U2: the development of the Cold War 1946 and 1955 Flashcards
(23 cards)
Explain the consolidation of Poland
Red army occupied in 1944-45
Soviet backed Lublin committee took over government
Rigged 1947 elections
Oppposition parties
Explain Hungary consolidation?
- Soviet troops remained after WWII.
• Initially coalition government (1945).
• Communists used “salami tactics” — eliminated opposition slice by slice.
• Show trials & purges → 1949 Communist dictatorship.
• Rakosi (Stalinist leader) imposed strict control.
Explain Albaina consolidation
Communist liberated country largely on their own
Declared people republic in 1946
Extensive purges of opposition & rival communist
Became a hardline Stalinist
Explain Yugoslavia consolidation
Communist partisan tito liberated country
Tito established communist regime without soviet help
Yugoslavia pursued independent socialism
Less soviet intervention
Explain Bulgaria consolidation
Switched 1944 soviet occupied peacefully
Communist fatherland front won rigged elections
Mass arrests & show trials of opposition
Communist rule consolidated under dimitrov
Explain Romania consolidation
Soviet troops entered in 1944
Communist led fatherland front dominated politics
1946 elections rigged
King forced t abdicate in 1947
Opponents imprisoned + killed
Explain Czech Slovakia consolidation
Initially free elections in 1946 communist strong but dominant
1948” communist coup with red army pressure
Non communist ministers forced to resign
Communist one party established
Explain Baltic states consolidation?
🇪🇪 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
• Occupied by USSR in 1940 (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact).
• Brief Nazi occupation (1941–44), then re-occupied by USSR (1944–45).
• Annexed into USSR as Soviet republics — no independence.
• Mass deportations, arrests, suppression of national identity.
• Russification: promoted Russian language/culture, brought in Russian settlers.
• Armed resistance movements (Forest Brothers) crushed by Soviet forces.
• Remained under strict Soviet control until independence in 1991.
Explain the Greece consolidation?
• Liberated by British and Greek forces, not Soviets (1944).
• Greek Communists (ELAS) fought civil war against royalist government (1946–49).
• US and UK intervened (Truman Doctrine) → communists defeated.
• Greece remained non-communist, joined NATO in 1952.
• Failed Soviet attempt at influencing Greece via local Communists.
Explain the Finland consolidation?
• Fought two wars vs. USSR: Winter War (1939–40) and Continuation War (1941–44).
• Signed an armistice in 1944, kept independence but lost territory & paid reparations.
• No Soviet occupation, but heavy political and military pressure.
• Finlandization: remained officially neutral; avoided actions that might provoke USSR.
• Maintained democracy, unlike Eastern Bloc
Explain the iron curtain speech
Iron Curtain Speech (1946)
• Given by Winston Churchill on March 5, 1946 in Fulton, Missouri, USA.
• Warned that an “Iron Curtain” had fallen across Europe:
→ Western Europe = free democracies
→ Eastern Europe = Soviet-controlled Communist states
• Highlighted growing division between East and West after WWII.
• Called for the West (especially the USA and UK) to stand firm against Soviet expansion.
• Seen as a key event marking the start of the Cold War.
Explain the truman doctrine
the 🇺🇸 Truman Doctrine (March 1947)
• Announced by President Truman.
• US foreign policy to support countries threatened by Communism.
• First applied to Greece and Turkey — US sent $400 million in aid to stop Communist takeovers.
• Marked the start of US “containment” strategy → trying to stop the spread of Communism globally.
• Seen by Stalin as an aggressive move by the West. start of the Cold War.
Explain the marshall aid
• US economic recovery plan to help Western Europe rebuild after WWII.
• Provided over $13 billion in grants and loans.
• Aimed to:
• Prevent economic collapse (which might lead to Communism).
• Promote free trade and strong economies.
• USSR saw it as a tool of US influence → refused aid for Eastern Bloc & set up Comecon instead.
Explain cominform
🇷🇺 Cominform (1947)
• Communist Information Bureau created by USSR.
• Coordinated activities of European Communist parties.
• Purpose:
• Spread Soviet-style Communism.
• Ensure Eastern European countries remained loyal to Moscow.
• Used to suppress opposition in Communist states.
Explain comecon 1949
🇷🇺 Comecon (1949)
• Soviet economic alliance: Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
• Response to Marshall Aid — helped integrate Eastern Bloc economies with the USSR.
• Eastern countries had to follow Soviet economic model.
• Meant to reduce Western economic influence.
Explain warsaw pact
🇷🇺 Warsaw Pact (1955)
• Soviet-led military alliance → Eastern Bloc equivalent of NATO.
• Created after West Germany joined NATO.
• Members: USSR + 7 Eastern European countries.
• Purpose: defend Communist bloc & give USSR military control over Eastern Europe.
• Cemented division of Europe into two hostile blocs.
Explain nato
North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• US + UK + Canada + Western European countries.
• Purpose: provide collective defense against Soviet aggression.
• “An attack on one is an attack on all.”
• Marked end of US isolationism — US now committed to Europe’s defense.
Explain the reasons of the creation of nato
Fear of Soviet Expansion
• After WWII, USSR had established Communist control over Eastern Europe.
• Western powers feared further Soviet aggression, especially after events like: • Czechoslovak coup (1948) → Communist takeover of a previously democratic country. • Berlin Blockade (1948–49) → showed Stalin willing to use force.
Whats the treaty of brussl
• Military alliance between UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg.
• Agreed to mutual defense in case of an attack (main fear = USSR).
• Also aimed at promoting economic, social, and cultural cooperation.
• First attempt at Western European defense cooperation after WWII.
• Created the Western Union → seen as a forerunner to NATO.
• Berlin Blockade (1948) soon showed that US involvement was needed → helped lead to creation of NATO (1949).
Explain the cause of the berlin blockade
1️⃣ Tensions over Germany’s future
• USSR wanted a weak, neutral Germany; Western Allies wanted economic recovery.
2️⃣ Introduction of new currency (Deutschmark)
• In June 1948, West introduced a new currency in West Germany and West Berlin → angered Stalin.
3️⃣ Western integration of West Germany
• Marshall Plan & moves toward creating West Germany → seen as a threat by USSR.
Explain the event of the berlin blockade
✈️ Events of the Berlin Blockade
• June 24, 1948: USSR blocked all rail, road, and canal access to West Berlin.
• Goal: force Western Allies to abandon West Berlin or give it to Soviet control.
• West responded with the Berlin Airlift:
• Planes flew in food, coal, medicine.
• Around 200,000 flights over 11 months.
• Supplies kept 2.5 million Berliners alive.
Explain the consequences of berlin blockade
2️⃣ Formal division of Germany
• FRG (West Germany) created in May 1949.
• GDR (East Germany) created in October 1949.
3️⃣ Formation of NATO
• Western Allies realised the need for collective military defense → NATO formed in 1949.
4️⃣ Increased Cold War tensions
• First major Cold War confrontation.
• Led to long-term division of Europe and Germany.
Explain the conflicts over Germany
⸻
1️⃣ Future of Germany
• USSR wanted a weak, neutral Germany to prevent future attacks.
• USA, UK, France wanted a strong, economically stable Germany to aid European recovery (and resist Communism).
⸻
2️⃣ Reparations
• USSR wanted heavy reparations from Germany to rebuild Soviet economy.
• Western Allies feared this would cripple Germany and repeat mistakes of Treaty of Versailles → opposed large reparations.
⸻
3️⃣ Economic policy
• USSR stripped resources from its occupation zone.
• Western Allies introduced Marshall Plan to rebuild Germany → USSR saw this as a threat.
⸻
4️⃣ Currency reform
• In 1948, USA/UK/France introduced the Deutschmark in West Germany and West Berlin → economic split.
• USSR viewed this as an attempt to create a separate West German state → led to Berlin Blockade.
