortages; political oppositions to Tsar Nicholas II
- Russian Revolution, October 1917 - Lenin and the Bolshevik Party came to power and ended the war by signing a peace treaty with Germany, ‘the Treaty of Brest - Litovsk
5
Q
WWI & Russian Civil War
A
- USA and Russian were allies during WWI until Russia made a separate peace with Germany
- Russian civil war, 1918 - White Army were fighting against the Bolsheviks and the new communist state (USSR)
- western nations sent troops and aid to white army
- Bolsheviks defeated the White Army, but Lenin was unhappy that the west interfered
6
Q
Beginning of WWII
A
- 23 August 1939 - Hitler and Stalin signed the ‘Nazi- Soviet Pact’
-Promised to not go to war with each other - Secretly promised to invalid Poland and split between them
- 22 June 1941 - Hitler invades the Soviet Union
7
Q
Why did the USA and the USSR emerge as superpowers after 1945?
A
- after WWII,the whole world structure and order that had been inherited from the 19th century had gone
- the ‘Old World powers’ Britain and France, not able to maintain peace on their own and owed their economic recovery to the US
8
Q
Us: Economic Reasons
A
- the US had the economic strength to prevent a return instability in Europe
- the US was committed to ‘open trade’ and was willing to play an active role in achieving this
- the US economy was strengthened by war - now able to outproduce all other small powers put together
9
Q
US: military reasons
A
To defeat Japan, the US dominated air - power
10
Q
US: Political reasons
A
The west believed that Germany’s defeat showed the triumph of democracy over fascism
11
Q
USSR: Economic Reasons
A
The small Eastern Europe countries created after WWI were not economically viable on their own and need the USSR’s support
12
Q
USSR: Military Reasons
A
- The USSR lacked any strong military neighbours and so it became the regional power
- To defeat Germany, The USSR had become the number one land- force power in the world
13
Q
USSR: Political Reasons
A
- the USSR believed that Germanys defeat showed the triumph of communism over fascism
- the USSR had the political strength to stabilise Eastern Europe - communism could full the political vacuum and left after Nazi Germanys defeat
- the huge losses experienced by the USSR during WWII and the role of the Red army in defeating the Nazis gave Stalin a claim to great influence in forming the post - war world
