The big picture of relations between the USSR and the USA between 1941 and 1991 Flashcards
In what year of World War Two did the USA and the USSR end up on the same side?
1941
Why were the countries not natural friends?
I. The USA had lost lots of money when the USSR had turned Communist in 1917.
II. The USA was close friends with Britain and relatives of the British royal family were killed in the Russian Revolution.
What was their “team of countries” (including Britain) known as?
“The big three” or the Grand Alliance.
What was held towards the end of the war to try and continue cooperation between the countries?
Wartime conferences.
Tehran - 1943
Yalta - Feb 1945
Potsdam - Jul-Aug 1945
Why were the USA and the USSR the only Superpowers in the world at the end of World War Two?
Other countries were a lot weaker compared to them.
What exactly is a “Superpower” when talking about countries?
A country with financial, military and cultural influence.
What began to happen between 1945 and 1948?
A Cold War developed between the USA and the USSR.
What was the attitude of the Superpowers throughout the 1950s?
Only cooperate if it is not at the expense of becoming weaker than the other.
What took place in the 1960s?
A series of crisis moments that meant the war almost became a real one.
What happened in the 1970s?
They tried to calm down the Cold War.
What happened in the 1980s?
The USA started the Cold War again after the USSR invaded Afghanistan.
What broke up in 1989?
The influence the USSR had over Eastern Europe collapsed.
What “collapsed” in 1991?
The USSR.
