The Origins of the Cold War, c1945–1949: Developing Tensions - the Soviet Union Occupation/Control of Eastern and Southern Europe Flashcards
Timeline of development of Soviet Union occupation/control of Eastern and Southern Europe
• 1945
- No clear evidence Stalin wanted communist bloc in Europe
• June 1945
- Provisional Government of National Unity formed (Poland)
• October 1946
- Nikola Petkov wins over 20% of popular vote (Bulgaria)
• 1947
- Gottwald accepted Marshall Aid (Czechoslovakia)
• January 1947
- Polish communists and socialists combined
• By April 1947
- All other political parties had been banned (Bulgaria)
• September 1947
- Nikola Petkov executed (Bulgaria)
• 1948
- Gomulka accused of ‘national deviation’ and replaced by Boleslaw Bierut (Poland)
• By 1948
- USSR established buffer zone based on satellite states
- Soviet influence in Yugoslavia limited
• June 1948
- Benes resigns (Czechoslovakia)
- Yugoslavia expelled from Cominform
• 1949
- Hungarian communist leader, Laszlo Rajk, executed
• By 1949
- All political opposition in Hungary disappeared
What were Stalin’s initial post-war aims in Europe?
- Stalin believed all states the USSR liberated from Nazi occupation would fall under Soviet sphere of influence due to Yalta and percentages agreement
- In 1945, no evidence that Stalin wanted to create a communist bloc in Eastern Europe
- Initially, Stalin sought influence rather than ideological expansion
- Stalin’s initial intent to create a buffer zone based on satellite states was completed by 1948
In what year was there no clear evidence that Stalin wanted a communist Eastern European bloc?
- 1945
In which countries had the USSR successfully established communist regimes?
- Poland
- Hungary
- Bulgaria
- Romania
- Albania
- Czechoslovakia
By what year had the USSR established communist regimes in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania and Czechoslovakia?
- By 1948
Why was communism appealing to countries in Eastern Europe?
- Communists made up anti-fascist wartime resistance and were patriots
- Communism offered better prospects than capitalism in states with mass unemployment and economic chaos
- Communism offered employment and social mobility
Which parties usually acted as rivals for communists?
- Pro-agrarian parties
- Political parties focused on interests of farming communities e.g redistribution of land
- Many rural peasants supported pro-agrarian parties
How important was ideological purity to Stalin?
- Ideological purity came second to power
- Power needed for security
- Stalin willing to temporarily ally with other political parties to gain power
- Needed Stalinist puppets
Poland
• Lublin Poles
- During WWII, Polish government existed in exile in London
- But Stalin created pro-Stalin Lublin Government
- By agreeing to free elections at Yalta, Stalin able to preserve role of Lublin Poles
• Pluralist
- In June 1945, the Provisional Government of National Unity was formed
- Contained parties across the political spectrum
- Facade of free multi-party elections
• Opposition
- Polish Peasant Party weakened as communists allied with Polish socialists
- In January 1947, communists and socialists merged, making communists dominant group
- Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Gomulka wasn’t pro-Moscow
- Gomulka believed in Poland’s right of self-determination
- In 1948, he was accused of ‘nationalist deviation’ and replaced by pro-Stalinist, Boleslaw Bierut
Which Polish governments existed during WWII?
- London Poles
- Lublin Poles
When was the Provisional Government of National Unity formed?
- June 1945
Which party acted as rivals to the Polish communists?
- Polish Peasant Party
When were the Polish communist and socialist parties merged?
- January 1947
Which Polish politician was not pro-Moscow?
- Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Gomulka
When was Gomulka replaced? Who was he replaced by?
- 1948
- Replaced by pro-Stalinist, Boleslaw Bierut
Romania
- Easy for Stalin
- Communists popular as offered alternative to pre-war regime
- Red Army occupied Romania
- Minimal opposition
Bulgaria
- Involved gradualism, manipulated elections and forced removal of opponents
- Strongest political opponent was the Agrarian Party, led by Nikola Petkov
- In October 1946 elections, Petkov won over 20% of popular vote
- Petkov faced with trumped-up charges and was executed in September 1947
- Agrarian Party forcibly absorbed by communists
- By April 1947, all other political parties banned
Which party acted as a rival to the Bulgarian communists? Who was their leader?
- Agrarian Party
- Led by Nikola Petkov
How much of the vote did Petkov win? Which election was this?
- Petkov won over 20% of popular vote
- In October 1946 elections
When was Nikola Petkov executed?
- September 1947
By what time had all other political parties been banned in Bulgaria?
- By April 1947
Hungary
- Communists allied with greatest opponent, Smallholders Party
- Political opponents arrested and elections rigged
- Many Hungarian communists not loyal to Moscow and formed close links with Yugoslavia
- In 1949, Hungarian communist leader, Laszlo Rajk, was executed for ‘anti-Soviet’ activities
- By 1949, all political opposition to Moscow-backed Hungarian communists had disappeared
Which party acted as a rival to the Hungarian communists?
- Smallholders Party
Who was the leader of the Hungarian communist party? When were they executed?
- Laszlo Rajk
- 1949
By what year had all political opposition disappeared in Hungary?
- By 1949
What was Czechoslovakia’s political and economic climate like?
- Unlike most of Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia was industrialised and had large unionised working class
- Czech communists popular among rural peasants because they had given them land at end of war
Czechoslovakia
- Czech Communist Party leader, Klement Gottwald, became prime minister
- In 1947, Gottwald made mistake of accepting Marshall Aid
- Growing opposition to communists, but members of these groups resigned in 1948
- Allowed communists to paint this as attempt to create alternative right-wing group
- President Edvard Benes agreed to support communist-dominated government
- Benes resigned in June 1948, leaving pro-Moscow communists in full control
Who was the leader of the Czech Communist Party?
- Klement Gottwald
When did Gottwald accept Marshall Aid?
- 1947
When did members of Czechoslovak opposition groups resign?
- 1948
Which Czechoslovak president agreed to support a communist-dominated government? When did this president resign?
- Edvard Benes
- June 1948
Yugoslavia
- Initially in Soviet camp
- Marshal Josip Broz Tito was committed Stalinist
- When war ended, communist movement firmly in place
- By 1948, Soviet influence on Yugoslavia limited
- Conflict arose after Stalin wanted heavy control over Yugoslavia’s economic and foreign policies
- In June 1948, Yugoslavia was expelled from Cominform
- Leaders accused of abandoning Marxist-Leninism
- Yugoslavia able to survive due to aid from US
Who was the leader of Yugoslavia?
- Marshal Josip Broz Tito
By what year was Soviet influence on Yugoslavia limited?
- 1948
When was Yugoslavia expelled from Cominform?
- June 1948
