The Cold War

Question 1

What was the main underlying difference between the USA and the USSR?

Answer 1

The main difference between the USA and the USSR was the ideological differences between capitalism and communism. For example capitalism includes individually run businesses which are free to make profit where as within communist countries all property and businesses are government owned and run.

Question 2

State three other reasons for tension between the USA and USSR before ww2

Answer 2

• during the Russian revolution of 1917 the USA and Britain sent troops to destroy the new communist government
• the USA has deported thousands of suspect communists during the red scare in the 1920’s
• the USA, Britain and France lost under 1 million soldiers in ww2; the Soviet’s lost 11 million which is why Stalin thought they left the soviets to do all the fighting

Question 3

State the different aims of the west and the ussr at the yalta conference in February 1945

Answer 3

The west want to:
1) rebuild Germany
2) liberties countries should hold free elections
3) the UN should be set up to avoid war
The USSR want to
1) cripple Germany so they cannot start another war
2) receive payments from Germany
3) have control over surrounding countries
4) move their border further into Poland

Question 4

What were the agreements made and disagreements at the yalta conference in February 1945

Answer 4

Agreements
1) Germany will be split up into 4 zones
2) liberated countries will hold free election a
3) the UN will be set up
Disagreements
1) the soviet sphere of influence
2) Poland’s border

Question 5

When was the yalta conference

Answer 5

The yalta conference was in February 1945

Question 6

What were the aims of the west as opposed to the aims of the ussr at Potsdam of July 1945?

Answer 6

West aims:
-rebuild Germany
- liberties countries hold free elections
USSR aims:
- Germany should pay reparations of $10 billion to the ussr
- Eastern Europe should have influence over liberated countries surrounding them which will be communist
- the USSR’s boarder will move into Poland

Question 7

What were the agreements and disagreements at potsdam of July 1945?

Answer 7

Agreements:
- ussr will have a sphere of influence
- ussr’s boarder will move into Poland
- the nazi party is banned and leaders tried as war criminals
Disagreements:
- the USA and uk knew that Stalin cannot cripple Germany because that is what started ww2

Question 8

Why was Stalin able to get his sphere of influence?

Answer 8

Only Stalin remained of the three because Roosevelt had died so inexperienced Vice President Truman took over and Churchill lost the election to Attle
Stalin had an edge and these three did not have the chemistry of the three men who worked together to win the war

Question 9

What increased tension at Potsdam?

Answer 9

Truman told Stalin about the atomic bomb they developed in secret which increased tension

Question 10

When did the USA drop the atomic bomb and how does it link to the ussr?

Answer 10

Dropped in August 1945 the atomic bomb may have been a warning to Stalin

Question 11

Who made the iron curtain speech and when did they do this?

Answer 11

Churchill made the iron curtain speech on March 6th 1946

Question 12

Which countries had communist governments loyal to Stalin by 1946?

Answer 12

Poland, Albania, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria had communist governments loyal to Stalin

Question 13

Why were the USA, Britain and France concerned about the Soviet expansion?

Answer 13

They had agreed that Stalin would have a sphere of influence but they had thought he would allow them to elect free democratic governmens

Question 14

What was happening in Greece and Turkey in 1947?

Answer 14

Stalin Set up conform to keep control of his countries. Stalin was demanding territory from Turkey and there was a civil war in Greece so when the UK pulled their soldiers out of Greece Truman made the ‘Truman Doctrine’ which gave $400 million aid to help both countries and to stop them falling to communism

Question 15

When and why did Truman set up Marshall aid?

Answer 15

Truman set up Marshall aid to stop the spread of communism which was most common in poor countries. It was passed in 1948 when Czechoslovakia fell to communism and $17 billion was offered to countries to help rebuild Europe.

Question 16

What was Stalin’s response to the Truman doctrine and Marshall plan?

Answer 16

He banned the satellite states from applying for Marshall aid and set up his own comecon

Question 17

When was the Berlin blockade and what happened?

Answer 17

The usa, UK, and France combined their zones in Germany and Berlin without telling Stalin who thought as Berlin was so deep inside west Germany he should have control anyway. He cut off all links from west Germany to west Berlin to hopefully starve them into submission. In 1948 for the next 11 months the allies air dropped supplies in until Stalin re opened links

Question 18

When did Japanese occupation end in China and what happened after? How was the USA involved?

Answer 18

Japanese occupation ended in 1945 and a civil war began between nationalists and communists. The USA backed the poorly led unpopular nationalists

Question 19

What happened in Korea in 1948?

Answer 19

It splits into communist north and anti communist south

Question 20

When did China become communist and what happened after?

Answer 20

China became communist in 1949 and it signs a treaty of friendship with the ussr in 1950

Question 21

Why does the USSR boycott the UN security council in 1950?

Answer 21

Because the UN refuse to recognise the new communist leader of China

Question 22

Describe the Korean war of 1950-53

Answer 22

North Korea invades south Korea in 1950 and take over quickly, the U.S.A go to the UN for help for south Korea it is passed without objection because the USSR who would have vetoed this were boycotting. UN forces push back to the Chinese boarder where China join the war and push them back to south Korea . A truce is signed in 1953

Question 23

When did the USSR develop the atomic bomb?

Answer 23

The USSR developed the atomic bomb in 1949 earlier than the USA expected

Question 24

What is NATO?

Answer 24

NATO or the north Atlantic treaty organisation is a military bloc set up by the USA 1949 to station troops in Europe and protect members from invasion

Question 25

Who developed the H-bomb when and how powerful was it?

Answer 25

The USA developed the H-bomb in 1952 it was 1000x more powerful than the atomic bomb. The USSR developed it in 1953

Question 26

What military advancements were made in 1954

Answer 26

Both the USA and closely followed by the USSR developed a H-bomb that could be dropped from a plane

Question 27

Why did Khrushchev create his military pact and what was it called?

Answer 27

Khrushchev created the Warsaw pact in 1955 in response to west Germany joining NATO and being allowed its own army

Question 28

Who launched the first satellite?

Answer 28

In 1955 USA announce plans to make a satellite but are beaten to it when the USSR launch Sputnik in 1957 and Sputnik 2 which carries a dog

Question 29

What is an intercontinental ballistic missile?

Answer 29

An intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM cab be fired into space and brought down on any target. It was first tested by the USSR in 1957 and then by the USA in 1959

Question 30

When did the USA launch explorer 1?

Answer 30

The USA launched explorer 1 in 1958

Question 31

When did the USA set up NASA

Answer 31

The USA set up NASA in 1958

Question 32

What dud the USA develop in 1960?

Answer 32

The USA developed Polaris missiles which could be fired from a submarine in 1960

Question 33

Who did the USSR put into space?

Answer 33

The USSR put Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961

Question 34

When did the USA a

Complete Apollo

Answer 34

The USA completed Apollo in 1969 when they put a man on the moon

Question 35

When did Stalin die?

Answer 35

Stalin died in 1953

Question 36

Who took power in the ussr after Stalin’s death?

Answer 36

The user was ruled by collective leader ship for two years until Khrushchev took power in 1955

Question 37

What was Khrushchev De stalinisation

Answer 37

De stalinisation was an effort of downgrade Stalin’s reputation and soften his repressive manners

Question 38

What did Khrushchev do towards De stalinisation

Answer 38

He criticized Stalin’s purges and tyranny in a speech in 1956
He freed a number of political prisoners
He removed Soviet troops from austria
He closed down cominform
He dismissed motolov Stalin’s controversial foreign minister
He relaxed control and censorship
He improved living standards
He talked of peaceful coexistence with the USA

Question 39

What is a theory on why Khrushchev did De stalinisation

Answer 39

There is a theory that Khrushchev only used de stalinisation to see which countries would try to break away and crush them

Question 40

What was Hungary like post ww2?

Answer 40

Hungary was a communist satellite state run by Stalin supporter Rakosi

Question 41

Why did the Hungarian uprising begin?

Answer 41

The Hungarian uprising began because after Kruschevs attack on Stalin in 1956 Rakosi was forced to resign and the Hungarians expected a better quality of life and more freedom like other satellite states but didn’t receive it so they protested

Question 42

What happened during the Hungarian uprising?

Answer 42

Huge worker and student protests began in October 1956 against the soviet troops and the government. It erupted into violence and the rebel’s pulled down a statue of Stalin and freed political prisoners. Kadar the leader was forced to resign and Kruschev agreed the popular Nagy should become the head. He proposed reforms like free elections and an end to the secret police which surprisingly kruschev agreed with. However after broadcasting that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact kruschev feared others would follow and sent troops and tanks to brutally restore order. The UN refused to intervene for fear of causing a WW. The rebel’s were defeated in two weeks

Question 43

What was the consequence of the Hungarian uprising?

Answer 43

• 20,000 Hungarians fled to Austria
• Nagy was executed
• new communist leader Kadar arrested 35,000 people for anti communist activities
• it served as a warning to other satellite states and there was not another

Question 44

Explain the events of the U2 crisis

Answer 44

1950’s- the USA develop the U2 spy plane that flies so high (they think) it cannot be shot down and has cameras so strong they can read a newspaper from 23km. Used for gaming intelligence on the USSR’s weapons
1960- U2 pilot Gary powers is shot down in soviet airspace. The USA deny all knowledge. USSR come out with proof and they are forced to admit. Kruschev pulls out of the Paris summit after Eisenhower refuses to apologise
1962- after being sentenced to 10 years powers is swapped for a captured soviet spy

Question 45

What was the consequence of the U2 crisis?

Answer 45

It was the end of the thaw and tensions increased along with risk of a nuclear war.

Question 46

What were the reasons for the berlin wall?

Answer 46

The main reason Khrushchev built the berlin was was that too many highly skilled people were moving from east to west Berlin. This is because the western powers had deliberately poured a lot of money into west Berlin and there was a much better quality of life more shops, goods, jobs an freedom. Also many people had seen what happened in Hungary and wanted to move to west Germany to get away from Soviet control. However this undermined communism

Question 47

Describe what happened during the berlin wall

Answer 47

On the 13th August 1961 Khrushchev ordered a wall of barbed wire to be built across the boarder between east and west Berlin to stop people crossing. It was soon replaced with concrete and guarded by soldiers who shot those who tried to cross. The only place you could cross was checkpoint charlie. In October 1961 Soviet tanks denied US soldiers and diplomats entry to the east across check point Charlie . There was an 18 hour standoff between US and Soviet tanks. Finally both sides retreated

Question 48

What were the consequences of the berlin wall?

Answer 48

The Berlin wall didn’t come down until 1989
Many people were separated from workplaces and family
There was a real risk of a war during the stand off

Question 49

What were the causes of the Vietnam war?

Answer 49

Vietnam was a French colony for 60 years before WW2 where it was taken over by Japan. The French return to claim power in 1946 after the war but are defeated by the Vietmihn led by ho chi Minh. and Vietnam is split into communist north and anti communist south led by dictator diem. Diem is huffy unpopular and corrupt.

Question 50

What happened during the Vietnam war?

Answer 50

The Vietnam war was backed by the USA who sent military aid to south Vietnam. However the U.S. army underestimated their opponents. They fought from 1955-1973 when they pulled out of the war and Vietnam becomes communist two years later

Question 51

What were the consequences of the Vietnam war

Answer 51

The consequences of the Vietnam war worth that it cost 60,000 US death and cost $600 billion it also increased tension between the USSR and the USSR at the USA had fought against communism

Question 52

What were the causes of the Cuban missile crisis

Answer 52

Cuba was led by dictator Batista in 1956 rebels led by castro lead an army to overthrow Batista
Batista please and castro takes power he signs an agreement with the USSR the USA break off diplomatic relations with Cuba and give the CIA permission to try and overthrow Castro.
In 1961 USA supply 1400 Cuban excels with weapons to invade Cuba at the Bay of pigs all exiles are captured and killed

Question 53

Explain the events of the Cuban missile crisis

Answer 53

An American spyplane photographed missile sites under construction in Cuba the president considers military action Soviet ships carrying nuclear missiles are reported to be on their way to Cuba Kennedy imposes quarantine which is technically an embargo an act of war . Soviet ships reversing course . USA and the USSR agree that if the USS are publicly removed missiles from Cuba then the USA will privately remove missiles from Turkey

Question 54

What were the consequences of the Cuban missile crisis

Answer 54

the consequences of the Cuban missile crisis where that this was the closest the world had ever been to a nuclear war, in 1963 USA and the USSR signed the nuclear test ban treaty which limits tests and a permanent hotline was set up to ensure both sides could discuss issues before they escalated .

Question 55

What were the causes of the Prague Spring

Answer 55

the causes of the Prague Spring where that Czechoslovakia had become Communist after World War II had suffered under accrual and repressive regime the communist leader Novotny was unpopular and people demonstrated to change

Question 56

What were the events in the Prague Spring

Answer 56

in 1968 Novotony is replaced by new leader Dubcek. Dubcek proposes a different type of communism called socialism with a human face which includes reforms such as freedom of speech and press the left centralised economic control and ink creased trade with foreign countries . He would stay in the Warsaw Pact as he had learnt from events in Hungary . Soviet leader Brezchnev saw this as his first test . He sent 400,000 Warsaw Pact troops to crush the Prague Spring . Dubcek shocked by Soviet actions are you people not to fight like in Hungary. He was summoned to Moscow and replaced by more hard-line leaders.

Question 57

What were the consequences of the Prague Spring

Answer 57

USSR had demonstrated to other Satellite state how far they’ll go , Brezchnev introduced the Brezchnev doctrine which said in the event of a Communist country becoming capitalist it is the duty of Communist countries to prevent this and finally more tension between East and West .

Question 58

Gave five reasons for the détente

Answer 58

1) the Cuban missile crisis – became too close to a nuclear war
2) The Vietnam war – USA were hoping the Soviet help in leaving the Vietnam war with honour as it was leading to inflation
3) new leaders – Nixon and Brezhnev were more willing to talk
4) poor harvest and inflation- meant powers desperately needed to increased trade and save money on weapons
5) growing power in China – threatened both the USA and the USSR

Question 59

What agreements were made during the Détente

Answer 59

1963 – nuclear test Ban Treaty, 1968 – Nuclear non-proliferation treaty
1972 – SALY – strategic arms limitation talks limited ICBM and ABM on both sides