RED SCARE:REASONS (2) Flashcards
Soviet expansion of Europe, Satellite states, The Berlin Crisis
What did the soviets do in the last months of WWII?
Red army of SU liberated Eastern Europe from the Nazis, and stayed there after the war
What did the soviets do when WII ended?
1945 SU set up communist governments in the liberated countries,
Why did the soviets set up communist governments in the liberated countries?
Provided a ‘BUFFER ZONE’ which protected them from invasion from Germany since 25 millions soviets were killed in WII
How did others react to the ‘iron curtain’?
Western Europe and US thought the soviets were trying to takeover Europe
By the end of 1950s what was happening?
All countries of Eastern Europe had communist governments with most becoming SATELLITE STATES of the SU
When was the conflict seemingly going to turn hot?
In Germany 1948-49
What did Stalin do that almost made the conflict turn into a hot war?
Stalin was threatened by a recovering West Germany and June 1948, he blocked all supply lines into west Berlin
Why did Stalin do this?
To make the whole of Berlin dependent on the SU and free from western influence
How did president Truman react to the actions of Stalin?
Thought it was a test of his Doctrine so the Western allies decided to take supplies by aircraft’s into the city
What did Stalin do to the aircraft’s sent by the West?
Nothing, he knew if he shot at them it would be war,
May 1949 he reopened the supply lines,
What promoted Stalin’s fears of the threat of a recovered Germany
US,BRITAIN, FRANCE combined their zones of West Germany in 1946 without consulting the SU
