iron curtain, marshall plan and berlin blockade

Question 1

what were the soviet union states/communist governments by 1946?

Answer 1

Poland, Albania, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria

Question 2

what was the iron curtain?

Answer 2

divide between east and west of Europe

Question 3

what was the Trueman Doctrine?

Answer 3

• Trueman Doctrine March 12th 1947
• asked for $400 million to provide military, political and econmonic assistance to democratic nations (Greece and Turkey)
• policy of CONTAINMENT

Question 4

what was cominform?

Answer 4

• Stalin had secret police force to control EE countries
• cominform set up in 1947 to coordinate different communist parties
• a response to the Trueman doctrine
• accepted the EE now Soviet Sphere of Influence

Question 5

Greece and Turkey involvement

Answer 5

• civil war between monarchist and communists
• USSR tried to take control of Turkey
• worried US as this would allows communist spread through Middle East, and had valuable oil reserves
• Trueman doctrine gave aid to both, making strong allies
• made US and USSR relationship worse

Question 6

Marshall aid

Answer 6

• General Marshal sent to assess Europe after WW2
• found countries in ruin and short supplies
• propose plan (MP) to give $17 bill to Europe for rebuild to tackle poverty and make communist spread harder
• Trueman rejected by Congress in April 1947
• after 1948 USSR invasion on Czechoslovakia, Congress granted Marshall Aid
• Stalin suspicious of Marshall aid and banned communist states for applying for it
• as result, Stalin set up own version: Comecon in Jan 1949

Question 7

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 7

• western powers combined zones of Berlin into one to allow faster economic recovery
• Stalin felt threatened and responded with Berlin blockade
• closed all links in June 1947 to Berlin with rest of Germany, cutting supplies
• west would have to use tank and military to remove blockade which would be seen as act of war

Responses:
- Berlin Airlift (planes delivering supplies)
- supported Berlin for 11 months till removed
-2.3 million tonnes, 300,000 flights, mainly food, fuel (wheat and chocolate) and coal to 2.5 mill residents

• when blockade ended Germany formally split into two:
  west = Federal republic of Germany
  east = German democratic republic