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History - The Cold War - Part 1 > The Origins Of The Cold War (1) > Flashcards

The Origins Of The Cold War (1) Flashcards

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1
Q

Define the Cold War

A

Ideological conflict which took place between the two superpowers (US + USSR) between 1945 and 1991, but involved no direct fighting

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2
Q

What are some characteristics of the Cold War?

A
  • Building up military/weapons
  • Proxy wars
  • Conferences
  • Propaganda
  • Espionage
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3
Q

Who was the leader of the US at end of WWII?

A

Harry Truman (April 1945-1953)

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4
Q

Who was the leader of the USSR at the end of WWII?

A

Joseph Stalin (1924-1953)

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5
Q

Who was the leader of Britain at the end of WWII?

A

Clement Attlee (July 1945-1951)

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6
Q

What were the two conflicting ideologies?

A
  • Conflict between the colonic + political system of the West and the East
  • West were capitalist
  • East were communist
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7
Q

Define communism

A

Economic + political system in which production (land, labour, capital) are communally owned

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8
Q

Define capitalism

A

Economic + political system in which production (land, labour, capital) is privately owned

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9
Q

How did communism develop?

A
  • Karl Marx, made Marxism, published The Communist Manifesto (1828), believed communism was the way + capitalism would eventually destroy itself to become communism
  • Reformed by Lenin into Leninism, which adapted Marxism to practically fit Russia
  • Stalin ruled using ‘Marxist-Leninism’
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10
Q

Who is Vladimir Lenin + what did he do?

A
  • Head of Bolshevik party
  • Lead the October Revolution to become the first Premier of communist Russia (1917-1922) then of the USSR (1922-1924)
  • Reformed Marxism into Leninism so it could be applied to Russia
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11
Q

What are some features of communism?

A
  • Opposed bourgeoisie’s exploitation of proletariats
  • ‘Equality for all’ (wages capped)
  • ‘No leader’
  • Single party
  • State ownership
  • Centrally planned economy
  • Generally lower living standards
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12
Q

What are some features of capitalism?

A
  • Equal opportunities, but not necessarily equal outcomes
  • Leader
  • Multi-party politics
  • Private ownership
  • Free market economy
  • Key freedoms of liberal democracy (e.g. freedom of speech)
  • Generally higher living standards
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13
Q

What is a free market economy?

A
  • Little/no gov intervention

- Prices set by supply/demand

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14
Q

What is a centrally planned economy?

A
  • Government controlled

- Prices set by government

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15
Q

List the significant WWII meetings leading up to the Cold War + their dates + which leaders attended

A
  • Atlantic Charter (Aug 1941) (Churchill + Roosevelt)
  • Casablanca Conference (Jan 1943) (Churchill + Roosevelt + De Gaulle)
  • Cairo Conference (Nov 1943) (Churchill + Roosevelt + Chiang Kai-Shek)
  • Tehran Conference (Nov 1943) (Churchill + Roosevelt + Stalin)
  • Yalta Conference (4th-11th Feb 1945) (Churchill + Roosevelt + Stalin)
  • Potsdam Conference (17th July-2nd Aug 1945) (Churchill/Attlee + Truman + Stalin)
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16
Q

When was VE Day?

A

8th May 1945

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17
Q

When was VJ Day (official end of WWII)?

A

2nd Sept 1945

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18
Q

What are the three most important WWII meetings in regards to the Cold War + why?

A

Tehran + Yalta + Potsdam
- Most influential in determining the position of the powers at the start of the Cold War, as they negotiated on the post-war situation

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19
Q

What was the general outcome of the Atlantic Charter (Aug 1941)?

A

Churchill + Roosevelt informally agreed on their joint goal for the rest of WWII: to seek no territorial gains, simply hoping for self-determination + freedom for all

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20
Q

What was the general outcome of the Casablanca Conference (Jan 1943)?

A

Churchill, Roosevelt + De Gaulle (the Allies) coordinated their strategy for defeating the Axis

  • Plans made to invade Italy
  • Plans to seek unconditional surrender from Japan
21
Q

What is unconditional surrender?

A

Surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party (they are completely at the winner’s mercy)

22
Q

What was the general outcome of the Cairo Conference (Nov 1943)?

A

Churchill + Roosevelt + Chiang Kai-Shek discussed strategy for defeating Japan and post-war Asia

  • Plans to seek unconditional surrender from Japan
  • Plans to return lands annexed by Japan to appropriate owners (e.g. Taiwan - property of China)
23
Q

What were the outcomes of the Tehran Conference (Nov 1943)?

A

G
- US + Britain agreed to open second front against Germans in June 1944

J
- Stalin refuses to open conflict with Japan until Germans defeated

P
- Start of negotiation for new Polish borders

EE
- USSR allowed to keep Baltic States, Finland, Romania (against Atlantic Charter)

UN
- Start of negotiation for a new world peace organisation to replace League of Nations

24
Q

Did Roosevelt + Stalin work well together during Tehran Conference? Why?

A
  • Worked well

- Bonded over anti-colonialism

25
Q

When was the Yalta Conference?

A

4th-11th Feb 1945

26
Q

Where is Yalta?

A

Ukraine

27
Q

What were the aims of the USSR (Stalin) at Yalta?

A
  • Maintain sphere of influence in E.Europe (via Red Army)
  • Prevent losses for USSR (partially make up via high reparations)
  • Keep Germany weak + unthreatening (dismember + reparations)
  • Keep Lublin gov as leaders in Poland, not exiled gov in London
28
Q

What was the Yalta Conference dealing with?

A
  • Remainder of WWII (Axis needed defeated)

- Post-war situation

29
Q

What was the Potsdam Conference dealing with?

A
  • Remainder of WWII (Japan needed defeated)

- Post-war situation

30
Q

What were the aims of the USA (Roosevelt) at Yalta?

A
  • Achieve post-war peace
  • Achieve self-determination for European countries
  • Achieve post-war economic reconstruction worldwide (via free trade)
31
Q

What were the aims of the UK (Churchill) at Yalta?

A
  • Maintain influence agreed in 1944 Percentages Agreement
  • Protect colonial interests
  • Restore fair borders (for Poland)
  • Achieve self-determination for European countries
32
Q

What was the 1944 Percentages Agreement?

A

Informal agreement made between Stalin + Churchill, that divided up Europe into spheres of influence, by allocating balance of influence in percentages between USSR + UK
E.g.
- Romania - 90% USSR
- Greece - 90% UK

33
Q

What were the main decisions made at Yalta?

A

G

  • Demilitarised, de-nazified, country and Berlin both divided into Four Power Occupation, governed by ACC
  • To pay reparations ($20 bill, 50% to USSR)

J
- USSR would join war against Japan 3 months after defeat of Germany + would receive South Sakhalin + Kurile Islands + economic privileges in Manchuria in return

EE
- Declaration on Liberated Europe (giving all people the right to “choose the form of government under which they will live”)

P

  • Confirmed new Polish borders, shifting Poland West (‘Curzon Line’ in East - USSR gain + ‘Oder-Neisse Line’ in West - Germany lose)
  • Free elections, NOT Lublin gov

UN
- Set date for Aug 1945 to have San Francisco Conference + finalise discussions on the UN

34
Q

What is the ACC ?

A

Allied Control Council

  • Used to coordinate the governance of Germany during 4 power occupation
  • UK, US, USSR, France
35
Q

What are the 5 areas on which decisions were made at the three key WWII conferences (Tehran + Yalta + Potsdam)

A
  • Germany
  • Japan
  • E.Europe
  • Poland
  • UN
36
Q

Why did Stalin accept the implementation of free elections in Poland during the Yalta Conference?

A

Satisfied by the confirmation of new Polish borders, which gave USSR territorial gains

37
Q

When was the Potsdam Conference?

A

17th July-2nd August 1945

38
Q

Where is Potsdam?

A

Germany

39
Q

What were any new aims of the USSR (Stalin) at Potsdam?

A
  • More expansionist - install loyal communist regimes in E.Europe
  • More strong - not be intimidated by nuclear threat
40
Q

What were any new aims of the USA (Truman) at Potsdam?

A
  • End conference quickly without submitting to USSR
41
Q

Why did Truman want to end the Potsdam Conference quickly?

A

Found out success about 16th July ‘Trinity Test’ of atomic bomb, so didn’t need to negotiate with USSR as they weren’t needed to defeat Japan

42
Q

How did Churchill describe Truman after the news about the successful nuclear weapon was delivered?

A

“Changed man”

43
Q

What were any new aims of the UK (Churchill, replaced with Attlee 10 days in when Labour won election) at Potsdam?

A
  • Be resistant against Stalin’s expansionism
  • Rebuild Germany (didn’t want repeat of 1919 Treaty of Versailles, when Germany had huge reparations for WWI and the poor economic conditions enabled Hitler’s rise to power)
44
Q

What were the decisions made at Potsdam?

A

Focused on Germany

  • Under Four Power Occupation, but treated as 1 economic unit
  • Demilitarisation, denazification
  • Restore freedoms (of speech, press, etc)
  • Abandon fixed reparations (each power take from own zone, with USSR taking extra 25% from W zones, giving back via agricultural products)
  • Nuremberg trials
45
Q

What was the problem with the Potsdam Conference?

A
  • Focused on Germany
  • Short
  • Harder to negotiate (Roosevelt, who had been a middle man between Stalin + Churchill, replaced with less friendly Truman)

This meant not enough decisions made about future of world + balance of future power globally

46
Q

When were the atomic bombs dropped on Japan?

A

Hiroshima - 6th August

Nagasaki - 9th August

47
Q

Why was Stalin angered by the atomic bombs dropped on Japan?

A
  • Threat to Soviets, as the US (conflicting superpower) had better weapons
  • Truman didn’t tell Stalin, but had told Churchill
48
Q

Did Stalin complete agreement from Yalta about waging war on Japan?

A

Yes (despite USSR not being needed) - invaded Manchuria to liberate it from Japanese occupation on 8th Aug 1945 - trying to still reap the rewards

History - The Cold War - Part 1 (8 decks)

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