The USA as a Superpower (1945-1952) Flashcards
What were Truman’s policies?
- He desired to continue FDR’s ‘New Deal’ whilst easing the transition from the wartime economy
- He was anti-communist, partially because it was a politically popular stance at the time, but also because it was the belief of his advisors
Who were some of Truman’s advisors?
Dean Acheson (Secretary of State) and Winston Churchill
When was the Yalta conference, who attended it, and what was discussed?
- February 1945 (Russia)
- Attended by FDR, Stalin, and Churchill
- They discussed splitting Germany into four zones, and Stalin was invited to join the UN
How did FDR describe the Yalta conference?
He described it as ‘a start on a road to a world of peace’
When was the Potsdam conference, who attended it, and what was discussed?
- July- August 2nd 1945 (Germany)
- Attended by Truman, Stalin, and Churchill (who was replaced by Atlee in July)
- They finalised the splitting of Germany into 4 zones, and they confirmed the plan to hold free elections in Poland
Why may the Potsdam conference be considered unsuccessful?
- Stalin and Truman did not get along
- Truman failed to mention the USA’s atomic bombs
When did the US drop the atomic bombs, where, and what was the effect of this on superpower relations?
- The First atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, 4 days after the Potsdam Conference (6th of August 1945)
- The second was dropped on Nagasaki on the 9th of August 1945
- It effectively started the nuclear age and the arms race
Why was Stalin wary of the West?
- They supported communist opposition during the 1918-22 Russian Civil War
- In WWII, FDR and Churchill resisted pressure from Stalin to invade France and split Germany until 1944, Stalin believed this was because they didn’t mind the death of communists by Nazis
What was the ‘Sinews of Peace’ speech?
A speech given by Winston Churchill in 1946 in Missouri (Truman’s hometown) where the idea of an ‘Iron Curtain’ was brought up (the imaginary line dividing Europe between Soviet and Western influence)
Truman was sat behind Churchill during this speech
What was the ‘Long Telegram’?
- A 1946 telegram sent by Goerge Kennan (a diplomat in Moscow who was seen as the leading USSR expert)
- It stated that Soviet success would depend on ‘the degree of cohesion, firmness, and vigor which the Western world can muster’
What was the Truman Doctrine?
- A policy declared by Truman in 1947, which states that the US would assist countries threatened by Communism, to prevent the spread of the Soviet influence
- Truman requested $400 million from Congress to aid Greece and Turkey as part of the Truman Doctrine.
What was the Marshall plan?
- Officially known as the European Recovery Program, was an American initiative launched in 1948 to provide economic aid to every Western European country to help them rebuild after World War II, strengthen their economies, and prevent the spread of communism
Why did Congress eventually agree to the Marshall Plan?
The crisis in Czechoslovakia in 1948, where a communist coup occurred and their leader committed suicide
what is containment?
a US policy to prevent the spread of communism by supporting countries resisting soviet influence
What happened during the Berlin Airlift?
- In March 1948, Stalin blockaded East Berlin from West Berlin
- Truman responded with an act of political brinkmanship by sending 1.5 million tonnes of supplies into East Berlin over 324 days in 275,000 flights
- Stalin lifted the blockade in May 1949
