Unit 1

Question 1

What were the aims of Roosevelt in the post war world?

Answer 1

Post war reconstruction with unity amongst the victorious nations.

Question 2

What did Stalin want the post war world to be like?

Answer 2

Security through a network of of Eastern European allies.

Question 3

When was the Yalta Conference?

Answer 3

4-11th February 1945

Question 4

What did the Yalta conference represent and what did it show and what were they committed to?

Answer 4

Inter allied cooperation and showed the grand alliance was alive and well and its members were committed to international agreements in the post war world.

Question 5

What were 3 conflicting objectives that the East and West hadn’t agreed on?

Answer 5

West- Collective security founded in the United Nations
East- The USSR wants to be in control of its own destiny

West- Germany’s reconstruction and re-education as a democratic nation
East- Germany should be economically weak for the future

West- right to national self determination but no spheres of influence
East- Security guaranteed through soviet spheres of influence in Europe

Question 6

What were the 5 things agreed in Yalta?

Answer 6

Germany into 4 zones
Berlin into 4 zones
The UN formed
The declaration of liberated Europe to be created
USSR would gain land in Poland and Poland was expanded to north and west

Question 7

Why was the Yalta conference good?

Answer 7

It was optimistic
showed cooperation and clear agreement between east and west

Question 8

Why was the Yalta conference bad?

Answer 8

The relations between West and East were deteriorating.

Question 9

What were the consequences for Soviets after WWII?

Answer 9

25 million soviets dead. mass destruction to towns cities, agriculture and industry

Question 10

What was Stalin priority after WWII?

Answer 10

Lasting security

Question 11

What did Stalin and his forgein minister believe about the Grand Alliancde? What did Stalin do about this?

Answer 11

Vyacheslav Molotov viewed Soviets Grand alliance allies as anti-USSR
Stalin still continued open cooperation with the West.

Question 12

What were Stalin’s priorates in Europe?

Answer 12

Eastern European countries come under the Soviet spheres of influence.
Germany a communist state in the future . The dismemberment didn’t bother Soviet. Germany had to be kept economically weak until it could be a communist state.

Question 13

What did Roosevelt want for the world and how would this be reflected?

Answer 13

A lasting post war settlement on the certainty that it would reflect the American concept of democracy.

Question 14

Why was Roosevelt willing to work with Stalin?

Answer 14

He believed that the security that the USSR wanted could be achieved at what was agreed at Yalta.

Question 15

What was Roosevelt convinced him and Stalin shared?

Answer 15

The same understand and values of the post war world.

Question 16

What 2 thing was Roosevelt certain he could achieve in the post war world?

Answer 16

A democratic and non-communist future for Eastern Europe
international affairs could be dealt with the international peace keeping organisation

Question 17

Why was Roosevelt criticised?

Answer 17

He underestimated the security needs of the Soviet Union of Eastern Europe.

Question 18

What was Churchill convinced Stalin wanted to do?

Answer 18

expand into post war Europe

Question 19

What did he write to his foreign secetary?

Answer 19

April 1944 to Anthony Eden he wrote he tried to sympathise with the soviets and he doesn’t trust them

Question 20

What did Churchill believe the Soviet Union could threaten?

Answer 20

British imperial interests

Question 21

How did Britain try and protect their imperial interetes?

Answer 21

strengthening ties with US
percentages agreement

Question 22

Why did Britain urgently react against the USSR?

Answer 22

Due to their economic impact because of the war

Question 23

When did Britain sign the percentages agreement?

Answer 23

October 1944

Question 24

What did the percentages agreement establish/

Answer 24

A percentage of predominance Britain and the USSR would have in Eastern Europe.

Question 25

What problems arose about the declaration of liberated Europe?

Answer 25

How it was to be interpreted and applied in Poland. Stalin viewed that a communist government should stay in place whilst Roosevelt said the opposite.

Question 26

When was the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 26

17th July- 1 August 1945

Question 27

Who was replaced and why?

Answer 27

Roosevelt died in April and was replaced by his vice President Harry S Truman. Churchill who initially attended had lost the general election was replaced by Clement Attlee on July 26th.

Question 28

What happened a day before the Potsdam conference?

Answer 28

The US atomic bomb was dropped

Question 29

Why was the atomic bomb dropped?

Answer 29

Truman wanted to ensure that Stalin stuck with what he agreed to in Yalta.

Question 30

What was Potsdam characterised by?

Answer 30

Trumans diplomatic leverage over Stalin and Stalin and his minister not being intimated by its nuclear monopoly.

Question 31

What did Stalin accuse Truman of?

Answer 31

Using atomic diplomacy with its dealings with the USSR.

Question 32

What were the downsides of the Potsdam conference?

Answer 32

It made no significant medium to long term plan for Germany's future.

Question 33

What were the 6 things agreed at Potsdam?

Answer 33

Germany would be disarmed and de-militarised. De-Nazification was to be carried out. Decentralisation of the political system was to be undertaken and local responsibility taken. freedom of speech and freedom of press and religious tolerance restored -Germany would be a single economic unit with common policies on industry and finance -USSR would receive reparations from its own zone and 25% from its Western zones.

Question 34

What didn't 3 things didn't Potsdam do?

Answer 34

Nothing to reinforce the idea of international cooperation aimed at reconstructing a long term future for post war Europe Didn't lay foundations for a non confrontational relationship between east and west It failed to address the growing tensions between USSR and USA.

Question 35

What did 3 things did Truman want in the post war world.

Answer 35

National self determination. Open world trading system through international cooperation. Economic reconstruction through the creation of IMF and the World Bank

Question 36

Why Truman want 3 things in the post war world and how would it protect the US

Answer 36

It would stop the USA returning to the Great Depression It would protect the USA's geostrategic interests by limiting the movement of other states like USSR

Question 37

What approach did Truman take on the USSR which was different to Roosevelt.

Answer 37

Confrontation rather than cooperation

Question 38

What did Truman use that he hoped would ensure Stalin's coperation over?

Answer 38

nuclear technology to ensure stalins cooperation over creating Eastern European states communist

Question 39

What did Truman fear the Soviet Union were doing?

Answer 39

removing anti-communist leaders and a rise of pro-communist provisional governments

Question 40

What did the US ambassador to Moscow warn?

Answer 40

The effects of Soviet expansion as 'barbarian invasion of Europe' but there was still time for agreements

Question 41

What did Truman slowly start to believe the Soviets didn't want.

Answer 41

They didn't want a diplomatic solution.

Question 42

What did Stalin believe the US and the USSR were?

Answer 42

Potential rivals for the dominance of Europe.

Question 43

What did Stalin do in Eastern Europe when he realised the USA were rivals to Europe?

Answer 43

The Red Army's continued presence in Europe. The intensification of of the programme of installing pro-communist regimes in liberated states.

Question 44

What did Stalin do when the time for cooperation passed?

Answer 44

He accepted what was agreed in Germany. But had an unspoken alternative for the rest of Europe.

Question 45

What did Stalin need to ensure Eastern European states did?

Answer 45

Form the basis of long term Soviet security system

Question 46

How did Stalin get Eastern European states to bring USSR long term security.

Answer 46

Comparable economic and political systems to the USSR. Unity and common identity

Question 47

What did Stalin see USA agenda as?

Answer 47

Anti-USSR

Question 48

What did the events since Yalta confirm to Britain?

Answer 48

Stalin was an expansionist in Europe.

Question 49

What was it important for the US to defend?

Answer 49

The Western Zones from any Soviet threat.

Question 50

What was British foreign policy?

Answer 50

Anti communist Soviet stance.

Question 51

Did Attlee support the Potsdam agreement?

Answer 51

He supported it but new it would weaken Germany. He was concerned their were no future long term plan for Germany.

Question 52

Why was it urgent for Britain to take an Anti-Soviet foreign policy?

Answer 52

Because Stalin hadn't implemented the agreements at Yalta and the declaration of liberated Europe made at Yalta