Results Of The Crisis Flashcards
What where the three major effects of the crisis ?
- confirmed the divisions of Germany and Berlin
- it greatly increased East-west rivalry
- it led to the creation of NATO
How did western forces react at the end of the crisis ? ( think zones)
They announced that their former occupation zones would join together to form the FRG
Stalins responded by making his zone the GDR
How did this effect the rivalry ?
- Truman sees this as a great victory as he had stood up to soviet aggression and survived
- Stalin was humiliated and undermined however soviet people where not led to believe that
What did the Berlin crisis show ?
Western states even when joined together where not a march for the Soviet Union and needed the support of the US
What did the realization about the need for US support lead to ?
April 1949 the northern Atlantic treaty organization was signed or NATO
It was formed to stop the spread of communism
What did Stalin see NATO as ?
An aggressive alliance that aimed against the Soviet Union
Furthermore the decision to make western Germany a member of NATO and allow the area to demilitarize was seen as a direct threat by Stalin
What where the five consequences of setting up NATO ?
- USA now committed to the defense of Europe
- Stalin didn’t believe it was a defensive alliance and believed it aimed against the Soviet Union
- Intensified the arms race between the west and east
- within 6 years the Soviet Union established the Warsaw pact in 1955
- USA set up its owns missile bases in Western Europe and the UK