The Two Superpowers Flashcards
What did Japan do after the war?
Continued to fight the USA and did not surrender.
When did Germany surrender?
May 1945
Where and when in Japan did USA drop atomic bombs?
August 1945 in Nagasaki and Hiroshima
What did the atom bombs prevent USSR from doing?
Interfering with the conflict between USA and Japan, therefore losing the rights to any Japanese land.
What did the USA say about their atomic bomb at Potsdam?
Nothing, they kept it a secret.
Who occupied Eastern Europe at the end of WW2?
The USSR
In which countries did Stalin install pro-Soviet ‘puppet governments’ and when?
Between 1945 and 1948 in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia.
Why did communist party seize power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948?
It seemed they might remain democratic. The communist party seemed likely to lose ground in the next election.
Which country was an exception to Soviet domination?
Yugoslavia
Why was Yugoslavia an exception to Soviet domination?
Because it freed itself from the Germans without the Red Army.
How was Yugoslavia politically?
Communist but more open to the west.
State interactions between Stalin and Tito.
Tito argued with Stalin over political interference. Stalin cut off aid but didn’t invade.
When did the USSR have its own nuclear weapons?
1949
When was Churchills ‘iron curtain’ speech
1946
What did countries under the influence of the USSR become known as?
‘Satellite states’
