UNIT 4 EXAMS Flashcards
Agreement at Yalta
By 1945 it was clear Germany was losing the European war so the allied leaders came together at Yalta in Ukraine to plan what would happen to Europe after Germany’s defeat.
– Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany had surrendered
– Germany would be divided into four zones: America, French, Britain and Soviet
–Countries that were under occupation of germany army could hold free elections to choose the government they wanted
- Big Three all agreed to join the new United Nations organisation, which would aim to keep peace after the war
– Horrors of the nazi concentration camps were revealed, so the big three agreed to hunt down and punish the war criminals for genocide
– Soviet Uniion had suffered terribly in the war; about 20 milionn died and stalin was concerned about the future of USSR’s security so eastern europe would now be seen as a SOVIET SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
Disagreements at Yalta
The real disagreement was about Poland:
–Stalin wanted the border of USSR to move westwards into Poland and Poland could move its border westward into Germany
– Churchill did not approve of Stalin’s plan but knew there was not much he could do because Stalin’s red army was in control of Poland and eastern germany
– Roosevelt also didnt like it but Churchill persuaded him to accepted it as long as USSR agreed not to interfere in Greece, where Britain had been planning for communists not to take over.
Changes since Yalta
Three months after the Yalta conference, allied troops reached Berlin, hilter commited suicide, germany surrendered and the war in europe was won. so a second conference for the allied leaders were arranged 1945 in the berlin surburbs of postdam.
– Soviet troops had liberated country after country in eastern europe but instead of withdrawing troops stalin left them there
–12 April 1945, President Roosevelt died and was replaced by vice president harry truman
–19 jULY 1945 aMERICANS SUCCESSFULLY TESTED AN ATOMIC BOMB AT A DESERT SITE IN THE USA.
Disagreements at Postdam
- Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect USSR against future threats but truman did not want to repeat the mistakes of the treaty of versailes
– twently million russians had died in the war and stalin wanted compensation from germany but again truman didnt want to repeat the msitakes of TOV
-Stalin won the agreement that he could set up pro-soviet governments in eastern europe and truman wasnt happy about this and started suspecting stalin.
What was the iron curtain
The Postdam Conference ended without comeplete agreement and over the next nine months, stalin achieved the power he wanted by empowering Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania by 1946 and they all owed their loyalty to stalin. Therefore, Churchill described the border between soviet-controlled countries and the west as the iron curtain.
COMINFORM
In 1947, Stalin set up communist information bureau, or COMINFORM, to co-ordinate the work of communsits parties in eastern europe. The leaders of each communists party was brought to mexico to be briefed by stalin and his ministers, allowing stalin to keep a close eye on them, when he spotted independent-minded leaders he replaced them with people completely loyl to him.
COMECON
Comecon, organization established in January 1949 to facilitate and coordinate the economic development of the eastern European countries belonging to the Soviet bloc. Comecon’s original members were the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. Albania joined in February 1949 but ceased taking an active part at the end of 1961.
How did USA react to soviet expansion
The western powers were alarmed by stalin’s take over of eastern europe. Roosevelt, Churchill and their successors had accepted that soviet security needed friendly governments in eastern europe, and that eastern europe would be a soviet ‘sphere of influece’ and stalin would heavily influence this region. but they did not expect complete communist domination; they felt it should have been possible to have governments in eastern europe that were both democratic and friednly to USSR. Stalin saw the domination of security, Truman saw it as a spread of communism. By 1948, Greece and Czechlovakia were the only eastern european countries not controlled by communists goverments
Greece, 1947
The the germans retreated from greece in 1944, there were two rival groups - the monachists and communists - who both wanted to rule the country. the communists wanted greece to be a soviet republic and the monarchists wanted the return of the king of greece. Churchill then sent british troops to greece in 1945 supposedly to help restore order and supervise free election, supported monarchs and the king came back to power
However, Stalin protested to the United Nation, when the United nations did nothing about it soviet union tried to take control of greece by force. a civil war quickly developed. since britain could not afford the cost of a war they announced on 24 february 1947 that they were withdrawing their troops. Then Truman stepped in. He paid some british troops to stay in greece and they tried to prop of the king’s governemtns, and by 1950 the royalists were in control of greece although they were a weak government and always in crisis.
What was the truman doctrine?
America intervening in greece marked a new era of America’s attitude towards politics, also known as the “truman doctrine”. Under the truman doctrine, USA was prepared to send monney, equipments and adivce to any country that was threatened by a communists take over. Truman accepted that eastern europe was no communist and his aim was to stop communism from spreading any further, this policy was also known as contaiment.
What was the marshall plan?
Truman believed that communism succeeded when people faced poverty and hardship. By sending the secetery of state and former US army general, george marshall, he found out that the economic state of europe was ruined. The countries of europe owed 11.5 billion dollars to the USA, most countries were going through shortages of good and rationing bread. There was coal shortage in the hard winter of 1947 ithat in Britain all electricity was turned off for a period each day.
Marshall suggested that about 17 billion dollards would be needed to rebuild europe’s prosperity. in 1947, truman put his plan to Congress. The american congress refused to grant him money. Many americans were becoming concerned about truman’s involvement in foregin affairs, 17 billion was a lot of money after all.
Czechoslovakia, 1948
America’s attitude changed when the communists took over the governemnts of Czechslovakia. CZH had been rulled by a coalition governemnt which, even though it included communists, had been trying to bring about an independent moscow. in march 1948, the communists came hard. Anty soviet leaders were purged so much that one pro american minsiter, Jan masarryk, was found dead below his open window. soviets said he jumped, americans suspected he was pushed. Immediately, congress accepted the marshall plan and made 17 billion dollars available for a period of four years,
What was marshall aid?
On one hand, the marshall aid was extermely generous on the other hand it was brough about because of america’s self interests.
- The USA wanted to create new markets for american goods, as they remembers the disastrous effects of the depression of the 1930s and truman wanted to prevent this worldwide slump.
- many in the US governemnts argued that aid should only be given to states that embraced democracy and free markets or in other words a governemnts and economy USA approved of. They wanted no trade tarriffs or other restrictions to these countries
Stalin viewed the marshall aid with suspicion, he refused to have anything to do with it. he also frobade any of eastern european states to apply for marshall aid, he thought that the anti communists view behind the marshall aid would weaken his hold of eastern eruope. he also felt USA was lso trying to dominate as many states as possible by making them dependent on dollars.
Berlin blockade (intro)
By 1948 the dustrust between the USA AND USSR was alarming. the two sides increased their stock of weapons and a propaganda war developed. each side took every opportunity to denounce the police of one another. despite all the threatening talk, the two sides never actually fired one another.
berlin blockade (problem of germany)
After the war germany was divided into four zones, at first the US plan was to remove all german industry and make it an agricultural country so it wouldnt wage a mordern war every again, however, as truamn grew more ancious over communism, he decided a strong germany might be a useful ally. also, if germany industries were not allowed to recover the millions of germans would starve. in 1946, britain, france and usa combined their zones and became known as west germany in 1949.
