1.1 - Early Tensions Between East and West

Question 1

Describe the differences between the leaders of the USA, Britain and the Soviet Union in 1941.

Answer 1

Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin (the Big Three) had differing personal political beliefs which reinforced the suspicions between Churchhill and Roosevelt had about Stalin and vice versa. This was a significant factor of the breakdown of relations.

Question 2

Describe the difference between the nations of USA, Britain and the Soviet Union.

Answer 2

During the 1930s, the US and Britain had been critical of the methods used by Stalin to industrialise the Soviet Union and the terrible cost in human lives that the reforms brought about.

However, they had an alliance due to the greater threat of German fascism which Stalin opposed.

This weak alliance would lead to obvious ideological differences which meant it was almost impossible to agree on how post-war Europe should be governed.

Question 3

What was the Grand Alliance? Why and when was it formed?

Answer 3

• The Grand Alliance was formed between the USA, the Soviet Union and Britain to defeat Germany and Japan during WW2.
• It was formed in June 1941 when 4 million German troops invaded the Soviet Union despite a non-aggression pact.
• However, there was no real change in how they viewed each other : the US and Britain remained suspicious of communism.

Question 4

What were the three conferences? When did they happen?

Answer 4

Tehran - Nov 1943

Yalta - Feb 1945

Potsdam - July/August 1945

Question 5

What was the reason the Tehran conference was held?

Answer 5

The Grand Alliance first met in Tehran to plan a winning strategy to end the war.

Question 6

What were the agreements made at Tehran?

Answer 6

• USA and Britain would open a ‘second front’ by launching an attack in Western Europe therefore easing pressure on the Eastern Front where Soviets were suffering heavy losses
• Stalin would declare war against Japan and supply troops for the war between the US and Japan - only once the war in Europe was over.
• Discussed what would happen to Germany; no formal agreement was made however it was agreed that the aim of the war was to bring about the unconditional surrender of Germany and should remain weak after the war
• General agreement that an international body should be set up to settle disputes which laid ground for the future formation of the United Nations

Question 7

What was the impact the Tehran conference had on international relations?

Answer 7

• Stalin pleased that a ‘second front’ was going to be opened in the West however Churchill wanted the front to be opened in the Balkans rising tensions between them
• Tension between the US and Britain, as Roosevelt (USA) viewed British colonialism as a greater threat to world peace than the Soviet Union

Question 8

Why was the Yalta conference held?

Answer 8

To discuss winning the war and the government of post-war Europe.

Question 9

What were the agreements made at the Yalta conference?

Answer 9

• After the war, Germany to be split into 4 zones ; each controlled by a different superpower (USA, France, Britain, Soviet Union)
• Germany would pay $20 billion in reparations
• United Nations would be set up and all nations could join
• Stalin agreed to join in the war against Japan
• Poland’s border returned to their position in 1921 (which would give the Soviet Union significant gains) and there would be free elections where Stalin expected those elections to bring about a pro-communist government, whereas the British supported the non-communist London Poles

Question 10

What crucial events influenced the mood of the Potsdam conference?

Answer 10

• Change in personnel : Roosevelt died replaced by Truman (1945) ; Winston Churchill lost the 1945 general election - replaced by Clement Attlee
• Other world events : Germany had surrendered in May 1945; atomic bomb developed in the USA
• United Nations had been created in the Treaty of San Francisco in June 1945 allowing the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to veto resolutions.

Question 11

What were the agreements made at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 11

• Germany would be divided into four zones, administered by the US, Britain, France and the Soviet Union but the German economy would be run as a whole.
• Berlin would also be divided into 4 zones accordingly.
• Truman objected to the arrangements for Poland and the borders that had previously been agreed.
• Truman also objected to the control that the Soviet Union had over the countries it had liberated and was beginning to see the Red Army as an army of occupation however there was little Truman could do.

Question 12

What was the impact of the atom bomb on US-Soviet relations?

Answer 12

• On August 1945, the US exploded 2 atom bombs - one in Hiroshima, one in Nagasaki.
• Knowing the US had these atom bombs Truman felt more confident and determined in the negotiations at Potsdam.
• Americans hoped that having the atomic bomb would make it easier to persuade Stalin to allow Eastern European countries more freedom, however Stalin felt even more determined to make the Soviet Union secure.
• Due to the dangers of using the atomic bomb (as the Soviets had theirs 4 years later) the US and the Soviet Union entered an arms race.
• Overall, the atomic bomb worsened US-Soviet relations and had the opposite effect of what the US wanted.

Question 13

Describe the Soviet attitudes from the Long Telegram.

Answer 13

• Kennan reported that Stalin wanted to see the destruction of Capitalism and felt that the world outside the Soviet Union was hostile.
• Kennan also believed that the Soviet Union was not suicidal, so if faced with strong resistance, would back down. This led to the American government following the policy of “containment” to stop communism from spreading.
• 1946

Question 14

Describe US attitudes from the Novikov Telegram.

Answer 14

• Novikov’s telegram said the USA wanted to use their massive military to dominate the world and the Americans no longer wanted to co-operate with the Soviet Union.
• The Soviets considered this threatening and so made it vital to develop as much protection as possible in Eastern Europe.
• 1946

Question 15

Describe Winstion Churchill’s “Iron Curtain speech. When was it?

Answer 15

In March 1946, Churchill gave a speech called the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech (in America as he wanted American support) which made it plain that he thought the Soviet Union was a threat to freedom and world peace. He was provoked to make this speech because many communist governments had sprung up.

Stalin interpreted this as reflecting American beliefs which increased tension and mistrust between the Soviet Union and the US.

Led to the Soviet Union strengthening its forces and step up a campaign of anti-Western propaganda.

Question 16

How did the creation of Soviet sattelite states in Eastern Europe affect US-Soviet relations?

Answer 16

• In 1944 and 1945, the Soviet Red Army freed many countries in Eastern Europe from the Nazis and when the war was over, Stalin was reluctant to give up control of these countries as they provided a useful buffer zone. He turned them into satellite states with communist governments with little independance from the Soviet Union.
• Truman saw this as evidence that the Soviet Union wanted to spread communism world-wide - relations became worse.

Question 17

When was the Truman Doctrine announced?

Answer 17

1947

Question 18

What was Truman’s speech officially delivered as?

Answer 18

Officially it was given to announce an economic aid package of $400 million to Greece and Turkey; the USA also was going to send American civilian and military personnel.

Question 19

How did Truman use the oppurtunity of the speech?

Answer 19

He stated the difference between democracy and communism saying that choosing democracy over communism is choosing good over evil.

He also stated that communism should not be allowed to grow and the US were prepared to send troops and economic aid to those countries trying to resist it.

These ideas became known as the Truman Doctrine.

Question 20

What policy changed when the Truman Doctrine was introduced?

Answer 20

The policy of isolationism (not getting involved in the affairs of other countries) was followed by the USA but was abandoned being replaced by the policy of containment (limiting the spread of communism).

Question 21

What was the practical outcome of the Truman Doctrine? Did it have an impact?

Answer 21

The Marshall Plan was the practicle outcome. Providing economic aid to help war torn countries in order to stop communsim taking over western Europe - however Eastern European countries did not benifit from this plan due to Stalin.

The economic impact of Marshall Aid in Western Europe was enormous.

Question 22

What was the impact the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan had on international relations?

Answer 22

• Any belief that there was a Grand Alliance was gone. USA in direct opposition of the Soviet Union.

• Stalin’s suspicions of the West reinforced.

• Marshall Plan successfully tied Western European countries into supporting the USA. Stalin rejected it, making Europe divided into two seperate economic and political camps.

Question 23

What was Stalin’s response to the Marshall Plan?

Answer 23

Introduced Cominform (1947) and Comecon (1949).

Question 24

What was Cominform? When was it made?

Answer 24

Cominform was created in September 1947. It was a political organisation set up on Stalin’s orders that consisted of 9 members.

This new body gave Stalin a way of directing and controlling the governments of Satellite States.

Cominform members were encouraged trade with other members alike and all contact with non-communist countries was discouraged.

Question 25

What was Comecon? When was it made?

Answer 25

Comecon was created in January 1949. Stalin wanted to offer a positive alternative to the Marshall Plan thus creating Comecon which aimed to provide aid in line with communist principles.

Comecon was in direct competition with the Marshall Plan and aimed to support economic development in its member states. All trade with the West was discouraged in favour of trade with the Soviet Union and other member states.

For example, Bulgaria’s trade with Comecon members increased from 10 percent to 90 percent.

Question 26

Why did Stalin form Cominform and Comecon? What did his actions result in?

Answer 26

Stalin formed these bodies in response to the threat he believed the Marshall Plan posed toward the Soviet Union. However, his actions increased tension playing a part in the formation of NATO, in April 1949.

Question 27

What were the disagreements between the occupying powers in Germany that began the Berlin Crisis?

Answer 27

• The three Western countries and the Soviet Union had different ways of looking at Germany : the Soviets wanted to take as much material as possible back to help rebuild the Soviet Union, whilst the Western countries wanted to build up Germany’s economy.
• In December 1947, talks between the occupying powers broke down and the Soviets stormed out.

Question 28

Describe when the unification of the Western zones began.

Answer 28

In March 1948, “Trizonia” was created which was the combination of the Britsh, French and American land. This effecitvely split Germany and Berlin into two parts : western Trizonia and eastern Soviet-controlled Germany.

Question 29

Describe the unification of currency in Trizonia.

Answer 29

In June 1948, the three Allies created a single currency, the Deutschmark, to give economic unity.

Question 30

Explain how the unification of west Germany’s currency influenced Stalin to bring about the Berlin blockade.

Answer 30

The Soviets were furious about the unification because : the new single currency in Trizonia created a seperate economic unit from the East and it acknowledged that there were in effect two Germanys : West and East.

Stalin saw this as a further example of the West “ganging up” on the Soviet Union. He was now even more determined to stand firm and protect Soviet interests in Germany.

Question 31

When and why did Stalin begin the Berlin blockade?

Answer 31

• In June 1948, Stalin decided to shut off land routes across Soviet-controlled Germany into Berlin.
• He wanted to show the USA, Britain and France that a divided Germany would not work. If the blockade was successful, Stalin would win a huge propaganda success at the expense of the West and it may also mean that the Western powers would give up control of their zones in Berlin.

Question 32

In response to the Berlin blockade, what did the Western powers do?

Answer 32

The Western Allies launched Operation Vittles or called the Berlin Airlift. They flew food, coal and other necessities and the Americans were soon able to fly in at least 1000 tonnes of supplies everyday and the British achieved a similar rate.

Question 33

What was the impact of the Berlin Crisis?

Answer 33

On 9 May 1949, the Soviets gave in and lifted the blockade. The airlift had worked. The West responded in a peaceful way and Stalin’s attempt to win a propaganda victory had backfired, making Stalin look unwise and aggressive.

Question 34

Describe the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

Answer 34

• In May 1949, the USA, Britain and France permitted their zones to come together as a state known and the Federal Republic of Germany.
• The three Western-controlled zones of Berlin continued and became known as West Berlin.

Question 35

Describe the creation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

Answer 35

• Stalin responded by creating the German Democratic Republic in October 1949.
• Only the communist bloc countries recognised it as a nation.

Question 36

Why and when was NATO formed?

Answer 36

• Stalin’s threat to Berlin and the communist takeover in Czechoslovakia persuaded the Western powers that they needed a formal military alliance to protect themselves from the Soviet Union.
• In April 1949, the USA, Britain, France and nine other Western countries joined together in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and agreed that if any member was attacked, all members of NATO would come to its assisstance.

Question 37

Why and when was the Warsaw Pact created?

Answer 37

• When West Germany was allowed to join NATO in May 1955, Stalin’s fears were increased as there was a real danger of an armed and powerful danger on the borders of Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe.
• So, in May 1955, Stalin created a defensive military alliance for the communist countries in Eastern Europe, the Warsaw Pact.