Causes Of The Cold War

Question 0

Who replaced President Roosevelt and what were his feelings towards communism?

Answer 0

Harry S. Truman, he was strongly anti - communist.

He said ‘I’m tired of babying the soviets’.

Question 1

When did President Roosevelt die?

Answer 1

1945

Question 2

What was different in terms of politics about the superpowers?

Answer 2

The USSR was communist and the USA was capitalist. The USSR had the secret police and a one-party state whereas the USA had freedom and a two-party state.

Question 3

What were the aims of the two superpowers in terms of Germany?

Answer 3

America wanted Germany to recover as a trading partner but the USSR wanted to cripple Germany and create a buffer zone of satellite states to protect itself.

Question 4

What is capitalism?

Answer 4

Private ownership and the right to make money.

Question 5

What is communism?

Answer 5

State ownership of the means of production and the belief that wealth should be shared.

Question 6

Who was the leader of the USSR until 1953?

Answer 6

Stalin

Question 7

Name three topics of discussion at the Tehran conference.

Answer 7

Stalin met up with Roosevelt and Churchill as he wanted them to open up a second front which would split the Nazis, they also discussed whether to get Turkey to join the allies but Stalin opposed this as then Bulgaria would attack Turkey and Stalin did not trust America and Britain as they opposed communism. There was a chance they would sign a peace treaty with Hitler.

Question 8

What is the Cold War?

Answer 8

The period of intense conflict between the USA and the USSR in the period after the Second World War.

Question 9

When did the USA explode it’s first H-bomb?

Answer 9

1952

Question 10

When did the Yalta conference happen?

Answer 10

In February 1945.

Question 11

What was agreed at the Yalta conference?

Answer 11

Stalin would join the war against Japan, they agreed that Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones, free elections would be allowed in Eastern European countries, Eastern Europe would be seen as the ‘soviet sphere of influence’.

Question 12

What did the Big Three disagree about at the Yalta conference?

Answer 12

Stalin wanted the border of the USSR to move westwards into Poland and that Poland could move its border into Germany. Roosevelt and Churchill were not happy but they couldn’t do much about it as the Red Army were in Poland and East Germany. They agreed so long as the USSR wouldn’t interfere in Greece where they were trying to prevent a communist take over.

Question 13

When did the Potsdam conference occur?

Answer 13

July 1945

Question 14

Why was Churchill not at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 14

Clement Attlee had been elected instead.

Question 15

What did Truman not inform Stalin of?

Answer 15

The USA had developed the atomic bomb in 1945. They dropped it so that Japan would surrender before Russian troops could go in and Stalin was angry at how he had been tricked.

Question 16

What were there disagreements about at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 16

Details of the boundaries of the zones of Germany, the amount of reparations that the USSR wanted to take and Truman was angry that Stalin had arrested the non-communist leaders in Poland.

Question 17

Which changes had taken place between the two conferences?

Answer 17

Stalin’s army was occupying most of Eastern Europe, America had a new president and the development of the atomic bomb.

Question 18

Why was there tension at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 18

The big three had changed and Stalin did not trust them, especially considering that Truman was strongly anti-communist.

Question 19

In his speech, what did Churchill declare?

Answer 19

An iron curtain had come down over Europe splitting it.

Question 20

What three factors led to relations changing between the USA and the USSR between 1943-1946?

Answer 20

The three conferences, Stalin’s domination of Eastern Europe through the Red Army and he detonation of the first atomic bomb.

Question 21

How did communists take over in Eastern Europe?

Answer 21

Some governments were coalition ones but the non-communists were executed or arrested. Some leaders took control of the secret police there. Also, in Hungary the Catholic Church was attacked.

Question 22

What was the Truman Doctrine and when was it introduced?

Answer 22

The policy of containment and it was introduced in 1947.

Question 23

What was the Marshall plan?

Answer 23

Economic aid to countries to help them rebuild their economies, it was like a bribe, Truman was worried that as Europe was so poor that it was vulnerable to communism.

Question 24

What was Comintern?

Answer 24

An economic alliance between the Eastern bloc.

Question 25

What is Cominform?

Answer 25

Communist Information Bureau that allowed Stalin to appoint leaders of Eastern countries that were loyal to him.

Question 26

What did the allies agree at the Potsdam conference?

Answer 26

They confirmed that Germany and Berlin would be divided and that the Nazi party would be banned, members were to be put on trial at Nuremberg.