Cold War 1946-1955 Flashcards
(97 cards)
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLD WAR 1946 TO 1955
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLD WAR 1946 TO 1955
USSR EXTENDING CONTROL OVER EASTERN EUROPE
USSR EXTENDING CONTROL OVER EASTERN EUROPE
What did Stalin want to create in Eastern Europe?
A buffer zone
How did the US interpret the actions of the USSR in Eastern Europe?
To spread communism - rather than a desire for protection
What did the USSR tell foreign ministers of the Baltic States at the start of WW2?
That they faced an invasion unless they signed a treaty of assistance with the USSR
When were the Baltic States initially occupied by the Red Army?
June 1940
What % of the Baltic States voted to be incorporated into the USSR in a rigged referendum?
90%
What did many people in the Baltic States see as liberation?
Being invaded by the Nazis in June 1941
When did the Red Army reoccupy the Baltic States?
Summer of 1944
How many people in the Baltic States were deported once the Soviets took over again?
500,000
What did Stalin promise at the Tehran Conference in 1943 in regards to the Baltic States?
He promised a referendum would be held in the Baltic States - never happened
Why did the USSR see Poland as vital for the USSR post WW2?
Poland was needed as a buffer against Germany
What were the 2 rival governments in Poland?
London Poles and Lublin Poles (communist)
When were 16 representatives of the London Poles arrested by the NKVD and forced to confess to Nazi collaboration?
March 1945
Why did Stalin not hold free elections in Poland despite promising them?
The Polish Communist Party was unpopular
What % of the vote did the Polish Communist Party win in rigged elections in January 1947?
80%
How many seats did the Polish Communist party win in rigged elections in January 1947?
394 seats
What % of the vote and how many seats did the Polish Peasants Party win in rigged election in January 1947?
10% of the vote, 28 seats
What % of the vote did the Democratic Front win in rigged Romanian elections in November 1946?
70%
When was Romanian King Michael forced to abdicate?
December 1947
What did Romania become after the abdication of King Michael?
A pro-Soviet people’s republic, one-party state
What coalition government was set up in Bulgaria in 1945?
The Fatherland Front
What did the Bulgarian Fatherland Front consist of?
Communists and non-communists
Who controlled the Bulgarian Ministries of the Interior and Justice in the Fatherland Front?
The communists