The origins of the cold war (1945-1949) (1,2,3,4)

Question 1

What happened at Yalta?

And who were the 3 leaders?

(2nd conference)

Answer 1

-Germany would be sepereated into 4 zones (Berlin would be similarly divided)
- UN ratified
- Ussr would gain land from Poland.

Churchill Stalin Roosevelt

Yalta from the outside seemed good but in reality the grand alliance (from WW2) was beginning to show cracks.

Question 2

What was Stalins priority after WW2

Answer 2

SECURING THE USSR
-sphere of influence
-protect the ruined USSR (25m deaths)

Question 3

Who was Molotov?

Answer 3

Molotov was a loyal supporter of Stalin. He served as the Soviet Foreign minister from 1949 - 1949 and again from 1953 - 1957. He was the leading representative at Yalta and Positive.
Many regard his attitudes as a major reason the East West relations broke down.

Very against Marshall plan!

Question 4

what were Churchill and Roosevelts relations/goals.

Answer 4

Roosevelt- He wanted post war world to strongly reflect the American concept of democracy. He believed Stalin shared these views and has been critisized as being naive.

Churchill - He never trusted the Soviet powers - even writing to the foreign secretary in 1944 “I cannot feel the slightest trust or confidence in them”. Churchill believed that the SU could threaten Britain’s imperial interests and therefore made sure establish a close relationship with the US for protection

Question 5

What happened at Postdam (1945)

and who were the three leaders?

(3rd conference)

Answer 5

• Germany would be completley disarmed and demilitarised
• Decenteralisation of the political system
• freedom of speech and free press restored
• Ussr was to recieve reperations from its own zone + 25% from the other 3
• Nazi party was banned.War criminals/members were persecuted.

Truman Stalin Attlee

Postdam did nothing to reinforce the notion of international cooperation aimed at reconstructing a long term future for post war europe.

Question 6

Who was Attlee

Answer 6

Took over PM from Churchill - shared the mistrust of the Soviet Union.

Labour - promised NHS

Question 7

Who was Truman

Answer 7

Roosevelts VP and later took over as president.
Had similiar post war world ideas. Wanted open world trading system.

Roosevelt died

Question 8

What was Stalin thinking after Potsdam?

Answer 8

He was convinced that the USA and its allies were potential rivals for dominance in Europe. This reinforced his obsession with Soviet security.

Question 9

What was the long telegram?

Answer 9

1. SU saw capitalism as a threat to communism that had to be destroyed.
2. The SU was building military power.
3. peace between USA and SU was no possible

This was fundamental in the shaping of US policy towards the Soviet union.

1946

Question 10

Who was Kennan?

Answer 10

US embassador in Moscow - sent the Long telegram to the white house.

He was incredibly distrustful of the Soviets and believed Stalin was going to replace the fear of Nazis with fear of the west in Soviet peoples head.

For kennan there was almost an inevitability about the collapse in East - West relations.

Question 11

What was the Iron curtain speech?

Answer 11

Churchill - although no longer the PM after he lost the election in 1945 delivered a direct attack on soviet policies. This convinced Stalin that the USA was complicit(working with) in a plot with Churchill and Britain to carry out an anti-soviet assault.

The speech was felt more by Stalin than Truman - Stalin stated that the US and UK might be pushing for oblivion of Soviet people.

Question 12

What was the Truman Doctorine?

Answer 12

Trumans teaching - a big shift in US foreign policy- outlining a commitment to provide economic and military assistance to countries resisting communist aggression. This was to prevent the spread of communism into Europe.

Question 13

What happened in the Greek civil war 1947?

Answer 13

Proxy war - US backed western powers in greece beacuse of the Truman doctorine.

Stalin refrained from aiding as he did not seek communism in Greece and instead wanted stability.He also stayed loyal to the Yalta agreement that Greece was in the British sphere of influence.

Question 14

What was Cominform?

Answer 14

Communist Info Bureau - Stalin was convinced Truman was engineering a world alliance against the USSR so he tried to undermine it.

It solidified the USSR’s influence in Eastern Europe.

Question 15

What was the Marshall plan?

Answer 15

2nd part of the truman doctorine - stated the US commitment to provide capital in Europe in return for containment of communism.

Marshall was the secretary of state

Question 16

How did the Soviets see the Marshall plan?

Answer 16

A clear example of American economics Imperialism. they believed the Americans were trying to undermine their sphere of influence and security.

Question 17

What was the difference in what the US wanted to do in Germany compared to the USSR?

Answer 17

US - wanted a strong recovery into an economic capitalist powerhouse

USSR- wanted to keep it weak to ensure protection from future invasions.

Question 18

Why did the Berlin Blockade occur?

Answer 18

After Bizonia was formed and the new currency (deutsch mark) was introduced Stalin blocked off all trade routes (road and rail) and the western powers met in London to discuss the start of the formation of West Germany.

However before the blockade - Stalin did meet all the powers at the moscow conference and he demanded that a new centeral administration should be created. The West essentially ignored this.

Needed to find a PEACEFUL solution
example of NOT stalins fault as west were being tricky ignoring him in London conference.

Question 19

What was the Berlin airlift?

Answer 19

The west knew they couldnt abandon Berlin but couldnt risk any conflict so they flew in tonnes of supplies for a year with thousands of flights.

Lasted almost a year before Stalin gave up

Question 20

What happened after the creation of West and East Germany?

Answer 20

Nato was formed in 1949 reasurring Western Europe states in the face of possible Soviet aggression.

Soviets responded by emphaising there lack of intent of aggression in Europe and said NATO was an aggressive org to pressure states into complying wtih the interests of Britain.