Cold War and Superpower Relations

Cold war

A war waged against an enemy by every means short of fighting

Main features of the Cold War

Spying, propaganda, arms race, space race, loans and aid

What was the Red Scare?

Fear of communism

Russian Civil War

1918-21

How did GB, France and the USA intervene in the Russian Civil War?

Gave arms and supplies to groups in Russia fighting to overthrow the communists

Who was in the Grand Alliance?

USA, USSR, UK

Who was the big three?

Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin

Why was Stalin annoyed during WW2?

the UK and USA delayed opening a second front and caused the USSR to be seriously damaged by the German army

Why was Churchill suspicious of Stalin during WW2?

He was convinced that Soviet troops would remain in the countries they liberated from the Germans

When did Churchill become even more suspicious of Stalin's motives in Poland? (Hint: Katyn Forest)

In 1943, A mass grave was found in the Katyn Forest containing the bodies of 10,000 Polish officers murdered by the Soviets in 1939

What happened at the uprising in Warsaw against the German forces?

The Polish resistance was brutally crushed by the Germans because the Soviet army did not help them, leaving them defenceless against a Soviet occupation

When was the Tehran Conference?

November 1943

What was the aim of the Tehran conference?

To plan a winning strategy to end the war

What were the main agreements of the Tehran conference?

1. UK and USA to open a second front by invading France in 1944
2. Soviet Union to wage war against Japan once Germany defeated
3. UN organisation to be set up post-war
4. Borders of post-war Poland to be along the ODer and Neisse rivers

When was the Yalta conference?

February 1945

What was happening during the Yalta conference?

Allied armies were closing in on Berlin and Germany was close to defeat

What was the aim of the Yalta conference?

To consider what to do with Germany once defeated

What were the main agreements of the Yalta conference?

1. USSR to enter was against Japan once Germany surrendered
2. Germany to be divided into four zones
3. Berlin to be divided into four zones
4. To try Nazi war criminals in an international court of justice
5. Free elections from countries that had been liberated from German occupation
6. To join the new UN Organisation to maintain peace once the war ended
7. Eastern Europe to be Soviet 'sphere of influence'

What were the main disagreements at Yalta?

1. How much Germany was to pay in reparations
2. Poland

When was the Potsdam Conference?

July 1945

How did Stalin justify his new communist government in Poland?

He insisted that his control of Eastern Europe was a defensive measure against possible future attacks

As the West demilitarised after the war...

the USSR continued to expand it's armed forces

How many Russians died in WW2?

20 million

When did Roosevelt die?

April 1945

What were Harry Truman's thoughts on Stalin?

He distrusted Stalin and was determined to stand up to him

When did the Americans test the first atomic bomb?

July 1945

What happened half-way through the Potsdam conference regarding Churchill?

He was replaced by Clement Atlee

What were the main agreements made at Potsdam

1. Germany and Berlin to be divided as previously agreed
2. Germany to be demilitarised
3. Democracy to be re-established in Germany
4. Germany to pay reparations to the Allies in equipment and materials, mostly to the USSR (1/4 of industrial goods made in western zones in return for food and coal from Soviet zone)
5. Nazi party banned and Nazis put on trial for war crimes
6. Full participation in UNO
7. Poland's frontier to be moved westwards to the rivers Oder and Neisse

When and where were leading Nazis put on trial?

1946, Nuremberg

What were the main disagreements at Potsdam?

1. How much in reparations should Germany pay - Stalin wanted massive compensation that would've crippled Germany, Truman wanted a revived Germany as a possible barrier stopping Soviet expansion
2. Free elections

What was the deal between Churchill and Stalin called regarding the influence of the USSR in eastern Europe?

Percentages deal

Influence of Greece written in percentages deal

90% UK 10% USSR

What was the strategic importance of Poland?

To protect the USSR against future attack

Who wrote the Long telegram?

George Kennan

What did Kennan suggest in the Long telegram?

Firm action by the USA against Soviet expansion in eastern Europe

Who wrote the Nokikov telegram?

Nikolai Nokikov

What did the Nokikov telegram do?

Hardened Stalin's attitude towards the USA and worsened relations between the two

How long was the Long telegram?

8000 words

When did the Communists gain control of Poland?

1947

What were the steps of establishing communist governments in the satellite states?

1. Coalition governments set up
2. Communists took over civil service, media, security, defence - backed by Stalin
3. Opposition leaders arrested/forced to flee
4. Elections held, but fixed to ensure support for the communists
5. 'People's democracies' set up

What was the largest party in Hungary in 1945 called?

Smallholders party

Who led the communist resistance in Yugoslavia?

Marshal Tito

Which organisation was Yugoslavia expelled from?

Cominform

When and where was the 'Iron Curtain' speech given?

March 1946, Fulton

What was the 'iron curtain'?

An imaginary line that was used to divide communism and capitalism

When was the Truman Doctrine introduced?

1947

What was the Truman Doctrine?

U.S. policy giving economic and military aid to free nations threatened by communism

Why did Truman introduce the Truman Doctrine?

1. Believed USSR was trying to spread communsim
2. Wanted to use atomic bomb alongside economic strength to prevent further expansion
3. Greece

Who was fighting in Greece?

Royalist government and communist forces

How many troops did the UK have in Greece during the guerilla war?

40,000

What did Truman say in his speech about Greece?

1. Announced US support for Greece
2. World was divided between free (non-communist) and unfree (communist)

Consequences of the Truman Doctrine

1. Greek government able to defeat communists
2. Rivalry between USA and USSR increased
3. USA committed to policy of containment and far more involved in European affairs
4. Marshall Plan
5. Cominform

When was the Marshall Plan introduced?

1947

What was the Marshall Plan?

Plan to rebuild Europe

Why was the Marshall Plan introduced?

Truman wanted to help countries recover from WW2 economically to prevent them turning to communism

Consequences of the Marshall Plan

1. Organisation for European Economic Recovery
2. By 1953, USA had provided $17 billion to help rebuild
3. Europe more firmly divided between East and West
4. Stalin accused USA of using the Plan to dominate Europe and boost US economy

When was Cominform set up?

1947

What was Cominform?

Communist Information Bureau

What was Cominform a reaction to?

Truman Doctrine

What was the intention of Cominform?

To ensure that states in eastern Europe followed Soviet aims in foreign policy and introduced Soviet style economic policies e.g. collectivisation of agriculture

What did the USSR use Cominform for?

Purging any members who disagreed with Moscow e.g. Marshal Tito

When was Comecon set up?

1949

What was Comecon?

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

What was Comecon a response to?

Marshall Plan

What was Comecon intended to do?

Financially support countries in eastern Europe

What did Comecon actually do?

Allowed USSR to control the economies of countries in eastern Europe, give USSR access to resources, encourage economic specialisation w/in Soviet bloc

What did Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria specialise in?

Production of food and raw materials

When was the Berlin Crisis

1948-49

What was the Berlin Blockade?

The blockade was a Soviet attempt to starve out the allies in Berlin in order to gain control

Long term causes of Berlin crisis

- Differences between Soviet and western zones
- USSR failed to establish communism control of eastern zone - stopped by socialist majority w/ assistance from western powers
- West wanted economic recovery, USSR wanted Germany weak to protect from future attack (refused to allow zone to trade w/ other zones)
- Stalin didn't want allies in Berlin, western countries determined to remain in Berlin so could observe Soviet activities

Short term causes of Berlin crisis

- Western zone recieved large quantities of Marshall Aid
- Deutschemark, Ostmark
- Free elections to establish democracy in zones
- Stalin feared 'western' currency and democratic ideas would spread and undermine control of east Berlin
- January 1947 - Bizonia
- Tensions rise over how different zones administered

What did Truman want Berlin to be a symbol of?

Freedom behind the Iron Curtain

Shots were fired at the planes airlifting supplies into Berlin - True or False?

False - Stalin did not want to war to go from cold to hot

When did the Berlin Airlift begin?

28th June 1948

How long did the Berlin Airlift last?

10 months

What was the Berlin Airlift also known as?

Operation Plainfare

How long did the pilots have to land during the Berlin airlift?

90s

When was the peak of the Berlin Airlift?

16-17 April - 1398 flights landed nearly 13,000 tons of supplies w/in 24 hours

What did the Berlin Airlift supply?

Food, clothing, oil, building materials

What was the total number of flights during the Berlin Airlift?

275,000 w/average 4000 tons a day

When did the Berlin blockade end?

12th May 1949

What did the Berliners do when the blockade ended?

Danced in the streets

Results of Berlin Crisis

1. Confirmed divisions of Germany and Berlin*
2. Greatly increased East-West rivalry
3. Led to the creation of NATO

What did the allies do in May 1949 regarding their zones?

Joined their zones to form the Federal Republic of Germany

What did Stalin do in response to the formation of the FRG?

October 1949 - Soviet zone became German Democratic Repblic (GDR)

When was NATO signed?

April 1949

What was NATO?

A common military alliance between democratic nations

What does NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

What was NATO's goal?

To prevent the Soviet Union from expanding

How did Stalin see NATO?

'Agressive alliance'

Consequences of the formation of NATO

- USA committed to defence of western Europe
- Stalin did not believe it was defensive - believed it was aimed against USSR
- Intensified arms race between two sides and the development of more powerful weapons of destruction
- Warsaw Pact - military treaty/association in 1955 of the USSR and its European satellite states
- Eventually USA set up own missile bases in western Europe

When did the US build their Hydrogen bomb

1952

When did the USSR build their Hydrogen bomb?

1955

Who made the first ICBM?

USSR

What does MAD stand for? What does it mean?

Mutually Assured Destruction, if one side uses nukes, both sides will die

What was the Warsaw Pact?

An alliance between the USSR and its satellite states in Eastern Europe

When was the Warsaw Pact signed?

1955

When did Stalin die?

1953

Who took over from Stalin in 1953?

Nikita Khrushchev

Who was Hungary led by from 1953-55?

Matyas Rakosi