Explain how the conferences were important for superpower relations.

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 how the development of the atomic bomb was important for the development of the Cold War.

Explain why the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe was important 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 why the Marshall Plan was important for 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 why the Truman Doctrine was important for the development of the Cold War.

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 why the Berlin Crisis of 1948-49 was important for the development of the Cold War.

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 why the formation of NATO was important for superpower relations.

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 why the arms race was important for superpower relations.

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 why 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 why the Soviet invasion of Hungary was important for the development of the Cold War.

Explain why the Berlin Crisis of 1958-61 was important for superpower relations.

Explain why the Cuban Missile Crisis was important for the development of the Cold War.

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 why 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 why the Prague Spring was important for superpower relations.

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 how the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was important for superpower relations.

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 why the Strategic Defence Initiative was important for the development of the Cold War.

Explain how Gorbachev’s ‘new thinking’ was important for the end of the Cold War.

Explain why the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe was important for the end of the Cold War