Reasons 4 the Cold Wat Flashcards
Why was there a long term rivalry between the Soviet Union and the West
- USSR previously devastated by German attack - US/West slow to open second front
- Distrust as West had adopted the appeasement policy towards Hitler in the 1930s
- Soviets believed West was out to destroy communism vs West believed soviets wanted to spread it
- US fear of return of depression if communism stole their capitalistic markets
What are the main differences between capitalism and communism?
USSR: one party state, no free elections, state owned industry and agriculture, Govt. in charge - totalitarian
USA: democracy, free election, industry privately owned along with agriculture. Free press and freedom of movement.
The 4W’s in regards to the Yalta Conference
When: February 1945
Who: Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill
Where: Crimea
What:
•Stalin agreed to join war on Japan once Germany was defeated
•Germany was divided into 4
•Agreed Stalin was to have a sphere of influence in EE
• Free elections were to be held in countries liberated from Nazi occupation
What was the “sphere of influence” agreed upon at the Yalta Conference + what was the significance of it
Basically it was a buffer zone of friendly states around the Soviet Union to ensure a tragedy like the 20 million deaths in WWII never happens again
•Soviet Union uses it as an excuse later on when intervening in countries like Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. Basically they use it as an excuse for expansion into EE
The 4W’s in regards to the Potsdam Conference
When: July 1945
Who: Stalin, Truman, and Attlee
Where: Potsdam; Germany
What: USSR territory concession from Poland to eat some of Germany’s territory along the Oder-Neisse Line
• Anger over Stalin’s failure to provide free and fair elections in Poland
•Arguments over reparations
What significant event greatly impacted the tone of the Potsdam Conference?
16th August 1945 the USA successfully tested their first Atom Bomb • during Potsdam Conference
•Truman gloats Stalin freaks bam arms race is born
•USSR exploded nuclear weapons of its own in 1949 - USA developed H-Bomb + bomber aircraft to deliver them
Why did the Soviet Union expand into EE and how did they justify it?
By 1947 all EE states had communist govts except for Czechoslovakia until 1948
Why: Buffer zone
Justification:
• Buffer zone
•Afraid of US weapon prowess
•Created the agreed to sphere of influence
What was the USA’s opposition to the Soviet Union’s expansion into EE?
Through seizing control of these countries the soviet union had ignored the free elections agreed to at Yalta
•USA feared that the soviet union wouldn’t stop with Eastern or even Western Europe. They saw the expansion as a threat to capitalist countries around the world.
What was the main difference in view over Soviet expansion into EE?
The USSR saw it as a defensive manoeuvre whereas the USA saw it as an aggressive action and as a threat to the West
When did Truman become president + when was the Truman Doctrine created?
- April 12 1945
- 1945 12th of March
- Order of US prez. over the Cold War
Why was the Truman Doctrine a thing + what was it?
Between 1945 and 1949 US followed a policy of containment
•1947 Britain could no longer afford to keep troops in Greece and so turned to the USA - who provided money
• Truman Doctrine was in response to this request
• Driven by fear of the domino affect
•Would provide money, aid, advisors or even weapons to any country threatened by red
