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History Paper 2: Super Power Relationships And The Cold War > The origins of the Cold War 1941-58 > Flashcards

The origins of the Cold War 1941-58 Flashcards

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1
Q

Cold War [definition]:

A

A state of political tension and military rivalry between nations that doesn’t involve actual war

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2
Q

Reasons for the Cold War [5]:

A
  • Russia lost more soldiers during ww2 than the US
  • Communism vs Capitalism
  • USA kept the development of atomic bomb a secret from Russia
  • Led to an arms race between US and Russia
  • Neither of them could decide what to do with Germany after ww2
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3
Q

Capitalism [definition]:

A

Encourages private ownership and wealth; everyone should work to achieve personal wealth

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4
Q

Communism [definition]:

A

All workers are equal; all property is owned by the state

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5
Q

At the time America was a …………… country

A

Democratic

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6
Q

Communism is ….[2]:

A
  • Non democratic

- Therefore there are no elections

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7
Q

Communists don’t…[2]:

A
  • Believe in religion

- Travel freely as they can’t leave their countries

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8
Q

What were the ‘great superpowers’ before WW2? [6]:

A
  • Britain
  • Japan
  • Germany
  • France
  • USA
  • Soviet Union
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9
Q

What were the only remaining superpowers after WW2? [2]:

A
  • USA

- Soviet Union

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10
Q

What does USSR stand for?

A

Union of Soviet Social Republic

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11
Q

During WW2 the USA and USSR…[2]:

A
  • Agreed to form an alliance in order to defeat Germany

- However once the war was over they went back to their old rivalry

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12
Q

How many soldiers did Russia loos compared to the US during WW2?

A

50:1

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13
Q

How many countries were there in the USSR?

A

15

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14
Q

What does the USSR stand for?

A

United Socialist Soviet republic

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15
Q

When was the USSR formed?

A

1922

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16
Q

When was the Tehran conference?

A

November 1943

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17
Q

Who were the leaders present at the Tehran conference?

[3]:

A
  • American president Franklin Roosevelt
  • British prime minister Winston Churchill
  • Leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin
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18
Q

Points agreed on at the Tehran conference [4]:

A
  • The USSR would have influence in communist Eastern Europe
  • The UK and USA would have influence in capitalist Western Europe
  • The UK and USA would open up a ‘second front’ by launching an attack on western Europe
  • Stalin would declare war on Japan and supply soviet troops to help the USA against Japan once the war in Europe was over
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19
Q

Points disagreed on at the Tehran conference:

A
  • Stalin and the USSR wanted to demand Germany pays reparations after the war whereas the US & UK thought it better to rebuild Germany instead
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20
Q

What was an important impact of the Tehran conference on international relations? [3]:

A
  • Stalin had arrived at the Tehran conference concerned that the US & UK were deliberately delaying a ‘second front’ against Germany so that the Soviet Union could be further weakened in the battle against Germany
  • He was pleased that the US & UK agreed to a second front during the Tehran conference
  • This dissolved any tension or hostility towards the US & UK for the time being
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21
Q

When was the Yalta Conference held? [2]:

A
  • February 1945

- 2 years after the Tehran conference

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22
Q

Who were the leaders present at the Yalta conference?

[3]:

A
  • American president Franklin Roosevelt
  • British prime minister Winston Churchill
  • Leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin
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23
Q

Points agreed on at the Yalta conference [4]:

A
  • After the war, Germany would be split into 4 zones owned by the US, UK, France and USSR
  • Germany would pay $20 billion in reparations half of which went towards the Soviet Union
  • A United Nations would be set up with its first meetings on the 25th April 1945
  • Nazis would be banned and war crimia=nals would be prosecuted
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24
Q

Points disagreed on at the Yalta conference [3]:

A
  • Poland and what would happen to it after world war 2
  • The USSR wanted it to remain communist
  • Britain was supporting the exiled Polish government in London which added tension as they were on opposing sides
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25
Q

What was the impact of the Yalta conference on superpower relations?
[2]:

A
  • There was a slight increase in tension as a lot of agreements mainly benefitted the USSR. For example, they got the majority of the reparations from Germany
  • Furthermore, the USSR and Uk being on opposing sides concerning Poland created a small divide between the superpowers
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26
Q

When was the Potsdam conference held? [2]:

A
  • July-August 1945

- Only a few months after the Yalta conference

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27
Q

Who were the leaders present at the Potsdam conference?

[3]:

A
  • American President Harry Truman
  • British Prime minister Clement Attlee
  • Leader of the USSR Joseph Stalin
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28
Q

Why was Churchill not at the Potsdam conference?

A

Churchill lost the 1945 general election and was replaced by Clement Attlee

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29
Q

Why was Franklin Roosevelt not present at the Potsdam conference?

A

He died on the 12th April 1945(before the conference) of old age

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30
Q

What was the impact of the Potsdam conference on super power relations?

A
  • The leaders did not agree on anything and so the relationships between superpowers worsened
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31
Q

Why was there tension between the Americans and the Soviets at the Potsdam conference? [2]:

A
  • Change in leadership (Harry Truman had a personal vendetta against Stalin and communists)
  • The new leaders were less experienced then Stalin and so he was able to manipulate them into getting what he wanted
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32
Q

The atomic bomb [4]:

A
  • 6th August the Americans dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima
  • three days later they dropped a second on the 9th in Nagasaki
  • The Soviet Union had made and tested its own version successfully by 29 August 1949
  • By 1964 Britain, France and China also had atomic bombs
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33
Q

The atomic bomb’s impact on Superpower relations [2]:

A
  • The atomic bomb drastically increased Cold war tensions as there was a new sense of betrayal for the Soviets as information on the atomic bomb had been withheld from them
  • It was released 4 days after the Potsdam conference which was seen as a warning to the USSR about if they continued to disagree with the US
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34
Q

The grand alliance:

A

The Grand Alliance (big three) broke up after the end of WW2

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35
Q

When did World War 2 end?

A

8th May 1945

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36
Q

How did Stalin feel about the disbanding of the Grand Alliance?

A

They feared that the break-up of the grand alliance would lead to future conflict between the Superpowers

37
Q

Dynamics of the Big three:

A

The UK and US were allies inside the big three, the USSR was not included

38
Q

The Kennan Long telegram [4]:

A
  • Sent from Moscow to Washington by George Kennan on 22nd of February 1946
  • He reported that Stalin wanted to see the destruction of Capitalism
  • He also reported how Stalin believed the rest of the world was hostile towards communism
  • Kenan also believed that if the Soviet Union was faced with a strong resistance it would back down
39
Q

The importance of the Kennan long telegram [3]:

A
  • The information received played a key role in America’s policy towards the Soviet union
  • It made the American government believe there should be a policy of ‘containment’ in regards to communism to stop it spreading
  • It reinforced the American view that communists were not to be trusted- creates further hostility against USSR and its communist ideology
40
Q

Who was George Kennan?

A

America’s ambassador in Moscow, he worked in the Soviet Union as a diplomat

41
Q

Who was Nikolai Novikov?

A

He was a Soviet diplomat working in Washington

42
Q

The Novikov Telegram [4]:

A
  • Sent from Washington to the government in Moscow
  • It reported that the US wanted to use its massive military power to dominate the world
  • He believed that since Roosevelt’s death, the Americans no longer wanted to co-operate with the Soviet Union
  • He also reported that the American public would support their government if they went to war with the USSR
43
Q

The Novikov telegram’s impact on the USSR [2]:

A
  • It had a major impact in Moscow

- It made the USSR change their strategy to developing, more protection Eastern Europe as a countermeasure to America

44
Q

Winston Churchill’s iron curtain speech [5]:

A
  • March 1946
  • Churchill was no longer prime minister at this point but he remained an important figure in the public eye
  • It was during a visit to Fulton Missouri
  • It was about how the Soviet Union was a threat to world peace
  • He was provoked by the fact that communist governments had been set up in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria
45
Q

What was Stalin’s interpretation of the ‘iron curtain’ speech? [4]:

A
  • Churchill was speaking and the US and so his speech had to be approved by Truman
  • This made Stalin believe that the speech reflected American beliefs
  • This speech along with the Novikov telegram created tension and mistrust between the Superpowers
  • It led to strengthening their military forces and anti-western propaganda, which was not appreciated by the other superpowers
46
Q

Soviet Satelite states [3]:

A
  • From 1944-45 the soviet army freed many countries in Eastern Europe from the Nazis
  • During the war, Stalin used these countries as a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Germany
  • After the war, he turned them into Satelite states with communist governments
47
Q

The Truman doctrine [5]:

A
  • 12 March 1947
  • President Truman delivered a speech to the US congress
  • The US was to provide $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey
  • He presented communism as a way of minority beliefs being forced on the majority, he also said it should not be able to grow
  • He said that the USA would send troops and economic aid to those trying to resist communism
48
Q

What was the impact of the Tuman doctrine? [3]:

A
  • The US discarded its old policy of isolationism that they used during the second world war
  • Instead, they replaced it with a policy of containment and was setting itself up as the leader of the fight against communism
  • This lead to superpower relations worsening as the USA outright identified themselves as enemies of communism
49
Q

The Marshall plan [3]:

A
  • Three months after the Truman doctrine
  • Speech by the US secretary of state, George Marshall
  • Between 1948- 1952 the USA gave $12.7 billion of aid plus $13 billion already given by the USA before the Marshall plan
50
Q

What was the impact of the Marshall plan on Western Europe? [3]:

A
  • It had a major economic impact in western Europe
  • It took until the 1950S for the Marshall plan to take full effect
  • The British foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, branded it ‘ a lifeline to sinking men, hope where there was none’
51
Q

What was the impact of the Marshall plan on Eastern Europe? [3]:

A
  • The US was unsure of whether or not they should offer aid to soviet satellite states
  • They decided that they would only offer aid if the countries agreed to be reviewed of their finances
  • Stalin did not agree to this and so Eastern European countries did not benefit from the Marshall plan
52
Q

Stalin’s interpretation of the Truman doctrine [3]:

A
  • President Truman aw his doctrine as a defensive measure to contain communism
  • Stalin believed that the Truman doctrine showed that the USA was trying to extend its influence in Europe
  • He also thought that the doctrine was undermining the role of the United Nations by suggesting that it was America’s job to protect the world
53
Q

‘Dollar imperialism’ [2]:

A
  • Stalin argued that the Marshall plan was the US’ way of using economic might to divide Europe
  • They also believed it was a method for America to establish an economic empire in Europe
54
Q

The overall impact of the Truman doctrine and the Marshall plan on international relationships from 1947 [3]:

A
  • The grand alliance was completely abolished as the US had now set itself in direct opposition to the communism and the soviet union
  • Stalin’s suspicions that the West was trying to crush the Soviet Union were confirmed
  • The Marshall plan successfully tied Western European countries into supporting the USA
55
Q

Cominform 1947 [5]:

A
  • Also known as the Communist Information Bureau
  • Was a political organisation set up on Stalin’s orders on 22nd September 1947
  • Its members were the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Communist Parties of the satellite states (9 members)
  • Its headquarters were established in Belgrade, Serbia
  • This new body gave Stalin a means of directing and controlling the governments of the satellite states
56
Q

What happened at Cominiform’s first meeting?

A

They rejected the Marshall plan and began spreading propaganda accusing America of being exactly like Nazi Germany

57
Q

Comecon 1949 [6]:

A
  • Established on 25 January 1949
  • Stalin created Comecon to provide aid that still abided by Communist principles
  • It had 8 members
  • Comecon was in direct competition with the Marshall plan aimed to support economic development in its member states
  • At first Comecon’s role was arranging trade and credit agreements between member countries
  • After 1953 the Soviet Union used Comecon to organise industrial planning across all the satellite states
58
Q

The 1948 Berlin crisis [5]:

A
  • Germany was divided into 4 zones as agreed at the Potsdam conference
  • In March 1948 talks between the foreign ministers of the occupying powers broke down and the soviets stormed out
  • With the soviets no longer co-operating, the remaining allies had to decide how they wanted to run Germany
  • Germany ended up being split into 2 parts when the allies merged into Trizonia
  • This later lead to the Berlin Blockade
59
Q

Bizonia to Trizonia [2]:

A
  • The British and Americans had already combined their zones into ‘Bizonia’ in 1947
  • In March 1948 the French added their zone to create Trizonia
60
Q

The Deutschmark [3]:

A
  • In June 1948 the three allies created a single currency to give Trizonia economic unity
  • The decision to introduce the Deutschmark took place at an ACC meeting in Berlin
  • The Soviets were furious about this decision
61
Q

Why were the Soviets angry about the Deutschmark? [4]:

A
  • The new single currency in Trizonia created a separate economic unit from the east
  • It acknowledged that there were in effect two Germanys; West and East
  • To Stalin, this was yet another example of how the West would gang up on the East
  • This is an issue because it creates a clear divide between the 2 superpowers which brings about hostility
62
Q

How did Stalin interpret the formation of Trizonia? [3]:

A
  • He saw it, once again, as the West ganging up on the East
  • He saw the developing of Trizonia as a deliberate attempt to force the Soviet Union into poverty
  • He believed that had a duty to protect Soviet interests in Germany as he believed it should all be united and communist
63
Q

The Berlin Blockade [3]:

A
  • In June 1948, Stalin decided to shut off the land routes across Soviet-controlled Germany into Berlin
  • He wanted to show France that a divided Germany would not work
  • The main section of Trizonia was no longer able to communicate with the capital, Berlin, and the people of Berlin would soon run out of food
64
Q

What would have happened if the Berlin blockade was successful? [2]:

A
  • Stalin would win a huge propaganda success at the expense of the west
  • Western powers would have to give up control of their zones in Berlin and allow the whole of the capital to be controlled by the Soviet union
65
Q

What was the issue in the West sending supplies to Berlin?

[4]:

A
  • The West knew that any attempt to force supplies to Berlin along the closed land routes would be seen as a potential act of war and might to lead to direct military confrontation
  • However, if they flew supplies into their zones in Berlin they could only be stopped if Stalin shot down the planes
  • This would make Stalin the aggressor and therefore justify war on the Western side
  • Truman doubted that Stalin was prepared to go that far
66
Q

Operation Vittles: The Berlin Airlift [4]:

A
  • The Western allies launched the Berlin airlift (operation vittles) They flew food, coal and other necessities, assembled in the allied zones
  • This was a huge risk as the pilots were not sure if the Soviets would shoot them down
  • The people of West Berlin joined forces to build a new runway at the old Berlin-Tempelhof airport
  • Ordinary citizens helped to unload the planes and hand out the essential supplies to all who needed them
67
Q

Stats and dates of Operation Vittles [3]:

A
  • In January 1949 no fewer than 170,000 tonnes of supplies were sent into Berlin by Western aircraft
  • On the 9th of May 1949 (nearly a year later), the Soviets finally gave in and lifted the Blockade
  • Stalin’s attempt to win a propaganda victory over the West backfired as it presented the blockade as an unwise and aggressive act by Stalin, seeing as the West responded peacefully
68
Q

Federal Republic of Germany, FRG (West Germany)

[4]:

A
  • On the 23 May 1949(3 days after the end of the blockade) the USA, Britain and France joined their zones once more to form the Federal Republic of Germany
  • 14th August 1949, the West Germans elected their own parliament called the Bundestag
  • 15th September Konrad Adenauer was the first democratically elected chancellor of the Federal Republic
  • They chose Bonn as the new capital of West Berlin
69
Q

The German Democratic Republic,GDR (East Germany)

[4]:

A
  • Stalin responded to the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany by creating the GDR in 1949
  • East Germany was much smaller than West Germany
  • The Federal republic refused to recognise the GDR as its own country as they refused to acknowledge that Germany had been split in 2 until the 1970s
  • The German Democratic Republic was only recognised by communist bloc countries
70
Q

NATO [3]:

A
  • In April 1949 the USA, Britain France and 9 other western countries joined together in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
  • The members of NATO agreed that if any member was attacked, all other members of NATO would come to its assistance
  • NATO resulted n an ongoing American military presence
71
Q

What does NATO stand for?

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

72
Q

The Warsaw Pact [3]:

A
  • When West Germany was allowed to join NATO in 1955 the soviet union’s fears increased as there was danger of an armed and powerful Germany at the borders of soviet controlled Eastern Europe
  • to combat this the soviets formed an equivalent defensive military treaty less than a week after West Germany joined NATO
  • The leadership of the Warsaw pact was entirely soviet and the alliance was under the command of the soviet union
73
Q

When was West Germany allowed to join the NATO pact?

A

May 1955

74
Q

What happened in January 1953?

A

Eisenhower takes office as US president

75
Q

What happened in March 1953?

A

Stalin dies

76
Q

What speech was given in 1956 and who was it by? [2]:

A
  • Khrushchev

- It was a speech criticising Stalin and his actions

77
Q

The arms race [6]:

A
  • USA developed the first atomic bomb in 1945
  • The soviets later developed an atomic bomb by 1949
  • In response the US developed a hydrogen bomb in 1952 which was 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb
  • One year later(1953) the USSR also had a hydrogen bomb
  • In 1957 the USA developed the ICBM
  • Just a few months later, the USSR was testing its first ICBM
78
Q

What does ICBM stand for and what was it capable of?

[2]:

A
  • Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile

- It could fire a nuclear war head more than 4,500 kilometres away

79
Q

Deterrent [3]:

A
  • A force that prevents something from happening
  • In the cold war many politicians believed in the ‘nuclear deterrent’
  • They thought that a country would be ‘deterred’ from using nuclear weapons if there was a risk that their enemy would retaliate with an equally devastating nuclear attack
80
Q

New leaders for the USA and USSR (from 1953)

[4]:

A
  • Dwight Eisenhower was elected president of the USA in 1953
  • Stalin also died on the 5th of March 1953 without naming a successor. This lead to a power struggle in the Soviet union
  • It was only in 1956 that Nikita Khrushchev became the leader of the USSR
  • The change in leadership made people hopeful on both sides that tension between the US and USSR would dissolve
81
Q

The Hungarian uprising [5]:

A
  • During 1956 the people of Hungary began to protest about their lack of political freedom ad problems caused by fuel shortages and poor harvests
  • In October there were riots in the capital, Budapest, and the police clashed with protestors
  • Soviet troops restored order but Khrushchev still wanted to replace the old prime minister Rakosi with Imre Nagy
  • Within days of his appointment, Nagy proposed reforms and reorganised the Hungarian government to include members of non-communist parties
  • He also authorised the release of many political prisoners and convinced Khrushchev to withdraw Soviet troops from Hungary and to accept reforms as it would calm down the unrest in Hungary
82
Q

Who was Imre Nagy? [2]:

A
  • He was a former prime minister who believed in the communist regime
  • Khrushchev replaced Rakosi with him Nagy
83
Q

Khrushchev’s response to the uprising [6]:

A
  • On 1st November 1956, Nagy announced that Hungary would be leaving the Warsaw Pact
  • Khrushchev could not allow this because if Hungary broke away from the Warsaw pact other Eastern European countries might follow
  • On 4 November Khrushchev ordered the Soviet invasion of Hungary, 1000 tanks were sent into Budapest
  • Supporters of Nagy put up a fight however it was futile
  • A new pro-communist government was set up under Janos Kadar
  • In July 1958 the Hungarian government announced that Nagy had been tried and executed
84
Q

When did Nagy announce that Hungary was leaving the warsaw pact?

A

1st November 1956

85
Q

How many estimated Hungarians were killed as soviet forces re-established control? [2]:

A
  • 20,000

- The Soviet army acted with great brutality

86
Q

The international reaction to the Soviet invasion of Hungary [3]:

A
  • Nagy and his Hungarian rebels expected support from the US
  • Radio ‘Free Europe’, a US government station urged Eastern Europe to rise up against the communist regime
  • The US and members of NATO offered no military support for fear that they trigger nuclear war
87
Q

What was the international impact of the Hungarian uprising? [3]:

A
  • It made Khrushchev’s position in the soviet union more secure and gave him a stronger position in the Warsaw pact
  • Members of the warsaw pact were now aware that they should not go against Khrushchev unless they wanted to be dealing with a strong military attack from Khrushchev
  • The failure of the Hungarian uprising reflected negatively on the west as the allies encouraged communist countries to stand up to the soviet union but were not prepared to back up their wors with military support
88
Q

When was the Hungarian uprising put down by the Soviet Union?

A

November 1956

History Paper 2: Super Power Relationships And The Cold War (3 decks)

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