Europe Post WWII Quiz

Nuremberg Trials

Cases held by the Allies againts representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries and atrocities against their citizens in WWII

Berlin Airlift

The successful replenishing of food and other resources to the citizens of West Berlin for 15 months following a Soviet blockade

Marshall Plan

A U.S. pledge of billions of dollars and resources to help re-build Europe following WWII

Truman Doctorine

An American foreign policy that pledges American support for democracies against authoritarian threats; its chief concern was Eastern Europe and the increasing influence of the Soviet Union in that region

North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

An intergovernmental military alliance established in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union

Warsaw Pact

A collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republics of Central and Eastern Europe in 1955

Operation Paperclip

A top secret U.S. government program to bring top German scientists from WWII into the U.S.

Espionage

Government-sanctioned spying to obtain political, military and other information

The KGB

The security and foreign intelligence agency of the Soviet Union

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

A husband and wife found guilty of treason against the U.S. and executed

Kim Philby

A member of the Cambridge Five, he was a top British government official overseeing all espionage against the Soviet Union, while being a Soviet spy himself

Ben Ferencz

American lawyer and chief prosecutor for U.S. Army at the Einsatzgruppen trial, one of the 12 Nuremberg trials in Nuremberg Germany. He also contributed to the documentry “Accountant of Aushwitz.”

List and describe two specific obstacles for the deliverance of justice at the Nuremberg Trials.

Conflicts of interest among judges

• some judges and officials involved had ties to the Nazi Regime, raising concerns about bias, leniency, or undermining the trials’ credibility

• Their previous affiliations made it difficult to ensure an entirely fair and impartial judicial process

Allied leaders feared that harsh punishments could fuel resentment and slow efforts to create a strong democratic Germany.

Many defendants argued that they were merely following orders from superiors, which raised questions about individual responsibility

No established body of international criminal law or a permanent international court to prosecute war crimes before Nuremberg. 

• Differing legal systems among countries= legal arguments

• Trial set precedent for international laws, defining war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity

Describe in detail the contrasting visions of FDR/Churchill vs. Stalin for post WWII Europe.

FDR/Churchill’s Vision

• wanted to promote democracy, free elections, and self-determination (like free trade) across Europe, especially in countries liberated from Nazi control

• Hoped to rebuild Europe through cooperation and create international organizations like the United Nations to prevent future wars.

Stalin’s Vision

• sought to establish a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, installing pro-Soviet, communist governments to protect Soviet security.

  • Distrusted Western intentions and prioritized control and security over democratic ideals, believing strong Soviet dominance was necessary after the huge losses Russia suffered.

• Wanted buffer between Soviet Union and the West

Explain the basics of the top-secret project codenamed Operation Paperclip. What did the U.S. claim to justify such a controversial program?

• Basics of Operation Paperclip

  • After WWII, the U.S. secretly brought over German scientists, many with Nazi ties, to work on military, aerospace, and technology projects, including early space rockets

• U.S. Justification

  • Officials argued it was necessary to prevent the Soviet Union from capturing German scientific knowledge and to strengthen U.S. national security during the Cold War/ Space Race.

Our class discussed two specific examples of successful Soviet espionage against the U.S. and her allies. Pick 1 and explain it.

• Soviet infiltration of the Manhattan Project during WWII

  • Espionage: Government sanctioned spying to get political, military and other essential information

  • Soviet infiltration of the Manhattan Project

    • Fuchs leaked detailed info about the atomic bomb, including its design, so Soviets able to build weapons like those in the Manhattan Project

      • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg convicted of treason and executed for helping Fuchs

Meaning/ significance of the Iron Curtain Speech by Winston Churchill.

Signified the growing ideological and political divide between the Western democracies and the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe using term “Iron Curtain” to describe barrier

• Highlighted the urgent need for Anglo-American cooperation to counter the threat of Soviet expansion and communist influence, bolstering opposition to communism and the Soviet Union

• Key point in early Cold War

NATO vs. Warsaw Pact

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Warsaw Pact were opposing military alliances during the Cold War, representing the Western and Eastern blocs, respectively

• NATO: Western nations, led by U.S.

  • Represent democracy

• Warsaw Pact: Communist states in Eastern Europe, led by Soviet Union

  • Represent communism