Part 1 - 1945 - 1954 (Beginnings of Cold War) Flashcards
What was the Yalta Conference?
Yalta - Feburary 1945
* UN agreed upon.
- Stalin agreed to join war in Japan (he did).
- Stalin promised to run free elections in Poland and other countries under his new control (he did not).
- Division of Germany into 4 zones fully agreed upon.
What was the Potsdam Conference?
Potsdam - July 1945
* US atomic bomb shifted dynamic
- Truman more confrontational - Attlee weaker than Churchill (lost election halfway through Potsdam).
- Stalin had broke his Yalta promise of free elections also rising tension.
- Divisions over German reparations.
What was the Long Telegram?
Long Telegram - Feburary 1946
- US ambassador to Moscow sent to Washington stating the USSR would be hostile and planning to takeover Europe.
How did the USSR react to the Long Telegram?
Nokiov Telegram - September 1946
* USSR ambassador to America - was more reactionary and less influential to USSR foreign policy but stated that the US were ideological imperialists seeking world domination.
- Helped reinforce Stalin’s belief that confrontation with the West was inevitable.
What was the Truman Doctorine?
Truman Doctorine - March 1947
* Truman pledged commitment to any European state that withstood Communism.
- Provided $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey.
- Marked a shift from isolationism to active U.S. involvement in global affairs. It was the offical start of US containment policy.
What was the Marshall Plan?
Marshall Plan - June 1947
* US believed a strong Europe would resist an attractive post-war communism.
- Provided 13Bn to most European countries to rebuild and resist.
- USSR saw as US economic imperialism and E.Bloc countries forced to reject.
What was Cominform?
Cominform - October 1947
* Ensured E.Bloc communist parties were organised, coordinated and united under Stalinist ideology.
- Collective rejection of the Marshall Plan.
Why did Stalin initiate the Berlin Blockade?
- Wanted a weakened E.Germany (Berlin was in E.Germany) beacuse the USSR suffered the most from Hitler (25M+ deaths).
- Formation of Trizonia (French, UK and USA) and “Deutsche Mark” being created.
- Wanted to starve the West out of Berlin to make a purely Soviet city.
- Thought the West would easily give up and Stalin could gain power easily.
What was the Berlin Blockade / Airlift?
Berlin Blockade - June 1948 - May 1949
- The threat of Trizonia made Stalin block all access routes to W.Berlin.
- The West did not abandon Berlin and started the “Airlift” where in its peak a plane landed every 30 seconds to supply W.Berlin with essentials - 8,000 tons of supplies daily.
- This started to diplomatically isolate the USSR as people saw Stalin as a villian and the West as resillient heroes. It was clear the west were not giving up and the blockade was not achieving its intended goal. Stalin lifted the Blockade.
What was Comecon?
Comecon - Janurary 1949
- Further strengthening of the E.Bloc - created an economic dependence on Moscow making it harder for Eastern Europe to breakaway from Soviet control.
- Cemented divide between Capitalist West and Communist East - escalating tensions.
- This created a hard economically ideological boundary between East and West.
What was NATO?
NATO - April 1949
* US, Canada and 10 Strong European Countries.
- Its purpose was to counter Soviet expansion and ensure collective security against the perceived Soviet threat.
- Article 5 - Attack on one is an attack on all
- Direct response to Soviet actions like the Berlin Blockade and Comecon.
What was the outcome in Germany of the Berlin Blockade?
May 1949 - FRG (West) and GDR (East) Germany’s are formed. Berlin becomes the symbol of the Cold War.
What was the signifcance of the successful USSR atomic bomb?
USSR atomic bomb - August 1949
- Ended the U.S. monopoly on atomic weapons, marking the beginning of the nuclear arms race.
- The Soviet Union’s nuclear capability escalated Cold War tensions and led to the militarization of the Cold War.
- Nuclear weapons became the central part of international politics.
- It solidified the bipolar world.
What was the Chinese Civil Wars significance?
PRC and Mao’s victory - October 1949
* Turned the scope from Europe to essentially the whole world and presented a new threat to global peace and the West.
- Brought 1/4 of the world’s population under Communist rule.
- Stalin was skeptical but willing to cooperate with China and signed the Sino - Soviet treaty of friendship in 1950.
What was NSC - 68?
NSC - 68 - April 1950
* Document presented to Truman warning him of the threat of Communism.
- Argued communism not only presented an ideological threat, but a military one too.
- Pushed for increased spending on defense (USA Defense budget tripled).
- NSC - 68’s fears were validated by the Korean war just 2 months later. It pushed for “Containment on Steriods”.
What were the origins of the Korean War?
Korean War - July 1950 - June 1953
- Korea divided into Communist North led by Kim Il-sung (backed by USSR / China & Non Communist South led by Syngman Rhee (backed by U.S. and U.N.).
- North Korean forces invade South Korea in late June, 1950.
What was the U.N. / U.S. involvement in Korea?
Korean War - July 1950 - June 1953
- U.N. Security Council votes to send military aid to South Korea (USSR couldn’t VETO as they were boycotting UN as China wasn’t being let in).
- U.S. forces spearhead the U.N. operation, with support from other countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia - led by Douglas MacArthur.
- Push North Korean forces PAST the originial border (NOT CONTAINMENT) and go to the Chinese border where the PRC join the war - pushing western forces back to the 38th parallel and creating a Stalemate.
- MacArthur proposed to nuke the Chinese after this - he was fired for insubordination.
How did the Korean War end?
Korean Armistice - June 1953
- Signed under Eisenhowers administration.
- Created a ceasefire at the DMZ (38th Parallel).
What was the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship?
Sino-Soviet treaty of friendship - February 1950
* formalized the alliance between China and the USSR.
- It was seen as a mutual defense pact to counter Western imperialism.
- Formation partly enhanced by Korean War and NATO.
What was the San Francisco Treaty?
San Francisco Treaty - September 1951
- Officially ended WW2 by establishing peace with Japan.
- Gave Japan sovereignty back - Economically rebuilt Japan - and laid the foundations for future growth as an industrial power and great ally.
- In return, US bases could be placed in Japan - relevant to the Global shift of the Cold War.
Signifance of the UN formation?
The Formation of the United Nations (UN) - June 1945
- The UN’s creation marked the end of isolationism for the U.S., committing to active global involvement.
- The UN was established after World War II in an effort to prevent future conflicts and promote international cooperation. The UN Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, by 50 nations, including the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom.
What was the Iron Curtain Speech?
Iron Curtain Speech - March 5, 1946
- Winston Churchill delivered this speech at a university in Fulton, Missouri.
- This speech is considered a defining moment in articulating the “us vs. them” mentality.
- “An iron curtain has descended across the continent.”
What was the Greek Civil War?
Greek Civil War (March 1946- August 1949)
- A civil war broke out in Greece between the communist-led Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) and the Greek government forces, who were backed by Britain and later the U.S.
- In response to Soviet-backed communist insurgencies in Greece and Turkey, President Truman pledged U.S. support to any country resisting communism, signaling the beginning of the U.S. policy of containment. The Civil War triggered the doctorine.
What was the significance of the formation of the (FRG) and the (GDR)
Formation of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and German Democratic Republic (GDR) - May - October 1949
- The FRG (West Germany), created by the U.S., UK, and France, was a democratic state with a market economy.
- The GDR (East Germany), created by the Soviet Union, was a communist state under direct Soviet control.
Truman’s Attitude to the Cold War
Believed in containing communism rather than fighting it directly.
Emphasized U.S. support for nations resisting communism (e.g., Truman Doctrine).
Saw Soviet expansion as a threat to democracy and freedom.
Stalin’s Attitude to the Cold War
Sought to expand Soviet influence and spread communism globally.
Prioritized creating a buffer zone in Eastern Europe for Soviet security.
Viewed the West as a hostile threat to socialism.
