The Transformation of the SU's International Position Flashcards
What had the SU wanted in 1941 v what they were by 1945?
Not wanted to be a superpower - wanted to be left alone, allowing time for transformation of economy
By 1945 - war had built a military-industrial war machine so in May 1945 they had 7.5 million well equipped troops + increased territory
Where did the Red army remain in control of?
The nation states in east central Europe it had liberated (such as Romania, Hungary and Poland) and had occupied eastern Germany, including Berlin
What made the USSR seem stronger?
The European great powers had been seriously weakened by war so along-side the American super-power the USSR seemed ready to dominate the post-war world
What happened in the summer of 1943 when it became clear that the war would eventually be won?
A series of war-time summits took place (Britain, USSR + US) to decide what would happen when war was won
First summit including Stalin = Nov 1943
Churchill met Stalin in Moscow Oct 1944
Big three met at Yalta in Feb 1945
The three met at Potsdam in July 1945 when G had been defeated but while the war in the far east continued (becoming clear Britain was exhausted and bankrupt so would be over-shadowed by the two superpowers)
What did the US reveal in 1945 and why was it significant?
That it had developed an atomic bomb - it was used to end the war against Japan
Placed the USSR at an obvious disadvantage in terms of power so Stalin placed Beria in charge of accelerating the development of the Soviet atomic bomb
In what ways was the American rise to world power similar to that of the USSR?
Before 1941 - the US was broadly isolationist
The US was forced into war involuntarily and then build a huge war machine, using previously untapped potential and was then drawn into Europe to defeat Nazism
However, the US financed two wars of its own (In Europe and the Pacific, financed the wars of its allies and enabled a consumer boom at the same time)
When was the Soviet atomic bomb formed?
First successful test = August 1949 - possession of nuclear weapons finally confirmed the SU’s superpower status
What was the USSR’s status reflected in?
The United Nations, formed in 1945 in the hope that it would be more effective than the LoN had proved after 1919 - the USSR was one of the five permanent members of the UN security council
What did the soviet military domination of eastern and central Europe after the war lead to and what was it used to do?
The formation of a Soviet bloc as the territory of the USSR was extended so they used their military presence in the neighbouring national states and its political influence over local communist parties to encourage the formation of government that were ‘friendly’ to the SU
By 1948 what had most of the places involved in the soviet bloc become?
Satellite states closely linked with the USSR - this created a zone of buffer states which Stalin hoped would protect the USSR against future invasion from the west
What were satellite states and buffer states?
Satellite states - countries that retained their national identity but had pro-soviet governments - from 1949 = increasingly under soviet control
Buffer states - used to describe the satellite states of eastern Europe, which emphasised Stalin’s intention that these should provide security for the USSR’s western borders
What were the roots of the soviet bloc?
In 1939, under the terms of the Nazi-soviet pact, the USSR invaded and occupied eastern Poland and in 1940, by the secret protocols of the pact, Soviet forces occupied the Baltic States - these annexations were part of a long-term plan, ruthlessly implemented
What was a sign of the soviet-bloc plan before 1945?
April-May 1940, 22,000 captured Polish army officers were killed by the NKVD in the Katyn Forest Massacre, to eliminate Polish nationalist elements who might oppose communism
Sane aim applied in 1944 when the Red Army was ordered to halt its advance to allow time for the Warsaw uprising to be crushed by the Nazis
What was the Katyn forest massacre?
From September 1939 - Beria was responsible for about 40,000 Polish prisoners - those deemed ‘pro-soviet’ were allowed to live - the rest were killed to eliminate ‘nationalist counter-revolutionaries’ - 22,000 shot and put in mass graves
in 1943 these graves were ‘discovered’ bu Soviet forces so a propaganda campaign blamed the Nazis
What was the Warsaw uprising?
1st August 1944, as the advancing Red Army approached Warsaw, fighters in the home army launched an uprising to liberate the city from German occupation and to support the nationalist Polish Underground State
What was the Soviet reaction to the Warsaw uprising?
The soviet forces halted their advancement and did nothing to assist the AK (home army) and over 63 days the uprising was crushed and Warsaw was destroyed - motived behind red army = political
What happened in several states and what are examples|?
‘Friendly’ communist regimes were quickly established - from1930’s exiled communist groups had been trained in Moscow, ready to infiltrate post-war governments after liberation e.g. as soon as Red Army entered Poland a PG was set-up dominated by Pro-Moscow communists and in Yugoslavia, communist Partisans led by Tito gained control of the post-war government and Tito’s regime was expected to be an important part of the Soviet bloc
Where else were communist regimes established?
Bulgaria and Romania - the eastern region of Germany became a Soviet zone of occupation and a group of Moscow-trained communists gained political control by 1946
What took longer with the Soviet bloc and what was the instructions to solve this?
Extending it to east Central Europe- in countries were democratic national governments were elected, communist parties were told by Moscow to join with non-communists, especially socialists and ‘bourgeoise liberals’ in order to gain a political foothold that could be built on
What were the tactics of joining with other parties called and what did they enable ?
‘Salami tactics’ - enabled pro-Soviet government to gain power in Hungary in 1947 and Czechoslovakia in 1948, where it was suggested the communists had even stooped to the murder of the pro-western Minister Masaryk
What did expansion of the Soviet sphere of diplomatic influence cause?
Increasing diplomatic tensions and fears of open conflict between the USSR and the capitalist West
What were Salami tactics?
The idea of subverting ‘bourgeoise’ parties to gain power from within my small incremental steps e.g. quiet infiltration of trade unions, journalism and local government or sometimes targeting individuals by harassment or violence e.g. in 1948 the anti-Soviet foreign minister of Czechoslovakia died from a fall in a high window at Prague -its claimed it all part of Stalin’s game plan t to push communism to heart of Europe
