Post WWII Flashcards
(219 cards)
1
Q
Who did the KPD form a coalition with and what was this union called?
A
SPD
Socialist Union Party
2
Q
How many SPD were arrested when they refused to join the Socialist Union Party?
A
20,000
3
Q
Between 1945 and 1947, how many dollars did the USSR collect from their zone in reparations?
A
10 billion
4
Q
When did General Clay say the US wouldn’t take any more reparations until there’s a four zone plan for Germany?
A
May 1946
5
Q
How did stalin respond to General Clay’s statement?
A
Nationalised 213 German businesses and sent their produce to the USSR
6
Q
When did James Byrne, US Secretary of state, say they US will collect reparations when Germany has a trade surplus?
A
July 1947
7
Q
When did the Uk and Usa zones merge to form Bizonia?
A
January 1947
8
Q
What did Stalin argue that Bizonia is?
A
the first step to creating a West German state
9
Q
Why do the Americans say they created Bizonia?
A
To make Germany more economically stable
10
Q
When did civil war break out in Greece?
A
Sept 1946
11
Q
How did Stalin fund the Greek communists?
A
Via Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria
12
Q
Where was the UK involved in wars when the Greek Civil War broke out?
A
India, Palestine, Egypt
13
Q
When was bread first rationed in London?
A
1946
14
Q
What fraction of houses in London were destroyed in the bombing?
A
1/3
15
Q
How many british merchant ships had been sunk by 1946?
A
177
16
Q
What fraction of the British Navy had been sunk by 1946?
A
2/3
17
Q
When did Britain tell Amercia that they were ending aid to Greece and Turkey?
A
February 21st 1947
18
Q
When did British aid to Greece and Turkey end?
A
March 31st 1947
19
Q
When did Truman announce the Truman doctrine?
A
March 12th 1947
20
Q
How much money was the Truman Doctrine?
A
$400million
21
Q
What does Stalin call the Truman Doctrine?
A
Dollar Imperialism
22
Q
How much did the European countries ask for in the Marshall Plan?
A
$29 billion
23
Q
How much money did the 17 European Countries receive in the Marshall Plan?
A
$17 billion
24
Q
When were the Paris Negotiations?
A
1947
25
What were the Paris Negotiations?
Negotiations for the Marshall Plan
26
What happened at the Paris Negotiations?
- Soviets came but left
- European countries bickered
- French were concerned Bizonia would receive more than France
27
What was Stalin's response to the Marshall Plan?
Set up cominform
28
How much money did the UK get from the Marshall Plan?
$3.176 billion
29
How much money did France get from the Marshall Plan?
$2.706 billion
30
How much money did West Germany get from the Marshall Plan?
1.389
31
Which communist country accepted Marshall Aid despite Stalin forbidding it?
Yugolsavia
32
When was Yugoslavia expelled from Cominform?
June 1948
33
Which countries did Stalin pressure to withdraw their applications for Marshall Aid?
Czechoslovakia and Poland
34
Which countries were neutral and sustained little damage, but still took Marshall Aid?
Ireland, Sweden, Portugal
35
When did Churchill make his Iron Curtain speech?
March 1946
36
Where did Churchill make his Iron Curtain Speech?
Truman's home state- Missouri
37
In Poland, when do rival parties merge with the communists?
October 1946
38
In Poland in January 1947, how many seats did the communist party win?
394
39
In January 1947, how many seats did the Polish Peasants Party win?
28
40
Which Polish Communist leader was removed from power for being too independent?
Gomulka
41
When was Gomulka removed from power?
1948
42
When was Gomulka imprisoned intermittently until?
1956
43
Romania had had a provisional government since a communist coup. When was this?
March 1945
44
When did the Romanian Socialist party merge with the communists?
March 1946
45
What percentage of the vote did the communists win in romanian rigged elections in November 1946?
0.8
46
When did the Communist goverment force King Michael of Romania to abdicate?
December 1947
47
When was the Communist peoples' republic declared in Romania?
April 1948
48
When did the red army withdraw from Czechslovakia making it a neutral country?
December 1945
49
In free elections in Czechoslovakia in May 1946, what percentage of the vote did the communists win? (they then formed a coalition)
0.38
50
When did the communists stage a coup in Czechoslovakia?
February 1948
51
When was Jan Masaryk pushed out of a window in Czechoslovakia?
March 1948
52
When was Hungary free until despite Red occupation?
1947
53
When was Kadar (the non-Communist leader of Hungary) arrested and imprisoned?
Spring 1947
54
When is the Hungarian Peoples' Independent Front (HPIF) formed (communist coalition)?
March 1948
55
When are only HPIF politicians allowed to stand in elections?
March 1949
56
When was the London Conference of Foreign Ministers?
1947
57
What was the London Conference of Foreign Ministers?
The foreign ministers of the UK, USA, USSR and France meet to decide the future of Germany.
The USSR wanted a united Germany that it could control but the US had accepted that Germany was going to be partitioned.
58
Why did the London Conference of Foreign ministers fail?
The USSR accuse the US of breaking Potsdam reparations agreements. The UK, US and France leave feeling that creating a West German state was the only option left to rebuild Germany
59
When was the 2nd London Conference?
1948
60
What was the goal of the 2nd London Conference?
To come to an agreement about the future of the West German state.
61
Were the Soviets invited the the 2nd London Conference?
No
62
France was concerned at the 2nd London Conference. What compromises were they given?
German heavy industry would be regulated by the International ruhr authority
63
When did the Berlin Blockade start?
June 24th 1948
64
When were the Germans in the West German zones given permissions to set up a democratic, federal West Germany?
June 7th 1948
65
When was the Deutschmark created?
June 20th 1948
66
What were the complications with the creation of the Deutschmark?
- Soviets weren't informed
- Chaos as people tried to sell reichmarks for deutschmarks
67
When was the Ostmark created?
24th June 1948
68
When did the Berlin Blockade end?
May 12th 1949
69
Why did the Berlin Blockade succeed?
The 1948-49 winter was very mild
70
By January 1949, how many tonnes of supplies were being flown into Berlin daily
5000
71
How often did a plane land at Templehoff airport?
Every 90 seconds
72
When did a soviet jet crash into a british cargo plane killing everyone involved?
April 6th 1949
73
What was the outcome of the Berlin blockade?
FRG and GDR created in 1949
74
When was the Brussels Pact signed?
March 1948
75
What was the Brussels Pact?
A defence alliance organised by the british to soothe french anxiety over west germany.
Ostensibly: an alliance against FRG
Reality: alliance against USSR
76
Who was in the Brussels Pact?
UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg
77
When was NATO drawn up?
Spring 1948
78
When was NATO signed?
April 1949
79
Who was in NATO?
Brussels Pact countries, USA, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Portugal
80
What does EDC stand for?
European Defence Community
81
What is the EDC?
A compromise to allow France to accept a rearmed Germany.
A European-wide army where German troops could fight under French officers.
82
How long did EDC discussions last?
2 years
83
What was the further compromise over the EDC?
NATO would create an integrated force until the EDC could get operational.
84
The EDC was never made. What happened instead?
NATO created a European force for West German troops to serve in
85
The cost of NATO was crippling. How much were the European countries spending on defence in 1949?
$4.4 billion
86
How much were the European countries spending on defence in 1951?
$8 billion
87
How much was French inflation at in 1951?
20%
88
How much was British, Italian and West German inflation at in 1951?
10%
89
What was the OEEC?
The Organisation for European Economic Cooperation - set up to supervise the distribution of Marshall Aid.
90
What was Stalin's response to the creation of NATO?
Drew up plans for a democratic, unified Germany
91
When did Stalin draw up plans for a democratic, unified Germany?
March 1952
92
What did Stalin's plans for a democratic unified Germany involve?
- Germany banned from joining NATO
- Stalin would rather lose GDR than risk an armed FRG
93
Why did the US reject Stalin's plans for a democratic unified Germany?
They feared a unified Germany would fall into the soviet sphere of influence.
94
When did China become communist?
October 1st 1949
95
Who was the first communist leader of China?
President Mao
96
How many tanks was the USSR producing annually in 1948?
1150
97
How many tanks was the USSR producing annually in 1949?
4350
98
When did North Korea invade South Korea?
June 1950
99
What was Ulbricht's response to the Korean invasion?
He supported North Korea and implied invading FRG would be his preferred way of uniting the country.
100
How many men were in the GDR's paramilitary force (created in 1951)?
60000
101
What was the idea behind the Schuman Plan (1950)?
For the European countries to have a role in FRG's heavy industry
102
When did the Schuman Plan become the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community)?
1952
103
Who joined the ECSC? Who refused?
Joined: France, Belgium, FRG, the Netherlands
Refused: Britain
104
What was the impact of the ECSC?
It was the first step in creating the EU and it made Europe wealthier and more secure
105
When was cominform set up?
September 1947
106
When was comecon set up?
1949
107
When is comecon just a name until?
1954
108
When is comecon active until?
1959
109
Who was the leader of Yugoslavia?
Tito
110
When did Stalin and Tito fall out and why?
1948 over Yugoslavian troops in Albania and a Yugoslav-Bulgarian political union
111
When did Tito sign the Balkan Mutual Defence Pact with Greece and Turkey (NATO countries)?
1954
112
When did both the USA and USSR get the H-bomb?
1952
113
When did Stalin die?
March 1953
114
Who made up the Soviet Provisional Government?
Khrushchev, Beria, Malenkov, Molotov and Bulgarin
115
Who emerged from the soviet provisional government as leader in 1955?
Khrushchev
116
When did the Korean war end?
July 1953
117
In July 1952, how much did Ulbricht increase worker production targets by?
10%
118
When were the leading non-communist politicians in the GDR arrested?
Spring 1953
119
When does Beria propose to abandon the GDR but not win a majority?
May 1953
120
What is the 1953 Soviet Proposal?
German unity under a provisional government
121
What was Eisenhower's response to the 1953 Soviet Proposal?
A unified Germany could become pro-soviet
122
What was Adenauer's response to the 1953 Soviet proposal?
Communists would seize power
123
What was Ulbricht's response to the 1953 Soviet proposal?
He would lose power
124
When was Ulbricht summoned to Moscow and told to calm down?
June 2nd 1953
125
When was the East German Uprising?
16th June 1953
126
What was the East German Uprising about?
pay, political freedom, reinstatement of the SPD
127
What was the East German uprising?
A series of strikes escalated to riots
128
How many took part in demonstrations in East Berlin?
100000
129
When the Soviets sent troops to the the East German Uprising, how many protesters were killed?
125
130
What was the outcome of the East German Uprising?
- Adenauer reelected in September
- Despite promising to liberate Eastern Europe in the 1952 election, Eisenhower didn't intervene
- Used as an excuse to execute Beria
- No hope for German unity
- Both sides fell out over the future of Germany at the Berlin Conference in 1954
131
When was the Stalin Note?
March 10th 1952
132
What was the Stalin Note also called?
The March Note
133
What did the Stain note propose?
German reunification and neutralisation without foreign troops
134
When did the FRG ratify the EDC?
May 1953
135
When did the French refuse to ratify the EDC?
August 1954
136
When did the FRG join NATO?
5th May 1955
137
What were the conditions for the FRG joining NATO?
1) Army the same size as in the EDC treaty
2) No nukes
3) Britain keep troops there for an unlimited amount of time
4) American troops there until Germany is unified
5) Berlin remain under 4 power control
138
How many British troops are still in Germany today?
5200
139
When was the Warsaw Pact set up?
May 14th 1955
140
When did the GDR join the Warsaw Pact?
January 1956
141
When would the Warsaw Pact be disbanded?
When a neutral, unified Germany formed
142
When did riots break out in the city in Poznan, Poland?
June 1956
143
Why did riots break out in Poznan?
Over an increase in production targets
144
The riots in Poznan were put down by the Polish Army. How many were killed?
56
145
What was the outcome of the riots in Poznan (the Polish Crisis)?
Gomulka was made leader by the polish communist party to appease the Polish people
146
When were the elections in Poland in 1956?
18th-20th October
147
What did Khrushchev order the red army to do if Gomulka was elected leader
Take warsaw
148
When was Gomulka elected?
20th October 1956
149
How did Gomulka stop Khrushchev from invading Poland?
He made assurances thar Poland would stay in the Warsaw Pact and Khrushchev backed down.
150
What message does Khrushchev backing down from the Polish Crisis send?
If you stand up to Khrushchev, he will back down
151
When did Britain control Egypt directly between?
1882-1922
152
When did Britain set up a puppet monarchy in Egypt?
1922
153
When is the coup to overthrow the King of Egypt?
1952
154
Who is in charge of Egypt after the 1952 coup?
Gamal Nasser (an Arab nationalist and ally of the USSR)
155
What did Nasser do?
Nationalised all foreign owned businesses?
156
When was the Suez Canal built by the UK and France?
1869
157
When did Nasser nationalise the Suez Canal?
Summer 1956
158
What is the Anglo-French plan to reclaim the canal?
- Encourage Israel to invade Egypt and seize land
- Send in British and French paratroopers to act as 'peacekeepers'
- Paratroopers seize control of the canal
159
When does Israel invade Egypt?
October 29th 1956
160
When do the UK and France bomb the Suez Canal?
October 30th 1956
161
When are paratroopers sent?
5th November 1956
162
What does Khrushchev threaten to do on November 5th 1956?
Use nuclear weapons that he doesn't have
163
How does the US end the Suez crisis?
Sells all its pounds to crash the value
164
What is the value of £1 in 1956?
2.8
165
How many pounds are the UK government forced to buy between October 30th and November 2nd to stop the value dropping?
£45 million
166
When does the UK call a ceasefire to the Suez crisis?
November 6th
167
When is the pro-soviet leader of Hungary, Rakosi, forced to resign due to 'health reasons'?
June 1956
168
Who is Rakosi replaced with?
The liberal- Gero
169
Who do the Hungarian people want instead of Gero?
Nagy- the former PM, who was sacked in 1955 for being too liberal
170
When are there protests in Hungary?
June --> October 1956
171
When does a pro-Gomulka march in Budapest turn into a riot?
October 23rd 1956
172
What happened in the riots on October 23rd?
- rioters storm a secret police headquarters and execute the policemen
- A statue of Stalin is torn down
173
When is Nagy appointed Prime Minister?
October 24th 1956
174
How do the soviets respond to Nagy being made PM?
Send troops to Budapest
175
Between which dates are there street fights with the soviets
24th-30th October
176
What did Radio Free Europe say about the Hungarian Uprising?
NATO would intervene
177
When did Nagy negotiate a ceasefire that got the soviets to withdraw?
October 30th 1956
178
When did Nagy announce that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact?
November 4th 1956
179
After Nagy announced that Hungary would leave the Warsaw Pact, the soviets sent troops. By which date had they retaken the captial?
November 11th
180
In 1957, how did the Hungarian Uprising affect the leaders of Hungary?
Nagy arrested and executed
Kadar made leader
181
Who did the Hungarian Uprising win Khrushchev the support of?
Mao
182
What did the US secretary of State, Dulles, say about Khrushchev after the Hungarian Uprising and why?
He was the most dangerous soviet leader since 1917
This was because Khrushchev was more willing to take risks than Stalin
183
When did the Soviets develop the first ICBM?
August 1957
184
When did the USSR launch Sputniks 1 and 2?
October and November 1957
185
What was in Sputnik 2?
Laika the dog
186
Who was the first man in space? Which nationality was he? When did he go to space?
Yuri Gagarin- USSR
April 1961
187
When does the USSR develop a missile that can carry a warhead?
1960
188
What are the US nuclear submarines called?
Polaris
189
By 1962, how many nuclear submarines does the US have and how many missiles can each fire?
8 subs that can fire 144 missiles
190
Why do the Frech and Germans begin to doubt the US after the Hungarian Uprising?
They believe the US let down Hungary and will do the same to them.
191
Which countries work on a joint nuclear bomb without American involvement?
France, West Germany, Italy
192
When is the Treaty of Rome?
1957
193
What is the Treaty of Rome?
It created the EEC in 1957.
It creates a customs union with a promise to integrate further politically in the future
194
What does GB set up instead of joining the EEC?
The EFTA
195
Was the EEC anti-American?
No but it wanted to be free of American influence
196
When did Khrushchev call for a peace treaty between the FRG and GDR?
10th November 1957
197
What happened on the 27th November 1957?
Khrushchev gave the West a 6 month ultimatum to demilitarise West Berlin and make Berlin a 'free city.' If the West refused, he'd hand over control of East Berlin to the GDR so the West would be forced to recognise the GDR, ending the Hallstein Doctrine
198
What was the Western response to the Ultimatum?
- Adenauer is horrified and grows closer to de Gaulle
199
What happens at the Geneva Summit 1959?
No solution to the ultimatum found but Khrushchev and Eisenhower's relationship improves
200
Between 1945 and 1961, how many people leave East Germany via the open border in Berlin and what fraction of the population is this?
3.5 million
1/6 of the population
201
What happens at the Camp David Summit 1959?
Khrushchev and Eisenhower agree disarmament is important and Berlin should be settled peacefully. They agree to continue dialogue at the Paris Summit in May
202
What happens at the Paris Summit?
All four leaders come, but Khrushchev storms out as a result of the U2 crisis
203
What does Kennedy say in his televised speech in July 1961?
The US will fight to give the FRG access to West Berlin
The GDR isn't mentioned
204
When are farms in the GDR collectivised?
April 1960
205
In 1960, a record number of people flee the GDR. How many is that?
199000
206
How many people flee the GDR in the first half of 1961?
103000
207
When do the Warsaw Pact countries agree to close the Berlin border?
3rd-5th August 1961
208
When does construction begin on the Berlin Wall?
August 13th 1961
209
What does the Berlin Wall do for the GDR's economy?
Stabilises it. By the late 1960s, it has one of the most successful economies in the Eastern Bloc
210
When was the Geneva Conference?
1955
211
What was the Geneva Conference? :-)
the leaders of the USA, USSR, UK and France met in Geneva for the first major summit since Potsdam. It went well
212
What was the outcome of the Geneva Conference?
Khrushchev withdrew soviet troops from Austria (it had been divided into 4 zones like Germany) providing it remained neutral and didn't join NATO
213
What term described the new positivism between the countries at the Geneva Conference?
Geneva Spirit
214
When was the Hallstein Doctrine?
September 1955
215
Who announced the Hallstein Doctrine?
Adenauer
216
Who was the Hallstein Doctrine named after?
the FRG's foreign minister, Walter Hallstein
217
What did the Hallstein doctrine show?
The limits to the Geneva Spirit?
218
What did the Hallstein Doctrine state?
The FRG would have no diplomatic relations with any country that had diplomatic relations with the GDR except the USSR.
219
What did the Hallstein Doctrine mean?
The FRG had no diplomatic relations with the Warsaw Pact countries and the GDR had no diplomatic relations with the NATO countries.
