KQ4: Who Was To Blame For The Cold War? 1945-1949 Flashcards
(13 cards)
What was agreed at the Yalta Conference in February 1945?
USSR to join war against Japan; Germany divided into four occupation zones; Nazi war criminals punished; free elections in liberated countries; UN established; Eastern Europe as Soviet sphere of influence; USSR agreed not to interfere in Greece.
What key events occurred between Yalta and Potsdam?
Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe; Roosevelt died, replaced by Truman; USA tested atomic bomb; Churchill lost election, replaced by Attlee.
What were the main disagreements at Potsdam (July 1945)?
Tensions between Truman and Stalin; disagreement over German punishment, reparations, and Soviet intentions in Eastern Europe.
How far did communism spread after 1945?
Communist control spread to Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Albania, and the Baltic states. Yugoslavia became communist but independent of USSR. Strong communist parties in France and Italy.
How did Stalin tighten control over Iron Curtain countries?
Used secret police, created Cominform, summoned leaders to Moscow, replaced independent leaders, except for Tito in Yugoslavia.
Why did the wartime friendship between USA and USSR break down?
Different ideologies; past mistrust; USSR seen as expansionist; USA feared communism and dictatorship; alliance was only temporary during WWII.
What were the main differences between USA and USSR?
USA was capitalist and democratic; USSR was communist and authoritarian; different values on freedom and equality; conflicting visions for the world.
What happened to Greece after WWII?
Civil war between communists and monarchists; British troops intervened in 1945; Britain withdrew in 1947; USA funded support for monarchists; royalists won by 1950 but were weak.
What was the Truman Doctrine?
A US policy of containment to resist communism; aid to countries under communist threat, starting with Greece in 1947.
What was Marshall Aid?
Economic extension of the Truman Doctrine; $17 billion given to Western Europe to fight poverty and prevent communism; rejected by Stalin for Eastern Europe.
Why and how did the USSR blockade Berlin in 1948?
Western powers created West Germany and introduced new currency; Stalin blockaded West Berlin to force the Allies out.
What was the Soviet plan in the Berlin Blockade and how well did it work?
Block all supply routes to West Berlin; hope USA would withdraw; instead, the USA airlifted supplies for 10 months; Stalin lifted blockade in May 1949.
What was the significance of the Berlin Blockade?
Risked war; proved USA commitment to containment; Berlin became a symbol of freedom behind the Iron Curtain.
