Reasons for the Cold War

Question 1

1) Long-term rivalry between the Soviet Union and the West and the ideological differences between Communism and Capitalism.
2) Tensions and disagreements during the Second World War.

Answer 1

1)1917 bolsheviks

2)1938 Czechoslovakia
(bordered USSR and so Stalin felt betrayed that British and French did this without asking Stalin) -

3)1939 Poland
(Nazi-Soviet Pact, British and French felt betrayed because they said that if Germany took control of Poland it would be an act of war)

1)1944 Second front
(Stalin angry that British and French didn’t open up second front in Normandy until so late in 1944. So he thought that the West wanted a long war between Soviets and Germany that would weaken the USSR and communism along side it)

2)Atomic Bomb
Also Roosevelt and Churchill knew about the atomic bomb America was going to drop on Japan well in advance. However, Stalin felt betrayed as he found out last minute. So, he feared that the atomic bomb might be used against him.

Question 2

Key features of the conferences at Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam

Answer 2

Tehran)

• 2nd Front agreed to open
• Germany should remain weak after war

Yalta)

• Germany pay reparations (goods+labour)
• plans of dividing it into zones
• Nazi party banned

Potsdam)

• Democracy (free speech + elections)
• 4 zones of Germany and Berlin

Question 3

The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

Answer 3

Buffer zone

Question 4

The Long Telegram + The Novikov Telegram

Answer 4

The Long Telegram)

• George Kennan (ambassador)
• If faced with force —> they would ease position
• Non self destructive
• Stalin wanted to destroy capitalism
• (Isolationism —> Containment)

The Novikov Telegram)

• US wanted big military to rule world
• Truman didn’t want to cooperate
• People would support government if going to war

Question 5

The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan

Answer 5

The Truman Doctrine)

• Speech to congress
• $400 million —> Greece + Turkey
• Democracy = good Communism = Evil
• Willing to send troops to countries resisting communism
• Isolationism —> Containment

Marshall Plan)

• Outcome of Truman Doctrine
• $13 billion given to EU countries to rebuild

Question 6

Cominform and Comecon

Answer 6

Cominform)
1947 association of communist parties in EU
-Let Stalin control government of satellite states
-Rejected Marshall plan
-Spread propaganda
-Ensured loyalty of Eastern EU governments

Comecon)
1949 wanted communist states to keep independence from capitalism
-Direct opposition to Marshall plan 2 years after it
-discouraged trade with US
-Increased USSR trade and goods

Question 7

Bizonia.

Answer 7

Germany = two different political camps

-Soviets wanted to use Germany to rebuild USSR
-But West wanted to build German economy
—–>resist communism
Deutchsmark = 2 separate economies

Question 8

Causes, events and results of the Berlin Crisis (1948–49), including the setting up of NATO and the creation of two Germanys: the Federal Republic (FRG) and the Democratic Republic (GDR).

Answer 8

Causes)

• Using money from the Marshall Aid programme
• Allies helping Germans rebuild economy

-Deutchsmark = new, stable currency that would be used throughout their zones and they created jobs for workers in the Western sectors.

-At a meeting in London in January 1948, Britain and the USA joined their zones together to create Bizonia to make it easier to administer these areas. France would later join and they changed the name to West Germany. Stalin was not invited to this meeting in London. He was also denied access to the minutes of this meeting.
Violated Potsdam

Events)

• Stalin wanted to challenge Truman
• Cut off Berlin from Trizonia
• Trizonia ran short of food + no comms to capital
• Stalin wanted West to let go of Germany
• —->Operation Vittles (Berlin Airlift)
• Flew food + coal into city (1000 tonnes day)
• Airport built at Tegal
• —–>1949 Blockade lifted
• At the end of the blockade in May 1949 the FRG was announced.
• By October Stalin has set up the GDR.

Short Term Impacts)

• –Raised Tensions—
• 101 people died
• Closest East and West got to confrontation after WW2
• Propaganda coup for USA —> humiliated USSR

long Term Impacts)

• –NATO—
• British felt they needed more security from USA
• To ensure there was an alliance
• If one country attacked —> all will help
• –Berlin Wall—
• Economic gap in Berlin (East + West)
• Brain drain
• Migration (East to West) 30,000 a month
• Stop this by Berlin wall