Cold War: Chapter 1 [Reasons for The Cold War] Flashcards
1
Q
GRAND ALLIANCE
A
- 1941: Germany invaded USSR and USA and Britain provided weapons, aircraft and food
- Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin joined in informal Grand Alliance agreement
- 25 April 1945: Soviet and US forces met at River Elbe nearing Berlin and victory
- Stalin determined for Soviets to occupy Berlin first
- 70,000 Soviet forces died
- Allies agreed to division of post-war Germany
- Stalin wanted control of important military sites and the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute [Operation Borodino was slow]
2
Q
DETERIORATING RELATIONS
A
- 1946: Cold War begun
- propaganda, espionage, war threats and conventional and nuclear weapons arsenals
3
Q
COMMUNISM VS CAPITALISM
A
- USSR feared West wanting to impose its views and West feared vice versa
- Germany’s impending defeat created tension concerning the government of post-war Europe
- Communism = single party rule, classless and equal society, all property state owned and priority of workers rights over individual rights
- Capitalism = free elections with many parties, some people with more power, private ownership and competition and individual freedoms valued but trumped by majority opinion
4
Q
THE REVOLUTION [OCT 1917]
A
- revolution in Russia with Bolshevik takeover
- Bolsheviks could not fight Civil War and Germany simultaneously
- signed Peace Treaty with Germany and left WW1
- GBR and France = furious
- sent forces to support Bolshevik opponents
- FAILURE
5
Q
DETERIORATING RELATIONS [1920S AND 1930S]
A
- 1922: Bolshevik victory and Russia became Communist USSR
- 1938: GBR, France and Italy allowed Hitler takeover of some parts of Czechoslovakia [Sudetenland] without consulting Stalin
- Stalin furious, realizing West had no interest in friendship
- Aug 1939: Nazi-Soiet Pact signed agreeing division of Poland
- Sep 1939: Soviet and German forces invaded Poland
- GBR and France declared war on Germany
- USSR only joined opposing side upon Hitler’s 1941 invasion of USSR
6
Q
WW2 TENSIONS AND DISAGREEMENTS
A
- Churchill and Roosevelt feared Stalin’s desire to install communism in Eastern European countries
- Stalin feared they wanted to see USSR depleted and weak after fighting long war
- believed this was why 2nd Front opening delayed until 1944
- Aug 1945: Americans bombed Japan without informing Stalin till last minute
- Stalin feared American intentions to drop such bombs on USSR
7
Q
ROOSEVELT
A
- President til 1945
- strong democrat but compromised for Stalin alliance
- after Pearl Harbour, believed USSR support was needed
- not as harsh as Churchill therefore
- believed acceptance of USSR as superpower and peaceful partner = only means of achieving long term settlement
8
Q
CHURCHILL
A
- PM until 1945
- conservative, traditional aristocrat
- strongly believed in British Empire despite Roosevelt’s belief they should have some self-governing power
- deeply suspicious of Stalin and Soviet expansion
9
Q
STALIN
A
- leader until 1935
- strengthened single party rule and restricted individual rights
- believed German weakness and buffer zone were needed
10
Q
ATTITUDES POST WW2
A
- USA believed defeat of Germany a victory
- believed communist containment needed to preserve peace, democracy and capitalism
- believed Europeans deserved same American rights and freedoms
- USSR believed Germany defeat a victory for communism
- believed sacrifices of Soviet people gave USSR right to create Satellite States to provide raw material and protection from West
11
Q
THE 3 CONFERENCES
A
- Big 3 discussing how to defeat Germany and Japan and how to govern post-war Europe
12
Q
TEHRAN [NOV 1943]
A
- USA and GBR to open 2nd Western Front to relieve pressures on Soviets in East
- once German war over, Stalin to declare war on Japan and supply troops
- Germany to surrender completely and remain weak
- Poland to receive German land
- USSR to keep land seized from Poland in 1939
- international body to be set up to settle disputes using discussion and negotiation
- Churchill displeased wanting to open 2nd Front in Balkans
- USA and GBR tensions because Roosevelt viewed British colonialism as more threatening to world peace than USSR
13
Q
YALTA [FEB 1945]
A
- Soviets had defeated Germans in USSR and now controlled most central and Eastern Europe
- Stalin determined to keep above territory
- Germany split into 4
- Germany to pay $20 billion in reparations (1/2 to USSR)
- Nazi Party to be banned with war criminals prosecuted
- 25 April 1945: UN first meeting
- Stalin agreed to join Japanese War and for free elections in Eastern Europe
- Polish borders returned to 1921 borders [USSR elated]
- USSR expected communists to win Polish free elections whilst Britain supported London Poles
14
Q
POTSDAM [JULY 1945]
A
- Truman and Attlee = new
- Treaty of San Francisco created UN with 51 members
- USA, USSR, GBR, France and China became permanent UN Security Council members with Veto
- Truman harder in discussions and more suspicious
- delayed conference until development of atomic bomb to give himself edge
- Attlee only concerned with returning to GBR
- worsened relations due to atomic bomb and removal of Germany as common enemy
- Germany to be run as one economy
- Berlin to be split into 4
- Stalin wanted heavy Germany reparations but Truman concerned about hindered German economic recovery
- each nation to take reparations from own zone
- USSR to take 1/4 of other zones’ industrial equipment due to controlling poorest zone
- Truman opposed to Soviet control of nations it had liberated believing them an army of occupation
- also opposed new Polish borders and gov.
15
Q
AFTERMATH
A
- Stalin wanted control of Eastern Europe as defensive measure
- Truman through this a communist aggression
