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| Question | Answer |
| What actions had Stalin taken, by the end of 1945, to extend Soviet power across Eastern Europe? (4) | e.g. ‘Soviet troops remained in eastern European countries after liberating them from the Nazis.’ ‘The Red Army occupied the Baltic States and Finland.’ ‘The Red Army occupied Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.’ ‘Stalin set up a communist government in Poland ignoring the wishes of the majority of Poles.’ ‘By the end of 1945, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania had communist governments.’) ‘Elections were rigged to ensure communists gained control.’ ‘Political opponents were eliminated.’ |
| (Explain ) Why was it difficult to reach agreement over the future of Germany after World War Two? (6) | e.g. ‘At Potsdam, there was a fundamental disagreement between Stalin and Truman over how to treat Germany. Exp 1 - Security- Stalin wanted to cripple Germany to protect the USSR against future threats - 27 million Russians had died / USA was not threatened by a revived Germany Exp 2 - Economic- USSR had seen the brunt of the war / huge damage so Stalin wanted reparations ($20 billion) / Truman was against this as he did not want to repeat the mistakes made in the Treaty of Versailles.’ |
| (Describe) What were Stalin’s main achievements at the Yalta Conference? (4) NB Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, “[i]t was not a question of what we would let the Russians do, but what we could get the Russians to do.” | Stalin was not dictated to - his Red Army was only 40 miles from Berlin (He hand a strong negotiating hand) He pushed and achieved that the USSR would have a ‘sphere of influence’ over Eastern Europe The Polish borders would be moved Westwards / The USSR would get reparations |
| (Explain) Why was Poland a cause of tension between the Great Powers in 1945? [6] | Exp 1 - Different POLITICAL objectives - e.g. ‘The Western Allies wanted Poland to have a government which had been elected by free and fair multi-party elections. They wanted the elections to be held as soon as possible, but agreed to a provisional government of pro-Soviet Lublin Poles and exiled London Poles. Stalin wanted a pro-Soviet government on his border and was, therefore, willing to murder opposition leaders and fix the elections.’ Exp 2 - Different Motives - GB went to war to defend Poland from Facism. The USSR wanted to turn it into a satellite state for security reasons. |
| (Describe) What issues that affected Germany were addressed at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences? (4) NB Be careful - this is not the same as what was agreed or what happened to Germany. | e.g. ‘Was the surrender of Germany to be conditional or unconditional?’ ‘How and by whom was Germany to be controlled after its defeat?’ ‘Was Berlin to be ruled differently from the rest of Germany?’ ‘What was to happen to Nazi war criminals?’ ‘What was to happen to the Nazi Party?’ ‘How would Germany be reconstructed?’ ‘Would Germany pay reparations and, if so, how much and to whom?’ ‘Were there to be any boundary changes, especially in the east of Germany?’ |
| (Explain) Why did the development of the atomic bomb increase tension between East and West? [6] | Exp 1 Effect on DIPLOMACY- At Potsdam Truman took a hardline knowing he had the A Bomb. He called it his ‘ace in the pack’ + said ‘we’ll sure have a hammer over those boys (Russians). Exp 2 - Increased MILITARY tensions - Stalin immediately began the development of a Soviet bomb. Successfully tested in 1949 - start of an arms race - in 1950s talk of MAD! |
| (Describe) What decisions, in relation to Germany, were agreed at Yalta and Potsdam? (4) | e.g. ‘It was agreed at Yalta that Germany should be divided into zones of occupation, one controlled by USSR, one by the USA, one by Britain and one by France.’ ‘It was agreed that Berlin, which was deep in the Soviet zone, would also be divided into four similar sections.’ ‘It was agreed to hunt down and punish war criminals.’ ‘At Potsdam, it was agreed that Germany and Berlin would be divided as stated at Yalta.’ ‘It was agreed that the Allies should receive reparations from Germany.’ Denazification - ‘The Nazi Party was banned and its leaders were to be tried as war criminals.’ |
| (Explain) Why was the Truman Doctrine significant? (6) | Exp 1 - Political / ideological reasons- it committed the US to a policy of containment which would mean supporting all countries trying to resist communism. It was a very active foreign policy (different to pre War isolationism) -it was followed by Marshall aid that committed the US to giving Europe $13 billion Exp 2 - It contributed to Cold War tensions. The Soviets viewed the Doctrine as evidence of the US wanting to spread capitalism at the Soviet expense, so they had to ‘defend’ themselves. |
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