Topic 1 - 1943-56- How did the cold war develop ? Flashcards

1
Q

When was the grand alliance formed ? What countries did is consist of ?

A

1941

USSR, America & UK

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2
Q

When was the teheran conference & who were the big three who attended ?

A

28 - 1 Nov 1943

Churchill, Stalin & Roosevelt

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3
Q

Key features of the teheran conference

A
  • The USA and Britain would open a second front to split the German defences and take some of the pressure off the USSR - Churchill did not want it to be in Poland
  • The USSR would declare war on Japan once Germany was defeated
  • Poland should be given more land from Germany, but lose some to the USSR

-points of disagreement ; roosevelt often sided with stalin against churchill e.g with he invasion of the balkans

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4
Q

When was the yalta conference ?

Who attended ?

A

4-11 feb 1945

Stalin, Truman, Churchill

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5
Q

Key features of the yalta conference

A
  • Germany, when defeated, would be reduced in size, would be demilitarised and would have to pay reparations in the form of materials, goods and labour
  • Plans were begun for how Germany would be divided after the war
  • A United Nations Organisation (UN) would be set up to replace the League of Nations. It would meet for the first time on 25th April 1945
  • The USSR would declare war on Japan three months after the defeat of Germany
  • Poland (at present communist, under Soviet control) should be in the Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ but be run on a ‘broader democratic basis’.
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6
Q

Effects of yalta conference on poor relations

A
  • Britain and USA reluctant to agree to Poland becoming communist
  • America wished for communism to stop spreading west
  • within 2 months Roosevelt died and Truman replaced him - he was less willing to compromise with stalin
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7
Q

When was the Potsdam conference ?

Who attended ?

A

July & August 1945

Truman, Stalin, Attlee

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8
Q

Why were tensions high between the big three during Potsdam?

A
  • Truman had no relationship with Stalin
  • Churchill was replaced half way through
  • Trust built in previous conferences lost
  • Truman delayed first meeting of conference for testing of atomic bomb ; increased stalin’s suspicion of his allies
  • Stalin broke his word to set up both a communist and capitalist government in Poland
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9
Q

Key agreements of Potsdam

A
  • Nazi party would be banned and surviving Nazis would be punished as war criminals
  • Germany would be divided into four zones, to be administered by the USA, the USSR, Britain and France, with the aim of re-uniting it under one government as soon as possible
  • Berlin, Germany’s capital, would be divided into four in the same way as Germany, despite it being deep in the USSR’s zone
  • The USSR could have a quarter of the industrial equipment from the other three zones, because its zone was the least developed industrially, but had to provide the other zones with raw materials such as coal
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10
Q

When was the long telegram sent ?
Who received it and from who ?
What did it report ?

A

Sent in 1946 from Kennan to Truman

Reported that Stalin wanted to destroy capitalism causing Truman to adopt containment

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11
Q

When was the Novikov telegram sent ?
Who received it and from who ?
What did it report ?

A

Sent in 1946 to Stalin from Novikov

Reported that USA no longer wanted to co-operate with USSR and wanted to dominate the world

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12
Q

What did the two telegrams signify ?

A

The end of the grand alliance and the verge of the cold war especially after the release of the truman doctrine

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13
Q

What did Truman set out in 1947 ? And why ?

A

The truman doctrine because he worried that communism would spread in Europe - it resulted from political differences between the Great powers

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14
Q

What did the Truman doctrine state ?

A
  • Communism should be contained and not allowed to gain territory
  • America would help governments threatened by communism
  • America wold fight for liberty wherever it was threatened
  • The world had a choice between communist tyranny and democratic freedom
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15
Q

When was the Marshall plan devised ? And what did Truman describe it as ?

A

1947

“two halves of the same walnut” - along with the Truman doctrine

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16
Q

What was the marshall plan ?

A

A scheme to deal with communism and its containment through military force and weakening of communist attraction by committing $13 billion to rebuild shattered european economies so that people would not appeal to the idea of sharing resources if wealthy

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17
Q

Reactions to the marshall plan

A
  • European leaders met a Paris conference of 1948 to discuss the offer ; USSR representatives walked out
  • Stalin insisted that countries in the soviet sphere of influence should refuse America’s offer
  • 16 countries (including UK & France) accepted the offer
  • Stalin set up the satellite states
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18
Q

What is a satellite state ?

A

A country that is officially independent but controlled by another country

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19
Q

Countries turned into satellite states between 1947 and 1949

A
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
Poland
Albania
Yugoslavia 
E.Germany
Bulgaria
Poland
Baltic States 
Romania
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20
Q

How did Yugoslavia become a satellite state ?

A

Communists led by Marshal Tito took over yugoslavia in 1945 but in 1948 relations worsened and Tito split form the USSR taking aid under the marshall plan

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21
Q

How did Albania become a satellite state ?

A

Communists took over in 1945 in WW2 - it had the least opposition to becoming a satellite state

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22
Q

How did the baltic states become a satellite state ?

A

Became part of soviet union after war - they were treated as part of the USSR

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23
Q

How did E.Germany become a satellite state ?

A

E.Germany was part of Germany administered to the USSR - in 1949 following ‘free’ elections it announced it was a separate country from the West

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24
Q

How did Bulgaria become a satellite state ?

A

In 1944 left wing parties including communists took over. In Nov 1945 ‘free’ elections were held which the communists won by intimidation - they abolished all political parties and killed opposers

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25
Q

How did Hungary become a satellite state ?

A

In 1945 free elections were held but the communists didn’t win enough seats to come to power. In 1947 after ‘free’ elections the communists were elected by intimidation

26
Q

How did Poland become a satellite state ?

A

In 1945 a coalition of left winged parties including communists came to power. In 1947 after ‘free’ elections communists took over entirely by intimidation

27
Q

How did Romania become a satellite sate ?

A

In 1945 a coalition of left winged parties including communists came to power. In feb 1945 the king was forced to take a communist prime minister. ‘Free’ elections in 1947 gave communists complete power.

28
Q

How did Czechoslovakia become a satellite state ?

A

In 1945 a coalition of left winged parties including communists came to power. In 1946 the gov was dominated by communists but they did not win complete control so in 1948 they used the army to take over

29
Q

When was cominform introduced and why ?

A

Established by Stalin in 1947
Stalins response tot the Truman Doctrine
To organise Eastern European communist governments under the direction of the USSR.
Followed soviet aims
Introduced soviet style economic policies

30
Q

When was comecon introduced and why ?

A

Established by Stalin in 1949 to encourage the economic development of Eastern Europe and prevent trade with W.Europe and America

31
Q

How was Germany divided ?

A

In to four zones the west was controlled by the UK, USA and France - The East by Russia
Berlin was also divided into four zones

32
Q

What was introduced in Trizonia by the French, Brits and Americans in 1948 ?

A
  • A German assembly to create a German constitution

- A new currency

33
Q

Why did Stalin oppose the division of Germany ?

A
  • He was reluctant to allow America to have further influence over Germany
  • He did not want American troops to remain stationed in Germany
  • He realised Germany’s most valuable economic resources were in the West and feared they would be used to wage war on the USSR
34
Q

What did Stalin set up and when to prevent the establishment of a separate state in Western Germany ?

A

A military blockade in June 1948 - The Berlin Blockade

35
Q

What was Stalins plan for the Berlin Blockade ?

A

To cut W.Germany off from its capital so that the government based in Berlin could not control its territory in W.Germany - proving a divided Germany could not work

36
Q

How did Truman respond to the Berlin Blockade ?

A

Berlin airlift
America committed 70 large cargo planes and airlifted between 600 and 700 tonnes of food and supplies every day which increased to 1000 tonnes a day within a few weeks

British authorities had a similar system which provide 170,000 tonnes of supplies during Jan 1949

37
Q

What were the successes and failures of The Berlin Blockade

A
  • it was a propaganda success for America

- it was a failure for the USSR

38
Q

When was the blockade ended and what event followed ?

A
  • In May 1949 by Stalin
  • In sept W.Germany (FRG) was officially created as an independent state and a month later the USSR established a second independent state - East Germany (GDR) which became a satellite state
39
Q

When was NATO formed and what was it ?

A

April 1949 - It was a alliance between the USA and many other countries in Western Europe, with the specific aim of defending the West against communism. Members agreed that if any NATO country were attacked, all members of NATO would come to their defence.

40
Q

what does NATO stand for ?

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

41
Q

When was the Warsaw pact formed and what was it ?

A

The Warsaw Pact was a response to NATO formed in 1955. It was a military alliance of Eastern European countries that mirrored NATO, including E.Germany, Poland etc.

42
Q

When was the arms race ?

A

1945 - 55

43
Q

When did the USA develop the first nuclear bomb ? And by what point had the USSR caught them up in the arms race ?

A

1945

1949

44
Q

In what year did both super powers then have hydrogen bombs ?

A

1953

45
Q

When did the USSR test the ‘Sakharov’s third idea’ bomb ?

A

1955 (it was as powerful as the american hydrogen bomb)

46
Q

What were the two superpowers very close to reaching during the arms race ?

A

M.A.D - Mutually assured destruction

47
Q

When did america develop the B52 during the cold war and what did the USSR similarly develop ?

A

1955 - At the same time the USSR developed a smilier aircraft ; TU20 Bear

48
Q

What happened in Hungary, 1949 ?

A

Cominform imposed an oppressive regime on Hungary which included :

  • redistribution of Hungarian land to other Eastern European countries
  • non communist political parties abolished
  • Russian officials controlled the gov, police and army
  • Cominform began a reign of terror
49
Q

When was Matyas Rakosi dictator of Hungary ?

A

1949 - 1956

50
Q

When did Stalin die ?

A

1953

51
Q

Who was Stalin’s successor ?

A

Nikita Khrushchev

52
Q

What did Khrushchev’s 1956 speech promise ?

A

An end to stalinism (destalinisation) throughout the entire Soviet sphere of influence

53
Q

Who replaced Rakosi as Prime minister and when ?

A

Nagy - between 1953 & 55

54
Q

When was Nagy thrown back out of the communist party ?

A

1955

55
Q

What took place in Budapest on 23 Oct 1956 ?

A

riots brought about by bad harvests and food and bread shortages

56
Q

How did Khrushchev calm riots in Budapest ?

A

Made Nagy Prime minister again and the red army from Hungary

57
Q

When did Nagy propose his reforms and what were they ?

A

31 Oct 1956 ;

  • Hungary’s leaving the Warsaw Pact
  • Holding free elections
58
Q

What was Khrushchev’s response to Nagy’s reforms ?

A

After Janos Kadar set up a rival gov in E.Hungary, 200,000 Soviet troops and 1000 tanks entered Hungary in support of Kadar on 4 Nov 1956- they marched on Budapest and fought for 2 weeks

59
Q

When was Nagy executed ?

A

June 1958

60
Q

International responses to Hungary

A
  • Offered $20 million to Hungary and allowed 80,000 Hungarian refugees into USA
  • Eisenhower praised bravery of Hungarians and encourage them to keep fighting
  • UN officially condemned the invasion
  • Spain, Netherlands and Sweden boycotted 1956 Olympics in protest to Soviet action
61
Q

What did Kadar’s 15 point programme include ?

A
  • re-establishing communist control of Hungary
  • using Hungarian troops to stop attacks on Soviet forces
  • remaining in the Warsaw Pact
  • negotiating withdrawal of Soviet troops once crisis in Hungary was over
62
Q

Why did Churchill believe The Soviet Union had been divided ? (Churchill’s speech March 1946)

A

“An iron curtain has descended across the continent.”