Cold War

When was the Russian Revolution?

1917

Why did the Russian Revolution begin?

Bolshevik Party overthrew the Russian government

What did the Russians have to do about the first world war because of the Russian Revolution?

Pull out of it

When was the Russian Civil war?

1918-1921

Who was the leader of Russia after the Civil war?

Lenin

Name 2 ‘Red Scare’ events

3000 industrial strikes in 1919

Bomb killing 38 people on Wall Street in 1920

When was the atomic bomb dropped?

6th and 9th August 1945

Name two agreements of the Tehran conference

Soviets would help America fight the Japanese

United Nations would be set up

When was the Tehran conference?

November-December 1943

Name the inter-war conferences in order

Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam

When was the Yalta conference?

February 1945

Name 3 agreements made at Yalta

Divide Germany into French, British, American and Soviet

Nazis tried in an international court and permanently ban the Nazi party

Eastern Europe would be a Soviet sphere of influence with free elections

Name 2 disagreements at Yalta

Poland having a friendly government- USA and Britain felt this meant Soviet controlled

Stalin wanted to crush Germany but Roosevelt and Churchill wanted it to be able to recover

When was the Potsdam conference?

July- August 1945

Name 3 agreements made at Potsdam

Democracy installed in Germany

Germany would pay $20million in reparations and the USSR would get ½ for devastation it faced. Controlling nation gets reparations from their zone.

USSR gets ¼ of industrial equipment from each zone as it was the poorest

Name 4 disagreements at Potsdam

Truman was unhappy Stalin had already set up a communist government in Poland despite agreeing not to in Yalta

Stalin wanted to dominate Eastern Europe

Stalin was increasing the size of his army in liberated areas

America tested the atomic bomb, making Stalin trust them less.

Name the 6 satellite states

Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary

Why were satellite states important? (4 reasons)

Large territory to trade

Strengthened communism

Protected USSR from war (buffer zones)

Enhanced USSR’s power

How were satellite states created? (4 ways)

Red army intimidated opposition

Propaganda made any opposition look like fascists

Communists held key positions (eg. head of police so they could arrest opponents)

They rigged elections to ensure they remained in power

When was the Long Telegram written? Who by?

22nd February 1946. George Kennan

What 3 things did the Long Telegram say?

The USSR is determined to expand

Communism and capitalism couldn’t exist together and it needed to be destroyed

The USSR is building up its military power and will go to war if threatened

What was George Kennan’s job?

US ambassador in the Soviet Union

When was the Novikov Telegram written? By who?

September 1946. Nikolai Novikov

What 4 things did the Novikov Telegram say?

The US is power-hungry and wants world domination

They want a strong military to take over Europe

Americans don’t want to cooperate after Roosevelt’s death

Americans would support a war

How did Stalin react to the Novikov telegram?

He built up his military and weapons

What was Nikolai Novikov’s job?

Soviet ambassador in USA

What was the Truman Doctrine/Containment?

An American policy to stop the spread of communism and contain it in the countries it was already in

How did the Truman Doctrine plan to stop the spread of communism?

Providing economic and military assistance to any country threatened by it

How could countries get financial aid from the USA?

Choosing capitalism> communism

What was the Marshall Plan?

The Truman Doctrine in action

How much money given out by the Marshall plan? To how many countries?

$13.3 billion. 16

Why did the US fear countries would turn to communism?

Because of the destruction and poverty caused by the second world war

What was the Soviet’s response to the Marshall Plan?

Comecon aid

When was containment/the Truman doctrine?

March 1947

When was the Marshall Plan?

1948

What did Stalin claim the Marshall Plan was?

‘Dollar Imperialism’ and the USA is trying to dominate Europe

When was Comecon aid made?

1949

Why was Comecon aid made?

To reduce any possible economic influence the USA had

Which side of Europe was Capitalist?

Western

When was Bizonia formed?

1947

When was Trizonia formed?

1948

Who was part of Bizonia?

USA and Britain

Who was part of Trizonia?

USA, Britain and France

When did Trizonia introduce a new currency? What was it called?

June 1948. Deutschmark

What was the Deutschmark’s value tied to?

The US dollar

Why did the creation of the Deutschmark cause problems?

It was stronger than the Ruble and so you made more money in the East than the West

What did the creation of Trizonia and the Deutschmark lead to?

The Berlin Blockade

When was the Iron Curtain Speech made? Who by?

1946. Winston Churchill

What was said in the Iron Curtain speech? (3)

Strong British and American relations are needed to stop communism

The USA needs to play an active role in Europe’s foreign affairs

Europe had been divided by an Iron Curtain

How did Stalin respond to the Iron Curtain speech?

Comparing Churchill to Hitler and calling him a warmonger

When was the Berlin Blockade?

June 1948-May 1949

What did the Soviets do during the Berlin Blockade?

Block off all road, rail and river transport links to West Berlin to stop supplies getting into the city

Did Trizonia receive Marshall aid?

Yes

Why was there a Berlin Blockade?

Creation of Trizonia, Trizonia receiving Marshall aid, introduction of the Deutschmark

How did USA react to the Berlin Blockade?

Flying 8,000 tonnes of supplies into Berlin everyday.

What did the Berlin blockade/airlift lead to?

The creation of NATO

What is the consequence of Stalin calling off the Berlin blockade?

He looked weak and communist leaders criticised him

When was the first communist party formed in China?

1921

When was the Chinese civil war?

1920s-1949

Who supported communism in China?

Peasants

Who won the Chinese civil war? When?

Communists. October 1949

Why did the Chinese civil war cause tension? (3)

It showed containment didn’t just need to work in Europe but Asia too.

The USSR became allied with China

Truman feared it’d inspire other Asian countries to become communist

Which was communist: North Korea or South Korea? Why?

North Korea. They surrendered to USSR in WW2

When was the Korean Civil War?

1950-1954

Name 6 key phases of the Korean War (Seeize)

S- Stalin tells NK to wait before attacking SK

E- Enters war (NK) when US army leaves SK.

E- Enter UN army into the war

I- Introduce China into the war

Z- Zero action, Stalemate

E- End war with peace talks

When was NATO created?

(laurie’s birthday!)

April 4th 1949

How many members originally in NATO?

12

Why was NATO formed?

The Berlin Blockade and countries wanting military protection from future Soviet aggression

How did the USSR react to the formation of NATO?

Forming the Warsaw Pact

What did NATO tell the USSR?

They wouldn’t accept Soviet aggression, the West would maintain containment and the USA has committed to a military presence in Europe

When was the Warsaw Pact made?

(Hint: Alec’s birthday!)

14th May 1955

Why was the Warsaw Pact made?

The USSR felt threatened by the creation of NATO

What is another name for the Indochina War?

The ‘First Vietnam War’

Why did the Indochina war happen?

A group of Communists called the Viet Minh gained power. They opposed French rule

Who was the Indochina war between? Why?

France and the Vietminh. Vietnam was part of a French colony called Indochina

Why was the US concerened about the Indochina War?

They feared that if Vietnam became communist then other countries would too and Southeast Asia would become a Soviet Stronghold

When was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

March-May 1954

What war was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu part of?

Indochina war

Who won the the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

Vietnimh

Who fought in the the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

French VS Vietnimh and North Vietnam

How many French Soldiers wounded or killed in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

11,000

How many Vietnimh soldiers wounded or killed in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

20,000

Name 3 things about the ending of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

(1) Ended France’s 8 war with Vietminh

(2) Over 400,000 soldiers and civilians died

(3) Vietnam became communist

When did the Indochina war begin?

1946

How were the French defeated in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu? (4 reasons)

(1) Surrounded in a valley by 50,000 Vietminh soldiers and had their supplies cut off (French guarding Dien Bien Phu which was in a Valley)

(2) Vietnamese were willing to use suicide bombers

(3) Bombed French in Dien Bien Phu as they had the high ground

(4) Britain and USA wouldn’t help when they asked for more supplies

Name three reasons the French surrendered

(1) They’d been defeated

(2) They couldn’t secure support from other parties

(3) Parliament voted to surrender

When did Stalin die?

March 1953

Who took over from Stalin?

Khrushchev

When did Khrushchev come into power?

September 1953

What did Khrushchev want to do? (not to do with the usa)

Improve life in the USSR and ensure people benefitted from communism more than they would under capitalism

What was said in the Secret Speech?

Khrushchev criticised Stalin and promised to de-Stalinise the USSR

Name 3 things Khrushchev did to improve life in the USSR?

Released prisoners that were jailed under Stalin

Abolish the death penalty

Limit the secret police's power

Did Khrushchev raise hopes for a peaceful co-existence? Why/why not?

Yes. He believed capitalism and communism could exist without conflict

Who became present after Truman?

Eisenhower

When did Eisenhower become president?

1953

What did having a new president and a new leader of the USSR provide?

A fresh start

What caused tension between Khrushchev and Eisenhower immediately?

Khrushchev still wanted to spread communism but by demonstrating its superiority not by defeating the USA at war

But the USA saw the USSR developing weapons and felt threatened

What development did Eisenhower and Khrushchev make early into their leaderships?

The USA and USSR would communicate more openly

What was the Arms Race?

The USA and USSR competing to gain military dominance by developing their nuclear capabilities and weapons

When was the Arms Race?

1949-1990