Superpower Relations And The Cold War

Question 1

Time period

Answer 1

1941-1991

Question 2

What happened in February 1947?

Answer 2

Britain informed the USA that they could no longer afford to keep troops in Greece and Turkey, which alarmed Truman because he knew if Britain withdrew these countries were likely to become communist.

Question 3

What did the withdrawal from Britain lead to?

Answer 3

This lead to the USA having to get involved in Europe to prevent Stalin from spreading communism. This belief was the Truman Doctrine.

Question 4

When was Truman’s speech and what did he say?

Answer 4

On the 12th March 1947 in which he outlined his concerns for Europe. Truman was worried that the effects of WW2 would lead to countries becoming communist. As Europe was destroyed, there was unemployment, poverty and homplessness everywhere. He was worried that these conditions made the idea of communism more attractive.

Question 5

What was the Domino effect?

Answer 5

The idea that when one nation (such as Poland that had already been forced to take a communist government) fell to communism others would follow.

Question 6

What did Truman say about communism in his speech?

Answer 6

He said that communism was evil because the people were not free.

Question 7

What was the policy of containment?

Answer 7

Truman believe that the USA should stop the spread of communism

Question 8

What was the USA’s plan which carried out the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 8

The Marshall plan. In April 1948 General George C. Marshall the U.S. Sectretary of State announced the USA’s plan which provided $17bn in aid to help rebuild Europe to give people a stake in their own society.

Question 9

Who was given aid and how much?

Answer 9

Aid was given to 16 countries with Britain who recieved the largest beneficial of $3.1b and France who received $2.7 b. And of those with the real risk of becoming a communist country, Greece was the largest beneficiary, receiveing $376m. In order to receive the aid, the country must commit to trade with the USA and to review of the country’s finances.

Question 10

Was the Marshall plan successful?

Answer 10

Yes, in that it supported Greece in defeating the communist and it confirmed the USA’s commitment in containing communism, a policy which was to have far reaching effects.

Question 11

What were the concequences of the Marshall plan?

Answer 11

It deepened the rivalry between the USA and the USSR and confirmed the split between communist and non-communist Europs. Stalin saw this plan as a direct attack on the USSR, and he accused Truman of using the plan for his own selfish reasons, to dominate Europe and to boost the US economy.

Question 12

What was Dollar imperialism?

Answer 12

Stalin believed that the USA was musing money to gain control over Europe.

Question 13

What was Comecon?

Answer 13

Comecon (council for mutual economic assistance) wasnan economic agreement amongst communist natuons loyal to the soviet union during the cold war. And the Soviet Union (Stalin) created Comecon in response the US Marshall plan for recovery after WW2.

Question 14

What was cominform?

Answer 14

Stalin set it up in 1947. Was a buffer zone between the soviet union and the west. It got ride of any opposition to the soviet union’s control in satellite states which encouraged communist parties in western countries to block marshall plan assistance. The meetings Stalin spread anti US propaganda.

Question 15

What happened at the Yalta conference

Answer 15

In February 1945, decided that Germany ws to be divided into 4 zones, occupied by the usa, the ussr, france, and great Britain. The allies set up the allied control commission (ACC) to oversee the management of the zones and the military checkpoints were set up between the zones.

Question 16

Was the division of Germany temporary?

Answer 16

The allies only ever intender the division of Germny to be temporary however by the beginning of the 1950s it was clear the division would become much longer lasting.

Question 17

What were the different aims for the future of Germany from (Britain, France and the USA) and USSR

Answer 17

The western allies wanted to rebuild Germany’s economy so they could become trading parteners while the USSR wanted to use raw materials produced in their zone to help rebuild Russia who had suffered economically and militarily during the second world war.

Question 18

What happened between 1945 to 1947?

Answer 18

The allies met repeatedly to find common ground on the issue of Germany

Question 19

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 19

In June 1948, Staline blocked the land access to Berlin an action known as the Berlin Blockade. This blocked communications between the capital and the rest of the country and would mean the people of Berlin would run short of basics such as food and fuel.

Question 20

How did US president Truman not ignore the direct challenge?

Answer 20

He did not want to take action by leading to a declaration of war which the west di not want. So if they flew supplies into Berlin the only war the USSR could stop them was by shooting the planes down which would make the USSR the aggressor

Question 21

What was the Berlin Airlift?

Answer 21

On the 24th June 1948 the first flight of The Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles) landed in Berlin which carried food, fuel, medicines, and other necessities into Berlin. 1000 tonnes of supplies per day were delivered by the US pilots with a similar amount being delivered by British pilots.

Question 22

What was NATO?

Answer 22

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation which was set up in 1949. It was a military alliance made up of the United States, Britain, Canada, Holland, Belgium, France, Denmark, Norway, and West Germany (joined 1955). It was based around the principle of collective security; if one countrynwas attacked other countries had to assist it.

Question 23

What was the Warsaw Pact?

Answer 23

It was a collective defense treaty involving the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czachoslovakia, Romania, Albania, and Bulgaria which was set up on 14 May 1955 following West Germany’s entry into NATO on 9 May 1955.

Question 24

Destalination

Answer 24

When Stalin died, Khrushchev took over as Soviet leader. In 1956, in his ‘secret speech’, Krushchev hinted that Soviet control would relax. In October 1956, poor harvests and bread shortages meant that Hungarians started demonstrating against cokmunist conteol with statues of stalin pulled downand local communists attacked. Krushchev appointed a more kiberal Prime Minister for Hungary - Imre Nagy - in the hope that the situation would calm down.

Question 25

What lead to the Soviet Invasion of Afganistan?

Answer 25

Khrushchev disapproved of Nagy’s reforms and proposals as if Hungary left the Warsaw pact, other countries would soon follow. He was worried that Nagy’s actions threatened communist rule. in 1956, 200,000 Soviet troops invaded Hungary to depose Nagy and restore order. This lead to over 5000 Hungarians killed, including 1000 soviet troops. Nagys and his government were deposed and Nagy got arrested, tried and executed. Khrushchev made an example of Nagy to prevent rebellions in other communist countries. Which lead to the new leader Janos Kadar who introduced the fifteen point programme to re-establish communist rule in Hungary.

Question 26

What was the refugee problem?

Answer 26

Between 1949 and 1961, 2.7 million East Germans crossed from the East to the West in Berlin. The population of West Germany increased while the economy benefitted from an influx of skilled workers. Many left for the West, leaving the East with a skills shortage. This looked bad for the Soviets: people clearly preferred West Germany.

Question 27

Khrushchev’s Berlin Ultimatum

Answer 27

This stated that all Berlin belonged to East Germany and that occupying troops must leave in six months. The Soviet Union knew that if it tried to push the West out of Berlin by force, a war would start that it could not win, as the US had more nuclear weapons. Som a series of summit meetings took place between the leaders of the USA and the Soviet Union