Soviet expansion Flashcards
What did Stalin do to Eastern Europe that went against the agreements at the Yalta conference?
Instead of allowing free elections, he started turning Eastern Europe into a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Western Europe.
Why did Stalin turn Eastern Europe into a buffer zone?
He feared that Eastern Europe would be the doorway for an attack on the Soviet Union by the West.
What year did the Soviet Union take over Albania?
1945
How did the Soviet Union take over Albania?
A communist government took power at the end of WW2.
In what year did the Soviet Union take over Bulgaria?
1946
How did the Soviet Union take over Bulgaria?
In 1946 the Bulgarian monarchy was abolished and later that year a communist government was elected and gradually eradicated its opponents.
In what year did the Soviet Union take over East Germany and how did they do it?
- East Germany was part of the Soviet zone of occupation agreed upon at the Yalta Conference and in 1945 the Soviets set up a communist regime.
When and how did the Soviet Union take over Romania?
1945, in the 1945 elections, a communist-led coalition (made up of more than one political party) government was elected. The Communists gradually removed their coalition partners and abolished the Romanian monarchy.
When and how did the Soviet Union take over Poland?
1947, fearing that a non-communist government would be elected in 1947, Stalin invited 16 non-communist politicians to Moscow, where they were arrested. With their political opponents removed, the Polish communists won the election.
When and how did the Soviet Union take over Hungary?
1948, although non-communists won the 1945 election, a communist politician, Rakosi, took control of the secret police and used it to arrest and execute his political opponents. By 1948 the Communist Party was in complete control of the country.
When and how did the Soviet Union take over Czechoslovakia?
1948, Czechoslovakia was the last country in Eastern Europe to fully fall to communism in 1948. At elections that year only communists were allowed to stand and a communist government was duly elected.
Why was the setting up of communist governments in Eastern Europe a major concern to the Western Allies?
WW2 had been fought in the name of freedom. Now it seemed that in many countries the hard-won freedom from Nazi dictatorship was being replaced by communist dictatorships.
Who was George Kennan?
An official at the US Embassy in Moscow
What was the importance of The Long Telegram (1946)?
It shows that at this point (1946) there was still no concept of a cold war.
What did Kennan’s telegram say?
That the USSR was heavily armed and feared the outside world. It was determined to spread communism ad therefore there could be no peaceful co-existence between the USSR and the USA. However, the USA was stronger than the USSR and so communism could be ‘contained’.
