Cold War

a compilation of quizlet stuff

Tehran Conference

1943

Agreements:
1) Britain and America to open two new fronts against Germany.
2) Russia agreed they would help allies fight Japan
3) The United Nations Would be set up after the war.
4) An area of Eastern Poland was added to the Soviet Union.

Issues:
1) Stalin worried that USA and Britain delayed their attack on Germany to weaken Russia.
2) Churchill was very anti-communist and suspicious of Stalin.
3) 10,000 Polish troops were found in a mass grave in the Katyn Forest in Poland - killed by Soviets.
4) Warsaw uprising - Poles uprise against Germans and are shut-down, Soviets take control of defenceless Poland.

Yalta Conference

February 1945

Agreements:
1) Soviet Union agrees to enter war with Japan.
2) Allies agree to divide Germany and Berlin in to four zones.
3) Allies try Nazi War criminals in Nuremberg.
4) Allies want free elections in countries liberated from Nazi Occupation.
5) The United Nations to be set up to resolve disputes and avoid war.
6) Soviet Union to be allowed a sphere of influence in the East.

Disagreements:
1) Stalin wanted Germany to pay more in reparations whereas allies wanted to pay less.
2) Stalin wanted a communist government in Poland but allies wanted free elections. Stalin wanted to move the Poland-Germany border west.

Potsdam Conference

July 1945:

Agreements:
1) Still divide Germany and Berlin
2) Disband German armed forces
3) Re-establish democracy in Germany: free elections, free speech, freedom of the press.
4) Russia to receive reparations in the form of equipment and materials because Russia suffered the most - 20 Million dead.
5) Ban the Nazi party - continue to trial Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg.
6) All agree to join the United Nations.
7) Polish frontier was moved west as Stalin wanted.

The Disagreements:
1) Stalin wanted a huge amount of reparations from Germany - he wanted Germany to be crippled. Britain and USA didn't want something similar to the harshness of Treaty of Versailles. They wanted a self sufficient Germany.
2) Truman wanted free elections in Eastern Europe, Stalin wanted a sphere of influence.

Truman Doctrine

March 1947

The US Policy of Containment

Truman believed the Soviet Union was trying to spread communism through Eastern Europe and beyond.

The USA had the Atom Bomb and superior economic strength to pressure the Soviet Union.

Marshall Plan

June 1947

Truman backed up his policy of containment with economic aid to Europe this was called "Marshall Aid".

Truman Believed communism spread through countries with economic issues. WW2 left many countries poor and shortages of food, and other materials, the USA aimed to recover the economies of these countries before they became vulnerable to communism.

Stalin accused Truman of using this plan for selfish interests.

Comecon

January 1949

The Council for Mutual Assistance

Soviet response to Marshall Aid

Soviet Union could financially support countries in Eastern Europe.

However the other purpose was:

1) Control the economies of these states
2) Give the Soviet Union access to their resources
3) Encourage economic specialisation within the soviet bloc eg. Czechoslovakia encouraged to concentrate on high industry.

Cominform

1947

The Communist Information Bureau

Soviet Response to the Truman Doctrine

Used to coordinate communist parties throughout Europe:

1) Followed Soviet aims in foreign policy
2) Introduced Soviet style economic policies such as collectivisation of agriculture and state control of industry

It was used to purge members that disagreed with Moscow. Tito refused to follow Soviet ideas and Yugoslavia was expelled from the Cominform in 1948

Causes of the Berlin Crisis

1947

1) Soviet Union made sure that the minority communist group took control of the eastern zone.
2) Soviet Union was trying to keep Germany weak to prevent future attack.
3) Refused to allow their zone to trade with the other three zones.
4) The western part of Berlin was an example of Capitalist affluence in the communist sector.

Events of the Berlin Crisis

24 June: Stalin cut off road, rail and central traffic to west Berlin in attempt to starve them.

June: Both West and East introduce new currencies West - Deutschmark. East - Ostmark.

April: Soviet troops hold up and search road and rail traffic entering Berlin.

March: Soviet representatives walk out of Allied Control Commission.

January: US and British zones merge in to one economic unit known as Bizonia

Berlin Blockade

June 1948

Stalin cut off all road, rail, and canal links to Berlin with the hope the west would give up Berlin.

Berlin Airlift

24th June 1948

Truman wanted West Berlin to remain a "Symbol of Freedom behind the Iron Curtain"

The airlift lasts 10 months and planes land in West Berlin every 90 seconds delivering 1.5 million tonnes in supplies in total.

End of the blockade date

May 1949

NATO

Formed: 1949

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Alliance of the USA and Western European Countries.

They would support each other if anyone was attacked.

Truman Doctrine in action.

West Germany Joined in 1955

WARSAW Pact

Formed: May 1955

Soviet response to NATO

Gave the USSR more control of Eastern Europe

Troops are placed in countries.

Causes of Hungarian Uprising

Rakosi was an evil tyrant - killed 2000 during the purges.

Rakosi had secret police (AVH) and were hated by Hungarians

Hungarian Economy was poor and controlled by USSR through Comecon and had to reject Marshall Aid.

Russia Exploited Hungary

1953 Stalin dies and is replaced by Khrushchev and the Hungarians thought they could protest.

Events of Hungarian Uprising

1956

Rakosi is removed and replaced with Nagy

Khrushchev removes troops from Hungary

Nagy Proposes Refroms:
1) Free elections
2) Trade with the west
3) End of one party state
4) Freedom of religion, press, and speech.

Nagy says he is leaving the Warsaw Pact

Khrushchev didn't want to look weak

November 1956: 200,000 troops and 6,000 tanks enter Hungary sent by Khrushchev

Hungarians fight back and are crushed

West cannot help because the are preoccupied the Suez crisis.

Causes of The Berlin Wall

Tension rising in Berlin

After Hungarian uprising many people fled the Soviet Union for political and economic freedom

West Berlin and the West looked attractive the Eastern Europe and East Germany who remained poor.

West Berlin was funded by Marshall Aid to undermine communism

1949-1961 2.7 million fled East Germany to West Germany

1958: Khrushchev introduced an Ultimatum and gave the west 6 months to leave Berlin, the west ignored it.

Met at Geneva and agree to meet again

Camp David: Eisenhower and Khrushchev agree to withdraw the ultimatum

Paris 1960: U2 Spy plane shot down in Russia and Khrushchev brings it up - Eisenhower refuses to apologies, and Khrushchev storms out.

Berlin Wall

8th August 1961

East Germans build barbed wire fence on the border of East and West Berlin and then eventually a concrete wall replaces it.

All checkpoints are closed but one: Checkpoint Charlie.

Berlin Wall Results

Families divided

Some tried to make it across the border but 300 were killed

Checkpoint Charlie Standoff

JFK "Wall is better than a war" speech

JFK calls it a "Prison wall" and Khrushchev calls it a "protective barrier"

Tension grew and the arsenals of both superpowers grew.

Symbol of communist tyranny

The Arms Race Events

1945 - USA first Atomic Bomb
1949 - Russia has an Atomic Bomb
1952 - USA has Hydrogen Bomb
1953 - Russia has Hydrogen Bomb
1956 - USA has U2 Spy Plane
1957 - Russia is first to make ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile)
1957 - Sputnik Launched (First Satellite)
1958 - USA Launches Satellitw
1961 - Russia makes Tsar Bomba a type of H-bomb 100x more powerful than the nuke dropped on Hiroshima

MAD

Mutually Assured Destruction

The idea that if a war broke out both sides could completely destroy each other.

Cuban Missile Crisis Causes

Arms race causes fear and suspicion

Creation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact

Hungarian Uprising

1961 U2 Spy Plane shot down over Russia

1959 Batista (worked well with USA) is overthrown by Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro throws out all USA investors and companies

USA Refuses to buy Cuban Sugar

Russia offers to buy Cuban Sugar

Russia Provides Machinery and Supplies for Cuba

Bay of Pigs Failure (Cuban Exiles killed trying to overthrow Castro, USA fails)

JFK appears weak

Events of The Cuban Missile Crisis

1961 - Fidel Castro declares himself to be a communist

Khrushchev provides anti-aircraft missiles, radar, and Soviet personnel to help Castro.

JFK is okay with this because they are for defence purposes.

October 1962 - U2 Spy Planes find Nuclear Missile Silos in Cuba.

JFK Uses a Naval Blockade to surround Cuba

JFK asks Khrushchev to remove missiles from Cuba

Khrushchev asks JFK to remove blockade and he will remove missiles form Cuba and JFK would secretly remove his missiles from Turkey.

Cuban Missile Crisis Results

Main Outcomes:

Hotline telephone set up between the Whitehouse and the Kremlin.

Test Ban Treaty 1963 - No longer test nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, land, or sea.

Cheap grain sails to Russia as a sign of good will.

Causes of the Prague Spring

5 Main Causes:

1) Novotny (Leader of Czechoslovakia) was a hardline communist and obedient to Moscow
2) Czech Economy on the decline and so was the standard of living because they sold key raw materials like steel cheaply to Russia.
3) Economy collapsed and so people asked for democracy. Reformers such as Dubcek protested, Dubcek replaced Novotny.
4) When Dubcek was in power he introduced a reform program called The Prague Spring - "Socialism with a human face".

Reforms:
Increased political freedom
10 Year Program of reform
Reduced power of secret police
Removed travel restrictions
Improved working conditions

USSR was worried Czechoslovakia would lave the Warsaw Pact.

Brezhnev Doctrine Introduced: USSR has the right to invade a country in Eastern Europe if it threatens the Warsaw Pact

Events of The Prague Spring

20th August 1968: Brezhnev sends in tanks and 100,00s of troops and troops from other Warsaw pact countries.

Dubcek tells his people not fight back and fewer than 100 Czechs are killed.

Dubcek is arrested and made to sign the Moscow Protocol which means Czechoslovakia must protect socialism.

Results of The Prague Spring

Demonstations against the Soviet Union continue until April 1969

Dubcek is replaced by Husak - Strict hardline communist

Brezhnev Doctrine enforced

Albania withdrew itself from the Warsaw Pact in 1968

Prague Spring was a small bump in Détente

West is preoccupied by US election and Vietnam War

Explain the importance of The Truman Doctrine for the development of the Cold War in the years 1947-55.

American initiative introduced in 1947, which marked a change of international policy from isolationism to containment.
Introduced by President Truman in a speech to Congress, was launched to obtain financial aid to help Turkish and Greek monarchists fighting against Communists.
While the Truman Doctrine does not explicitly mention the Soviet Union, it was clear that it was intended as a warning to Stalin that any further encroachment of the Red Army in Europe would not be accepted.
Stalin felt increasingly betrayed by Western attempts to undermine his control of the Eastern bloc. As a result, ideological rhetoric increased between the two superpowers, as shown by the Soviet leader's condemnation of the joint policy as 'dollar imperialism.'
It exacerbated the security concerns of the Soviet Union, and therefore stimulated an atmosphere of mistrust, which ultimately paved the way for the breakdown of the Grand Alliance in succumbing to Cold War hostilities.

Explain the importance of Potsdam Conference (1945) for the development of the Cold War.

The conference failed to settle most of the important issues at hand and thus helped set the stage for the Cold War that would begin shortly after World War II came to an end.
Truman came away angry about the size of reparations and the fact that a communist government was being set up in Poland.
The conference increased the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was clear that Truman, with the atomic bomb in his pocket, was not willing to make concessions and the Soviets has to accept the deal regarding Germany's reparations.
Despite agreeing at Yalta that free elections would be held in Eastern Europe after the defeat of Nazi Germany, there was little evidence at Potsdam that Stalin intended to allow them. In fact the Red Army was in control of Poland and the USSR was in the process of setting up a communist government.

Explain the importance of Berlin Blockade for the future of Germany.

While Stalin had hoped the Berlin Blockade would force the Allies to abandon their efforts to create a West German state, the success of the Berlin Airlift confirmed such hopes were in vain. By May 1949, when the Soviets lifted the blockade, the crisis in Berlin had hardened the East/West division of Germany and all of Europe, ushering in the Cold War in earnest.
In April 1949, the USA, Britain and France officially announced the formation of the German Federal Republic (West Germany).
By 1949 there was a worldwide awareness of a Cold War. After the crisis of the Berlin Blockade in 1948-49, Europe became divided into two opposing armed camps - the US-backed NATO on one side, and the USSR Warsaw Pact, on the other.

Explain the importance of the formation of NATO for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

The formation of NATO meant that the USA could place weapons in member states. This would allow more effective defence in the event of a Soviet attack.
American nuclear missile sites could be established close to the Soviet border. Being part of NATO emphasised to the USSR that the USA was determined to stop communism spreading to the West.
West Germany was allowed to join NATO in 1955. It was also permitted an army and air force - the USSR saw this as a threat that could lead to a new and strong Germany.
The Warsaw Pact was created in 1955 and dominated by the USSR. This allowed the Soviets to force their foreign policy on the rest of the Eastern Bloc. From 1955 Europe was divided into two armed camps - the frontlines of the Cold War had been established.

Explain the importance of the Soviet expansion in eastern Europe for the development of the Cold War

Despite the promises made by Stalin at the Yalta Conference to allow free elections, he had in fact started turning Eastern Europe into a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Western Europe.
Stalin feared that Eastern Europe could be the doorway for an attack on the Soviet Union by the West. For the Western Allies the setting up of communist governments in Eastern Europe was a major concern.
World War Two had been fought in the name of freedom. Now it seemed that in many countries the hard-won freedom from Nazi dictatorship was being replaced by communist dictatorships.

Explain the importance of the Marshall Plan in the development of the Cold War.

Announced on June 5th, 1947 by George Marshall, the European Recovery Program, ERP, called for a system of aid and loans, at first to all nations affected by the war.
However, as plans for the ERP were being formalized, Russian leader Stalin, afraid of US economic domination, refused the initiative and pressured the nations under his control into refusing aid despite a desperate need.
During the years of the plan, receiving nations experienced economic growth of between 15%-25%. Industry was quickly renewed and agricultural production sometimes exceeded pre-war levels. This boom helped push communist groups away from power and created an economic divide between the rich west and poor communist east as clear as the political one.

Explain the importance of the arms race for the development of the Cold War, 1949-1953.

Since the USA dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, the USSR had been determined to develop its own nuclear weapons. It finally succeeded in 1949 and this began a nuclear arms race, with both sides racing to develop more and bigger bombs.
A new idea developed: that of nuclear deterrence. This suggested that the very fact of a country possessing nuclear weapons would prevent another country from threatening its interests, because they wouldn't want to provoke a nuclear attack.
In order to maintain this upper hand, the superpowers had to continue to build up their stockpiles of ever more powerful nuclear weapons so that they would have the power to massively retaliate against any such attack. As the Cold War developed, the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) took shape. This was the ultimate deterrent, and both sides continued to build up their arsenals of nuclear weapons to gain this advantage.

Explain the importance of the 'Bay of Pigs' invasion for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

After much debate in his administration Kennedy authorized a clandestine invasion of Cuba by a brigade of Cuban exiles.
The brigade hit the beach at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961, but the operation collapsed in spectacular failure within 2 days.
The failed invasion strengthened the position of Castro's administration, which proceeded to openly proclaim its intention to adopt socialism and pursue closer ties with the Soviet Union.
The USA was totally discredited because it had supported illegal acts. President Kennedy was embarrassed and his position was weakened. Castro asked Khrushchev for military support in case of future attacks by the USA.

Explain the importance of the 'Prague Spring' for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union

Worried that Czechoslovakia was slipping from his grasp, the Soviet leader, Brezhnev, declared that the USSR would not allow the countries of Eastern Europe to reject communism 'even if it meant a third World War'.
This became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine. As in Hungary in 1956, the Western powers did nothing to actively support the Czechs in their 'Prague Spring'.
The US accepted that the Soviets were taking this action in their own sphere of influence, and the US was not going to consider any intervention that would constitute roll back of communism in Eastern Europe.

Explain the importance of the summit conferences (1959-61) for the problem of Berlin.

In 1959 Khruschchev's ultimatum on Berlin had been withdrawn, but Khrushchev believed he might be able to dominate the younger and inexperienced Kennedy.
He reissued the ultimatum on Berlin at a conference in Vienna in June 1961 and once again gave the US six months to withdraw. However, Kennedy refused to withdraw the American troops and in fact increased defence expenditure in Berlin in case of a conflict with the USSR.
The world was left wondering 'what will happen next?'. On 13 August 1961, the Soviet authorities in East Germany sealed off East Berlin - their zone of occupation - by constructing a huge barbed wire barrier.
This was soon replaced by a concrete wall, complete with lookout towers and armed guards who had orders to shoot anyone trying to cross into the Western sector.

Explain the importance of the building of the Berlin Wall (1961) for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Once the Wall had been constructed, the US decided to test how far they could push the USSR. Foreigners were still allowed to cross the Wall, and the US regularly sent troops and diplomats into the Soviet sector through Checkpoint Charlie, one of the guarded crossing points between East and West. Both sides were entitled to do this under the Four Powers Agreement made after the Yalta Conference, but by constructing the Wall the Soviets were breaking this Agreement and there was a tension over whether or not East German guards were authorised to examine the travel documents of Americans passing through the checkpoint.
On 27 October 1961 the US stationed tanks on its side of Checkpoint Charlie. Fearing the US tanks might try to break down the Wall or pass into its sector, the Soviets responded with an equal show of force and Red Army tanks pulled up to their side of Checkpoint Charlie. All day long the two sides, with tanks and soldiers at the ready, faced each other in a tense stand-off.
The nail-biting crisis lasted for 18 hours until diplomatic negotiations agreed that both sides would slowly withdraw.

Explain the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union

The world had come to the brink of war but this had been averted. Cuba stayed communist and highly armed though the Soviet missiles were removed under UN supervision.
Both leaders emerged with something from the crisis and both sides had shown restraint. The USA did not react to the loss of a U2 plane and the USSR did not react to a U2 flight over their airspace in Siberia or the US navy forcing a Soviet submarine to surface.
Both allowed their opponent to retreat without too much loss of face. Kennedy did not boast of victory and paid tribute to Khrushchev's contribution to peace. While Khrushchev did not reveal the secret deal over Turkey, both powers honoured the agreements made.

Explain the importance of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

The Carter Doctrine: Believing that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan might lead to threats to US interests in the Persian Gulf, in January 1980 the US President, Jimmy Carter, announced in his State of the Union Address that the US was extending its policy of containment to the Middle East. The Carter Doctrine stated that the USA was prepared to use force to stop any country from gaining control over the oil rich states of the Middle East.
Alongside this, Carter formed an alliance with China and Israel to support the Mujahideen rebels against the USSR, and the CIA secretly provided the Mujahideen with weapons and funds. The USA also imposed economic sanctions on the Soviet Union and abolished most US-Soviet trade, which led to deterioration in diplomatic relations between the superpowers.

Explain the importance of the U2 event (1960) for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

The USA claimed the U2 was a weather monitoring plane that had lost its way. However, film retrieved by the Soviets from the plane clearly indicated that Powers had been on a spying mission.
When the US President, Eisenhower, arrived in Paris for the summit meeting the Soviet leader, Khrushchev, demanded he apologise for the mission, and when Eisenhower refused, Khrushchev walked out of the Summit.
America was embarrassed as it was shown to have lied about the U2 plane's mission, and to be using methods of espionage which were morally suspect. They no longer held the 'moral high ground' in the Cold War. This would lead the young John F Kennedy to campaign as a tough anti-communist warrior in the 1960 presidential election campaign.
Nothing was resolved on the issues of Berlin and Cuba. Both would remain major sources of tension in the Cold War.
The relationship between the USA and the USSR deteriorated even further, heightening Cold War tensions.

Explain the importance of Ronald Reagan for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

Reagan convinced Congress to increase military expenditure by 13 per cent in 1982. The Strategic Defense Initiative was considered during this period. There was great concern in the USSR that the Soviets would fall even further behind in the arms race.
New weapons such as the stealth bomber, which could fly undetected by radar, were being developed. Development also continued on the neutron bomb, which could wipe out large numbers of people without destroying buildings and infrastructure.
Reagan did not trust the Soviet leaders and his relationship with Brezhnev (the leader prior to Gorbachev) was often fraught.
The President thought the USSR was misusing the period of détente to increase Soviet power and influence. In 1983, Reagan made a speech where he called the USSR an evil empire.

Explain the importance of the Olympic boycotts for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

In organizing the boycott and rallying support behind it, the Carter Administration had wanted to express the extent of international displeasure with the invasion of Afghanistan, and to pressure the Soviets to pull their armies out of the conflict. In actuality, the Soviet-Afghan War continued and did not end until 1989, and the Soviets reacted to the boycott by retaliating and leading a communist-bloc boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. These Olympic boycotts were just one manifestation of the cooling relations between the United States and the Soviet Union in the early 1980s.

Explain the importance of SALT I for the development of the Cold War.

Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev signed the ABM Treaty and interim SALT agreement on May 26, 1972, in Moscow.
For the first time during the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union had agreed to limit the number of nuclear missiles in their arsenals. SALT I is considered the crowning achievement of the Nixon-Kissinger strategy of détente. The ABM Treaty limited strategic missile defenses to 200 interceptors each and allowed each side to construct two missile defense sites, one to protect the national capital, the other to protect one ICBM field. (For financial and strategic reasons, the United States stopped construction of each by the end of the decade.)

Explain the importance of the Helsinki Agreement for relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

The Helsinki Final Act was an agreement signed by 35 nations that concluded the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, held in Helsinki, Finland. The multifaceted Act addressed a range of prominent global issues and in so doing had a far-reaching effect on the Cold War and U.S.-Soviet relations.
Although initially unpopular in the West, the Helsinki Final Act proved important at the end of the Cold War. Some activists opposed the Western concession on boundaries that resulted in a formal acceptance of the Soviet annexation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, effectively acknowledging Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. In spite of such criticism, the third basket on human rights and freedoms ultimately proved to be important to dissidents in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

What is capitalism?

the economic system followed by the West during the Cold War; people have the right to start their own businesses in a free market

What is communism?

an economic and political system in which there is no private ownership; people contribute based on their ability and take only what they need

What is the difference between capitalism and communism?

under a communist government ideology, the workers would control the government and factories and private business would be banned, so the workers cannot be exploited by the rich

Under a capitalist government, private businesses would be available with the ideology to allow everyone the right to try to become successful and wealthy

When and where did Yalta take place?

it was in Yalta in the USSR at the time from 4 to 11 February

Who was present at Yalta?

Joseph Stalin, Franklin D.Roosevelt, Winston Churchill

What was agreed at Yalta?

Germany and Berlin would be divided into 4 zones for USSR, USA, Britain and France

Liberated countries of Western and Central Europe would be allowed to hold free elections

UN would be formed to ensure future international cooperation

An official document agreeing these points, the Declaration of Liberated Europe, was signed

What was disagreed at Yalta?

who would hold power in Poland (USSR wanted a new communist government but others wanted the old government to return)

the future of other Eastern European countries

When and where did Potsdam conference take place?

Potsdam, Germany between 17 July to 2 August 1945

Who was present at Potsdam?

Harry S.Truman, Clement Attlee, Joseph Stalin

What was agreed at Potsdam?

Germany was to be divided as discussed at Yalta

Nazi Party was banned and its former leaders would be tried as war criminals

Germans living in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia were to be returned to Germany

Poland was to lose some territory in the east to the USSR

What was disagreed at Potsdam?

Stalin wanted Germany to pay reparations to USSR, which was opposed by the others

What should happen to countries in Eastern Europe - others gave in to Stalin making most communist as they were already being controlled by them and to keep relations high as the Japan war was still raging on

When and where were the atomic bombs dropped?

Hiroshima on August 6th; Nagasaki on August 9th 1945

What impact did the dropping of the atomic bomb have on US/USSR relationships?

this cemented the climate of mistrust and suspicion between USSR and USA with Stalin being determined that USSR would have their own atomic bomb and Truman was equally determined to stop the spread of communism, with Germany now dividing the two superpowers

What were 'satellite states'? Give examples:

A satellite state is a country that is formally independent in the world, but under heavy political, economic and military influence or control from another country

Examples include Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and East Germany

What was Churchill's Iron Curtain speech, when and where was it and what was the meaning of it?

In USA on 6th March 1946, he made a speech that directly criticised the actions of the USSR with him describing the invisible dividing line between East and West as an iron curtain and this ended almost all contact between countries either side of it, including trade and tourism

This speech happened in Missouri in the USA

What was Cominform and when was it set up?

This was a response to Truman's speech with this organisation being created to bring unity to communist countries behind the Iron Curtain and members would meet regularly in Moscow so that Stalin could ensure that the countries were all following the same policies as Stalin saw the Truman doctrine as a direct threat to communism so used this opportunity to bring Eastern European communist governments closer to Moscow

How did Tito react to Cominform and who was he?

He was the leader of Yugoslavia and was a communist, however this country wasn't liberated from Nazi control by the Red Army, but an uprising had taken place within the country, leading to Tito having no particular loyalty to Stalin

However Tito repeatedly went against Stalin's wishes on a number of issues and continued to show independence even though relaxations were good at first and the final straw in 1948 was when he seemed Marshall aid and Yugoslavia was expelled from Cominform and became a totally independent country - the only European communist state outside of the Iron \\\curtain

What was the Truman Doctrine and when was it set up?

It was set up on 12th March 1947 and he outlined his beliefs about the threat posed by communism across the world and his determination to stop it from spreading to their countries and he promised to support any country that was threatened by communism

It was a response to ongoing events in Europe as in 1947, Greece was in the grip of a civil war between the supporters of the former king and the Greek communists as well as father fear that if the Soviets took control of neighbouring Turkey it would give them access to the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East

USA gave aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of communism

What was the Marshall Plan and why was it set up?

This was aimed to provide economic support for the countries of Europe as they were rebuilt after the war years, in order to prevent the countries becoming communist states as American companies needed a strong Europe to trade with, and money from the Marshall Plan would be spent by Europe on American products as well as USA discovering that extreme political ideas only became popular when people were poor or felt they had no hope for the future

In total, $13.15 billion was divided between the countries of Europe that accepted aid

What was Comecon and why was it set up?

The Soviet equivalent of Marshall aid created in 1949, with the aim being to provide support and bring economic stability to Eastern European countries.as well as avoiding the need for these countries to accept Marshall aid or even trade with the West, however instead of one wealthy country supporting poorer ones, the countries e\=were to work together to share knowledge and resources in a way that would benefit them all, however all decisions were made in Moscow

How did Stalin create the Berlin Blockade in 1948?

Soviet troops used their control of the area surrounding West Berlin to block the transport of military supplies to Western troops stationed in the city and also introduced traffic restrictions and closed bridges for "maintenance" in April 1948

All vehicles entering West Berlin were searched until all transport links were blocked after a lack of cooperation between a British and a Soviet plane over Berlin on 5th April 1048

How did the USA and UK respond to the Berlin Blockade?

There was a commitment to hold on to West Berlin with Truman making clear they were going to stay and the next step was not clear as the USSR was not breaking any international laws by stopping West Berlin's supply lines so on 24th June, a counter-blockade was introduced which stopped trains travelling from West Germany into the Soviet zone, which was damaging to East Germany

What was the Berlin Airlift?

The only route into the city was by air therefore 80 aircraft from the US airforce began to make 2 trips a day to West Berlin and soon all available aircraft were pressed into service to provide supplies and at its height a plane was arriving every 3 minutes in West Berlin and around 4000 tonnes were delivered each day even though the city needed 10,000 tonnes to keep the city working each day

It was only when on 15th April 1949 when nearly 12,000 tonnes of coal were delivered to West Berlin in 1383 flights was it clear that the airlift was not going to end so on 12th May Stalin ordered the lifting of the blockade

Why was the Berlin Airlift significant?

This helped to prevent a war as well as it showing how determined the West were in keeping West Berlin, and how true they were in saying they will contain communism and not let it spread

It showed how bad relations had become with there being a complete lack of cooperation between the two sides, as the USSR had acted aggressively

In April 1949, twelve countries including Britain, USA and France, signed the North Atlantic Treaty with the key agreement being that an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all and it promised that the countries' military forces would coordinate joint military action and for the countries of Western Europe, this guaranteed that the USA would support them if their security was ever threatened and that the Americans would remain in European affairs in the long term

Why was China becoming communist in 1949 important?

It was viewed by the west as a major failure of the Truman Doctrine, and to halt the spurt her spread of communism in Asia, millions of US dollars were pumped into Taiwan and Japan to build up their economies, and the USA and its allies refused to accept the new Chine government
A Treaty of Friendship was made between the two countries in February 1950

The US government also believed that this new regime would be a gain for Stalin

Who was Mao Tse-tung?

He was the son of a wealthy farmer who was the founding member of the Communist Party of China, and won the fight against the nationalist government and became the country's powerful new leader on 1 October 1949

His version of communism, known as Maoism, became popular across Asia

He died in 1976

What was the Treaty of Friendship?

- $300 million of aid would be provided to China, but most of it had to be spent on Soviet products and the interest was very high
- 8000 Chinese students were allowed to travel to the USSR to study science
- China gave USSR the right to mine in its Xinjiang territory
- 20,000 Soviet experts were sent to help the development of China, at a cost of the Chinese, and this became questionable as it seemed to benefit the USSR more than China

What was the USSR-China relationship like?

Stalin's USSR was the only major country to recognise the communist government of the PRC in 1949 and the two countries signed the Treaty of Friendship on 1 October 1949, but Stalin and Mao's interpretations of communism were different (In China, supporters were peasant farmers, but in USSR - supporters were urban factory workers)

After Stalin's death, the Chinese-Soviet relationship began to break down

What was the Korean War? (dates/events/results))

Feb 1950 - Stalin agrees to provide North Korea with military equipment
June 1950 - North invades South and UN calls for a ceasefire but war continues
Sept 1950 - US-led forces led by General MacArthur land at Inchon and drive the North Koreans back to the 38th Parallel
Oct 1950 - Chinese troops enter the war and help launch a North Korea counterattack and the South Korean capital is captured
April 1951 - MacArthur is dismissed from his command by US president Truman after calling for use of nuclear weapons
June 1951 - war reaches stalemate and peace negotiations begin
July 1953 - A final ceasefire is agreed, with the peninsula divided in almost exactly the same place as before the war

Why was the Korean War significant?

It was the first proxy war between the two countries and the dismissal of General MacArthur showed that the USA did not want to risk full military engagement with the Soviets and the Soviets were equally keen to avoid this

What was NATO? (dates/events)

In April 1949, twelve countries including Britain, USA and France, signed the North Atlantic Treaty with the key agreement being that an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all and it promised that the countries' military forces would coordinate joint military action and for the countries of Western Europe, this guaranteed that the USA would support them if their security was ever threatened and that the Americans would remain in European affairs in the long term

What was the Warsaw pact? (dates/events)

For the USSR, NATO represented an aggressive alliance and was a threat to Soviet security so in 1955 the USSR formed the Warsaw Pact with the communist countries of Eastern Europe with the countries having to come to the USSR's aid if the USSR were attacked leading to Europe;s two great political blocs being clearly defined

What does 'arms race' mean?

a competition for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons between the USSR and the USA during the cold war

When did the USSR develop their first atomic bomb?

On 29th August 1949, when Stalin's spies managed to gain vital information from the Manhattan Project accelerating the scientists' work

How much did the USA spend on the arms race?

More than a trillion dollars were spent on developing and maintaining nuclear weapons and weapon programs

Why was the arms race significant?

It prevented war in Europe. Each side feared each other. For example the Soviets had 3 million troops and could easily capture West Germany. However, they feared nuclear retaliation from America because of the devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the USA had caused at the end of WW2, leading to them feeling threatened and building up their military and so did USA.

Who was to blame for the arms race?

Both the USA and the USSR were to blame for the arms race because in 1949, the USSR tested its first atomic bomb which led to a race between the two superpowers to amass the most powerful nuclear weapons with the most effective delivery systems.

In 1953, both the USA and the USSR were testing hydrogen bombs and it appeared to the Americans that the Soviets had caught up technologically. Both sides feared falling behind in research and production, as they were threatened by each other

What was the Space Race?

a race between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore outer space, which was important because these rockets could be converted into missiles and that it would result in the other advancing in terms of science and technology, as well as they being superpower rivals wanting to have an upper hand and have dominance

Who took the lead in the Space Race?

USSR made a series of firsts as in 1957, they successfully launched the first man-made satellite (Sputnik), and later in the year the first dog in orbit (Laika), then in 1961, the first human into space (Yuri Gagarin)

This meant that the USA needed to catch up quickly because the Soviets had the upper hand in terms of technology and science

What was Sputnik?

A Soviet satellite that sparked the space race in October 1957 as it was the first man-made satellite to be put into orbit

Who was Yuri Gagarin?

He was the first man in space and was from the Soviet Union in August 1961. He was on Vostok 1.

What was the point of the Apollo missions?

To win the space race by putting man on the moon and bringing him back safely to Earth

Why did the USA win the race to the moon?

NASA's budget for the space race was $25 billion, which was rumoured to be more than double than the Soviet's space budget, as well as targets being set by the US government to send a man to the Moon and bring him back safely, as they desired to dominate the USSR and improve their science and technology quicker

When did the USA win the race to the moon?

20th July 1969 when Neil Armstrong walks on the moon

Why was the Space Race so important?

For propaganda, as they wanted to show that their country and system of government were superior

USA also feared that the soviets could launch nuclear missiles in the same way as rockets, which they were right about as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) could be carried thousands of miles to their target by rockets

Who was Khrushchev? (date he came to power/ideas)

He was the leader of the Soviet Union after Joseph Stalin had died... (INCOMPLETE)

What does 'destalinisation' mean?

On 25th February 1956, Khrushchev shocked the country when he made a speech criticising Stalin and his brutality and this speech began a process called de-Stalinisation and suggested a new, more open and peaceful approach from the Soviet government, which became known as 'peaceful coexistence', which also meant that the USA wouldn't interfere with the USSR's spread of communism

What was 'the thaw'/'peaceful coexistence'?

Khrushchev spoke strongly about the idea of 'peaceful coexistence between the superpowers and this led to the 'thaw' in relations between the two countries and the Paris Peace Summit in 1960 seemed to be the perfect opportunity to firmly establish this new approach, but tensions were high due to the U2 crisis

What happened at the Paris Peace Summit in 1960?

A week before it was about to begin, a U2 plane was shot down and Francis Gary Powers, the pilot, was capture leading to Eisenhower and Khrushchev meeting at the summit with higher tensions, and the Soviet leader stormed out when he demanded that Eisenhower should punish those responsible for a 'deliberate violation of the Soviet Union' but Eisenhower only chose to 'suspend' the spy flights implying that they would resume later on.
This led to the summit, which was intended to create a more friendly relationship ending with the superpowers on even worse terms than before

However some have argued that Khrushchev didn't want this summit to succeed as he felt the USSR had the upper hand in the Cold War as the Soviets were also involved in their fair share of espionage against the USA and that he needed to show that he would not be pushed around on the world stage, as well as him also knowing about the spy planes before

What restrictions had Matyas Rakosi place on Hungary?

He had Soviet soldiers permanently stationed in the country and dealing with opposition swiftly as well as ignoring Hungary's long and proud history with a communist history being taught instead at schools and communism banned many religious traditions and religious leaders like the popular Cardinal Mindszenty and the secret Police arrested and tortured challengers, but his position became vulnerable after Stalin had died and Khrushchev made his destalinisation speech

Who was Imre Nagy?

A member of the Hungarian Communist Party and he suggested a 'New Course' in the way the country was run and became prime minister in 1956 after the removal of Rákosi as leader, after the Hungarian Uprising and rejected communism in favour of greater freedoms and leaving the Warsaw Pact but after the uprising was defeated, he attempted to flee and sought refuge in the Yugoslavian embassy but was arrested, tried and executed

How did Nagy begin to change Hungary?

He promised reforms and more freedoms and announced the formation of a new government, which included non-Communist Party members and released Cardinal Mindszenty from prison and in late October, Soviet forces were withdrawn from Budapest

However, the demands grew with people wanting reforms that proclaimed Hungary as an independent state and had no loyalty to the USSR and Nagy even met their demand to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and very quickly the country embrace democracy with he formation of new political parties, and the release of political prisoners and press freedom and Nagy rejected communism and on 1 November announced that Hungary was an independent and neutral country

How did Khrushchev respond to the Hungarian uprising (1956)?

As a result of his speech he was reluctant to use force against challenges to the governments in Warsaw Pact countries such as Poland and Hungary so agreed to compromise with Hungary with it allowed to have its own version of communism that fitted with its culture while remaining in the Warsaw Pact and Soviet tanks withdrew

However after the reforms of 1 November 1956, Khrushchev needed to respond as he didn't want other Warsaw Pact members to leave, so on 4 November Soviet troops and tanks easily defeated the uprising who were no match and the loyal Kádár and the Communist Party took back control, showing how Khrushchev could be just as brutal as Stalin at home

How did the West respond to the Hungarian Uprising?

America - many thought they would intervene due to Truman's Doctrine, but they didn't want to interfere as it would be seen as a direct attack on Soviet security, showing how the Soviets could largely do as they wished behind the Iron Curtain without any American interference, as well as USA not wanting to damage the improving relationship with USSR

United Nations - most of the international community were much namer concerned with the growing crisis over the Suez Canal which involved Egypt, Israel, France and Britain as well as the USSR simply vetoing the Security Council's vote calling for Soviet troops to withdraw from Hungary

What was a U2 spy plane?

They were one of the USA's most effective methods of gathering intelligence and at a height of 23,000 metres they were able to photograph the Soviet Union without being spotted or shot down and provided valuable information about Soviet weapon development but the flights violated Soviet territory and risked a military response if spotted