8579569
| Question | Answer |
| Grand Alliance | June 1941 Made up of Britain, USA & USSR – close cooperation during war but had conflicting aims. USSR – want control Eastern Europe (buffer), Reparations from Ger. US – want democratic nations across Europe & free trade. Brit – want keep empire, remain great power, stay friends with US & USSR. |
| Tehran Conference | Nov-Dec 1943 Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt meet for first time. – discuss post war Europe, org of UN & fate of Ger. Stalin’s claim to annexed states in East not opposed by Chur or Roo. Invasion of France (D-Day) decided on. |
| Percentages agreement/ ‘naughty’ document | Oct 1944 Churchill-Stalin meeting. Proposed division of Europe into rough spheres of inf. USSR to get 90% influence Romania & 75% Bulgaria, 80% Hungary. Brit to get 90% Greece. Yugoslavia to be split 50:50. Chur’s aim to protect Brit interests in Greece. Agreement dropped as Chur realised Roo wouldn’t agree |
| Liberation of Eastern Europe | 1944-45 Soviet troops advance across Eastern Europe. Stalin occupied territories of Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary Romania. Varying amounts of pressure put on govts to form on Soviet lines. Some use of force e.g. Poland. NOT YET full Soviet control but in reality little chance of anything else. |
| Yalta Conference | Feb 1945. Discussions about Poland dominated. Agreement reached but vague - led to probs later e.g. Stalin agreed to ‘democracy’ & ‘elections’. UN to be established. USSR to be allowed sphere of influence in East Europe. Problems: Exact Ger-Pol border & reparations. Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt attend. |
| VE Day | May, 1945 Marked the defeat of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. |
| Potsdam Conference | Jul –Aug 1945. Agreed: Ger to be disarmed and de-Nazified. Negotiations difficult – Allies demand for democracy clashed with Soviet demand for sphere of influence. Soviet dismantle factories in captured territory/relocate Russia. Allies fear E. Europe too dependent on USSR due to poor economy |
| VJ day | Aug 14 1945 Marks the final end of WWII - followed the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Aug ’45) and surrender of the Japanese. Despite Hiroshima bomb being dropped just 4 days after Potsdam conference Stalin wasn’t told. |
| Stalinisation of Eastern Europe | Albania (1945) the Communists took power after the war without opposition Bulgaria (1945) left-wing coalition gained power 1945; Communists then executed the leaders of all the other parties. Poland (1947) coalition government took power 1945, the Communists forced the non-Communist leaders into exile. Hungary (1947) Hungary invaded by Russians. 1945 allies agreed Russian troops should stay. Rakosi got control of the police –arrested opponents. He set up brutal secret police unit, (AVH). Rakosi gained complete control over Hungary Romania (1945–1947) left-wing coalition elected 1945; the Communists gradually took over control. |
| Long Telegram | Feb 1946 An analysis of the foreign policy of USSR. Stated that Soviet leadership suspicious and aggressive - must be no compromises with USSR. Only hard-line approach would be effective in containing Com. Became the basis of Truman Doctrine. 8000 words long and sent by Kennan - US diplomat. |
| Iron Curtain Speech | Mar 1946 – Reflected the belief that Soviet influence in Eastern Europe was growing and that Stalin intended to stir up revolutions in the West to spread communism. Made in Fulton Missouri. Stalin saw this as an aggressive act – his response compared Churchill to Hitler. |
| Greek Civil War | Fought between the Capitalists and the Communists 1946-49. Britain initially supported the Capitalists but by 1947 were unable to fund this. USA stepped in – Truman Doctrine resulted in the granting of $300million in military and economic aid. |
| Truman Doctrine | Mar 47 Idea that world divided between freedom (Cap) and tyranny (Com). USA to fight (econ/milit) for freedom wherever threatened. Provided economic/military aid to Greece ($300million) and Turkey ($100million). Stated by Truman in March ‘47. Forms theoretical basis for Marshall Plan (June 47). |
| Cominform | Sept 1947 Established to promote ideological unity among communist parties in Europe. Its main task was to complete the Sovietisation of the satellite states |
| Marshall Plan | Put into practice in 1948. $13 billion US aid to war torn Europe. Aim to rebuild the west and prevent the spread of communism. See by USSR as ‘dollar imperialism’ – countries had to commit to free trade to qualify for funds. Eastern European nations pressured into rejecting e.g. Czechoslovakia. |
| Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia | Feb 1948 Communist coup ousted the elected Govt and put Gottwald in power. Benes, the President, resigned. Only Eastern Germany now remained before the Stalinisation of Eastern Europe would be complete. |
| Berlin Blockade | 1948-49 Sparked by divisions over currency - Western Allies introduced new currency to West Ger – Soviet’s launched rival one for East. Stalin closes road & rail links to Berlin in attempt to pressure West into abandoning plans for division of Germany which gave West control of industrial Ruhr. |
| Berlin Airlift | 1948-49 West uses 1000 aircraft at any one time to move 8000 tons of food and supplies per day. In addition, West cut all exports to Soviet Zone and declared Deutschmark only legal currency in West Berlin – put pressure of Sov economy. This avoids war and forces Stalin to back down and lift the blockade. |
| Comecon | Established Jan 1949. Basis for this was the Molotov Plan (1947) – a series of mutual trading agreements between USSR and Com states of E. Europe. Designed to counter the impact of the Marshal Plan (1947). |
| Establishment of NATO | April 1949 The need for this was underlined to the US by the Berlin Blockade and the communist takeover in Czechoslovakia. A mutual defence pact. After West Ger allowed to join in 55 the Soviets would respond with the Warsaw Pact |
| East and West Germany established | 1949 FRG established (May) by the Western powers, gave Stalin no choice but to establish the GDR (Oct). FRG still has Britain, France and US with final say in policy making. GDR is a Stalinist one party dictatorship. Completed Stalinisation of Eastern Europe, deepened the divisions between East and West. |
| USSR develop Atomic bomb | Aug 1949 Happens much quicker than US had expected/hoped. Ended US nuclear monopoly, created fear in the US and triggered a nuclear arms race. |
| Communist Victory in Chinese Civil War | Oct 1949 Ended a civil war that had raged, off and on since 1927. Led to a treaty with USSR (Feb 1950) which gave Stalin a significant ally. Signing of treaty changed US foreign policy aims, led to their involvement in Korea. |
| Korean War | 1950-53 US involvement in this reflected a more hardline approach to communism by Eisenhower. Ended with the division of Korea at the 38th Parallel after stalemate. Eisenhower used nuclear brinkmanship to get Chinese to peace talks. |
| European Defence Community | Proposed 1950 following the outbreak Kor War & Ulbricht’s comments about ‘liberating’ West Ger. Basically a European army to defend against Soviet aggression. Ger’s involvement caused opposition from France who feared a strong Germany. Never implemented. FRG join NATO instead (’55) |
| Mar 1953 Led to a change in World relations, Peaceful coexistence and the Thaw were the result. Eastern European states (Poland, Hungary 1956) would test the limits of the new leadership in the USSR that was the result |
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