Roots Of The Cold War

Question 1

Why did the Grand alliance begin to break in 1945?

Answer 1

1. Largest communist, capitalist state and greatest colonial power
2. No common enemy
3. Different economic systems
4. Different ideas for dealing with aftermath of WW2
   - Relations between Britain and the USSR were harmed in the 1930s by the policy of appeasement, as it seemed to Stalin that Britain was happy to see Germany grow in power so that Hitler could attack him

Question 2

Who was at the Tehran Conference? When was it?

Answer 2

November 28th - December 1st 1943, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt.

Question 3

What were the areas of agreement in Tehran?

Answer 3

1. Britain and America agree to invade France by 1944 (The eventual D-Day)
2. Discussions about a future UN to promote World Peace
3. Stalin got tentative concessions about Poland: Part of Eastern Poland to become part of the USSR
4. USSR to help defeat Japan once Germany was defeated

Question 4

What were the areas of disagreement in Tehran?

Answer 4

1. Stalin was annoyed that Britain and the USA were being so slow to open a ‘second front’ to help him in the fight against Germany
2. The future of Eastern Europe and what to do with those countries was unsettled.
3. Although discussed there was no date for the entry of the USSR to the Japan war.
4. Stalin wanted control of Poland to protect the USSR from future invasions. Britain had gone to war to protect Poland’s independence. Churchill was suspicious that Stalin wanted to control Poland, especially after the Katyn Massacre of Polish officers by Soviet soldiers was discovered in 1943

Question 5

What were behind the scenes at Tehran?

Answer 5

• Was the US and GB against Stalin
• Roosevelt felt that he had won Stalin’s confidence.
• Churchill was worried that Stalin wanted to take ofer the rest of Easter Europe.
• Stalin was worried about Churchill’s suspicion.

Question 6

What was the Yalta Conference? When was it?

Answer 6

February 4th-11th 1945, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt.

Question 7

What were the areas of agreement in Yalta?

Answer 7

1. Must make sure that there are free elections, in the Soviet Sphere of Influence
2. Germany was divided into zones, each zone was to be run by an allied power (Britain, USA, USSR, France)
3. USSR got some land from Poland and Eastern Europe (had influence but did not control it)
4. Lublin Government in Poland was expanded by including non-communists (so that Poland is a mix of communists and capitalists)
5. UN was agreed to be set up, which would aim to keep peace after the War
6. The Big Three decided to hunt down and punish war criminals who were responsible for the genocide
7. Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany had surrendered
8. They agreed that as countries were liberated from occupation by the German army, they would be allowed to hold free elections to choose the government they wanted

Question 8

What were the areas of disagreement in Yalta?

Answer 8

1. Stalin thought that Germany should pay higher reparations to the USSR as he believed that USSR had suffered more.
2. Stalin wanted more land from Poland and he wanted the border of the USSR to move westwards into Poland and Stalin argued that Poland in turn could move its border westward into Germany territory
   - Church and Rose were afraid that this meant that Stalin wanted to control Poland, but they could not do much as Stalin and Red Army was in total control of both Poland and east Germany
   - Churchill persuaded Roosevelt to accept it, as long as the USSR agreed not to interfere in Greece where the British were attempting to prevent the Communists taking over

Question 9

What was the Potsdam Conference? When was it?

Answer 9

July 17th - August 2nd 1945, Stalin, Truman and Clement Attlee (British)

Question 10

What were the areas of agreement in Potsdam?

Answer 10

1. German reparations were agreed,
2. German-Polish borders were agreed.
3. Nazi party to be stamped out in all sectors of Germany.
4. Re-establish democracy in Germany.

Question 11

What were the areas of disagreement in Potsdam?

Answer 11

1. Soviet Union wanted to run the Ruhr but was rejected.
2. Stalin rejected USA and GB want involvement in Eastern Europe
3. USSR was disappointed about the free elections in Germany and Stalin wanted Germany to pay more reparations to them
4. USA and Britain complained about how USSR basically allowed a communist government to be set up in Poland which went against the agreement at Yalta.
5. The USA wanted free elections in EE, Stalin saw this as interfering in his sphere of influence
6. Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect the USSR against future threats. Truman did not want to repeat the mistakes of the Treaty of Versailles

Question 12

Why were tensions especially high at Potsdam?

Answer 12

1. Truman boasts about the atomic bomb as successfully tested on 16ht July 1945, made USSR worried, -leading to the nuclear arms race
2. Truman thinks that Stalin is another Hitler (EE)
3. Tension is rising and increased suspicion between Truman and Stalin (unlike Roosevelt and Stalin). Truman is anti-communist, and without Churchill the conference was dominated by rivalry and suspicion between Stalin and Truman

Question 13

What is communism?

Answer 13

Communism is a theoretical economic system characterised by the collective ownership of property and by the organisation of labour for the common advantage of all members.

Question 14

What is capitalism?

Answer 14

Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportional to the accumulation and re-investment of profits.

Question 15

What are Truman’s views on communism?

Answer 15

• Communism is Stalin’s Nazism and they are going to destroy liberated Europe and the peace in Europe which everyone has just fought so hard to save.
• Must show that the west is greater than the east. There is always the atomic bomb.
• Super power competition.
• Worried about international peace as they are just helping countries to get their own democracy after the war. Need to stop Stalin now!

Question 16

Why would Capitalists fear Communists?

Answer 16

• Their wealth is threatened as those who have worked hard for riches will loose all that they have earnt and there is little initiative to excel.
• Is equal distribution actually fair?
• Communism would just lead to anarchy.
• what about religion, tradition and culture
• Little privacy to live life free and government involvement in lives of ordinary people.
• Is it inevitable and would it descend into civil war?
• Is it going to work and are people going to share?

Question 17

What is the view of communism?

Answer 17

Marx’s: as capitalism grows, revolution is more likely - the press should be allowed to critique government and elections should let people express their opinions rather than be forced to choose only one type of government.

Question 18

Why did Stalin want control of Eastern Europe (1)?

Answer 18

1. Liberation
2. Soviet war triumph (Stalin saw this as proof that Communism worked if it beat cap. Germany an believed that they won the war and the USA and Britain only helped, 80% of German losses on Eastern Front so they had the right to shape future of Europe.)
3. Soviet war sacrifice (as many as 25million Soviets died in the war - Germans and food shortages due to harsh war conditions).

Question 19

Why did Stalin want control of Eastern Europe (2)?

Answer 19

4. Soviet Strategic Thinking (Stalin wants to control Eastern Europe to prevent paths for attack eg. Attack via Poland 1914 and 1941. And didn’t want Eastern Europe to become independent as they may (again) become anti-Soviet).
5. US Imperialism (USA most wealthy country in world in 1945) wanted to stop their spread of goods and business and stop them buying companies to get profits and increase their power.

Question 20

What was the most important reason why Stalin wanted control of Eastern Europe?

Answer 20

-US IMPERIALISM was the most threatening at the time as Stalin cares more about communism than his people and so as a good communist leader he believes that he must stop the US imperialism for example by creating a group of friendly communist countries to stop this American businesses from dominating the world. The USA lifestyle is also everything he hates and disagrees with.

Question 21

How did Stalin take control of Poland?

Answer 21

1. After war the Communists joined a coalition government and in June 1945 Poland was dominated by Lublin Communist Group
2. Western allies admitted defeat over Poland by ‘recognising’ the largely communist government on 5th July 1945
3. They became leaders in January 1947 after a rigged election. They forced the non-communist leader, Mikolaczyk into exile.

Question 22

How did Stalin take control of Romania?

Answer 22

1. Late 1944 Red Army swept through and coalition governments dominated by communists were set up
2. In February 1945 after Yalta Soviet politician Andrei Vyshinsky, ordered the King to appoint a new prime minister chosen by Stalin (angry and forced), Middle of 1945 communists in firm control. Therefore in 1945 a communist prime minister was elected within a left-wing coalition
3. November 1946 elections held, communists win 80% of votes
4. Monarchy abolished in 1947 by Communists

Question 23

How did Stalin take control of Bulgaria?

Answer 23

1. Late 1944 Red Army swept through and coalition governments dominated by communists were set up.
2. In November 1945 rigged elections were held and communist party won. 3. In September 1946 the monarchy was abolished.

Question 24

How did Stalin take control of Hungary?

Answer 24

1. Free elections in November 1945 Non-communist Smallholders’ Party wins over 50% of votes, so Left-Wing coalition won elections in 1945
2. 1947 Communists use control of the police to arrest Bela Kovacs, leader of Smallholders’ Party and force Prime Minister Imre Nagy to resign
3. Rigged elections in August 1947 and an exclusively communist party took power and imprisoned opposition politicians and attacked Church leaders (religion and power).
4. In November 1947 all non-communist parties were banned.

Question 25

How did Stalin take control of Czechoslovakia?

Answer 25

1. 1945 a left-wing coalition won election (communists and not)
2. By 1947 communists were the largest single party but still in a coalition, but still in a coalition
3. Communists control the police and armed forces
4. In 1948 when mid-1947 economic crisis (harvest bad and industry in trouble) communists feared they would do badly so they used armed forces to seize power (Red Army and a bit of Czech. military too!). Many non-communists were arrested and Masaryk (foreign minister) was murdered.
5. 1948 Rigged elections held shorty after and communists won a huge majority and all other parties were banned and made Czechoslovakia a Communist, one party state

Question 26

What was Stalin’s exception?

Answer 26

1. Yugoslavia as communist freedom fighter and national hero Marshal Tito was elected president after WW2 in 1945 as he led war-time resistance to the Nazis
2. Tito and Stalin suspicious of each other and Yug. never came under Soviet influence as he was determined to apply Communism in his own way
3. Tito and Yugoslavia were expelled from the Comintern and Cominform in 1948 and Tito accepted help from the West

Question 27

What are some of the reasons for the Cold War?

Answer 27

1. The disorganisation after WW2
2. Conflicting Beliefs,
3. Ignorance/arrogance/stubbornness,
4. Both powers
5. Tensions from WW2 and a lack of a common enemy.

Question 28

What was the USA response to the USSR take over?

Answer 28

Between 1946-7 tensions were rising as the USA were unhappy about the spread of communism

Question 29

What happened with Iran?

Answer 29

-Soviets were supposed to withdraw in March 1946 and the US criticised this at the UN and Stalin withdrew.

Question 30

What happened in Paris?

Answer 30

• In April 1946 the council of foreign ministers met in Paris.
• Byrnes the American representative blocked every Soviet proposal and criticised their policy in Eastern Europe.

Question 31

Why happened with Turkey?

Answer 31

• The US government blocked the Soviets plans to send Naval Ships through the Black Sea Straits to set up Naval Bases in the area.
• Turkey felt threatened.
• The US would use force and they sent American warships to the area to warn off Soviets.

Question 32

Why did the US get involved in Western Europe?

Answer 32

• After bad harvest in 1946 there was a economic crisis in Western Europe in the beginning of 1947.
• In Britain unemployment was high and food rationing was more than in WW2.
• Germany was close to starvation and refugees fled to Western Germany so there was a bigger shortage of food, fuel and jobs there.
• Risk of communist power in Italy and France. US had hoped that Peace from the end of WW2 would allow US isolationism but they guess not.

Question 33

What happened in Greece?

Answer 33

Monarchist vs. Communists.

1. 1945 Churchill send troops to Greece and King returns to power
2. 1946 USSR protest to the UN that British troops are a threat to peace in Greece and the UN took no action and so the Communists tried to take control of Greece by force
3. Civil War develops.
4. 24 February 1947 Britain could no longer afford this war so announced withdrawal.
5. Truman steps in a paid for by the Americans some British troops stay in Greece. 1950 royalists in control but very weak government, always in crisis.

Question 34

What was the Truman Doctrine’s aims?

Answer 34

1. The USA was prepared to send money, equipment and advice to any country that in the view of America was threatened by a communist take over.
2. Wanted Containment (after accepting Eastern Europe was communist he wanted to prevent the spread of communism any further).

Question 35

What were the Truman Doctrine’s motives?

Answer 35

1. 1947
2. Protection of the US interest and place in Europe (business?). Wanted to keep US a power (most powerful player in this geopolitical game). Prevent another war.

Question 36

What were the Truman Doctrine’s implications?

Answer 36

1. It established the policy of the US as an interventionist and defined (?) US foreign policy for decades to come ‘sees moral right to step in and save’.
2. Initially successful in Greece and Turkey: communist side defeated 1949 in Greece and Turkey remained part of the pro-Western group of countries.
3. ‘Doctrine’ applied to Europe and Middle East initially and eventually extended to the whole world, leading to war in Korea and Vietnam.

Question 37

What was important about Iran, Turkey and Paris?

Answer 37

-Iran had oil for the Soviet Union and Turkey had the sea (good for world domination) and Paris showed that the US still had a bad attitude.

Question 38

What decisions in relation to Germany, were agreed at Yalta and Potsdam? (4)

Answer 38

At Potsdam the German reparations were agreed and the German-Polish borders
At Yalta Germany was to be divided into four zones and the capital to be divided similarly

Question 39

What was agreed at the Yalta conference of February 1945? (4)

Answer 39

• Must make sure that there are free elections, in the Soviet Sphere of Influence.
• Germany was divided into zones, each zone was to be run by an allied power (Britain, USA, USSR, France).
• USSR got some land from Poland and Eastern Europe (had influence but did not control it)
• UN was agreed to be set up

Question 40

What did Stalin gain from the Yalta conference? (4)

Answer 40

• USSR got some land from Poland and Eastern Europe (had influence but did not control it)
• The Big three agreed that eastern Europe should be seen as a Soviet Sphere of Influence

Question 41

What was the Iron Curtain? (4)

Answer 41

1. Potsdam had ended without complete agreement on USSR expansion
2. However by 1946 Stalin had achieved domination of EE, with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania with communist governments who owed their loyalty to Stalin
3. The Iron Curtain therefore represented the border between Soviet-Controlled Countries and the West. This was described as an Iron Curtain by Churchill in his speech in March 1946

Question 42

Why was it difficult to reach agreements at the Potsdam conference? (6)

Answer 42

• The USA and the USSR disagreed over what to do about Germany. Stalin wanted to cripple Germany so that they would not be able to have a future attack on the USSR as in 1941. Whereas Truman did not want to repeat the mistakes of the ToV which had been one of the main causes of WW2
• Truman and Stalin had different ideological views which led to them disagreeing about the Soviet Policy in Europe. Stalin had wanted to impose a pro-Soviet government in EE, however Truman disagreed especially as he was anti-communist. This meant that Truman and Stalin were therefore unlikely to come to a final agreement that pleased them both.

Question 43

Why did the tensions of between the USSR and the Western allies increase at the Potsdam conference? (6)

Answer 43

• The USSR had not followed what had been agreed at Yalta in 1945. During Potsdam the USA and Britain complained about how USSR basically allowed a communist government to be set up in Poland which went against the agreement at Yalta. Therefore the USA and Britain had lost significant trust with the USSR and began to become suspicious of Stalin and his aims leading to higher tensions.
• During the Potsdam conference in 1945 Truman had boasted about his atomic bomb. This alarmed Stalin as this new nuclear weapon made the USA more powerful at this moment in time. Therefore the USSR as a result also began research into nuclear warfare. This began the nuclear arms race between he USSR and USA would lead to increased tensions.

Question 44

Why was the Truman Doctrine significant?

Question 45

How did the USSR have control over East Germany?

Answer 45

1. The allies had given the USSR control of the eastern sector of Germany
2. It was run by the USSR effectively under Red Army control until the creation of the German Democratic Republic in 1949

Question 46

How did the USSR take control of Albania?

Answer 46

1. Communists gained power immediately after the War
2. There was little opposition as during the war Communist and nationalist resistance movements had opposed the Italian and later German occupation forces
3. As the War ended, the strong Communist movement had the backing of Communist Yugoslavia and the USSR