8.1 Flashcards
Setting the stage for the Cold War and decolonization
Definition of a cold war
A state of hostility between two countries which doesn’t result in open warfare
USSR reaction to US’s use of the atomic bomb during WWII
The USSR was upset by the US’s use of the atomic bomb, because they were allies, and the US hadn’t told them about their new technology. The bombing of Hiroshima was the first time Stalin had heard of this technology. This depended the distrust between them.
Explain how cold wars are primarily conducted.
Through the major use of propaganda, threats, and an arms race.
Explain the peak of colonization and the subsequent decline.
The peak of colonization was during the start of WWI.
- profitable colonies all across the world
- colonial soldiers fought WWI in hopes of gaining respect and freedom, but it was not granted to them
No real strides towards independence were made during the interwar period.
Colonial soldiers fought again during WWII, changing the dynamics between colonies and their mother countries.
- African colonial soldiers saw Europeans in a new light, as less superior, since seeing them massacre each other in mass numbers
- at the end of the war, imperial nations like Britain and France were dealing with struggling economies, mass casualties from the war, and attempting to rebuild their severely damaged infrastructure
*this made colonial powers less willing and less able to send adequate military troops to their colonies in order to suppress the emergence of anti-colonial movements, and led to colonies gaining the support of the US and USSR in their fight for independence. The USSR and US would intervene in the colonial disputes whenever they saw it served their interests.
Explain Woodrow Wilson’s stance regarding anti-colonial movements.
Wilson wanted nations to have the right to self-determination, and also to expand free markets, so they would intervene and spread their economic influence when it served their interests against the USSR, who was doing the same thing with communism.
What is the right to self-determination?
The right of a nation to choose their own form of government
Name the “Big Three” during WWII, and their role during the end of WWII
Great Britain, USA, USSR.
Representatives of each met together during two prominent conferences to discuss and figure out how the world would be organized following the end of the war.
- Yalta Conference in 1944
- Potsdam Conference in 1945
Explain the significance of the Yalta Conference.
The Yalta Conference was a 1944 meeting between the Big Three to discuss the world’s organization following WWII. Roosevelt advocated for free elections in Eastern Europe, but Stalin wanted control over Eastern Europe.
- it would serve as a separation, or buffer, between Europe and the USSR
- it would expand communist influence
- Stalin didn’t want any more invaders into Russia (Hitler, Napoleon)
Stalin very vaguely assures Great Britain and the USA that there would be free elections in Eastern Europe after the war.
Explain the significance of the Potsdam Conference.
The Potsdam Conference was a 1945 meeting between the Big Three that sought to organize the world post-WWII. At this point, Roosevelt had died, so Truman was the new representative of the United States. Truman still advocated for free elections in Eastern Europe.
- Stalin’s troops had already occupied Eastern European countries, and outright refused to instill free elections. This deepened the divide and mistrust between the US and USSR.
Who were the superpowers of the world following WWII, and why?
USA
- wasn’t a direct combat ground, except for Pearl Harbor
- Mainland, industries, infrastructure preserved and prospering after war
- provided help to other countries
*Marshall Plan: 12 billion dollars invested into rebuilding European countries’ cities and infrastructure
USSR
- lost 15-20 million people during WWII… but it’s RUSSIA. They still had excess population, whereas the population loss of other European countries was more damaging to their ability to function
- Stalin had been developing and growing the USSR’s industrial capacity for years
