History Remove Summer Exam

What is the Cold War?

A global conflict and ideological struggle between communist states and capitalist states, fought in proxy wars, technology and diplomacy.

Early 1940s - Late 1990s

When was the Yalta Conference?

4th - 11th February 1945

Who met for the Yalta conference?

The 'big three' allied leaders:
Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin

What was decided in the Yalta Conference in terms of land?

It was a post-war re-organisation of Europe.
It divided Germany and Berlin into four occupation zoned for France, US, GB and USSR.
Poland would also be given slightly more land.

More Agreements at Yalta

Stalin promised free elections in Eastern Europe.
The idea of the United Nations was put forward.
Germany would have to pay $20 billion in reparations, 50% to USSR.

What were the 5Ds?

Denilitarisation, De-Nazification, Democratisation, Decentralisation, Deindustrialisation

When did Nazi Germany formally surrender from WW2?

8th May 1945

When and where did the US test its first atomic bomb?

16th July 1945, New Mexico desert

When was the Potsdam Conference?

17th July - 2nd August 1945

What was the main aim of the Potsdam Conference?

Finalise details of post-war Europe.
It also formally created the United Nations.

Who attended the Potsdam Conference?

New US president, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill (replaces halfway through by Clement Atlee), Joseph Stalin

What did Stalin fail to honour at Potsdam?

Free elections in Eastern Europe

What did Stalin's do next in terms of Eastern Europe?

The establishment of communist governments in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.

When and where did the US drop their next atomic bombs?

Hirsoshima - 6th August 1945
Nagasaki - 9th August 1945

When did Japan announce its surrender and formally surrender?

Announced - 15th August 1945
Formally - 2nd September 1945

When and where did Churchill deliver his famous 'Iron Curtain' speech?

5th March 1946
Fulton, Missouri

What dis the 'Iron Curtain' speech warn of?

The division of Europe into a Soviet East and democratic West.

Where did the Soviet Union establish control over next?

1947 - Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary
1948 - Czechoslovakia

How did Stalin do this?

He used salami tactics.

He took over Eastern Europe very slowly.

This gave him plausible deniability.

Which civil war did the US intervene in and when?

The Greek Civil War in 1947, supporting the anti - communists.

What did President Truman announce?

The Truman Doctrine which aimed to help anti-communist nations.

What did the US introduce next?

In 1948, the US introduced the Marshall Plan which aimed to help rebuild Western European economies.

What did the Soviet's introduce upon declining Marshall aid?

Their own economic system known as COMECON.
This controlled and managed the economies of Eastern Europe.

What did the British and Americans merge?

Their German zones into Bizona in January 1947

When did the French join?

June 1948, creating Trizona.

What did the allies introduce next?

In June 1948, they introduced a new currency in their zones of Germany. The Desutsche Mark.

What did the Soviet Union impose as a result of this?

The Berlin Blockade on the 24th June 1948.
This cut off all land access to West Berlin.

What did the allies respond with?

The Berlin Airlift. This supplied West Berlin with food and fuel by air. This was example of brinkmamship.

How often were planes landing at the height of the Berlin Airlift?

Every 90 seconds

When was the Berlin Blockade lifted?

12th May 1949. It had failed.

How many soldiers lost in the war:
US:
UK:
USSR:

419,000
450,000
11,000,000 and 27,000,000 in total!

What is capitalism?

A society that looks more at the individual than the community (US).
Property and money can be owned by an individual.

What is communism?

A society that looks more at the community than the individual (USSR).
Property and money is shared and can not be owned by an individual.

What major thing happened to Germany in May and October 1949?

Both the West(May) and the East(October) declared their zone an official country (East and West Germany).

When was NATO set up and what was it?

It was set up in April 1949 and was an agreement between the Western powers to work together against a Soviet attack.

What was the Soviet's response to NATO?

The Warsaw pact in May 1955 which was a military alliance of Soviet controlled countries.

When did the Nazis rise to power

January 1933

Nazi Foreign Policy

Grossdeutschland (Greater Germany)
Lebensraum (Living space)
Break up the ToV

Difference between Greater Germany and living space

Greater Germany was expanding to places that had at a point been Germany.
Living space was expanding into new territory.

Who did Hitler wish to drive out his 'living space'?

All Slavic and Jewish poplation.

What was another way Hitler aimed to prepare for war?

Arrange pacts and alliances.

When did Germany withdraw from the LoN and the disarmament conference?

14th October 1933

When was the German air force (Luftwaffe) established?

February 1935

What did Hitler reintroduce conscription?

March 1935

When did Hitler regain the Saar territory?

March 1935

When did the Nazis agree to the Anglo-German Naval Agreement?

18th June 1935
Germany could expand its navy to 35% the size of the British navy.
This was appeasement.

What was Germany's army by 1939?

A 950,000 soldiers, 95 warships and 8000 planes.

What did Hitler do next? (1936)

In March 1936, he began the remilitarisation of the Rhineland.

What pact is signed in 1936?

An Anti-Comintern Pact signed by German and Japan with Italy joining in 1937.
Directed against communism.

Which other pact emerges around the same time? (1936)

The Rome-Berlin Axis

In 1938 Hitler began the…

Anschluss (unification) with Austria.
The troops roll over with little resistance.
NOT an invasion.

Were the Austrians happy about this?

On the face of it, yes.
99.75% had voted for it.
However, the ballot cards were rigged with differing box sizes and 'instructions on how to vote.'

In reality what percentage of Austrians likely supported the Anschluss?

70%

The British and the French guarantee to support…

Poland and Czechoslovakia (although they do not help Czechoslovakia).

In 1938, what agreement was arranged?

The Munich Agreement

What was the Munich Agreement?

It was decided that Czechoslovakia would lose the Sudetenland to Germany.
Czechoslovakia was not involved in the decision.

What was the reaction?

Everyone was happy other than Czechoslovakia.
It was thought that this had avoided war.
Hitler got what he wanted again (more appeasement).

What did Hitler do in 1939?

In March 1939, he invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia after confirming he would not.
Now, no one trusts him FOR SURE.

The Pact of Steel

A formal alliance signed between Germany and the Italy in 1939.

What pact is signed in August 1939?

The Nazi-Soviet Pact
Hitler had won them over.

When did Hitler invade Poland?

1st September 1939.

Who, acting on their guarantee, declared war?

Britain declared war on Germany on the 3rd September 1939.

What side did Germany take in the Spanish Civil War?

Nationalists led by General Franco.
Along with Italy
Opposes Soviet Union

What town did Germany bomb with their air force?

Guernica

Causes of the second world war

1. Hitler's ambitions and expansionism
2. The Western democracies' failure to keep themselves strong
3. Appeasement in the Rhineland
4. Nazi-Soviet Pact
5. Great Depression (indirect)

Aimed to prevent war through

Discouraging Aggression
Improving Cooperation and trade
Encouraging Disarmament
Improve living and working C\nditions

Founded as part of

Paris Peace Conference

Aimed to prevent disputes through

negotiation, arbitration and sanctions

Original Permanent members

Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan

Signed on

28th June 1919 as part of the ToV

Became effective on

10th January 1920

Did the league have an armed force?

No

Who never joined / quit?

The US never joined. Japan, Italy and Germany quit.

Secretariat

A 'civil service' for the langue responsible for preparing the agenda for the league and publishing the report.

The Assembly

Includes every single member of the league of nations meeting annually. All decisions had be unanimous.

The Council

A smaller body of permanent members meeting several times a year to make all the major decisions.

Upper Silesia

SUCESS

1921 - Poland and Germany Border dispute
Contains 21% of German coal
After a vote, the region is split in half

Aaland Islands

SUCESS

1921 - Sweden and Finland land dispute
Stayed Finnish but was demilitarised

Greece - Bulgaria

SUCESS

1925
Greeks invade Bulgaria.
Greece fined £45,000

Kellogg-Briand Pact

SUCESS

1928
Many countries signed.
Disallowed the use of war to solve disputes.

Work of the commissions

SUCESS

Created the Nansen passport (for refugees)
Helped stop leprosy

Vilna (Capital of Lithuania)

FAIL

Poland captured it
League of Nations did not step in

Corfu

FAIL

1923 - Greece and Italy
Greece had to pay £50 million even though Italy bombed the coast.

This was because LoN was scared of Italy starting a war.

The Great Depression problems

Increases aggression and likelihood of military action
Major LoN powers have fewer resources to keep peace.

The Manchuria Crisis causes

FAIL

China was weak due to being in the midst of a civil war.
Japan was rapidly-growing and needed to expand.
Japan felt ignored in the WW1 treaties and wanted recognition.
China had oil and rubber which Japan wanted.

Markden Incident

September 1931
Japan 'blew up' one of their own railways in China and blamed China using this as a reason to invade

Manchuria Invasion

September - October 1931
Japan win easily

LoN response

Lord Lytton sent to investigate.
Report not published until Spring 1932.
Conclusion was Japan was the aggressor.
The dispute however was already over.

What else happened in 1932?

FAIL

The world disarmament conference was conference coordinated by the League of Nations.

60 states attended but the League was unable to get any of them to disarm.

Sanctions were generally ineffective as

The USA never joined and did not impose sanctions

Italy-Abyssinia Causes

FAIL

Italy did not get much of Africa out of the war.
Mussolini was desperate to change this.
He wanted to recreate the Roman Empire.
Abyssinia was still independent and therefore weak.

LoN response to Italy-Abyssinia crisis

They imposes minor economic sanctions but these were ineffective and did not include vital resources such as oil.

Wal-Wal Incident

December 1934
An incident on the border between and Abyssinian and Italian-Somali troops manufactured to give a reason for invasion.

Hoare-Laval Pact

A secret pact between Britain and France to divide Italy into sections, some of which Italy could occupy.
This leaked causing public outcry.

Were sanctions effective

They were ineffective because everyone was scared of Italy starting a war.

Spanish Civil War

FAIL

1936-1939 Republicans vs Nationalists
The Nationalists went up against the Spanish republic.

Nationalists supported by

Monarchists
The Catholic Church
Parts of the Armed Forces

Nationalist's leader

General Franco

Was the rest of the world neutral?

Officially yes.
In reality no.

Who supported who?

Nationalists were supported by Italy and Germany.
Republicans were supported by the Soviet Union and the International Brigades (volunteers from countries all over the world).