Start of Cold War Flashcards
What was agreed at Yalta?
- Stalin to enter war vs Japan
- Germany and Berlin divided into the 4 zones
- punish holocaust war criminals
- countries liberated allowed free elections
- UN set up
- e. Europe seen as ‘soviet sphere of influence’ to protect USSR
- Germans living in H, P and Cz to be sent back to G
- Nazis party to be banned and leaders tried
- set up a commission to look into reps
Why was Poland a potential trouble? (Yalta)
Stalin wanted their order moved into Poland, and Polands into Germany.
Churchill didn’t approve but knew he couldn’t do much as Red Army troops controlled it.
Churchill persuaded Roosevelt to agreed, as long as Stalin didn’t interfere in Greece. Stalin agreed.
What did each of the three want? (Yalta)
Stalin: ➯ westward expansion ➯ reps ➯ USSR and USA on good terms
Roosevelt: ➯ USA and USSR on good terms ➯ USSR take active part in UN ➯ USSR to fight Japan
Churchill: ➯ wants Greece ➯ don’t let USSR get stronger
What had changed from Yalta(Feb) to Potsdam(July-August) ?
- Attlee replaced Churchill
- Allies had atomic bomb. Truman told Stalin
- Sov troops remained in all ‘liberated’ e. European countries. Set up gov in Poland against majority wishes; said was preventing possible future attacks
- Truman replaced Roosevelt. He more anti-com and saw Stalin’s actions in E. Europe as prep for taking over rest of Europe
What were the disagreements at Potsdam?
- Germany: Stalin wanted to cripple it to prevent threat tu Truman didn’t want to repeat ToV
- size of reparations: Stalin wanted as 20m Russians had died and USSR devastated. Truman didn’t, as didn’t want a ToV
- E. Europe: at Yalta C+R had agreed on pro-sov govs in E. Europe. Stalin didn’t like and wanted to adopt a ‘tough’ attitude
What did Stalin do to take over?
• imposed pro-sov goes in many E. European countries, in an undemocratic way, banning other parties and taking over coalitions
• these countries easy for takeover as, like Nazis, thought that desperate times call for desperate measures
E.g. Poland joined coalition in 1947 then exiled the non-com leader
Bulgaria 1945 left wing coalition gained power then Coms executed leaders of all other parties
East Germany, 1949 turned zone of Germany into German Democratic Republic
What was the ideology of the USA?
- unscathed after WW2 but feeling vulnerable after PH bc home territory + can’t rely on navy ∴ wanted big army to stop trouble
- had to control Eurasia bc any enemy control would threaten key beliefs ∴ they put their troops there
- free economy- creates a more prosperous works and benefits them as they make 50% of goods and services
- hadn’t had failures, but USSR only country who could threaten them
What was the ideology of the USSR?
- paranoid about invasion via Poland, also Chinese and Japanese attacks
- wanted to install give in E. European countries, but also needed good relations with other leading countries
- wanted respect and equal voice in int. politics
- Stalin- cautious didn’t want to share power
What happened in Greece?
- after G left, two rival factions- monarchists and communists- fought for power
- 1945, Church sent in troops to ‘restore order and supervise elections’ but actually restore king
- 1946 USSR complained to UN but UN took no action, so Comms started a civil war
- Feb 1947, B couldn’t afford and announced that they were withdrawing troops, but the US paid
- 1950 king in power, but weak
What happened after Greece?
- Truman doctrine (mar 1947)➯ help (money, troops) given to any country under com threat to prevent com spreading. Called containment
- Stalin thought it imp to have security in e Europe ➯ seen as com spreading by west
- wanted to test com wo War
- hwvr other thought Us should be firmer and tell the USSR that thye’d attach militarily if continued to expand
- Truman also though Com succeeded in poor countries ∴ sent General Marshall o analyse europe. V Poor
- dec 1947 decided $17bn necessary, but congress refused as lotta $ + concerned about Truman’s int involvement
What happened in Czechoslovakia?
- CZ had had a part com coalition
- feb 1948, coms completely took over and purged anti-com leader. One minister, Jan Masaryk “jumped” out of a window
- Marshall aid immediately put in place(mar 1948)
What were the effects of Marshall aid on the world?
- though generous from US benefitted them as created new markets + Truman wanted to avoid another depression
- stalin viewed w suspicious and forbid any e. European countries joining it as it had anti-com aim, and he felt US trying to dominate Europe through it by making it dependent on US$
What happened during the Berlin Blockade?
- in w Ger, US, B and F had introduced new ££ (3rd cause) and reorganised to group all their land together(Bizonia)(1st cause)
- when Marshall Aid started, USSR started stopping and searching road and rail traffic into B(2nd cause)
- Stalin felt threatened(∵ he wanted to destroy G) , but though couldn’t do anything about $ etc, felt he was in power in Berlin ∴ blocked roads, railways, canals etc. (Jun 1948)Hoping to force allies out of Berlin and make it dependent on USSR
- if allies had tried to ram blockades etc. S could say it was act of war
- allies didn’t give in, as if they did, knew W ger may be next. try wanted to show serious abt containment ∴ from Jul airlifted in supplies(planes every 3mins, 1.5 m tonnes of supplies brought in)
- Coms did not shoot down planes, as this would be act of war, but continued blockade until may 1949 when S reopened comms, as clear wouldn’t make allies give up Berlin
Why was NATO set up?
- during BB war seemed real possibility ∴ western powers met + signed treaty to work together
- NATO set up april 1949
What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?
- germany firmly divided into east and west in may(west) and oct(east) 1949
- nearly lead to war, e.g. A had stationed B-29 bombers, capable of carrying atomic bomb, in B
- potential flashpoint btw NATO and USSR, as NATO surrounded Russia ∴ it set up Warsaw PAct 1955
- set out pattern for future confrontations. On one hand suspicious and would obstruct each other in any way, on other hand showed neither willing to go to war w other
- arms race: A+R realised they were in competition for world domination, and began to build up armies
