Cold War 1

Question 1

What are the contrasting ideologies for USA and USSR

Answer 1

Capitalism and Communism

Question 2

Recap Capitalism

Answer 2

USA
Originates industrial revolution
Private business and making profits allowed
Multiple political parties in elections
Free economy
Great difference in wealth but most reasonable standard of lviing
“Opportunity for all”

Question 3

Recap Communism

Answer 3

Based on ideas of Karl Marx developed by Lenin
Russia
Business state owned profits to state
One party state otter’s banned
Economy controlled by government
Lower average standard of living but wealth more equally shared
Based on fairness and equality

Question 4

Why was there mistrust before WW2

Answer 4

Ideological differences
Propaganda - Red Scare
WW1 - Russia with allies then withdrew
WW2 - Nazi/commuist pact
Stalins regime - brutal
Russian civil war - west backed whites

Question 5

What was the Grand Alliance

Answer 5

United USSR and USA against Nazi Germany

Question 6

What was the Percentages Agreement

Answer 6

Churchill and Stalin - Moscow Oct 1944

Question 7

When was the Yalta Conference and what was agreed

Answer 7

February 1945

Question 8

Whats was USSR positional Yalta

Answer 8

East and West cooperation to continue
Germany to be weak
Germany to pay to rebuild uSSR
East to be in sphere of influence
Would work with UN
World Bank and IMF to have no influence in Russia

Question 9

What was the Wests position at Yalta?

Answer 9

East and west cooperation to continue
Germany to be rebuilt independent
East Europe to have right of self determination
UN to avoid future wars
World Bank and IMF

Question 10

What happened in 1943

Answer 10

Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met in Tehran

Question 11

When was Potsdam Conference

Answer 11

July 1945

Question 12

Who were the leaders in July 1945

Answer 12

Stalin Attlee and Truman

Question 13

What was agreed at Potsdam

Answer 13

Division of Germany
Nazi party banned leaders on trial
Germans returned to Germany
Poland lost terroritoy to USSR

Question 14

What was the impact of the atomic bomb

Answer 14

Ended war in pacific
Hugely added to tension and distrust with Stalin as he wasn’t informed
Surrender of Japan meant no longer needed the Grand Alliance

Question 15

What was the situation with eastern Europe at the end of WW2

Answer 15

USSR controlled most of it
They occupied Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia

Communism popular after horrors of Nazi occupation

Soviets rigged elections so hard for non communists to get power

Question 16

What was the western response to the Soviet expansion

Answer 16

The Long Telegram

Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech

Question 17

What was the Long Telegram

Answer 17

22 February 1946
George Keenan -second in command at US embassy in USSR
8000 words
- USSr wanted to spread it’s influence
- USSR saw USA as enemy
- any attempt at cooperation would fail

Confirmed Truman’s fears and influenced his approach to USSR

Question 18

What was the Iron Curtain Speech

Answer 18

6 March 1046
Churchill on visit to USA
As former PM and war leader his views were taken seriously
- USSR trying to spread it’s influence across Europe and increase it’s power
- An invisible line split Europe in two - The Iron Curtain

Truman agreed with Churchill

USSR viewed it as deliberate misrepresentation of their airs

Question 19

What is The Truman Doctrine

Answer 19

American policy to USSR after WW2

Truman speech to congress March 1947

• Communism posed serious treat to USA
• USA would support any country under threat from communism
• Focus on containing communism

Purpose :
Make clear to USSR expansion had to stop
Respond to Turkey and Greece where likely communism about to take hold

Question 20

What was the European Recovery Plan?

Answer 20

The Marshall Plan
Put Truman doctrine into practice
Made by George Marshall USA Secretary of State
Put billions of dollars into rebuilding Europe

$13.5 billion divided to countries willing to accept aid
Offered to all of Europe
Aid as money or resource eg farm machinery bought from US suppliers

Question 21

What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan

Answer 21

Aid economic recovery of Europe
Support containment of communism
Create market for US goods

Question 22

What was the result of Marshall plan

Answer 22

Vital to recovery for Western Europe - standard of living rose
American economy benefitted
Showed long term US commitment to europe
Communism became less popular in W Europe
More firmly established division of Europe - Stalin forbade accepting aid

Question 23

How did Stalin react to American policies on communism?

Answer 23

Negatively

Response to Truman Doctrine:
A direct threat to USSR
- Cominform

Response to Marshall Plan:
Dollar imperialism
Ordered countries not to accept
Thought US wanted world domination
-Comecon

Question 24

What was Cominform

Answer 24

Communist information bureau - to ensure unity in E Europe
All Cominform members met regularly in Moscow to ensure all following same policies

Question 25

What was Comecon

Answer 25

Created in 1949 soviet alternative to Marshall aid. Countries who signed up agreed to work together, share resources in a union of equal partners. In reality all decisions made in Moscow

Question 26

What happened in Yugoslavia?

Answer 26

Did not owe freedom to USSR like other E European countries Tito had no loyalty to Stalin although they initially got on ok things went wrong Tito saw Yugoslavia as independent country In 1948 Tito accepted Marshall Aid against Stalin's orders Yugoslavia was unique a communist country not behind the Iron Curtain

Question 27

What was the Allied Control Council

Answer 27

The allies worked together to run Berlin through this. Division of Berlin was in place at end of WW2 but increasingly difficult for ACC to work Allies wanted Germany rebuilt and unified but Stalin saw this as a threat

Question 28

What happened in Berlin in March 1948

Answer 28

Allies agreed to unify their sectors of Berlin to introduce new currency. Stalin did same in East USSRs aim was withdrawal of Allies from Berlin. From April 1948 began to make life difficult for them

Question 29

What was the Berlin Blockade

Answer 29

Started April 1948 "Mini blockade" USSR blocked military supply routes, closed bridges, put in traffic restrictions On 5 April soviet and british plans colloid leading to violence On 24 June 1948 Full blockade All transport links in to W Berlin stopped. Electricity was cut

Question 30

How many people were affected by the blockade

Answer 30

2.5 million inhabitants of W Berlin

Question 31

How did the West respond

Answer 31

Stopped trains leaving W Berlin - minimal impact 26 June 1948 - Airlift Planes delivered aid Supplied 4000 tonnes aid/day A plane landed every 3 minutes Tensions were high war seemed likely 12 May Stalin backed down

Question 32

What was the Easter Parade

Answer 32

Delivery of 12000 tonnes coal on 15 April 1949 as part of the Airlift

Question 33

What was the consequence of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift

Answer 33

East-West relations were worst ever Pushed sides to brink of war 23 May 1949 W Germany became independent democratic country - Federal Republic of Germany October 1949 the German democratic Republic (GDR) created as soviet style communist state

Question 34

When was NATO formed

Answer 34

April 1949

Question 35

What was NATO

Answer 35

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Formed by Britain and 10 other non communist countries USA was committed to supporting and protecting Europe

Question 36

What was the Warsaw Pact

Answer 36

Created 1955 Soviet rival to NATO