US - Truman Flashcards

1
Q

Truman’s Presidential Term

A

1945 to 1952

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2
Q

Yalta (Date)

A

February 1945

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3
Q

Yalta (Why did the Grand Alliance break down?)

A

Stalin agreed to help the US against Japan and to stop the Chinese civil war.
Soviets wanted reparations (weakened Germany and land in Asia).
Divide up Germany and have “spheres of influence”.
Yalta was seen as a success.
Soviet involvement with Poland weakened the alliance.

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4
Q

Soviet involvement with Poland 1944

A

The Polish rose up against Germany expecting the Soviet’s help, but they didn’t and thousands died. At Yalta, he promised to allow free elections for the Poles, but this was doubtful.

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5
Q

When did Roosevelt die?

A

12 April, he did not see the end of WW2.

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6
Q

How did the GA change in 1945?

A

Truman was now President and Attlee became PM.

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7
Q

Clement Attlee

A

Labour Party Leader and PM from 1945 to 1951

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8
Q

Stalin

A

Premier of the Soviet Union (1927 to 1953)

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9
Q

Potsdam

A

July/August 1945

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10
Q

Potsdam discussions

A

Divison of Germany, Japan and the borders of Poland, Stalin wanted Poland to be in his sphere.
German demilitarisation was agreed, as well as denazification and the punishment of war criminals.

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11
Q

Potsdam (Why did the GA break down?)

A

Disagreements about reparations, Poland’s border, the powers of the Allied Control Council and atomic bomb testing.
The US was planning to use the bomb on Japan, didn’t tell Stalin.

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12
Q

Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech

A

March 1946, Missouri

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13
Q

Other causes that lead to the breakdown of the GA

Truman

A

Truman was ignorant of the happenings of WW2 and to European history.
Ended the land-lease programme providing supplies to allies in the War, set up by Roosevelt.
Criticised the involvement of the Soviets in Poland and of their ideologies.
Kennan’s memorandum.

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14
Q

Other causes that lead to the breakdown of the GA

Stalin

A

Distrust of the west.

Doesn’t trust Churchill because he supported the White Army during the Russian civil war.

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15
Q

George Kennan

A

US ambassador in Moscow who sent a long telegram/memorandum advising containment. Said he exaggerated years later

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16
Q

Stalin’s Speech

A

Oct 1946 - “capitalism makes war inevitable”

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17
Q

Economic reasons for the breakdown of the GA

A

Truman believed communists would be closed to US trade.
Feared a repeat of the Great Depression of the 1930 so trade with Europe was essential.
The US lost 405,400 men, Soviets lost 25 million people and 25% of their property.
The US gave Poland a loan of $3.7 million but nothing to the Soviets.

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18
Q

Truman Doctrine

A

An agreement that the US would help countries suffering any communist threat, such as Greece who were in a civil war (believed to be backed by the USSR)

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19
Q

Truman’s Speech

A

March 1947 - pledged the containment of communism in Europe.

20
Q

Marshall Plan

A

Set up by George Marshall as a way of providing European countries financial aid if they are not communist.

21
Q

George C. Marshall

A

Secretary of State (1947 to 1949)

22
Q

Tensions because of the Marshall Plan

A

Russia accuses the US of Economic Imperialism and set up their version called comniform (despite having no money).
Meet in Paris cancelled.
Czechoslovakian communists overthrow the democratic government.
Italy asks for aid, in exchange they don’t vote communist in their election.

23
Q

Why was Marshal Aid important?

A

Re-inforced the idea of containment and helped to show which countries had which ideology.
16 countries accepted the aid of $13 billion.
In April 1949 NATO was established.

24
Q

Allied Control Council

A

US, Britain, USSR and France; the governing body of ally Germany.

25
Q

NATO

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation:
Set up between the US, Canada and western European countries to agree that an attack on one was an attack on all so they should provide collective support against the USSR

26
Q

NSC-68

A

National Security Council - paper no. 68
Defense Department, the State Department, the CIA, and other agencies; formed the basis for Cold War policy for the next two decades.

27
Q

What did the NSC-68 say?

A

Noted that WW2 had devastated Germany and Japan and caused GB and France great losses.
Stated that the USSR and US were the only large powers left to help them.
The USSR posed a threat to U.S. power and wanted “absolute authority over the rest of the world.”
Clashes with the United States were inevitable.
The development of nuclear weapons meant “the ever-present possibility of annihilation.”

28
Q

What did the NSC-68 propose?

A

Containment, military expansion (forces, nuclear arsenal, hydrogen bomb), increase military aid, use “covert” means. Cost $50b.

Truman hesitated to support it (heavy tax increase in time of peace).
Korean War in June 1950 prompted action and Truman signed NSC-68 into policy in Sept.

29
Q

How far was Truman responsible for the development of the Cold War?

A

Containment: Fear of Soviet expansion, Red Army was the largest in the world, Stalin was seen as the next Hitler. Communism was seen as a large threat, propaganda, republican pressures, Truman Doctrine, Dean Acheson.

American Ignorance: Truman did not try to understand the history of Europe and what happened during the wars. Blamed all communist activity on the Soviets.

30
Q

Dean Acheson

A

Secretary of State (1949 to 1953), exploited the Soviet threat by helping with the Truman Doctrine, supporting NATO and support for Nationalist China.

31
Q

How far was Stalin responsible for the development of the Cold War?

A

Ignorance to US politics: failed to understand that the US is a democracy and how his behaviour troubled the West, worry over US invasion.
Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939: made the USSR’s position in the war up for debate, despite working together.

32
Q

How far was Truman responsible for the development of the Cold War? Ideology

A

Differing ideologies: Truman saw communism as totalitarian, (not allowing criticism/opposition/the vote/censored/controlled), like Nazi Germany. H, this could be because they supported the White Army in the Russian Civil War.

33
Q

Russian Civil War

A

1916 to 1922 White Army v Red Army

34
Q

Henry Morgenthau

A

Treasury Secretary (1934 to 1945), proposed the Morgenthau Plan which was to remove industrial facilities and reduce Germany to a purely agricultural economy. Was accepted and then rejected by Truman.

35
Q

What was the final agreement about Germany?

A

It would be divided into 4 zones for each member of the GA and France, the same for Berlin. All decisions should be made jointly and reparations could be taken from their zone. The country was to be denazified and an ACC should be set up to administer German affairs.

36
Q

Was the final agreement regarding Germany successful?

A

It allowed the punishment of Germany.
Decisions about aid were made unilaterally by the US and Byrnes announced this in Stuttgart.
1948 - aid was given to the western zones and the allies were having secret meetings.
The US was scared that Germany could be taken over by the communists and that it could be used as a barrier to prevent communism from spreading.

37
Q

James Byrnes

A

Secretary of State (1945 to 1947)

38
Q

The Berlin Blockade - How did it start?

A

June 1948 - allies joined their zones together and introduced the Deutschmark, planned to introduce a democratically elected council to the west of the city. This created more tensions with Stalin.

39
Q

The Berlin Blockade

A

June 1948 - in retaliation to being left out of meetings, Stalin blocked all access from western Germany to Berlin, closing all roads and railways. This was in hopes of pushing the allies out of Berlin.

40
Q

The Berlin Blockade - Why did it fail?

A

Truman felt the US could not abandon Berlin because this would allow Germany to fall to communism because of Russian propaganda and containment would fail.
Cemented because the same year Stalin had forced a communist government on Czechoslovakia, and the communists were on the verge of winning in China.

41
Q

The Berlin Blockade - US response?

A

General Clay, commander of the US military in Berlin said that if Berlin falls so will the rest of Germany and Europe will follow. Clay wanted to fight his way into Germany, Truman and the British disagreed, instead the Berlin Airlift was initiated.

42
Q

Berlin Airlift

A

June 1948 to May 1949 - British and American planes set off to Berlin every 3 minutes carrying 2,000 tons of supplies and rising to 10,000 tons, feeding 2 million Berliners for 11 months.

43
Q

Berlin Blockade - When did it end and its consequences?

A

May 1949.
The allies joined their zones to create the Federal Republic of Germany (FDR), the Soviets responded by creating the German Democratic Republic (DDR). The country was divided into two separate countries for the next 40 years.

44
Q

Had containment worked by 1949?

A

Yes, containment had successfully worked, however, Truman still provoked a war with Russia. He had stationed B-29 bombers in Britain. America had strengthened its military position, further established by the creation of NATO.

45
Q

NATO countries

A

Canada, US, UK, France, Norway, Iceland, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, West Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark.