The Origins Of The Cold War

Question 1

When was the Yalta conference?

Answer 1

February 1945

Question 2

Who were the ‘big three’ ?

Answer 2

.Joseph Stalin-USSR,
.Franklin D. Roosevelt-USA,
.Winston Churchill-UK.

Question 3

What did the ‘big three’ discuss at Yalta?

Answer 3

.Eastern Europe would become the Soviets ‘sphere of influence’.

.Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones: Uk,USA,USSR & France.

.Liberated Eastern Europe countries would hold free elections.

Question 4

When was the Potsdam conference held?

Answer 4

July & August 1945

Question 5

Who attended Potsdam?

Answer 5

.Joseph Stalin-USSR,
.Harry Truman-USA,
.Clement Attlee-UK.

Question 6

Why was tension increased at Potsdam?

Answer 6

.Due to Germany surrendering,the leaders no longer had a common enemy.

.Harry Truman was more suspicious of the USSR,due to his hatred of communism.

Question 7

Where and when did the US drop two atom bombs?

Answer 7

Hiroshima-6th August 1945
Nagasaki-9th August 1945

Question 8

How many years was USA the only country to have nuclear weapons?

Answer 8

Four

Question 9

What was the red army and what did they do?

Answer 9

The red army was the USSR’s army who had liberated Poland from Nazi rule causing a soviet-friendly, communist government to be set up there.

Question 10

Why were increased tensions between the USA and USSR called the ‘Cold War’ ?

Answer 10

There was no direct fighting because,both sides were afraid of another war.

Question 11

What did Churchills iron curtain speech demonstrate?

Answer 11

That Britain and the US now viewed the USSR as a threat not an ally.

Question 12

How did the USSR become influential in Eastern Europe?

Answer 12

Stalin installed pro-soviet ‘puppet’ governments in countries such as Poland,Hungary,Romania,Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia.

Question 13

What was the Truman doctrine?

Answer 13

.Where the USA pledged to support and nation threatened by a communist takeover,

.The USA believed it was there duty to help those who were facing pressure from communist forces,and that intervention was the only way to maintain both world peace and American security.

Question 14

When was the Truman Doctrine announced?

Answer 14

March 1947

Question 15

When was the Marshall plan announced?

Answer 15

June 1947

Question 16

What was the Marshall plan?

Answer 16

.The Marshall plan promised $17 billion of aid to European countries to help rebuild their economies,

.Countries receiving aid were expected to co-operate with the USA and to import American goods.

Question 17

What is ’Dollar imperialism’ ?

Answer 17

Using financial aid to gain power and influence.

(What the soviets accused the USA of doing to Europe)

Question 18

What is cominform?

Answer 18

(Communist Information Bureau) was set up in 1947.

The organisation brought together all European communist parties and placed them under the control of the USSR.

Question 19

What is Comecon?

Answer 19

(The council for Mutual Economic Assistance) was established in January 1949.

It placed industry and agriculture under state control.
Stalin also offered satellite states economic aid as an alternative to the Marshall plan.

Question 20

How did Yugoslavia challenge Soviet domination?

Answer 20

It had freed itself from the nazis without the red army,so owed less loyalty to the USSR.

Yugoslavia was communist but more open to the west and its leader,Tito,often refused to obey Stalin.

Question 21

What was the Berlin blockade?

Answer 21

Stalins decision that in June 1948,he would cut off all road,rail and canal links to West Berlin in hopes to force the west to withdraw from Berlin.

Question 22

What was the Berlin airlift and how long did it last?

Answer 22

The Berlin airlift was the West’s response to the Berlin blockade.

It lasted for 318 days and by 1949,8000 tons of supplies were being flown in every day.