The Cominform and the Comecon Flashcards
When was the Cominform established?
October 1947
What was the cominform?
An international organisation that represented communist parties across Europe and brought them under the direction if the USSR, it was used to ensure the loyalty of Eastern European governments.
What did the first Cominform conference do?
Reject the Marshall plan and aid from the USA
What did the Cominform encourage? (give an example)
Strikes and demonstrations against the Marshall Plan e.g in France 2 million people went on strike in the winter of 1947 demanding the French government to reject the Marshall Plan
How did the Cominform ensure the loyalty of Eastern European Governments? (give an example)
By investigating government ministers and employees and removing those who weren’t loyal, it was a violent process, 5% of Hungary’s population was imprisoned by 1953
When was the Comecon established?
January 1949
What was the Comecon?
Stalin’s answer to the Marshall Plan, and aimed to encourage the economic development of Eastern Europe, and to prevent trade with the Western World.
Who was Comecon comprised of in it’s first year?
USSR, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania
Who joined Comecon in 1950?
Albania and East Germany
What was a political implication of the Comecon and Cominform?
It would minimise Western and American influence
What was a economical implication of the Comecon and Cominform?
It ensured that the benefits of economic recovery i Eastern Europe remained within the Soviet ‘sphere of influence’
What was a social implication of the Comecon and Cominform?
Eastern Europe and Russia did not have access to the prosperity of Western Europe
Was Russia right to establish them?
Not really, economically beneficial to countries and having a buffer zone however dictating and using fear on people
Who was to blame for the deterioration of the relationship between the superpowers?
Russia increased tensions by counter acting the Marshall Plan however America created the Marshall plan
