Superpower relations + Cold War

Ideology

A set of political ideas/beliefs on how society should be run

Name the 2 ideologies

Communism and Capitalism

Does capitalism or communism have free elections?

Capitalism

Does the state own everything in capitalism or communism?

Communism

Is there a class system/hierarchy in capitalism or communism?

Capitalism

Does capitalism or communism have a classless system?

Communism

Does capitalism or communism have more freedom?

Capitalism

Does capitalism or communism have a lack of freedom and censorship?

Communism

Is everyone treated the same in capitalism or communism?

Communism

Describe capitalism

• Free elections - people can vote their own leaders

• Everyone can own a business so everyone has opportunities to get rich

• Company’s choose their own prices/goods - more competition, money and goods available

• Class system/hierachy

• Large gap between poor and rich

Describe communism

• No free election - people can’t vote/choose their leaders

• State owns everything - no chance of becoming rich

• State control everything so no choice in goods - less competition, bland and boring food

• Classless society

• Everyone treated the same = everyone treated equally badly/poor

• Censorship

• Lack of freedom

Is the USA capitalist or communist?

Capitalist

Is the USSR capitalist or communist?

Communist

Is the UK capitalist or communist?

Capitalist

When was the grand alliance formed?

1941

Who was in the grand alliance?

Britain, Soviet Union and USA.

What were the 2 main superpowers?

Soviet Union and USA

Why was the Cold War cold?

It didn’t involve any direct confrontation between the USSR and USA

Who invaded the USSR in 1941, causing the grand alliance to be formed?

Nazi Germany

Why was the grand alliance formed?

To defeat Hitler and Nazi Germany

How was the grand alliance a weak alliance from the very start?

• USA + GB were suspicious of Stalin whilst the Soviets were suspicious of the west, showing they lacked trust

• The Soviet Union believed that the Western countries had deliberately delayed opening a second front against Germany

How many conferences were there between 1943-5?

3

Where were the 3 conferences in 1943-5?

Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam

When was the Tehran conference?

November 1943

When was the Yalta conference?

February 1945

When was the Potsdam conference?

July 1945

What was the 1st conference?

Tehran conference

Who attended the Tehran conference?

Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt

Why were tensions low at Tehran?

They all had a common enemy (Hitler) so they were too busy defeating him.

At which conference where the countries too busy to hate each other as they were busy defeating Hitler?

Tehran

Which conference had the least tension and best relations?

Tehran

What were tensions in the grand alliance like at Tehran?

Countries were busy defeating their common enemy (Nazi Germany) so tensions were low and put aside.

What was the USA hoping would be agreed at Tehran?

Stalin would help defeat the Japanese

What was the USSR hoping would be agreed at Tehran?

The USA/UK would open a second front against Germany to take pressure off the USSR

What was agreed at Tehran?

• USA/UK would open a second front by invading France against Nazi Germany meaning that German troops would have to spread out, taking stress off of USSR

• USSR would declare war on Japan and give troops to the USA after Germany was defeated.

• UN would be set up

What had to happen before USSR would declare war on Japan?

Germany had to be defeated

What was disagreed at Tehran?

• Churchill wanted to invade the Balkans instead of opening a second front against Germany - Roosevelt sided with Stalin

Who saw the Tehran Conference as a success? Why?

• Stalin saw it as a success

• Roosevelt tended to side with him over Churchill

• UK/USA had opened a second front which took pressure off of his army

Who did Roosevelt tend to side with at Tehran?

Stalin

Did Tehran improve or worsen US-Soviet relations?

• Improved US-Soviet relations -

  • Stalin had been concerned about the Soviet Union fighting Germany alone in the East and was pleased that a second front had been agreed

  • Roosevelt had supported Stalin in attacking Germany from the West and not from the Balkans as Churchill had wanted

  • Stalin had agreed to support the USA in its war against Japan

What were the consequences of Tehran?

• Improved US-Soviet relations:

  • Stalin had been concerned about the Soviet Union fighting Germany alone in the East and was pleased that a second front had been agreed

  • Roosevelt had supported Stalin in attacking Germany from the West and not from the Balkans as Churchill had wanted

  • Stalin had agreed to support the USA in its war against Japan

• Worsened US-UK:

  • Churchill was disappointed that Roosevelt had sided with Stalin in opening a ‘second front’ rather than from the Balkans

What was the 2nd conference?

Yalta conference

Who attended the Yalta conference?

Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt

What was agreed at Yalta?

• Germany would be reduced in size, demilitarized and forced to pay $20 billion reparations

• Nazi party banned + war criminals would be persecuted

• Germany (and Berlin) would be divided into 4 zones.

• United Nations set up

• USSR would gain land from Poland + free elections would decide it’s government

• USSR to allow free elections in Eastern European countries (just liberated from Germany)

• USSR promised to join the war against Japan when Germany was defeated

How much reparations did Germany have to pay?

$20 billion

How many zones would Germany and Berlin be split into? Owned by who?

4 zones - USA, Soviet, France, Britain

Where would the Soviet Union gain land from?

Poland

At what conference did the countries agree to make Germany pay reparations?

Yalta

At what conference was a UN set up?

Yalta

At what conference did Stalin agree to give Eastern European countries free elections?

Yalta

What was disagreed at Yalta?

• UK and USA did not want Poland to become communist and Churchill wanted the London Poles to be in charge.

• Stalin desperately wanted Poland as a buffer between the USSR and the West.

Why did Stalin want Poland at Yalta?

He was afraid of another invasion from Germany and wanted a buffer zone to protect the USSR

At which conference did Stalin agree for Poland to have free elections?

Yalta

What were tensions in the grand alliance like at Yalta?

Tensions worsened slightly because there were small disagreements/trust issues.

What were the consequences of Yalta?

• Improved US-USSR relations:

  • The Soviet Union declared war against Japan in August 1945, making Roosevelt happy

  • Roosevelt was pleased free elections had been agreed to take place in Eastern Europe

• Worsened USSR-UK:

  • Stalin wanted a pro-communist government to be elected in Poland whereas Churchill supported the non-communist London Poles

What happened after Yalta but before Potsdam?

• Germany defeated

• USA secretly tested an atomic bomb

• USA dropped bomb on Hiroshima/Nagasaki in Japan

• A communist government had been set up in Poland by Stalin however he had agreed at Yalta that he would allow Eastern European countries to be free

What did Truman do that angered Stalin?

Truman drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

How did the USSR go against the Yalta agreement?

• At Yalta and Potsdam, the countries agreed to free elections

• However, a pro communist government had been set up in Poland by Stalin

What was the 3rd conference?

Potsdam conference

Who attended the Potsdam conference?

Stalin, Churchill (replaced by Attlee) and Truman

What was agreed at Potsdam?

• Ban the Nazi Party and prosecute surviving Nazis as war criminals.

• Divide Germany and Berlin into 4 zones of occupation (US, UK, USSR, France).

• Germany would be demilitarized and denszified + democracy re-established. • Nazi Party Ban

• UN established

What was disagreed at Potsdam?

• USSR wanted Germany to pay huge reparations but USA disagreed and did not want to punish Germany too harshly, instead re build economy

• Stalin went back on his word about free elections in Poland by rigging the elections and setting up a communist government.

At which conference did the countries disagree on reparations that Germany had to pay?

Potsdam

Did US-Soviet relations worsen or improve at Potsdam? Why?

• Worsened US-Soviet relations:

  • Truman had mentioned to Stalin that the USA had successfully tested the atomic bomb, which increased tensions as Stalin felt threatened and at a disadvantage + it kickstarted the arms race.

  • Stalin wanted harsher reparations against Germany, while Truman wanted to rebuild the German economy.

  • Truman was concerned with the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe and the spread of communism.

  • Stalin went against his agreement for free elections in Poland at Yalta as he had rigged the elections in Poland so a pro communist government would be installed.

What were the consequences of Potsdam?

• Germany and Berlin divided into four zones, leading to Trizonia and therefore the Berlin Blockade

• Truman replacing Roosevelt increased tension between the USA and the Soviet Union; Stalin’s distrust increased in response to Truman’s more hard-line approach and his anti communism.

• Worsened US-Soviet relations:

  • Truman had mentioned to Stalin that the USA had successfully tested the atomic bomb, which increased tensions as Stalin felt threatened and at a disadvantage + it kickstarted the arms race.

  • Stalin wanted harsher reparations against Germany, while Truman wanted to rebuild the German economy.

  • Truman was concerned with the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe and the spread of communism.

  • Stalin went against his agreement for free elections in Poland at Yalta as he had rigged the elections in Poland so a pro communist government would be installed.

What is the long telegram?

A secret report from US ambassador Kennan in Moscow to President Truman

When was the long telegram?

February 1946

What did Kennan say in the Long telegram?

• Stalin was spreading communism + wanted to destroy capitalism

• USSR were military weak but were slowly gaining power e.g. built there first bomb in 1949

• Advised Truman to act aggressively as Stalin will back down

What were the consequences of the long telegram?

• Truman Doctrine to contain communism

What was the Novikov telegram?

A report from soviet ambassador Novikov in Washington to Stalin.

When was the Novikov telegram?

September 1946

What did Novikov say in the Novikov Telegram?

• After Roosevelt’s death, the American government was no longer interested in co-operation with the USSR and USA was prepared for war with the USSR.

• USA wanted to use military power to attack the Soviet

• Claims that the USSR was the only country left after war that could stand up to the USA (Superpowers)

What were the consequences of the Novikov telegrams?

• Stalin began taking over Eastern Europe to provide a buffer zone between the USSR and the West for protection.

Who delivered a famous speech in 1946?

Winston Churchill

When and what did Winston Churchill say in his famous speech?

1946 - said an iron curtain was separating Europe into the East (Communism) and West (Capitalism)

What did the USSR do between 1945 and 1949?

Take control of most of Eastern Europe; naming them Satellite States.

Name some satellite states

Hungary, Poland, East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania

What was Truman concenered about after the creation of the satellite states?

That communism would spread into Western Europe

Why was Truman concerned that Western European countries would turn to communism?

• Europe was devastated after war - people were left poor hopeless and jobless

• Communism was attractive to people because it made sure everyone got enough/wealth was shared

• Countries were too poor to combat communism

What did Truman do in retaliation to the creation of the satellite states/Long Telegram to contain communism?

Truman Doctrine + Marshall Plan

When was the Truman Doctrine?

March 1946

What provoked the Truman Doctrine + Marshall Plan?

• Due to the long telegram and Stalin’s occupation Eastern European countries, Truman felt he needed to stop communism from spreading further.

• After WWII, Western Europe was broke and they could be enticed by the idea of communism as it spreads everything out equally.

What was the Truman doctrine?

• USA pledged to support any nation threatened by communist takeover in a military, financial or

• Trumans way of containing communism and making sure it didn’t spread

• He claimed communism was evil and capitalism was good - choosing between them would be like choosing between evil and good.

What was the Marshall plan?

• USA provided 13 billion to help rebuild West Europe after the war

• USA wanted to contain communism and stop it from spreading to the west

• By giving the last money, it meant that poor people wouldn’t be enticed by communism

When was the Marshall Plan?

April 1948

What was Stalin’s reaction to the Truman Doctrine?

Stalin viewed the Truman doctrine as a declaration of war

How did Stalin react to the Marshall plan?

Stalin viewed the Marshall plan as

• Truman bribing the west

• Trying to split Europe

• Stopping communism.

Did the Truman doctrine worsen or improve relation?

Worsen

What did Stalin set up as a result of the Marshall plan and Truman doctrine?

Comecon + Cominform

When was cominform?

October 1947

When was Comecon?

January 1949

What did Stalin set up so he could ensure satellite states remained loyal to the Soviet Union?

Cominform

What did Cominform do?

• Made sure satellite states remain under Soviet control + were loyal

• Encouraged the rejection of the USA Marshall Aid.

• Stalin spreads propaganda about USA, claiming they were like Nazis.

• Members were encouraged to trade only with Cominform members, and discouraged to have contact with non-Communist countries.

What were the consequences of Cominform?

• The Eastern European countries were brainwashed by the East, creating an even bigger divide

• Further worsened US-Soviet relations and increased tensions

• It ensured the loyalty of the satellite states by removing any opposition and discouraging communication/trade with the West

What was Stalin’s version of Marshall aid?

Comecon

Why did Stalin create Comecon?

To make sure no satellite states signed up to Marshall aid and to look as kind/generous as Truman

What did Comecon do?

It aimed to prevent Eastern Europe trading with the West. Unlike the Marshall Plan, no money was given, but the economies were organized in line with communism so everything was shared out. For example, economies of the satellite states were organized so they specialized in specific areas for the benefit of the USSR (e.g. Bulgaria = Wheat). Wheat was shared out to all countries. It appeased countries ordered to refuse the Marshall plan

What was wrong with Comecon?

It made communist countries poorer

Arms race

The USA and the Soviet Union competed against each other to create and stockpile the most advanced weapons.

When was the Berlin Blockade?

1558-9