KQ4 Origins of the Cold War

How many Russians died in WWII?

20 million

Evidence that the USSR had suffered most in WWII

Loss of 20 million Russian lives; US and GB combined is not even 1 million deaths

What event before WWII had made Stalin suspicious of the USA?

USA supported the Whites in the Civil War

What event during WWII made Stalin suspicious of the USA?

Delayed opening a second front in France until 1944 which would have taken pressure off USSR

When did the USA and GB supposedly delay their invasion of France to?

1944

When was Russia invaded by Germany in the 20th century?

1914 and 1941

When was the Yalta Conference?

4th-11th February 1945

When did Yalta begin

4th Feb 1945

When did Yalta end

11th Feb 1945

What was decided about Poland at Yalta?

Eastern border to follow Curzon line, Poland receives territorial compensation in the west taken out of Germany

What did Stalin want for Poland’s eastern border at Yalta?

Move it westwards into Germany

Why did Stalin want Poland’s eastern border to be moved westwards into Germany?

To weaken Germany and prevent future invasion

Why was Stalin so worried about future invasion?

USSR invaded 1914 and 1941; 20 million lives lost WWII

How did Stalin benefit from the decisions made about Poland at Yalta?

Keeps most of territory from Nazi-Soviet Pact; weakens Germany

Why did Roosevelt benefit from the decisions made about Poland at Yalta?

Stalin agreed to hold free elections

What did Roosevelt want in regards to Japan at Yalta?

USSR to help them by joining the war against Japan

How did Stalin benefit from the decision made about Japan at Yalta?

Received land in Manchuria and territory lost in R-J War in return for joining war

What did Stalin get in return for joining the war against Japan?

Land in Manchuria; territory lost in R-J War

Acronym for decisions made at Yalta

JFRUSZ

At which conference was the UN agreed to be set up?

Yalta

J in JFRUSZ

Japan war effort joined by Russia

F in JFRUSZ

Free elections to be held in eastern europe

R in JFRUSZ

reparations must be payed

U in JFRUSZ

UN to be set up

S in JFRUSZ

Soviet sphere of influence for Stalin

Z in JFRUSZ

Zones of occupation in Germany and Berlni

How much in reparations did the USSR suggest at Yalta?

22 billion dollars - USSR gets 50%

What did Stalin gain from the decisions made about Eastern Europe?

Soviet sphere of influence

Why was Stalin annoyed with the other Allies at Yalta

Failure to mount a second front in western Europe until June 1944

What did Roosevelt achieve at Yalta?

Help in Japan war; UN to be set up, USSR to join; US controlled zones in Germany and Berlin; USSR agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe

When was Germany defeated?

8 May 1945

What changed between Yalta and Potsdam?

Germany defeated. Roosevelt died. Churchill lost election. A-bomb tested.

What were the personnel changes at Potsdam?

Roosevelt to Truman. Churchill replaced halfway through by Attlee.

When did Roosevelt die

April 1945

Why is it significant that Truman replaced Roosevelt?

Truman anti-communist, suspicious, not willing to make concessions to the USSR.

Why was it significant that Germany was defeated?

Loss of common enemy, pre-war tensions and differences resurface

Why was Truman suspicious of Stalin by Potsdam?

Free elections not held in Eastern Europe - Soviet troops still there and controlled Baltic States by Potsdam

What had Stalin done in Eastern Europe between Yalta and Potsdam?

By time of conference, Soviet troops not left liberated countries, controlled Baltic states. Communist government in Poland against majority.

Why was it significant that the US had tested an atomic bomb by Potsdam?

Truman didn’t tell Stalin before and refused to share recipe. Stalin interpreted secrecy as threatening and suspicious. Deepened mistrust.

Why was it significant that Truman didn’t tell Stalin before testing the A-bomb and refused to share recipe?

Stalin interpreted secrecy as threatening and suspicious. Deepened mistrust.

What did Stalin do in response to learning about the US testing the A-bomb?

Order Soviet scientists to develop their own

What decisions, in relation to Germany, were agreed at Potsdam?

Demilitarized, disarmed, divided into four zones of Allied occupation

Quote from Truman about attitude towards USSR at Potsdam

Tired of ‘babying the Soviets’

When was the first A-bomb tested?

16th August 1945

What happened on 16 August 1945

US successfully detonated a-bomb in New Mexico

What happened in relation to the arms race between Yalta and Potsdam?

16 August 1945 US successfully detonate a-bomb in New Mexico

When was Stalin told about the US successfully detonating the a-bomb

Potsdam but likely had spies who told him beforehand

What was decided about Germany at Potsdam

denazified, division finalised, war criminals brought to trial at nuremberg, germans in poland/hungary/cs sent back

What was decided about Polish borders at Potsdam?

Settled at Oder-Neisse line, non-Poles sent back to Germany

What happened in relation to Japan at Potsdam?

To be attacked as planned

What was decided in relation to reparations at Potsdam?

Allied powers allowed to take reparations from their zone of occupation

What happened in relation to elections in Poland by Yalta?

Stalin only recognised Lublin Poles not London; removed non-Communists from PG of National Unity

What did Truman want in relation to Poland at Potsdam?

stalin should honour yalta agreement of free elections

what did stalin want for germany at potsdam

keep weak; access ruhr industries

what did gb and usa want for germany

recovery esp. economic; reject stalin’s request for ruhr access

what did truman want about reparations at potsdam

mitigate treatment of germany by allowing occupying nations to exact reps only from own zone - avoid versailles repeat

when was the free polish government set up

1939

who set up the free polish government

poland’s pre-war leaders while in exile in london

when did the ussr take warsaw

january 1945

evidence that the soviets were strategic in liberating poland

waited for germans to destroy nationalists in warsaw before taking warsaw

what did soviet agents do after taking warsaw in january 1945

set up a communist provisional government

what did stalin agree to at yalta in relation to poland’s government

members of free polish government to join provisional government

what was the free polish government

gov set up by polish pre-war leaders in 1939 while in exile in london

what was the home army

polish army loyal to free polish government

who supported the provisional government in poland

USSR

what did stalin do to home army members after Yalta

invited 16 to moscow and imprisoned them

when did stalin invite the home army people to moscow and put them in jail

after yalta

when did communists join a coalition government in poland

1945

When did Germany surrender (WWII)?

8th May 1945

What was the situation in Poland in June 1945?

Coalition government containing a few London Poles

When was Potsdam?

17th July - 2nd August 1945

When did the US drop A-bombs on Japan

6th and 9th August 1945

When was nagasaki bomb

9 august 1945

When was Hiroshima bomb

6 august 1945

How many died at Hiroshima

140,000

how many died nagasaki

74,000

when did japan surrender

15 august 1945

when did ussr join war against japan

8 august 1945

when did romania become communist

1945

when did non communists win election in hungary

1945

when did communist politician take control of secret police in hungary

after 1945

what happened in hungary 1945-47

comm politician take control of secret police, opps imprisoned, pm resigned

what happened in czechoslovakia in 1945

benes want soviet help rebuild country. in return appoints comms to run important ministries.

what did benes do in return for soviet help rebuilding country

appoint communists to run important ministries in charge of police, communications, armed forces

did soviet troops stay in czechoslovakia after wwii ended

no

when was the long telegram

22 february 1946

when was novikov telegram

september 1946

what did novikov say about usa

postwar fp driven by desire for world domination

when was the iron curtain/sinews of peace speech

5 march 1946

iron curtain quote

From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent

where was iron curtain speech given

fulton missouri

when was the greek civil war

1946-1949

by what year were the communists defeated in greece

1946

warsaw uprising

aug-oct 1944

who led warsaw uprising

polish home army

what were the polish home army

nationalists

who defeated the warsaw uprising

germans

when did the red army take warsaw and why is it significant

jan 1945 - waited until germans took out nationalist home army

during which years did red army liberate most of eastern europe

1943-45

when did greek civil war start

1946