The Origins Of The Cold War (1)

Question 1

Define the Cold War

Answer 1

Ideological conflict which took place between the two superpowers (US + USSR) between 1945 and 1991, but involved no direct fighting

Question 2

What are some characteristics of the Cold War?

Answer 2

• Building up military/weapons
• Proxy wars
• Conferences
• Propaganda
• Espionage

Question 3

Who was the leader of the US at end of WWII?

Answer 3

Harry Truman (April 1945-1953)

Question 4

Who was the leader of the USSR at the end of WWII?

Answer 4

Joseph Stalin (1924-1953)

Question 5

Who was the leader of Britain at the end of WWII?

Answer 5

Clement Attlee (July 1945-1951)

Question 6

What were the two conflicting ideologies?

Answer 6

• Conflict between the colonic + political system of the West and the East
• West were capitalist
• East were communist

Question 7

Define communism

Answer 7

Economic + political system in which production (land, labour, capital) are communally owned

Question 8

Define capitalism

Answer 8

Economic + political system in which production (land, labour, capital) is privately owned

Question 9

How did communism develop?

Answer 9

• Karl Marx, made Marxism, published The Communist Manifesto (1828), believed communism was the way + capitalism would eventually destroy itself to become communism
• Reformed by Lenin into Leninism, which adapted Marxism to practically fit Russia
• Stalin ruled using ‘Marxist-Leninism’

Question 10

Who is Vladimir Lenin + what did he do?

Answer 10

• Head of Bolshevik party
• Lead the October Revolution to become the first Premier of communist Russia (1917-1922) then of the USSR (1922-1924)
• Reformed Marxism into Leninism so it could be applied to Russia

Question 11

What are some features of communism?

Answer 11

• Opposed bourgeoisie’s exploitation of proletariats
• ‘Equality for all’ (wages capped)
• ‘No leader’
• Single party
• State ownership
• Centrally planned economy
• Generally lower living standards

Question 12

What are some features of capitalism?

Answer 12

• Equal opportunities, but not necessarily equal outcomes
• Leader
• Multi-party politics
• Private ownership
• Free market economy
• Key freedoms of liberal democracy (e.g. freedom of speech)
• Generally higher living standards

Question 13

What is a free market economy?

Answer 13

• Little/no gov intervention

- Prices set by supply/demand

Question 14

What is a centrally planned economy?

Answer 14

• Government controlled

- Prices set by government

Question 15

List the significant WWII meetings leading up to the Cold War + their dates + which leaders attended

Answer 15

• Atlantic Charter (Aug 1941) (Churchill + Roosevelt)
• Casablanca Conference (Jan 1943) (Churchill + Roosevelt + De Gaulle)
• Cairo Conference (Nov 1943) (Churchill + Roosevelt + Chiang Kai-Shek)
• Tehran Conference (Nov 1943) (Churchill + Roosevelt + Stalin)
• Yalta Conference (4th-11th Feb 1945) (Churchill + Roosevelt + Stalin)
• Potsdam Conference (17th July-2nd Aug 1945) (Churchill/Attlee + Truman + Stalin)

Question 16

When was VE Day?

Answer 16

8th May 1945

Question 17

When was VJ Day (official end of WWII)?

Answer 17

2nd Sept 1945

Question 18

What are the three most important WWII meetings in regards to the Cold War + why?

Answer 18

Tehran + Yalta + Potsdam
- Most influential in determining the position of the powers at the start of the Cold War, as they negotiated on the post-war situation

Question 19

What was the general outcome of the Atlantic Charter (Aug 1941)?

Answer 19

Churchill + Roosevelt informally agreed on their joint goal for the rest of WWII: to seek no territorial gains, simply hoping for self-determination + freedom for all

Question 20

What was the general outcome of the Casablanca Conference (Jan 1943)?

Answer 20

Churchill, Roosevelt + De Gaulle (the Allies) coordinated their strategy for defeating the Axis

• Plans made to invade Italy
• Plans to seek unconditional surrender from Japan

Question 21

What is unconditional surrender?

Answer 21

Surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party (they are completely at the winner’s mercy)

Question 22

What was the general outcome of the Cairo Conference (Nov 1943)?

Answer 22

Churchill + Roosevelt + Chiang Kai-Shek discussed strategy for defeating Japan and post-war Asia

• Plans to seek unconditional surrender from Japan
• Plans to return lands annexed by Japan to appropriate owners (e.g. Taiwan - property of China)

Question 23

What were the outcomes of the Tehran Conference (Nov 1943)?

Answer 23

G
- US + Britain agreed to open second front against Germans in June 1944

J
- Stalin refuses to open conflict with Japan until Germans defeated

P
- Start of negotiation for new Polish borders

EE
- USSR allowed to keep Baltic States, Finland, Romania (against Atlantic Charter)

UN
- Start of negotiation for a new world peace organisation to replace League of Nations

Question 24

Did Roosevelt + Stalin work well together during Tehran Conference? Why?

Answer 24

• Worked well

- Bonded over anti-colonialism

Question 25

When was the Yalta Conference?

Answer 25

4th-11th Feb 1945

Question 26

Where is Yalta?

Answer 26

Ukraine

Question 27

What were the aims of the USSR (Stalin) at Yalta?

Answer 27

- Maintain sphere of influence in E.Europe (via Red Army) - Prevent losses for USSR (partially make up via high reparations) - Keep Germany weak + unthreatening (dismember + reparations) - Keep Lublin gov as leaders in Poland, not exiled gov in London

Question 28

What was the Yalta Conference dealing with?

Answer 28

- Remainder of WWII (Axis needed defeated) | - Post-war situation

Question 29

What was the Potsdam Conference dealing with?

Answer 29

- Remainder of WWII (Japan needed defeated) | - Post-war situation

Question 30

What were the aims of the USA (Roosevelt) at Yalta?

Answer 30

- Achieve post-war peace - Achieve self-determination for European countries - Achieve post-war economic reconstruction worldwide (via free trade)

Question 31

What were the aims of the UK (Churchill) at Yalta?

Answer 31

- Maintain influence agreed in 1944 Percentages Agreement - Protect colonial interests - Restore fair borders (for Poland) - Achieve self-determination for European countries

Question 32

What was the 1944 Percentages Agreement?

Answer 32

Informal agreement made between Stalin + Churchill, that divided up Europe into spheres of influence, by allocating balance of influence in percentages between USSR + UK E.g. - Romania - 90% USSR - Greece - 90% UK

Question 33

What were the main decisions made at Yalta?

Answer 33

G - Demilitarised, de-nazified, country and Berlin both divided into Four Power Occupation, governed by ACC - To pay reparations ($20 bill, 50% to USSR) J - USSR would join war against Japan 3 months after defeat of Germany + would receive South Sakhalin + Kurile Islands + economic privileges in Manchuria in return EE - Declaration on Liberated Europe (giving all people the right to “choose the form of government under which they will live”) P - Confirmed new Polish borders, shifting Poland West (‘Curzon Line’ in East - USSR gain + ‘Oder-Neisse Line’ in West - Germany lose) - Free elections, NOT Lublin gov UN - Set date for Aug 1945 to have San Francisco Conference + finalise discussions on the UN

Question 34

What is the ACC ?

Answer 34

Allied Control Council - Used to coordinate the governance of Germany during 4 power occupation - UK, US, USSR, France

Question 35

What are the 5 areas on which decisions were made at the three key WWII conferences (Tehran + Yalta + Potsdam)

Answer 35

- Germany - Japan - E.Europe - Poland - UN

Question 36

Why did Stalin accept the implementation of free elections in Poland during the Yalta Conference?

Answer 36

Satisfied by the confirmation of new Polish borders, which gave USSR territorial gains

Question 37

When was the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 37

17th July-2nd August 1945

Question 38

Where is Potsdam?

Answer 38

Germany

Question 39

What were any new aims of the USSR (Stalin) at Potsdam?

Answer 39

- More expansionist - install loyal communist regimes in E.Europe - More strong - not be intimidated by nuclear threat

Question 40

What were any new aims of the USA (Truman) at Potsdam?

Answer 40

- End conference quickly without submitting to USSR

Question 41

Why did Truman want to end the Potsdam Conference quickly?

Answer 41

Found out success about 16th July ‘Trinity Test’ of atomic bomb, so didn’t need to negotiate with USSR as they weren’t needed to defeat Japan

Question 42

How did Churchill describe Truman after the news about the successful nuclear weapon was delivered?

Answer 42

“Changed man”

Question 43

What were any new aims of the UK (Churchill, replaced with Attlee 10 days in when Labour won election) at Potsdam?

Answer 43

- Be resistant against Stalin’s expansionism - Rebuild Germany (didn’t want repeat of 1919 Treaty of Versailles, when Germany had huge reparations for WWI and the poor economic conditions enabled Hitler’s rise to power)

Question 44

What were the decisions made at Potsdam?

Answer 44

Focused on Germany - Under Four Power Occupation, but treated as 1 economic unit - Demilitarisation, denazification - Restore freedoms (of speech, press, etc) - Abandon fixed reparations (each power take from own zone, with USSR taking extra 25% from W zones, giving back via agricultural products) - Nuremberg trials

Question 45

What was the problem with the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 45

- Focused on Germany - Short - Harder to negotiate (Roosevelt, who had been a middle man between Stalin + Churchill, replaced with less friendly Truman) This meant not enough decisions made about future of world + balance of future power globally

Question 46

When were the atomic bombs dropped on Japan?

Answer 46

Hiroshima - 6th August | Nagasaki - 9th August

Question 47

Why was Stalin angered by the atomic bombs dropped on Japan?

Answer 47

- Threat to Soviets, as the US (conflicting superpower) had better weapons - Truman didn’t tell Stalin, but had told Churchill

Question 48

Did Stalin complete agreement from Yalta about waging war on Japan?

Answer 48

Yes (despite USSR not being needed) - invaded Manchuria to liberate it from Japanese occupation on 8th Aug 1945 - trying to still reap the rewards