Cold War part 1

Question 1

What happened at Yalta?

Answer 1

• Germany split into 4 zones
• disagreed over the borders of Poland
• joined and had created the United Nations.
• Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin.

Right after the war, tensions were mounting as the powers started to drift further and further apart.

Question 2

What happened at Potsdam?

Answer 2

• Stalin wanted to cripple Germany
• disagreed over reperations, Stalin wanted 10 billion euros in compensation
• Berlin split into four zones. Communist east. Capitalist west.
• Stalin, Truman & Attlee.

right after Yalta, the powers met again to discuss more significant consequences for the Germans…

Question 3

What year was both Yalta and Potsdam?

Answer 3

Yalta, February 1945. Potsdam, August 1945

Question 4

Why did America want to drop the atomic bomb?

Answer 4

• right before the end of the war japan made one final kamikaze on pearl harbour, which was a major US naval ship.
• they thought that it would completely end all future Japanese threat
• wanted to severely weaken the Japanese for future wars.

Question 5

What were the consequences of dropping the bomb on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945?

Answer 5

• The US had went behind all allies backs by dropping it. There was no warning and completely stunned the allies over the unpredictability of the US
• the public believed that it was unjust for the amount of civilians killed.

Question 6

What was the Truman doctrine? How did Comecon and cominform develop?

Answer 6

• In response to the soviet expansion, Truman created a doctrine which would stop the further spread of communism. Truman said that he would financially and militarily support any nations under the threat of communism.
• The main two countries supported by the Truman doctrine were Greece and turkey
• Also set up was cominform, where the allies would show support to the countries following the same ideologies. 1947
• Comecon was a retaliation to cominform where the USSR would financially support countries that share the same ideologies. 1948

Question 7

What was the Marshall plan all about?

Answer 7

Truman sent general Marshall to access post war situation in Europe. His plan proposed 17 billion dollars to help rebuild Europe. In 1948 on the second attempt, it was granted.

Question 8

The soviet expansion 1945-48 how did countries in Eastern Europe fall to communism?

Answer 8

The soviet empire was constantly growing. The new ideology of communism was beloved by the Eastern European countries who were drowned in poverty. Stalin the leader had the idea of communism becoming global. Churchill described the theoretical line between the east and west, the ‘iron curtain.’

Mostly countries would be forced into a one party state vote by only being able to choose from USSR affiliated leaders

Question 9

Why was communism so accepted in the USSR?

Answer 9

Because around the First World War, Russia were suffering financially and there was a huge divide in wealth. Vladimir Lenin promoted the idea of communism and it was greatly accepted amongst the working class.

Question 10

How did communism come round to Asia?

Answer 10

China had first fallen to communism, and slowly the countries that were in similar states to First World War Russia, accepted communism.

Question 11

What year did China fall to communism, and how?

Answer 11

japan had left China in 1949 meaning power was battled for. The USA backed the nationalists whilst the ussr backed the communists. Mao Zendongs communists triumphed. Then in February of 1950 the ussr signed the treaty of friendship with China. Fear of communism only got more scary for the US.

Question 12

What theoretical line was south and North Korea split on?

Answer 12

The 38th parallel.

Question 13

What was the Korean War all about?

Answer 13

this was the first time east and west were drew into full out conflict. Both sides tested weaponry yet no nukes used. Split on the 38th parallel the war became a stalemate. This proved both nations could compete with each other.

Question 14

What reasons did the US have to get involved with affairs in Asia?

Answer 14

• the general fear that communism would grow so powerful that it breaks the ‘iron curtain’ and spreads to the west
• competition for who was the most powerful, The US didn’t want to look weak compared to the USSR
• the US believed communism was evil and capitalism needed not flourish.

Question 15

What reasons did the USSR have to start affairs in Asia?

Answer 15

• the fear that the west was more financially and militarily superior.
• wanted the backing of the whole continent.
• for trade, the east of Asia was one of the most important trade routes and was used heavily by the US

Question 16

Why were there tensions in Berlin?

Answer 16

The west was a much more accepted and well maintained place. People had try to flee to the west so Stalin needed to react and did so with the blockade.

Question 17

How did USA respond to the blockade?

Answer 17

Berlin blockade and airlift 1948-49: relations in Germany were not good, Britain and USA merged parts of Germany and there looked to have potentially been a split in alliance between the powers. People started moving to the west due to better lifestyle and capitalism. Stalin set up a blockade to stop food from coming to the west in order to keep people on the east side. In retaliation America and Britain used an airlift to supply food meaning the blockade was eventually scrapped in 1949

Question 18

What did events in Berlin say about the two powers?

Answer 18

It showed that the western world was majorly against communism and capitalism showed a better and more appreciated lifestyle than that of Communism. Stalin felt defeated overall in Berlin.