THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOVIET UNION'S INTERNATIONAL POSITION Flashcards
During the war what was built up?
a vast new military-industrial war machine
By May 1945, the armed forces of USSR consisted of how many people?
7.5 million well equipped troops
How did the USSR increase its territory?
by absorbing the Baltic states and large areas of Eastern Poland
What was the USSR, Britain and the United States alliance?
The Grand Alliance
What were the major summit meetings?
Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam
When was Tehran?
November 1943
When and where did Stalin meet Churchill?
Moscow October 1944
Where and when did the Big Three meet?
Yalta February 1945
What happened at Potsdam?
The Three Allies met
by this stage it was becoming clear than Britain, exhausted and bankrupt by the war
when was Potsdam?
July 1945
When did the US reveal it had developed an atomic bomb?
in 1945
what was this bomb used for?
to end the war with Japan
Who was in charge of soviet bomb?
Beria
When was the first successful test ?
August 1949
when was the United Nations formed
1945
why was UN significant
the USSR was one of the 5 permanent members of the UN security council
How did the USSr exert military presence over neighbouring national states?
used military presence to encourage the formation of governments that were friendly to the Soviet Union
What had happened to most of these states by 1948
most had became satellite states
what were satellite states
countries which retained their national identity but had pro-soviet governments
What were buffer states?
a term used to describe the satellite states of Eastern Europe emphasising Stalin’s intention that these should provide security for the USSR’s western borders
What happened at the Katyn Forest Massacre
22,000 Polish army officers were killed by the NKVD in the forest to eliminate Polish nationalist elements who might oppose communism
when was the Katyn Forest Massacre
April –> May 1940
What happened when the Red Army entered Poland?
A provisional government was set up in Lublin
which other countries did Communist regime dominate?
Bulgaria and Romania
what were ‘salami tactics’
Tactics used to extend the soviet bloc in east Central Europe
Allowed pro-soviet governments to gain power in Hungary in 1947 and Czechoslovakia 1948
why were they named salami slice tactics/what did they consist of?
the subverting of bourgeois parties to gain power from within by small, incremental steps
e.g. infiltration of trade unions
e.g. harassment or violence E
why were they named salami slice tactics/what did they consist of?
the subverting of bourgeois parties to gain power from within by small, incremental steps
e.g. infiltration of trade unions
e.g. harassment or violence E
examples of harassment/violence - salami slice tactics
in 1948, the anti-soviet foreign minister Czechoslovakia died in a fall from a high window in Prague
What issues became clear in the conference at Tehran in 1943
the Allies agreed to demand unconditional surrender from Germany to prevent Britain and the US from making separate peace with Hitler
what disagreement arose at the meeting between Stalin & Churchill in Moscow 1944?
disagreements about future of Poland
what conflict was present at Yalta conference
conflicting ideas about the post-war borders of Germany and Poland
What happened at Potsdam?
ended with no final peace agreement
how was the US fear of Soviet expansionionism exacerbated?
by a telegram sent to Washington from Moscow in February 1946
who was the telegram sent by?
George Kennan
a long serving American expert on soviet affairs who had been sent to moscow after the war
who was the telegram sent by?
George Kennan
a long serving American expert on soviet affairs who had been sent to moscow after the war wha
what did the telegram become known as?
the long telegram
When did Churchill make a speech about the horror of what was happening in Eastern Europe?
March 1946
where did he make the speech
Missouri USA
what is significant about Churchill at this point?
he is EX prime minister here
what did the speech suggest
that an ‘iron curtain’ had descended over Europe
what did he speak of during the speech?
‘communist filth columns’ in western and souther Europe & advised strengh in dealing with the USSR
By which year was Western Europe in a crisis?
early 1947 1
When did the Truman Doctrine assert new policy?
March 1947
What was the new policy?
‘containment’ and ‘rolling back’ of Communism
what new plan was put forward by the US?
The Marshall Plan
When was the Marshall Plan put forward?
June 1947
what was the Marshall plan?
massive injection of aid to rebuild Europe
the plan was supposedly generous offer of assistance open to all countries
What did Stalin think of the plan?
That it was hostile to Soviet interests and was a part of the US drive for dominance
What did Stalin instruct soviet bloc countries to do?
reject Marshall Aid
What set the context for the Berlin crisis of 1948?
the communist take over in Czechoslovakia
How did Stalin view Berlin?
as a single city where soviet interests ought to be paramount
What alarmed Stalin?
the introduction of a separate currency in Berlin in June 1948
What happened the next day?
Stalin launched the Berlin Blockade
What did the Berlin Blockade do?
cut off all road and rail links between Berlin and the west
What defeated Stalin’s plan with the Berlin Blockade?
The Berlin Airlift
What was the Berlin Airlift
a massive operation led by US military governor which flew in essential supplies to West Berlin
After how many days was it called off?
318 days
when was it called off?
May 1949
what did the end of the Berlin Blockade confirm?
the division of Germany and of Berlin
What was NATO
North Atlantic treaty organisation
why was NATO formed
formed to defend Western Europe against Soviet aggression
In CHina, what happened?
the long civil war ended with victory of Chinese Communist revolution
What alliance was struck between China and USSR
met in Moscow to agree a treaty of alliance
