Relations: The bigger picture Flashcards
In what year of WW2 did the USA and the USSR end up on the same side?
1941.
Why were the countries not natural friends? (2)
The USA had lost lots of money when the USSR had turned Communist in 1917.
The USA were close friends with Britain and relatives of the British Royal family were killed in the Russian Revolution.
What was their ‘team of countries’ including Britain know as?
The big three or the Grand Alliance.
What was held towards the end of the war to try and continue cooperation between the countries? (3)
Wartime Conferences:
Tehran - 1943
Yalta - 1945
Potsdam - July-Aug 1945
Why were the USA and the USSR considered the only superpowers after the end of WW2?
They were the strongest countries compared to the rest of the world, who were very weakened from the war.
What exactly is a superpower when looking at countries?
A country with financial, military and cultural influence.
What began to happen between 1945 and 1948?
A cold war developed between the USA and the USSR.
What was the attitude of the superpowers throughout the 1950s?
Only to cooperate if it is not at the expense of becoming weaker than the other.
What took place in the 1960s?
A series of crisis moments that meant the cold war nearly became a real one.
What happened in the 1970s?
The tried to calm down the Cold War.
What happened in the 1980s?
The USA started the cold war again after the USSR invaded Afghanistan.
What broke up in 1989?
The influence the USSR had over Eastern Europe collapsed.
What collapsed in 1991?
The USSR.
How was a Capitalist country like the USA run? (3)
Personal freedoms.
Private businesses.
Private wealth
How was a Communist country like the USSR run? (3)
Restriction on freedoms.
Government owns everything.
Government makes big decisions for people.
