The cold war 1943-56 Flashcards
When did the Tehran conference take place?
1943
Who attended the Tehran conference?
Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill- also known as ‘The Big Three’
What was agreed at the Tehran conference?
They all agreed that the Soviet Union could have a ‘sphere of influence’ on Eastern Europe.
What was disagreed at the Tehran conference?
Stalin disagreed with Churchill and Roosevelt over what to do with Germany. Stalin wanted to keep Germany crippled and weak, he also wanted them to pay reparations for all their damage. He wanted this because Germany had invaded Russia twice already, he wanted to keep them weak to be safe from future invasions. However, churchill and Roosevelt wanted to rebuild Germany and make it strong again.
Why did the Tehran conference take place?
it looked like Germany would lose ww2 so the big three met to discuss what to do with Europe after they had won the war.
When did the Yalta conference take place?
February 1945
what did the leaders agree at the Yalta conference?
- Stalin would enter war on Japan when Germany was defeated
- Germany would be split into 4 zones and Berlin into 4 sectors
- Liberated countries would be able to hold free elections
- Agreed to all join the United Nations to keep peace after the war
- Eastern Europe would be seen as a Soviet Sphere of Influence
What did the leaders disagree about at the Yalta Conference?
-Stalin wanted to move the border of the USSR into Poland arguing Poland could move its border into Germany. Churchill did not approve but couldn’t do anything as the Red Army was in both these countries. He agreed providing the USSR didn’t interfere with Greece
When did the Potsdam conference happen?
July 1945
Who was at the Potsdam conference?
Truman, Stalin and Atlee
What was agreed at the Potsdam conference?
- Nazi party to be banned and leaders tried as war criminals
- A line was to be formed between Poland and Germany
What was disagreed at the Potsdam conference?
- There were disagreements over Germany- Stalin wanted to cripple Germany to protect the USSR and Truman wanted it to recover. Stalin was suspicious over why they wanted to protect Germany.
- Reparations- Stalin wanted huge compensation from Germany but Truman did not want to repeat the same mistake.
- The soviet policy of Eastern Europe- despite the agreement on free elections in liberated countries, Stalin seemed to be setting up communist govs in eastern countries.
How did relationships between leaders change over the course of the conferences?
Relationships worsened as tension between the the Soviet Union and Britain and USA rised.
This was because
- of the new usa president- Truman, he was very anti-communist and was suspicious of Stalin’s eagerness to take control of Eastern Europe.
- Stalin was angry about Truman’s development of the atomic bomb in the USA , he was annoyed because Truman had not mentioned it and he was suspicious that Truman may be planning to use it.
What was the iron curtain speech and how was it important in relations?
The ‘iron curtain’ speech was made by Churchill in 1946. He said that an iron curtain had descended across the continent
meaning that there were now two parts in the world, the capitalist west and communist east. Stalin had cut off most contact with the west and had complete control of these countries. This worsened relationships as it confirmed the divide between east and west as tensions rose because Stalin saw Churchill’s speech as a declaration of war.
When was the Warsaw Pact set up?
1955
What was the warsaw pact?
The warsaw pact was created by Krushchev the eastern equivalent of NATO, but instead the members were forced to join. It was an alliance of eight communist states headed by the Soviet Union. Each nation pledged to support each other if attacked, Russia dominated the pact.
How did the US respond to the Warsaw Pact?
by increasing the number of NATO troops in Germany
What is the importance of the warsaw pact in international relation?
The warsaw pact was important in worsening international relations. It showed the lack of trust between the superpowers as they were willing to take precautions by gaining support from other countries, this built more tension and caused relations to worsen.
What was Cominform and when was it introduced?
Cominform was introduced in 1947 and it was the communist information bureau. Cominform was an organisation made by the Soviet Union to co-ordinated the work of communist parties in Eastern Europe. The countries met in Moscow and were briefed by Stalin, it also allowed the Soviet Union to remove members who disagreed with Moscow.
What was Comicon and when was it introduced?
Comecon was introduced in 1949 as a reaction to Marshall aid. It was set up by the Soviet Union so the USSR could financially support Eastern countries. However, it was mainly so the Soviet Union could control the economies of the states and give them access to the State’s resources.
What was the importance of comecon and cominform in international relations?
It was important as it worsened relations. The Grand Alliance (USA, Britain and France) saw this as a threat of communist takeover of Eastern Europe as it looked like Stalin was tightening his control on each country. This went against their agreements at the conferences that liberated countries would hold free elections, but Stalin was forcing states to be communist. This lead to the US increasing their stock of weapons and also lead to the Truman Doctrine which highlights this distrust.
when did Khrushchev make his ‘secret speech’?
1956
What did khrushchev say/do in his secret speech?
Khrushchev made an attack on Stalin at the Communist party International. He brought up gory evidence of Stalin’s purges and denounced him as a wicked tyrant who was an enemy of the people and kept all the power to himself.
What were khrushchevs actions, following his speech?
He began a programme of de-Stalinisation:
- He released more political prisoners
- He closed down Cominform
- He agreed to remove Soviet troops from Austria
