Studied by 12 people
Yalta conference date
February 1945 (before end of WWII)
who attended the Yalta conference?
Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin
disagreements at Yalta
borders with Poland, Stalin wanted more space, Churchill + Roosevelt unhappy but couldn’t do anything
agreements at Yalta
Stalin would enter war against Japan once Germany surrendered
Germany + Berlin divided into 4 zones
UN would be set up + they would join
eastern europe seen as ‘Soviet sphere of influence’ (buffer zones for Stalin - geography)
Potsdam conference dates
17 July 1945 ( after end of WWII in europe)
who was at the Potsdam conference
Stalin, Truman, Attlee
disagreements at Potsdam
reparations (Stalin wanted $10 bill compensation, Truman didn’t want another Treaty of Versailles mishap)
Soviet policy in Eastern Europe (Stalin wanted buffer zones, Truman saw it as a threat)
Truman had the A-Bomb (stalin had known about it since 1942 through spies)
Iron Curtain speech
1946, by Churchill, described the border between Soviet-controlled countries and Western Europe
what was Cominform
established in 1947
Communist Information Bureau
to coordinate Communist parties of eastern Europe
Stalin can tighten control + make himself secure
Europe no longer reliant on $$
how did Truman view Cominform
the spread of Communism, europe no longer reliant on the American dollars (Marshall Aid 1948)
Truman doctrine
March 1947
containment of communism
e.g. Marshall Plan, broken in Korean war (became offensive as the attacked over prev. boundaries)
Problems in post WWII europe
homelessness
costs of rebuilding damaged homes
damaged infrastructure
refugees ( thousands fleeing Easter europe fearing communist takeover)
food/clothing/fuel shortages
debts from cost of war effort
Marshall Plan
1948-52
$17 billion
created new markets of USA
made Europe dependant on $$
only allowed to happen after events in Czechoslovakia ( Jan Masaryk killed, communist takeover)
Stalin’s reaction to Marshall Plan
Comicon (1949 - favoured the USSR)
Cominform (1947)
refused satellite states to ask for aid
causes of Berlin Blockade + Airlift
Trizonia formed w/ new currency
Stalin saw this as provocative
why was Trizonia formed?
W Germany economy crippled, Allies needed to rebuild the industries to feed people
Formed in 1948, became W Germany in 1949pp
Events of Berlin blockade
June 1948 Stalin blocked all transport links to W Berlin, cutting off 2 mill people from food + supplies
Allies flew in coal, flour + supplies
1 plane every 3 mins / 24 hrs
ended in May 1949
importance of Berlin blockade (international crisis?)
Allies couldn’t ram through road / rail blockades ( act of war)
would USSR shoot down first planes
Truman refused to be forced out of Berlin (feared rest of Germany would be next —CONTAINMENT)
Berlin became a symbol for CW
not willing to go to war w each other directly
NATO formed
NATO formation
April 1949 (during Berlin Blockade)
finalized split between 2 sides (capitalism vs communism)
why did Truman want NATO?
US forces can have secure bases in Europe so if USSR attacked then forces wouldn’t have to cross atlantic
China goes Communist
1949 Mao took control
1950 Treaty of Friendship, Alliance + Mutual Assistance
USA containment (Truman Doctrine) had failed in Asia — fears of the Domino theory
Korean War dates
1950-53
Why was the USSR not there for the vote on entering the Korean War
UN refused to acknowledge Mao as leader of China, so USSR was boycotting UN, this led to them missing the vote and losing their veto power
who invaded in Korea first
Communist dictatorship north invaded anti-Communist (but not democratic) South
UN intervention in Korean War
General MacArthur and Un troops stormed Ichon in Sept 1950, retaking the whole of South Korea to 38th parallell
Significance of MacArthur going beyond 38th parallel
Ignored Truman doctrine as no longer containment
warnings from Mao that if they did then China would join (funded by USSR)
when did China intervene in Korean War
October 1950
when MacArthur went beyond 38th parallel
supported by USSR w weapons + tanks
importance of Korean War (international crisis)?
Proxy war between USA + USSR
UN proved that it could act (although only when USSR wasn’t there)
USSR resumed security counsel + wouldn’t make same mistake again
timeline of Korean war
June 1950 - NK invades SK, Truman commits USA forces to defend SK
July ‘50 - UN approves resolution to make this a UN force
Sept ‘50 - Un forces land in Ichon + push back NK
Nov ‘50 - Chinese forces cross into SK to push back UN
Jan ‘51 - Communists take the capital, Seoul
March ‘51 - UN retakes Seoul, MacArthur sacked after disagreements w Truman (wanted to advance into China ect - Truman though it was too risky)
June ‘51 - peace talks begin
July ‘53 - ceasefire
when did Stalin die
march 1953
Warsaw pact
1955
made by Khrushchev
communist NATO
Arms race overview
1945 A-bomb USA
49 A-bomb USSR
52 H-bomb USA
53 H-bomb USSR
developed into Space race & vice versa
Bomber gap
Triggered by USSR Bison jet bomber and TU-95 bomber - 52/53 ish (check this)
EIsenhower ordered B-52 to close gap
didnt really exist - evidence of soviet propaganda working? Eisenhower knew this though U2 spy planes so couldnt tell anyone
Sputnik date
October 1957
men in space???
April 1961, Yuri Gagarin, hero in USSR
USA response to Gagarin ect..
Apollo mission (61-75), 69 USA had men on moon
importance of space/arms race
best political system = more money = best tech
propaganda tool - massive talk about it worldwide
tech sending people to moon could send nukes
space tech led to ICBM (USSR in 57 then USA in 59)
Krushchev’s 'Thaw’
peaceful coexistence and de-stalinisation
Destalinisation
brought in by Krushchev (55)
attacked Stalin at conference in 56 (public display, change in tone, evidence of purges)
released political prisoner
took troops out of Austria
closed down Cominform (reconciliation w Yugoslavia)
Invited MArshal Tito to Moscow
‘if a man cannot have a pair of shoes or a glass of milk after 40 yrs of communism then he will not believe it is a good thing’
Leaders of of Hungary
Rakosi (v communist)
Gero (riots w students bc Moscow put him in)
Nagy
Kadar
Nagy’s demands
free elections
impartial courts
private ownership of farmland
leave Warsaw pact - hungary neutral in CW
Significance of Nagy’s demands
leaving Warsaw pact would leave USSR exposed physically georgraphy, but would also send message to other countries e.g. Czechoslovakia or East Germany
Response to Nagy’s demands
Nov 56
Soviet tanks moving into Budapest
Nagy imprisoned and executed
thousands of deaths in fighting
fragility of SU? only response is violence and has no political control
Response to Gero being put into power (Hungary)
Oct 56
huge student demonstration
stalin statue pulled down
Why did West not intervene in Hungary
Suez canal crisis - busy even though Eisenhower said he would back Hungary’s reforms
Hungary geographically to close to USSR so couldn’t send help without threat of triggering major war in USSR territory (would be surrounded and outnumbered)
how was response to Hungary uprising bad for USSR
viewed as weak from USA as the only control they had over the population was through army and violence, no real political influence, therefore no power to system. attacking point for USA.
when were U2 planes active?
began in 1950 without permission from Truman, and then banned as thy violated soviet air space
56-60 active w orders from Eisenhower, and with new U2 planes which couldnt be shot down from the ground. Khrushchev furious about flights but coudnt stop them
Four Powers Summit dates
Paris (Peace Summit), USA UK France USSR ( all had a stake in Berlin - needed to sort this out before it got worse (Berlin wall) )
May 1960
U2 crisis facts
Gary Powers Shot down and captured
USSR accused USA of spying
USA said it was a NASA weather plane, and refused to admitt he was spying
Eventually admitted when USSR came out with evidence
Eisenhower refused to apologise of stop flights
Khrushchev pulled out og Peace summit
Short term consequences of U2 incident
Khrushchev pulled out of Paris meet
Eisenhower and party critisized and pop felt they had been too soft w soviets ( after McCarthyism and Red Scare )
long term effects of U2 crisis
Kennedy elected as President after Eisenhower
increased diplomatic tensions
didnt fix Berlin issue, or bombs issue, or Cuba - missed summit
MAD policy
Mutually Assured Destruction, from ICMBs creates a stalemate
Why did Khrushchev put up Berlin wall?
Aug 1961
brain drain from east to west - losing smart and able workers - crippling economy
Khrushchev though he could bully new, young, inexperienced JFK
K said there were spies in East Berlin
Checkpoint Charlie incident
Oct 61
US tanks going back and forth - generally being a nuisance - trying to irritate USSR?
Standoff when soviet tanks didnt let them in
18 hours
eventually moved back inch by inch
how did Berlin wall become a symbol of division in CW
physical representation of division in political attitudes, split of Berlin and Europe
Communist v Captalist
leader of Cuba before CAstro
Batista - dictator, supported by USA ( he hated communism - cubans hated him )
Castro taking control of Cuba
Jan 1959
won over most Cubans
nationalised USA businesses and took land and distributed to supporters in Cubans peasant farmer populations
accepted financial aid from USSR summer 1960
issues USA govt had from Cuba in 61
Cuban exiles from Castro forming pressure groups asking JFK to do something
Castro stealing US businesses and land
Bay of Pigs causes
USA didnt want satellite state in own sphere of influence
JFK wanting to make a statement as new President
Pressure from Cuba exiles
Bay of Pigs events
April 61
1400 Cuban exiles trained by CIA, with arms, equipment and transport went into Bay of Pigs
met by 20,000 Cuban troops and immediately lost - died or captured within days
Bay of Pigs consequences
K thought JFK unwilling to get involved in Cuba
K scorned JFK’s pathetic attempt to get Communism out Cuba
Suggested JFK was weak
Castro and Khrushchev suspicious of US policy
encouraged spread of communism
Cuban missile crisis!!
Note 
Flashcard (27)