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History - 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

What 3 countries formed the Grand Alliance?

State their:

  • Names
  • Leaders
  • Political Stance
A
  1. Britain - Led by Churchill - Democracy
  2. USA - Led by Roosevelt - Democracy
  3. Soviet Union - Led by Stalin - Communist One-Party State
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2
Q

State the date of the Tehran Conference

A

November - December 1943

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3
Q

What 4 things were agreed at the Tehran Conference?

A
  1. USA and Britain would open up a second front by invading Nazi-occupied Europe
  2. Soviet Union would declare war on Japan
  3. Boundaries of Poland would be moved westwards. Germany loses land, Soviets gain land
  4. An international body would be created to settle future disputes - this built the foundations of the UN
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4
Q

When was the Yalta Conference?

A
  • February 1945
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5
Q

What 4 things were agreed at the Yalta Confernece?

A
  1. Germany, when defeated, will be reduced in size and would pay reparations
  2. Countries in Europe would be rebuilt along the lines of the Atlantic Charter (would have democratic elections)
  3. The UN would be set up
  4. Poland would be in the ‘‘Soviet sphere of influence’‘ but run on a broader democratic basis
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6
Q

When was the Potsdam Conference?

A

July-August 1945

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7
Q

What 4 things were agreed at Potsdam?

A
  1. The Nazi Party was banned and war criminals to be prosecuted
  2. Berlin was to be divided up into 4 zones
  3. Soviet Union was to receive 25% of the output from the other 3 zones in Berlin (did this happen? probably not)
  4. A Council of Foreign Ministers was set up to organise the rebuilding of Europe
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8
Q

Explain how Roosevelt’s death increased tension between the USA and Soviets

A
  • Roosevelt was key in holding the Grand Alliance together as he was willing to work with the Soviets
  • When he died, he was replaced by Truman who was much more suspicious of the Soviets.
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9
Q

When did the USA drop the atomic bomb on Japan?

A

August 1945

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10
Q

Why did the USA’s attack on Japan cause tension?

A
  • Truman felt he could push around Stalin, with his new-found confidence due to the bomb’s success
  • Stalin disliked the way in which Truman acted at Potsdam 1945
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11
Q

Why did Britain ‘‘fall out’’ of the Cold War?

A
  • It was economically exhausted after the war therefore wasn’t able to stand up to the Soviets by itself
  • It became an ally of the USA, however the Cold War became primarily about the US and The Soviets
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12
Q

Describe 3 differences between Capitalism and Communism

A
  1. Capitalism stated everyone should be free to make money for themselves whereas communism stated that capitalism only makes some people rich by exploiting others
  2. Capitalism stated that individuals are better at deciding to make/sell than the state whilst communism stated it’s stronger to have everyone working together for the same aim
  3. Capitalism stated trade between countries makes everyone richer, whilst communism said that the state should take control of the economy and run it to benefit all.
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13
Q

What year did both superpowers send telegrams?

A

1946

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14
Q

Describe the American Telegram

A

The Long / Kennan Telegram

It stated that:

  • The Soviet union saw capitalism as a threat to communism that had tobe destroyed
  • The Soviets were building its military power
  • Peace between the two was unlikely
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15
Q

Describe the Soviet Telegram

A

Novikov’s Telegram

It stated that:

  • The USA wanted world domination and was building military power
  • The Soviet Union was the only country left that could stand up to them
  • the USA was preparing its people for war
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16
Q

How did the Soviet Union use ‘‘salami tactics’’?

A
  • Salami Tactics consisted of fixed elections and shutting down opposition parties
  • At Yalta and Potsdam, the Soviets agreed to have free elections, however after they realised no one was voting for communism, they fixed the elctions.
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17
Q

How did Bulgaria become communist?

A
  • Communist government elected in 1945
  • All elected non-communists were executed
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18
Q

How did Romania become communist?

A
  • A communist-led coalition took power.
  • By 1947, communists had taken over and it was now a one-party state
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19
Q

How did Poland become communist?

A
  • At Yalta, Stalin had promised a joint government.
  • However, he then invited 16 non-communist leaders to Moscow adn arrested them.
  • The communists then ‘‘won’’ the 1947 elections
20
Q

How did Hungary become communist?

A
  • Communists lost 1945 election
  • Rakosi took control of the secret police, executed and imprisoned opponents
  • Turned Hungary into a communist state
21
Q

How did Czechoslavakia become communist?

A
  • Edward Benes set up a coalition
  • Communists controlled the army and secret police, so seized power in 1498
22
Q

When did East Germany become communist?

A

October 1949

23
Q

Explain two consequences of Soviet Occupation of Eastern Europe

A
  1. One consequence was increased tensions between the USA and the Soviets. The USA saw the Soviet Takeover as a betrayal of the Yalta agreement, in which Stalin had promised democratic elections. This led to tensions as the Soviets had directly defied their agreement, which was a hostile action.
  2. Another consequence was a change in the USA’s policies. It’s former policy of isolationism had gone, they now wanted to contain communism through military and economic assistance: The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid. This led to increased involvement of the USA in European affairs.
24
Q

What was Truman concerned about?

A
  • The spread of communism after the war
  • Many countries, like France and Italy, had people with no jobs and no money, making communism much more attractive.
25
Q

When was the Truman Doctrine (speech) and what did it set out?

A

It was in 1947. It stated that:

  1. Countries faced a choice of capitalism or communism
  2. The USA must try to contain communism
  3. It will provide money and troops to help combat communist takeover
26
Q

What was the Marshall Plan?

A
  • 13 billion dollars would be given from the USA to aid Europe
  • 16 Western European countries took money, including Britain, France and West Germany
  • This was to help them rebuild.
27
Q

When was cominform set up and what did it do?

A
  • This was set up in 1947
  • It stood for the Communist Information Bureau
  • It organised all communist parties and arranged they leadership such that Soviet Control is increased.
28
Q

What was comecon and when was it set up?

A
  • Comecon stood for the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
  • It was set up in 1949
  • It aimed to:
  1. Build up trade links
  2. Prevent Marshall Aid acceptance
29
Q

When was NATO set up and what was it?

A

NATO - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

  • It was set up in 1949
  • It was a military alliance based around the principle of collective security.
  • Britain, Canda, Holland Belgium, France, US etc.
30
Q

How was NATO’s creation significant?

A
  • It showed that future Soviet Aggression would be met with force
  • The Soviet’s felt threatened and led to the creation of the Warsaw Pact in 1955
31
Q

What was Bizonia and Trizonia?

A
  • Bizonia was created in January 1948 when the British and US zones were joined together.
  • Later, the French join was added to create Trizonia.
  • This soon became known as West Germany, which had Marshall Aid.
32
Q

Why was Bizonia unpopular with the Soviets?

A
  • Stalin hadn’t been consulted in it’s creation.
  • Furthermore, he felt that Bizonia went again the agreements made at Potsdam and he suspected the USA was aiming to permanently divide the richer Western Germany and the poorer Eastern Germany.
33
Q

What triggered the Berlin Blockade?

A
  • The creation of the Deutschmark , which was a new, stable currency that would be used throughout their zones and they created jobs for workers in the Western sectors.
34
Q

What did the Soviets do in June 1948?

A
  • They closed all road, rail and canal links to West Berlin to force British, French and US troops to leave their zone in the city.
  • The Soviet Union blocked all supplies into Berlin to show it had the power to stop a divided Germany working.
35
Q

How and when did the West respond to the Berlin Blockade?

A
  • They responded with an airlift, between the 26th June 1948 and 30 September 1949, thousands of tonnes of supplies were flown daily into Berlin.
36
Q

What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade / Airlift for both the West and the East?

A
  • The official formation of West Germany (FRG) in September 1949 whilst in October 1949 East Germany was officialy formed as a Soviet State
  • The USA appeared peaceful and generous whilst the Soviets appeared aggressive and threatening.
37
Q

What happened in 1945?

A
  • The USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese Cities.
38
Q

When did the Soviet Union test its first atomic bomb?

A

1949

39
Q

What was MAD?

A
  • MAD = Mutually Assured Destruction
  • By the mid 1950s, the development of nuclear wepaons included bigger warheads and missile delivery systems. This meant that any nuclear war would result in both sides being completely wiped out.
  • This resulted in the two superpowers having to find other ways of stopping disputes.
40
Q

When was the Warsaw Pact formed?

A
  • 14th May 1955
41
Q

How was the creation of the Warsaw Pact significant?

A
  • There were now two opposing alliances in Europe separated by the Iron Curtain
  • Both alliances planned for military action
  • The Warsaw Pact gave the Soviets direct control over the armed forces of its satellite states.
42
Q

Why was communist rule unpopular in Hungary?

A
  • Any opposition in Hungary was wiped out
  • Rakosi was a brutal ruler - calling himself ‘“Stalin’s best pupil’’
43
Q

What happened in October 1956 to trigger the Hugnarian Uprising?

How did Khruschev respond?

A
  • Poor harvests and bread shortages meant that Hungarians started demonstrating against communism e.g statues of Stalin pulled down.

Khruschev appointed a more liberal PM for Hungary, Imre Nagy, to try and calm the situation down.

44
Q

What 3 reforms did Nagy want?

Why was this problem?

A
  1. Leave the Warsaw Pact and become a neutral country
  2. Hold free elections
  3. UN protection from the Soviet Union

This was a problem as if Nagy was to succeed then other satelitte states may follow their lead and the Warsaw Pact would collapse.

45
Q
  • What happened on the 4th November 1956?
A
  • Khruschvev sent 200,000 Soviet troops into Hungary to depose Nagy and restore order.
46
Q

Describe 4 consequences of the Soviet Invasion of Hungary

A
  • Over 5,000 Hungarians were killed.
  • Nagy and his government were deposed.
  • Nagy was arrested, tried and executed to set an example for other communist countries.
  • Kadar was appointed, introducing the Fifteen Point Programme, which aimed to re-establish communist rule in Hungary.
47
Q

How did the Hungarian Uprising provoke an international reaction?

A
  • The USA supported Hungary’s uprising with money, medical aid and words. The USA accepted 80,000 refugees from Hungary.
  • However, the USA couldn’t send troops : would risk nuclear war.
  • It was clear to the Satellite States that the USA wouldn’t be prepared to defend them with troops against the Soviet Union, hence tightening soviet control.

History - Cold War (2 decks)

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