Studied by 38 people
Who did Stalin replace as leader of the USSR and when?
Vladimir Lenin, 1920’s
What was the Great Terror and when they take place?
Stalin imprisoned or murdered political opponents (or those suspected), 1930’s
Stalinism
Opposing leaders, groups, and parts of the population were eliminated in order to keep power, 1945
When was the Nazi-Soviet Pact signed?
1939
Military Reasons for USA & USSR Strength
USA had best air-force
USSR had best land-force
USA had established military in West. Europe
USSR had established miliary in East. Europe
France & Britain were weakened
Neighbouring countries to USSR were weakened
Economic Reasons for USA & USSR Strength
USA had strengthened economy (not fighting at start of war, selling goods, fixing the stock market)
USA had open trade and wanted liberal trade and competition for economic gain
USA had economic strength to support West. Europe (could loan to countries to help recover)
East. Europe relied on economic support from USSR
Political Reasons for USA & USSR Strength
Democracy & capitalism beat fascism in West
Communism beat fascism in Soviet Union
USSR losses & Red Army gave Stalin influence
USSR had political & military strength to control stability in East. Europe
What were Stalin’s Five Year Plans?
Ambitious plans for industrialization (necessary for communism); Soviet farms collectivization and expansion of heavy industry (ex. fuel extraction)
Grand Alliance
Alliance between USA, Britain, & USSR after USA & Britain helped USSR fight against Germany in 1941
Tehran Conference
Tehran, Iran
November 1943
Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, FDR
Loosely agreed on FDR invading France in 1944 & Stalin going to war with Japan
Wanted Germany to surrender but USA & Britain didn’t want to treat Germany harshly while Stalin wanted compensation for 1941 & 1942 USSR losses
Stalin got the part of Poland he took in 1939 & Poland got part of Germany in return
Britain & USA let Stalin keep Finland, Romania, & Baltic States territories
UN was discussed
What is Roosevelt (FDR)’s full name?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Yalta Conference
Yalta, Ukraine
February 1945
USSR was stronger now & wanted more compensation for 1944 & 1945 losses
Germany is almost defeated & Stalin would fight Japan after war in Europe
Germany is to be divided & the ACC would govern it
Lines for Poland’s new territory are drawn, though politically & territorially undecided
Arguments between democratic London Poles (Churchill) and Communist Lublin Committee (Stalin) in Poland
All East. Europe nations would have free democratic elections after WWII, though most nations were occupied by Red Army & Soviet agents
USSR formally joins the UN & the permanent members of the Security Council are given veto power
What is the ACC?
Allied Control Commission; USSR, USA, France, Britain
Who were the nations in the UN Security Council (the nations with veto power)?
USA, USSR, France, Britain, Nationalist China
Which Soviet Republics were given seats in the UN?
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam, Germany
July 1945
Joseph Stalin, Harry Truman, Clement Alee
Red Army occupies all of East Europe up to Germany
War in Europe is over & USA didn’t invade Japan after testing their bomb
Truman wanted to intimidate Stalin with his atomic bomb, but he already knew due to his spies
Germany had surrendered and it was decided the nations would control their zones due to disagreements over how to govern it
Truman wanted to re-establish Poland’s government, but he believed Stalin would ensure a communist gov. w/o London Poles
UN was officially created at the San Francisco Conference in 1945
When did Roosevelt die and who replaced him?
April 1945, Harry Truman
When did the USA successfully test their first atomic bomb?
July 17, 1945
When did Germany surrender?
May 7, 1945
When and where was the UN officially created?
San Francisco Conference, 1945
Post-War Poland
Poland officially altered its borders, creating territory conflict & citizen displacement
Post-War Germany
Germany & Berlin were cut to be governed by France, USSR, USA, & Britain
What were the “2 Europe camps”?
West. Europe & East. Europe; West. Europe sought aid from the West, East. Europe turned to communism in fear of Red Army
Relation between Stalin & Churchill
Churchill was anti-communist & distrusted Stalin, despite the alliance between USSR & Britain
Relation between Roosevelt & Churchill
Roosevelt believed Britain was Imperialist, though he acted as the middleman of Churchill & Stalin
Relation between Roosevelt & Stalin
On good terms
Who named Stalin’s plan to spread communism “Salami Tactics”?
Hungarian communist leader Matyas Rakosi
Why is “Salami Tactics” called that?
Stalin is taking out the opposition by slicing them off piece by piece
What were the steps of Salami Tactics?
Establish a Red Army presence
Imprison, murder, or disqualify opposing parties
Replace communist party leader with Moscow-trained leader
What were the leaders trained in Moscow during WWII referred to as?
Baggage Train leaders
Who was the Poland baggage leader?
Boleslaw Bierut
Who was the Bulgaria baggage leader?
Vasil Kolarov
Who was the Romania baggage leader?
Ana Pauker
Who was the Hungary baggage leader?
Matyas Rakosi
What was agreed upon relating to Iran and when?
Britain & USSR would remove their troops from Iran, Yalta Conference
Why did Stalin refuse to remove his troops from Iran and when did he refuse?
He believed he had claim to Iranian oil & Black Sea Straits, January 1, 1946
What made Stalin remove his troops from Iran?
Truman claimed the USSR planned to invade Turkey & the Black Sea Straits, causing the UN to insist he remove them
In which countries were there communist rebellions after WWII?
Turkey & Greece
Which country had a Civil War between the state gov. and communist rebels and when?
Greece, 1946-1949
In which West. countries did communist parties start to gain support and why?
France & Italy, economic difficulties in working class
Who was George F. Kennan and what did his telegram claim?
USA diplomat in Moscow; claimed USSR was afraid of the world outside its borders & they wanted to advance and spread communism (USSR is hostile, not suicidal)
When was Kennan’s long telegram sent to the USA state department?
February, 1946
How did Kennan’s long telegram influence the USA?
Influenced their responses to USSR & policy of containment, as seen through the Truman doctrine, & Marshall Plan
When was Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech and where was it given?
March 5, 1946; Fulton, Missouri
What was the official name for Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech?
Sinews of Peace
What did Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech state?
There was an iron curtain around the USSR & nobody knows what they’re doing
What was Stalin’s response to Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech?
USSR withdrew from the IMF, USSR increased anti-West propaganda, USSR starts a new Five Year Plan of defense
What was the IMF?
International Monetary Fund, a fund used to encourage economic growth and trade expansion
When was the Truman Doctrine expressed to the USA congress?
March 12, 1947
What did the Truman Doctrine state?
European nations needed USA military aid against communists & USA needed to abandon their isolationist ways
Which nations were the Truman Doctrine first used in?
Turkey & Greece
Who won the Civil War in Greece?
Britain & USA supported state gov.
Who created the Marshall Plan?
General George Marshall
What did the Marshall Plan state?
Congress needed to send money to European Nations including the USSR to protect the future of the USA economy & stabilize Europe politically & socially
What did the USA want in return for sending money to European Nations (Marshall Plan)?
Access to financial records
When did Congress approve of the Marshall Plan?
1948
What was Stalin’s response to the Marshall Plan?
Created the Molotov Plan/COMECON in January 1949, created Cominform, claimed it was Dollar Imperialism
Dollar Imperialism
The USA using economic influence to gain influence in Europe
What did COMECON do?
Linked the USSR economy & East. Nations economy in order to help East. Europe with agricultural collectivization & industrialization
What does COMECON stand for?
Council of Mutual Economic Assistance
What does Cominform stand for & when was it created?
Communist Information Bureau, October 5 1947
What did Cominform replace?
Comintern, 1919-1943
What does Comintern stand for?
Communist International
What did Cominform do?
Increased Stalin’s direct control over all communist parties (globally) & aid with communist propaganda; ensured communist parties’ actions & goals lined up with USSR’s policies & ideologies
Satellite Empire
Nations not considered part of USSR but are under Soviet control & have direct links to Moscow through Soviet military power, Salami tactics, state police & spy networks, COMECON, & Cominform
What were considered violations of wartime conferences?
Stalin refusing to remove troops from Iran
USSR’s Satellite Empire
What were the original & newer Cominform headquarters?
Belgrade, Yugoslavia; Bucharest, Romania
When did Yugoslavia cut ties with USSR & who?
Josep Broz Tito, June 1948
Why did Yugoslavia cut contact with USSR & leave COMECON & Cominform?
Wanted political independence; USSR stated they were diverging from Soviet political policy
What was the Czechoslovakian Coup?
Salami Tactics didn’t give complete Soviet control so Stalin threatened against a coalition gov., causing 12 non-communist members to resign
Who was pushed out of a window (mysteriously disappeared)?
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk
What was USA’s response to Czechoslovakian Coup?
USA congress passed Marshall plan bill & increased USA intervention in Europe
Who was the Allied Kommandantura?
Military generals of 4 German states
Who secretly stole from Germany?
Stalin stole materials & resources from East. Germany, USA & Britain stole coal from West. Germany
What was the communist party that failed to gain Stalin influence in Germany?
KPD: Communist Party of Germany
What was agreed upon at the Secret London Conference & when did it take place?
West would use West. Deutsche Mark to take Germany, 1948
Who was the Soviet general in Kommandantura?
Vasily Sokolovsky
When did Vasily leave the ACC and why?
March 20, 1948; West. didn’t discuss Secret London Conference
What were the steps of the Berlin Blockade & when did they take place?
Transportation restrictions to the West, March 1948; Total transportation blockade, June 23, 1948
Who was Lucius D. Clay and what was his role in Berlin?
American commander of West Berlin, wanted to force open the roadways (President Truman denied)
What did Stalin hope would come from the Berlin Blockade?
West. powers would abandon West Berlin, giving him control
Who was Ernest Reuter & what was his role in Berlin?
Leader of West Berlin, condemned the spread of communism in Berlin & told West not to abandon them at Reichstag (became Mayor of West Berlin)
Who was the Soviet commissar of Foreign Affairs? (Stalin’s righthand man)
Vyacheslav Molotov
How did USA & Britain supply West Berlin & when?
Used planes to transport food, coal, & supplies, 1948-1949
What was the Berlin counter blockade & what were it’s effects?
Supplies from West Germany to East Berlin were cut off, devastated East Berlin’s economy
When was the Berlin Blockade lifte?
May 1949
What government was established by the West in Germany & when?
FRG: Federal Republic of Germany, September 1949
What government was established by the East in Germany?
GDR: German Democratic Republic
What was West Germany’s capital (1949)?
Bonn (FRG operates there instead of West Berlin)
What was NATO & when did it form?
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 1949; allowed USA to establish a military presence in West. Europe (if a member gets attacked, the others help)
When did West Germany join NATO?
May 1954
Who was part of NATO in 1949?
USA, Canada, Brussels Pact powers, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, & Portugal
What was Stalin’s response to NATO?
Created the Warsaw Pact (brought East. Europe military together)
What lead to the USA’s involvement in the Korean War & Vietnam War?
USA policy of containment
When did the USSR gain an atomic bomb?
1949
What does the Orthodox School believe?
USSR is responsible
What does the Revisionist School believe?
USA is responsible
What does the Post-Revisionist School believe?
USA & USSR are responsible (acting & reacting)
What does the Post-Cold War School believe?
Stalin is responsible
What were the dates of WWII?
(September) 1939-1945
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Flashcard (90)