The origins of the cold war Flashcards
1
Q
What happened at the Yalta Conference? February 1945
A
- Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin agreed on the following
Germany would be divided into 4 zones run by the USA, Britain, France and the USSR (West and East Germany)
Berlin would be divided into 4 zones (west and east Berlin)
Eastern European countries would be allowed free elections
The USSR would join the war against Japan - They disagreed on the Polish border but allies agreed if Stalin did not support communist rebels in Greece
2
Q
What changed for the Potsdam Conference? July 1945
A
- Change in leaders, in April 1945 Harry Truman (more anti-communist than his predecessor) came into power
- Victory in Europe, Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945 but Soviets did not recall soldiers
- The atomic bomb, Truman informed Stalin about his new weapon to be used against japan
3
Q
What were the tensions at Potsdam?
A
- Stalin was denied a naval base in the Mediterranean
they saw no need to have such base
Stalin saw this as evidence for mistrust - Stalin wanted more reparations from Germany as they suffered the most
Allies did not want to cripple Germany
Stalin became suspicious about why they did this - Stalin had set up a communist government in Lublin, Poland
4
Q
What were some agreements at Potsdam?
A
- the Nazi Party was to be banned and its leaders tried as war criminals
- The Oder-Neisse line was to form part of the future border between Poland and Germany
5
Q
What was ‘The Iron Curtain’?
A
- in a speech in March 1946, Winston Churchill (former PM) claimed an Iron Curtain had descended across Europe, separating western democratic nations from Communist controlled East
6
Q
What was the USSR’s influence in Eastern Europe?
A
- evidence suggest that ‘free elections- were rigged to help communist parties (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania)
- Stalin created Cominform and later Comecon to keep communications and trade with communist countries, these became known as satellite states (country under the influence of another)
7
Q
What was Cominform?
A
- Stalin set up Cominform in 1947 as an alliance and possible response to Marshall Aid. Its aim was to spread Stalin’s communist ideas and help Stalin keep control
8
Q
What was Comecon?
A
- Stalin set it up in 1949 to co-ordinate the productions and trade across Eastern Europe
9
Q
What happened at Greece?
A
- the royalists backed by the British gained control of Greece after the war but came under attack by Communists and asked the USA for help in 1947
- under a foreign policy know as the Truman Doctrine, the USA provided supplies and money to defeat the Communists in 1949
10
Q
What was the Truman Doctrine? 1947
A
- A foreign policy which was that
USA would not return to isolationism
USA would aim to contain communism - under the doctrine the USA provided aid to Turkey as well as Greece
11
Q
What was the Marshall Plan? 1947
A
- Truman believed that poverty and hardship was a breeding ground for communism so he wanted to make Europe prosperous and a trading partner
- George Marshall (american secretary of state) devised a European recovery plan with two main aims
to stop the spread of Communism (not admitted at the time)
to help economies of Europe to recover (which would eventually provide as a US market) - Billions of dollars poured in but it caused tensions
only sixteen countries accepted it (western countries)
Stalin refused aid for USSR and banned it for Eastern Europe
12
Q
What happened in Czechoslovakia?
A
- they considered accepting Marshall Aid (only E. Europe country to do so)
- in spring 1948 elections were due and communist would do badly
- Communists organised marches and protests, non-communist ministers resigned and the foreign minister died under suspicious circumstances.
- in May 1948 elections took place with only communists allowed to stand
13
Q
The Berlin Blockade - Causes
A
- Britain and USA wanted Germany to recover, as they could not afford to support it and would not help future peace if they were kept weak
- The USSR did not want to rebuild Germany and were suspicious of those who did
- in 1948 the three zones became one ‘Trizonia’, with help from the Marshall plan West Germany began to recover, in East Germany there was poverty and hunger
- To Stalin the allies were building up West Germany to attack him and introducing the new West German Currency (the Deutsche Mark) to aid recover was the last straw
14
Q
The Berlin Blockade
A
- in June 1948 Soviet troops set up road and rail blocks to prevent goods reaching West Berlin. He hoped it would force the allies to withdraw
15
Q
The Berlin Blockade - Airlift
A
- the allies response was to fly in supplies by air, even though it was feared that they would be shot down. For ten months, one plane landed every three minutes day and night, by May 1949 Stalin reopened communications as it had failed
