US Soviet Relations 1945-46 and Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe Flashcards
When did the USA drop atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan?
August 1945 to end World War Two
How did the development of the atom bomb make the USA and the West feel?
More confident/secure. Could possibly be used to persuade Stalin to hold free elections in Eastern Europe
What did Stalin do in reactions to the bomb?
- He made a buffer zone between Eastern European
countries and the West - The USSR started to develop their own atom bomb and
successfully test their own atom bomb in 1949
How did the development of the atom bomb affect US-Soviet relations?
- Increased cold war tensions as the bomb was so
powerful - Made both sides reluctant to go to war
- Arms race began between the USA and USSR
What was the Kennan Long telegram?
A telegram discussing US-Soviet relations sent by George Kennan, the US ambassador in Moscow. It said that Stalin wanted to destroy capitalism but the USSR would back down if threatened by the USA.
What was the Novikov telegram?
A telegram sent by Nikolai Novikov, a Soviet diplomat in Washington that said the USA wanted to dominate the world.
How did both telegrams affect American-Soviet relations?
Both sides now distrusted the other side even more. Led eventually to America’s policy of containment as the USA felt that the USSR was now looking to spread communism and led to the Soviet desire to protect itself.
Why did Stalin ensure that every government in Eastern Europe was pro-communist?
Stalin wanted to create a buffer zone between East and West. The USSR had suffered two invasions in the last 30 years
(If Eastern Europe was under Stalin’s control, this would make any future invasion less likely).
How did the USA interpret this move by Stalin?
The USA believed that this was part of Stalin’s aim to spread communism throughout the world (In particular they thought countries in Western Europe were under threat).
When was the Iron curtain speech?
March 1946
What was the iron curtain speech?
A speech made by Churchill, in the US, which he declared that Europe was being divided by Soviet policy. Western countries were free and democratic whereas, in the East, countries were living under the domination of communism and the USSR (an ‘iron curtain’ separated the two
How did the iron curtain speech affect
US-Soviet relations?
It increased tension and mistrust and led the USSR to step up its campaign of anti-western propaganda.
What were satellite states?
Countries that were freed from Nazi rule by the red army. These included: - Poland - Czechoslovakia - Hungary - Romonia
How did Stalin set up pro-communist governments?
Although Stalin did hold elections these were often rigged to ensure Communists won. Politicians from other parties were beaten, intimidated or even murdered (e.g. Jan Masaryk). Even after the war, six million Soviet troops remained in Eastern Europe to stamp out opposition.
How did Stalin ensure these states relied on the USSR?
He set up COMINFORM in 1947, an alliance of communist countries, which restricted their contact with the West. This was done in response to the Marshall plan. Later on, he set up COMECON to co-ordinate trade between these countries.
