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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?
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
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Flashcard (109)