AQA History Cold War Chapter 2: Developing Tensions up to 1948

What was Stalin's initial intent in relation to Eastern Europe?

To create a buffer zone of satellite states in Eastern Europe

Which countries had pro-Soviet communist regimes in place by 1948? (Try to name 4)

Albania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia

What percentage of the vote did the communist party gain in a relatively free Czechoslovakian election in May 1946?

38%

Why was communism an attractive prospect for many workers in Eastern European countries?

The war had left these states with mass unemployment and economic ruin, the people saw communists as freedom fighters due to them fighting the Nazis, communism promised employment and social mobility

How many Germans were forced out of Czechoslovakia after WW2?

3,000,000

Who led the Czech government in exile during WW2?

Edvard Benes

What happened to Benes after the war?

He came back, and became Czech president in 1946

Why did Czechoslovakia refuse Marshall Aid in June 1947?

Pressure from the Soviet Union

Who was the leader of the Czech Communist party (KSC) from 1945-53?

Klement Gottwald

How many people is it estimated that Gottwald sent to prison during his time as Czech Prime Minister?

200,000

What branch of government did the KSC control after the 1946 election?

The police

Why were the Czech public upset with the communists before the coup?

They were upset with the activities of the communist-controlled police, and also with communist demands to increase industrial output without increasing wages

Why was the KSC controlling the police important?

It allowed them to take over agriculture, propaganda, education and other parts of the civil service.

What was the KSC's deputy leader called?

Rudolf Slasky

Why did the KSC not initially want to pursue an all-out coup?

Because the felt that a 2-pronged strategy would be better as the public would not support a coup

What was the Czech coalition government called?

National front

Who resigned on the 21st February 1948 in Czechoslovakia?

12 non-communist government members

Why did the Czechoslovak non-communist leaders resign?

In protest at Gottwald packing the police with communists

When did Edvard Benes resign?

June 7th 1948

Why did Benes initially refuse to accept the resignations of the non-communist government ministers?

Gottwald demanded they be replaced with communists, and he felt a new government could not be created without non-communists

Why did Benes eventually accept the resignations of the non-communist leaders?

Gottwald threatened a general strike and he was afraid of a civil war because the Soviet Red Army backed Gottwald?

When did Benes accept the resignations of 12 non-communist government ministers and appoint a communist-majority government?

25th February 1948

What happened to the Czech Government after the resignations of the non-communist leaders?

New elections were held and the National Front government became wholly communist

What happened as a result of the communist coup in Czechoslovakia?

Both the UK and US condemned it (though neither took direct action), creation of NATO was hastened, Marshall Aid released.

What was the name of the communist resistance movement in Bulgaria during WW2?

The Fatherland Front

When did the Soviets declare war on Bulgaria and when did they invade?

5th and 8th September 1944

Who was installed as Prime Minister by the Fatherland Front after the 1944 coup?

Kimon Georgiev

What happened on the 9th September 1944 in Bulgaria?

The Fatherland Front overthrew the wartime government and installed a new, communist-friendly government

Who backed the Bulgarian coup?

Army units, partisans and the Soviets

When did Bulgaria become a republic?

September 1946, when a referendum established that 93% of the populace supported the abolition of the monarchy

When was Georgi Dimitrov made Bulgarian PM?

4th November 1945, with the election also giving the communists a signifigant majority

Who was the leader of the Bulgarian Agrarian party?

Nikola Petkov

When was Nikola Petkov arrested for espionage?

1946

When was Nikola Petkov executed?

1947

By what time had all non-communist parties been banned in Bulgaria?

April 1947

What happened in Bulgaria after the removal of Petkov and his associates (politically)?

The socialist and Agrarian parties were forcibly integrated into the Communists and pluralism was banned

What did the Agrarian Party in Bulgaria call themselves after the coup?

The 'little brother' of the communists

What changes did the communist government make to Bulgaria after their takeover?

A Soviet-style constitution was adopted, all major companies nationalised, unions merged, Turks, Roma and Jews deported

What was formed in Poland in June 1945?

The Provisional government of National Unity, a government which contained parties from both ends of the political spectrum

Who was the leader of the Polish Peasant party?

Stanislaw Mikolajczyk

How was the Polish Peasant party weakened?

The USSR strengthened the Polish Communist and Socialist parties

How many Soviet soldiers were stationed in Poland from 1945-47?

Around 500,000

How many Poles were arrested by the Soviets between 1945-48?

150,000

What happened after the rigged 1947 Polish election?

Peasant party leader Stanislaw Mikolajczyk fled the country

When did the Polish Socialist and Communist parties merge?

December 1948

Who was the Polish Communist leader immediately after WW2?

Wladyslaw Gomulka

Who replaced Gomulka in 1948 after he questioned Soviet influence in Poland?

Boleslaw Bierut

What percentage of the votes did communists get in the rigged 1947 Polish elections?

96%

What did the Soviet Red Army do in Poland which caused much anger?

Raped and looted 3 Polish cities

Who were the two main parties in Romania after WW2?

The Peasant party and Social Democratic party

Who took over in Romania when General Sanatescu resigned?

Nicolae Radescu

What positions did Radescu appoint communists to?

Minister of the interior, police and military posts

What did Communist forces do when they were trying to bring down the Radescu government?

Shoot protestors who opposed them and blame it on the government

When did Radescu call for new elections to occur?

February 1945

What did Stalin do to prevent the 1945 Romanian elections?

Sent his deputy Foreign Minister, Andrei Vyshinsky, to tell King Michael that he could either appoint Petru Groza as PM or risk the demolition of Romania

What did King Michael of Romania choose to do when threatened by the Soviets?

Dismissed Radescu and appointed Petru Groza

What did Groza announce in October 1945?

That communist leaders would be appointed to all industries and branches of the government (which lead to western protest)

What share of the vote did Groza announce that the Romanian communists got in November 1946?

90%

What had the Romanian communists done by 1947 politically?

Eliminated all non-communists from positions of power in the government and forced King Michael to abdicate, and created the Stalinist Romanian People's Republic

What was production like in Romania in 1947?

Around 1/2 of what it was pre-war with a simultaneous famine ongoing

What occurred in Romania to make it more Stalinist?

A securitat (secret police) was set up, and any act thought to be threatening to the state (i.e owning a private business) was made punishable

What helped cause the Romanian famine?

Forced collectivisation of farms

What 5 year plans were established in Romania in 1951?

The building of a Danube-Black Sea canal (which was a bit of a waste of money) and investment in heavy industry

What other repressive measures were put in place by the communist Romanian government?

A campaign to reduce illiteracy whilst also making sure only pro-communist propaganda was permissible, mandatory teaching of Russian language and pro-Soviet history.

What negative effects did Communist policies have on the Romanian economy?

Collectivisation caused farmers to flee to cities, reducing food production, and the policy of supporting unsustainable heavy industries such as steel took resources from farmiunf

When did the Red Army capture Budapest from the Germans?

February 14th 1945

What percentage of the vote did the Communists take in the November 1945 Hungarian election?

17%

What was the name of the Hungarian state security organisation formed in 1945?

The AVO

When did Hungary become a Republic?

1st February 1946

What was nationalised in Hungary in 1948?

A large steelworks

Who were the main opposition to the communists in Hungary?

The Smallholders' party

How did the Hungarian Communist party successfully compete with the smallholders' party?

They allied with smaller parties to gain a majority in Parliament

Who won the Hungarian election of 15th May 1949?

The communist-controlled National Independence Front

What was announced by the Hungarian communists in 1949?

A 5 year plan and the nationalisation of all major industries

Who was the Hungarian communist leader executed in 1949 for 'anti-Soviet activities'?

Laszlo Rajk

When was Yugoslavia expelled from Cominform?

June 1948

Why was Yugoslavia able to survive without the USSR?

US economic aid

Who was George Kennan?

The charge d'affaires of the US embassy in Moscow

What were the main points of Kenner's Long Telegram?

That the USSR would only respond to force, that Soviet foreign policy was aggressive and targeted left-wing (but not necessarily communist) groups in western countries in order to get their help in undermining governments, that the US must be proactive in defending democracy and capitalism in Europe

When was the Novikov telegram sent?

27th September 1946

What were the main points of the Novikov telegram?

That the West wished to use their military and economic imperialism to dominate the world, that the USA was planning a new war for global domination and that the US people would support this war

What did the Novikov telegram show?

That the East was just as mistrustful of the West as the West was of the East

On what date was the Iron Curtain speech and where was it given?

6th March 1946 in Fulton, Missouri

What was the main point of the iron curtain speech?

That the USSR wanted the expansion of their power and communism in general

On what date did Stalin give his Pravda interview in response to the iron curtain speech?

16th March 1946

What was the main point of Stalin's Pravda interview in March 1946?

That Churchill was a 'firebrand of war' and that the USSR was merely trying to ensure its security after WW2 via Eastern European allies

What was the Paris Peace conference of Sep-Oct 1946?

The 4 major western powers meeting to decide peace treaties with the axis powers

When was the Truman doctrine announced?

12th March 1947

How much emergency aid did the USA give to Greece and Turkey?

$400 Million

Why did the USA give emergency aid to Greece?

Because the UK announced in Feb 1947 it could no longer afford to keep supplying the Greek royalists in the civil war against the communists, and the USA feared Greece would fall to communism

What were 6 broad motives behind the institution of the Truman doctrine?

1. It was simply a blunt piece of diplomacy designed to prevent Soviet interference in the Greek civil war, and had no relevance beyond said civil war
2. It was not an aggressive act, but just to defend democracy and freedom from Soviet expansion
3. Truman needed to demonise communism and the USSR in order to justify his aim of turning the USA into a global power
4. He wanted to provoke the Soviets
5. By creating an enemy in the Soviets he could make other states dependant on the USA militarily and economically, boosting the US economy
6. First step in establishing containment as US policy post WW2

What was the Zhdanov doctrine?

Created by Soviet Andrew Zhdanov, broadly stated that the world was divided into the imperialists, led by the USA, and the democrats led by the soviets

When was Cominform created?

September 1947

What did the USA say Greece needed?

Food, medicines, tools and seeds