Superpowers: Ace booklet Flashcards
What happened during the Yalta Conference?
Agreements promoted continued cooperation, but were not fully concrete or well explained. They built up problems for the future.
They agreed that Germany would be divided into four zones, as would its capital, Berlin. These parts would be controlled by USA, France, Britain and the USSR.
The USSR agreed to allow free elections in one of their occupied countries: Poland.
What happened during the Potsdam Conference?
It became clear that the two superpowers wanted different things, and showed that the new American President, Harry Truman, did not like communism or trust Stalin. It also revealed that the USA did not cooperate as much with the USSR.
It became clear that the USSR would not allow free elections in Poland, as they wanted it to become a communist country.
The USA did not tell the USSR that they would use an atomic bomb on Japan to end WW2 (the USSR was going to invade).
What was significant about the Atomic Bomb?
It increased America’s international power, and made the USSR think that they wanted to use it to scare the rest of the world.
The USA became the first superpower to gain the most destructive weapon in the world.
It began an arms race. The USSR gained the knowledge to make nuclear bombs in 1949, and later the USA developed hydrogen bombs and ICBMs. By 1961, both superpowers had the knowledge of ICBMS.
What was the significance of Kennan’s long telegram?
It set the scene for the US decision of containment. It also warned of Soviet aggression in the way they wanted to control satellite states.
From this point, the USA would be strong in standing against the USSR.
The telegram inspired Truman to come up with the Truman Doctrine, which was committed with containing communism.
