Soviet's International Position Flashcards
By 1945 what did the armed forces of the USSR consist of in men?
7.5 Million
How had the USSR increased its territory?
through absorbing the Baltic States and large areas of eastern Poland
Where did the Red Army remain in control of?
of the nation states in east central Europe
In 1943 when it was let that the war would eventually be won, a series of war time summit meetings took place to decide what would happen when war was won. When was the first summit which included Stalin in Tehran?
November 1943
When was the Yalta Conference?
February 1945
Who met at the Yalta Conference of February 1945?
The Big Three
How was it clear that Britain was an empire in decline aftter the war was won and that it would be overshadowed by the two superpowers?
as it was exhausted and bankrupted after the war
What was used to end the war with japan?
the US atomic bomb
The US development of the atomic bomb resulted in Beria leading the charge in Russia for a Soviet atomic bomb. Huge resources were committed to the project, when was the first successful test?
1949
What effectively confirmed the Soviet Union as a superpower?
their successful developed of a soviet atomic bomb in 1949
The status of the USSR was reflected in the United Nations formed in 1945 which hoped to be more effective than the League of Nations had proved in 1919. The USSR was one of how many permanent members of the UN Security Council?
5
The outcome of WW2 led to Soviet military domination of eastern and central Europe. This led to the formation of what?
a Soviet bloc
By what year had the countries under the Soviet bloc become satellite states closely linked to the USSR?
1948
What was a satellite state?
countries that retained their national identity but had pro-Soviet governments which from 1949 onwards became increasingly under Soviet control
Why did Stalin desire a zone of buffer states?
as he hoped that this would protect the USSR against future invasion from the west
In what year under the terms of the Nazi Soviet Pact did the USSR invade and occupy eastern Poland.
1939
IN what year, under the secret protocols of the Nazi Soviet Pact did the Soviet forces occupy the Baltic States?
1940
Between what months in 1940 were 22,000 Polish army officers captured and killed by the NKVD in the Katyn Forest Massacre in order to eliminate Polish nationalist elements who might oppose communism?
April-May
In what massacre were 22,000 Polish army officers captured and killed by the KKVD between april-may 1940?
Katyn Forest Massacre
What was the Katyn Forest Massacre of 1939-40?
Beria was responsible for about 40,000 Polish prisoners, killing 20,000 between April-Mary 1940 in order to eliminate nationalist counter-revolutionaries. In 1943 the mass graves were found and blamed on the Nazi’s. It remained a secret until the 1980s
From what decade were exiled Communist party groups from European countries trained in Moscow ready to infiltrate post war governments after liberation?
1930s
As soon as the Red Army entered Poland, where was a provisional government set up which was dominated by pro-Moscow communists?
Lublin
Extending the Soviet bloc in east central Europe took longer. In counties where democratic national governments were elected, how were communist parties instructed?
they were told to join with non-communists such as socialists and bourgoises liberals in order to gain a political foothold that could be built upon
What type of tactics enabled the pro-Soviet governments to gain power in Hungary in 1947?
Salami Tactics
What year did the pro-Soviet governments gain power in Hungary and Cesxhoslovakia?
1947
1948
What were Salami Tactics/
Named after the Hungarian leader to explain the subverting ‘bourgeois’ parties to gain power from within. Such as by quiet infiltration or targeting individuals.
Why in particular was Stalin very critical of Britain and the US during the war?
as they did not open a Second front to alleieve pressure on the Red Army
When was the Yalta Conference?
February 1945
What dominated the Yalata Conference?
disputes over the post-war borders of Germany and Poland
At what conference was there no final peace agreement and the differences which had been papered over in the yalta conference reemerged and become more urgent?
Potsdam conferences of July/August
How did Stalin become the ‘senior partner’ in the Big Three?
Church was voted out of government in 1945 and Rooselvent died in 1945
Between what years had conflict between the USSR and the capitalist West hardened into Cold War confrontation?
1946-1949
What was the Long Telegram of 1946?
this was a report sent to Washington from Moscow by an American diplomat urging the US to take action to contain the spread of communism in Europe.
What year was the Long Telegram?
this was a report sent to Washington from Moscow by an American diplomat urging the US to take action to contain the spread of communism in Europe.
1946
When was Churchill’s speech about the Iron Curtain?
1946
When was the Truman Doctrine which had committed the US to a policy of containment?
1947
The USR fear of Soviet expansionism was exacerbated by a telegram sent to Washington from Moscow by an American Diplomat in 1946. What did it say about communism?
that the USSR looked at international Marxism
When did ex-british primeminster Winston Churchill speak of an iron curtain across Europe?
1946 March
How does Stalin respond to Churchill’s speech of the iron curtain in March 1946 to the Pravada?
that the European states have “good-neighbourly relations with the Soviet Union” that had grown because of the dark days of Nazi Fascism
By what year was Western Europe in crisis from fears of complete economic collapse and political instability especially in Italy and France where communist parties were strong and Greece where there was a civil war?
early 1947
When did the Truman Doctrine assert that the new US policy of containment and rolling back communism come about?
March 1947
What came out in March 1947?
the Truman Doctrine which asserted that the new US policy of containment and rolling back communism had begun
when did the US put forward the Marshal Plan?
June 1947
What was the Marshal Plan of June 1947?
this was a massive injection of aid to rebuild Europe with generous offers to assist all European countries, East and West. Many historians believe this was a political weapon deliberately designed to extend American influence
What did Stalin believe about the June 1947 Marshal Plan?
that it was a fundamentally hostile plan aimed to US economic and political dominance
Soviet Bloc countries were pressed to reject Marshal Aid. In February 1948, leader of the Czechoslovakian communist party took full control of the government. What did the west regard these events as?
as a communist coup backed by the USSR
In February 1948, leader of the Czechoslovakian communist party took full control of the government. What did Stalin and the Czech call this?
the Victorious February
What was the effect of “Victorious February” where In February 1948, leader of the Czechoslovakian communist party took full control of the government?
this intensified splits between East and West over the Marshal Plan of June 1947
Who was the Soviet deputy foreign minister in 1947?
Vyshinsky
What did the Soviet deputy foreign minister of 1947 declare about the Marshal Plan of June 1947 and Truman Doctrine of March 1917?
that they were mechanisms by which the US were imposing upon independent states for influence (ironic), manipulating the devastation of war to place political pressure upon their governments.
What set the context for the Berlin crisis of 1948?
the communist takeover in Czechoslovakia
There was a clear separation between the Soviet Zone and the British-American French zones in the West. Why was Stalin frustrated with the problem of Berlin?
as Soviet power over Berlin had slipped since 1945
What surprised Stalin about the Western zones of Berlin in June 1948?
that the West had established a seperate currency in these zones
In what month and year did Stalin find that the Western zones of Berlin had established a seperate currency?
June 1948
When did Stalin launch the Berlin blockade which cut off all road and rail links between Berlin and the West?
June 1948
Why did Stalin launch the Berlin blockade which cut off all road and rail links between Berlin and the West in June 1948?
as he found in this month that the West had established a separate currency in the Western zones
