🧊 1. The Origins of the Cold War, 1941–58 Flashcards
(15 cards)
- TEHRAN CONFERENCE - NOVEMBER 1943
NOV. 1943
AIM- To plan winning strategy for WW2
AGREEMENTS: +S-U help the USA against Japan after once Germany defeated
+Poland gain land from Germany but lose land to S-U
+An international body set up after WW2 to ensure future peace
+USA & UK open a “second front” by attacking Nazi-occupied France
IMPACT- POSTIVE - Between USA & S-U:
+Stalin pleased about “second front”
+Support against Japan
YALTA CONFERENCE - FEBUARY 1945
FEBUARY 1945
AIM - Wininng WW2 & govering post-war Europe
AGREEMENTS: +Germany to pay $20 B in reparation & to be split into 4 zones
+S-U agreed to free elections would be held in Eastern Europe
+UN established, but not all 16 memebers of the S-U would be given individual memebership
IMPACT - POSITIVE:
+S-U declared war against Japan in Aug. 1945
+S-U awarded 1/2 of $20 B reparation
+3 main states of S-U (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) agreed to join UN
+Roosevelt pleased with free elections
POTSDAM CONFERENCE - JULY 1945
JULY 1945
AIM - Finalise agreements on post-war Europe
AGREEMENTS: +Germany split into 4 zones and be controlled by UK, USA, USSR, France.
+Berlin divided into 4 zones
+S-U would recieve 25% of industrial equipment from the other 3 zones in Germany
+NAZI party banned and war criminals persecuted
IMPACT - NEGATIVE:
+Truman mention to Stalin of succesful atomic bomb test (increasing tensions)
+Stalin wanted harsher reperation while Truman wanted to protect Germany’s economy
+Truman concerened over USSR control over Eastern Europe and spread of communsim
+ Stalin wantd to keep Red Army in Eastern Europe as protection against future threats
ATOMIC BOMBS DROPPED BY USA ON HIROSHMA AND NAGASAKI - 6&9TH AUGUST 1945
**6th August 1945 - Hiroshma
9th August 1945 - Nagasaki
INCREASED TENSIONS: +USA did not inform Stalin (who felt suspicious)
+Demonstrated USA military superiority
+Bomb was threatning message to S-U
IMPACT: +Increased mistrust & competition
+Led to policies of deterrence (later on like M.A.D)
+Both sides saw each other as a threat
CHURCHILL’S IRON CURTAIN SPEECH - MARCH 1946
MARCH 1946
Speech in Missouri (USA) after WW2 ended
ABOUT: “IRON CURTAIN” decended over Europe dividing:
1 - WEST Europe into democratic goverment and influened by USA
2 - EAST Europe into communist control and influenced by S-U
WARNING - USSR is a growing threat and urged WEST to stand firm against SOVIET expansion
IMPACT - Increased tension - HIGHLIGHTING:
+Division of Europe to be PUBLIC & OFFICIAL
+Deepened mistrust
+Stalin accused Churchill of starting war-like propoganda
+Alliance between USA, UK, USSR over
1947 – Truman Doctrine
MARCH 1947
Truman’s speech to the US congress revealing change from ISOLATIONISM to active involvement in containing communism
What it said: + USA provide economic and military support to any country threatened by communism
+INTRO to policy of containment
**
FIRST USED: Greece - royalist government VS communist rebels
Turkey - pressure from S-U wanted control of key ports and influence in the region
** =USA gave $400 million to both countries to resist communist threats
**
** IMPACT :+openly declared opposition to communism
+Stalin saw this as aggressive interference
+polarised the world into two opposing sides — capitalist West and communist East.
+laid the foundation for future US actions(MARSHALLPLAN)
1947 – Marshall Plan
1947
**
economic recovery programme offering $17 billion in aid to help rebuild war-torn European countries**
**Aims of the Marshall Plan: **
+help Europe recover economically
+capitalism look attractive and stop the spread of communism { poverty and hardship made countries more likely to turn to communism}
+create strong trading partners for the USA
What it involved:
-European countries could apply for money, goods, and equipment
-16 Western European countries accepted the aid
-Rapid recovery in Western Europe
Stalin’s reaction:
+Stalin refused Marshall Aid for the Eastern Bloc countries
+He called it “economic imperialism” claiming the USA was trying to buy influence and undermine Soviet control
+In response, he set up Comecon (1949)
IMPACT: +divided Europe into two rival economic camps
+USA more involved in European affairs
+Stalin saw it as an attack on Soviet influence
1947 – Cominform Set Up
October 1947
marked the formal coordination of communist parties across Europe and was designed to strengthen Soviet control over the Eastern Bloc
**
What it was:**
+Soviet-led organisation that brought together all communist parties
+ aim was to spread Soviet-style communism, encourage obedience to Moscow, and ensure unity and discipline across the Eastern Bloc
+allowed Stalin to monitor and control the political direction
Main purposes:
+Oppose the West: It condemned the Marshall Plan and Truman doctine
+Enforce loyalty
+Punish disobedience: For example, Yugoslavia under Tito was expelled from Cominform in 1948 for refusing to fully obey Stalin.
Why it increased Cold War tension:
+deepened the divide between East and West — organisationally
+a clear reaction to US actions
1949 – Comecon Set Up
Jan1949
direct response to the Marshall Plan/Soviet economic organisation designed to support communist countries and keep them within the Soviet sphere of influence
Aims of Comecon:
+ provide economic aid
+a communist alternative to the Marshall Plan
+remained loyal to Soviet-style communism
What it involved:
+trade and economic cooperation
+Resources and production were planned centrally
+Raw materials were taken from satellite states and processed in the USSR
+expected to follow Moscow’s economic model
IMPACT:
+East-West divide (ECONOMICALLY)
+Eastern Europe more dependent on the USSR
+not allow Western influence
+Increased tension
June 1948 – May 1949: Berlin Blockade & Airlift
June 1948 – May 1949: Berlin
Stalin tried to force the Western Allies out of Berlin by cutting off all land, rail, and canal access to West Berlin
Background:
+Western Allies joined their zones into Trizonia and began to rebuild the economy
+ 1948, they introduced a new currency (the Deutschmark) to help economic recovery
What happened:
+June 1948, Stalin blocked all access to West Berlin — no food, fuel, or supplies could enter
AIM: aim was to force the Allies to give up West Berlin and abandon plans for a united West Germany
The Western response – Berlin Airlift:
+organised a massive airlift, flying in supplies for over 2 million people
+Planes landed every few minutes, delivering food, fuel, and medicine for 11 months
+May 1949, Stalin ended the blockade
Impact:
+huge propaganda victory for the West
+In response, West Germany was formally created: Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in May 1949.
+USSR created East Germany (GDR) in October 1949.
+Tensions deepened
April 1949 – NATO Formed (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
April 1949
Why NATO was formed:
+Created in response to increased tension — especially the Berlin Blockade
+Western powers feared Stalin might use military force to expand Soviet influence in Europe
+ the West wanted a united, long-term strategy to resist communism.
**
Key features of NATO:**
+Collective defence
Aimed to deter Soviet aggression and show the USSR that the West was prepared to fight
Impact:
+clear military alliance against the USSR
+Increased tension
+the start of the arms race and formal military blocs
+ USSR would later form its own alliance: the Warsaw Pact (1955)
1949 – Soviet Union Tests Its Own Atomic Bomb
**1949 August
Why it mattered:
+Until 1949, the USA believed its nuclear superiority would deter Soviet aggression
+ Soviet test came earlier than expected, shocking the West
**
Impact:**
+Triggered a nuclear arms race
+Increased fear and tension (leading to idea of M.A.D)
+Proxy wars (like Korea, Cuba, etc.)
1949 – China Becomes Communist
October 1949, Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Communist Party, won the Chinese Civil War
**
Why it happened:**
+After WWII, the USSR supported Increased US fears of the “Domino Theory” — that more countries in Asia would fall to communism
, while the USA backed the nationalists
Impact:
+shift in the balance of power — the world’s most populous country had turned communist
+Increased US fears of the “Domino Theory” — that more countries in Asia would fall to communism
+Worsened tensions
1955 – Warsaw Pact Formed
**1955 May
WHY?
+In response to west germany joining NATO
+Stalin had died in 1953, and the new Soviet leadership under Khrushchev wanted to reassert control in Europe
+USSR needed a way to militarily unite
Key features:
+Promised collective defence
+keep control over satellite states
IMPACT:
+Increased militarisation of the Cold War.
+Heightened tensions and fear of war across Europe.
1956 – Hungarian Uprising
OCTOBER 1946
major anti-Soviet revolt broke out in Hungary, led by reformist leader Imre Nagy
Causes of the uprising:
+Hungarians were angry about poverty, lack of freedom, and the brutal secret police under Soviet-backed leader Mátyás Rákosi.
+Inspired by Khrushchev’s “De-Stalinisation” SPEECH
+ protesting for democracy, free speech, and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact.
What happened:
+Nagy became Prime Minister and promised reforms: free elections, ending one-party rule, and leaving the Warsaw Pact.
+Around 2,500 Hungarians were killed, and Nagy was arrested and later executed.
+USSR replaced him with János Kádár, a loyal communist leade
Impact:
+limits of the Truman Doctrine
+Sent a warning to other communist countries: opposition would not be tolerated
