the origins of the cold war to 1945 Flashcards
liberation of poland
britain went to war over poland so wanted to ensure its democratic success, USSR wanted Eastern Poland which USA recognised
Poland liberated by allies at the end of the war, Stalin eliminated non communist opposition. 1940 4,000 soldiers shot at Katyn, NKVD began training Poles to from a secret police. July 1944 comittee of national liberation set up.
liberation of Romania
90 % USSR
USSR wanted to reannex some of romanie but usa and gb thought it was already in soviet sphere of influence so did nothing about it (no second front set up)
1944 Russia launched an offence, the romanian king employed the help of pro-nazi dictator antonescue. allied control commision (ACC) set up dominated by soviets but some others. National democratic front set up by communists after a coup in which NDF (national democratic front) became goverment
groza = prime minister, led national democratic front
liberation of Bulgaria
75% USSR
Soviets wanted access to central europe and be able to reach the black sea. stalin wanted to safeguard soviet control and not anger us/uk
september 1944 stalin occupied Bulgaria through Romania. a patriotic front had been set up by local communists, they seized government and predecessors were murdered incl 10,000 people
Stalin wanted them to be more rational in their policy making.
liberation of Yugoslavia
Tito joined forces with Communists
Titos communist army waged war on serbs/croats nationalists, and germans. Tito wanted to establish relations with bulgaria, ussr, and them but stalin did not unite with bulgaria
Liberation of Greece
Stalin thought Greece would be under British control and stalin and churchill agreed to stop tito and greek communists.
British forces ordered ELAS (partisan forces) to disband but a revolt broke out in athens encouraged by Tito. stalin helped britain with their troops to control this.
Liberation of Hungary
USSR wanted reparations and a communist government, britain didnt want it to go to USSR
September 1944 Soviet troops came and appeased the ceasefire, leader of state Horthos appealed for a ceasefire but germany took Horthy’s son prisoner and encouraged hungarian nationalist party (arrow cross party) to seize power in the west. communists complied with other middle class aprties but in 1945 Communists party did badly in the election (17% votes)
liberation of Czechoslovakia
USSR wanted influence in the government to use as a buffer zone, already had strong connections with ussr
1943 Czechoslvak government in exile in london (former president benes) negotiated an alliance with USSR.
still Stalin annexed ruthenia in eastern czechoslovakia. By 1944-5 more of czechoslovakia was becoming annexed and more power going to communist party..coalition government which cooperated with Moscow.
liberation of Finland
wanted to end the propaganda war
1944 - Finland granted an armistice by Soviet troops (they had to declare war on germany, pay reparations and give up important region on Arctic coast)
politically allowed freedom, finnish c. party weak so USSR had to rely on non communist parties.
liberation of Italy
aim of superpowers was to get rid of Musselini and replace with a liberal government
1943 Mussolini was overthrown and imprisoned and September an armistice signed, fighting between german troops and allies over rome and northern italy. all soviet requests to be involved were rejected by uuk and usa. italian government established
france
general charles de gaulle established an independant government with aims to rebuild french power. 1944 franco-soviet treaty of alliance and mutual assistance was signed in 1944 for defence against germany
tehran
november 1943
agreed to open a second front in the east
some discussion on polands border but nothing decided
roosevelt wanted stalin to agree that balkans would only be unified with ussr after a referendum
yalta
February 1945
Roosevelt felt he could work with Stalin
Germany not yet defeated
USSR had military advantage in Eastern Europe
topics discussed:
germany (split up into four)
reparations (stalin asked for 10 billion from germany bc he felt russia had suffered the most)
poland - borders to be moved west, churchill not happy but he agreed because he didnt want stalin nterfering with greece. northern poland got more territory from greece.
eastern europe
the un- all three agreed to join
war with japan - stalin agreed to enter once germany had surrended
potsdam
July 1945
Truman didnt trust stalin
germany (4 D’s - denazification, deutschmark, demilitarisation, democracy) usa and uk want to rebuild germany to prevent any further wars but they give 25% of reparations to USSR to keep Stalin happy.
poland - Communist government set up
eastern europe - Red army had occuped many countries in ee and communists governemnts were set up
war with japan - trueman told stalin for the first time about the atomic bomb
