Flashcards
Cold War
Cards in this deck (37)
- 11 - The Grand Alliance• 1941 - 1945
• The Grand Alliance was made up of Britain, the USA and the USSR, and only formed to defeat Hitler.
• After Hitler was gone, their disputes and disagreements at conferences broke down the Grand Alliance.
• The USSR believed in communism and the West believed in democracy, this weakened the alliance further. - 22 - Tehran Conference• November 28th – December 1st 1943
• War result not certain.
• Leaders of the Grand Alliance met to discuss the war.
• Discussed what to do when Hitler was defeated.
• They agreed on a Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ in Eastern Europe and a capitalist one in Western Europe.
• They could not agree on what to do with Germany.
• 4 Main Decisions made;
• USA and UK agree to attack Germany from the West – Operation Overlord (otherwise known as D-Day) is agreed.
• Soviets agreed to attack Japan after the war in Europe.
• Stalin agreed that the people of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia would vote on whether or not to be brought back into the USSR.
• Discussions about creating the United Nations.
• The main causes of tension were that Stalin wanted Germany to be harshly punished, whereas Roosevelt wanted the USSR to agree to the United Nations. Also, discussions about creating the United Nations caused tension - 33 - Yalta Conference• 7th – 12th February 1945
• Germany almost defeated
• Conference held after D-Day landings, with victory over Germany imminent.
• The Big Three agreed that Poland would be communist.
• That the USSR would help the war against Japan.
• They disagreed over Germany – especially about whether or not they should pay reparations. Stalin wanted to treat Germany harshly; Britain and the USA wanted to allow it to rebuild.
• 4 Main Decisions made;
• Discussed strategy for ending the war in Europe, and the USSR agreed to attack Japan within months.
• After the war, Germany and Berlin would be split into four zones (controlled by USA, USSR, UK and France)
• Commissions set up to discuss German reparations
• United Nations to be created
• The main causes of tension were that Roosevelt wanted a democracy in Europe. Stalin wanted Eastern Europe to remain communist, to provide a ‘buffer’ for the USSR. Soviet troops occupying land that they have liberated in Eastern Europe. - 44 - Potsdam Conference• July 17th – August 2nd 1945
• Germany defeated but not Japan
• Held following the defeat of Germany, all of Eastern Europe occupied by Communist Soviet troops
• The USA had also successfully tested the atomic bomb by this point, causing further mistrust with the USSR.
• At Potsdam, it was agreed the Nazi Party would be disbanded and surviving members to be tried as war criminals.
• Stalin went back on his promise to hold free election is Poland and a communist government was set up.
• Reparations agreed – each country could take reparations from the part of German that the controlled
• USSR takes over Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
• The main causes of tension at this conference were that Roosevelt died and was replaced by Harry Truman, who does not like Stalin. The USA had made the atomic bomb. Churchill was replaced after losing the General Election to Clement Attlee. - 55 - The Long Telegram• February 1946
• An American ambassador in Moscow, George Kennan, sent a secret message to Truman explaining that Stalin had given a speech calling for the destruction of capitalism and while opposed to capitalism there would be no peace. - 66 - Iron Curtain Speech• March 1946
• Communism is spreading, which is bad
• Truman agrees - 77 - Stalin’s response to Churchill’s speech• March 1946
• He said that Churchill has a resemblance to Hitler
• Saying that Churchill said only English speaking nations were superior. - 88 - Novikov Telegram• September 1946
• Response to long telegram from soviet ambassador
• USA named to dominate the word
• Americans preparing for war with the USSR - 99 - At the end of WWII, Europe was divided into two....• Western Europe – (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Wester Germany) was occupied by American, British and some French troops.
• Eastern Europe – (With the exception of Yugoslavia) Was occupied by Russian troops
• This was simply the result of where the different countries were at the end of tbe war. - 1010 - Truman Doctrine• March 1947
• It was a policy that Truman set out to address the threat of communism spreading. This policy stated that the world had a choice between communist tyranny and democratic freedom. It also stated that America would send troops and economic resources to help governments that were being threatened by communism, because Truman did not want communism to grow and gain territory. - 1111 - Marshall Plan• June 1947
• The Marshall plan was putting the Truman Doctrine into action and making it happen. The Marshall plan put $13 billion OF America’s money towards rebuilding shattered European economies. The money went towards helping rebuild Europe, Britain, France and 14 other nations. Communist countries in Eastern Europe were also offered this help in an attempt to encourage them to become capitalist, but they were unable to accept it by the USSR. - 1212 - Satellite States• The Marshall plan was a threat to the USSR. Stalin was worried it would buy influence in Eastern European states and called it ‘dollar imperialism’.
• To try to stop this, Stalin increased Soviet control over countries like Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
• They became satellite states – supposedly independent, but in reality they were controlled by the USSR. This was because of Cominform and Comecon. - 1313 - Cominform• 1947
• Cominform is the Communist Information Bureau.
• It was an organisation which represented communist parties all over Europe.
• It was used to ensure all Eastern European governments remained loyal to Stalin and his Communist rule. - 1414 - Comecon• 1949
• Comecon is the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
• It was a rival to the Marshall Plan.
• It encouraged trade and industry in Eastern Europe and discouraged trade with the West.
• Was used to encourage economic development in Eastern Europe. - 1515 - Life in occupied Berlin• Eastern Berlin (USSR)
The pictures of Hitler have all come down. There are pictures of Stalin now.
The concentration camps have kept going but different people have been put inside.
Even though times are tough most people seem to be going through the same thing together. There are not as many rich people rubbing it in the poor’s faces anymore
Those people involved in the crimes of the Nazi’s are really being punished – unlike on the other part of Germany
There are foreign soldiers everywhere
Most people are still very poor.
• Western Berlin (USA, UK and France)
The pictures of Hitler have all come down
The concentration camps have all closed down
Most people are beginning to get richer
People are allowed to start up their own political parties after years of being under Nazi rule
After years of Nazis there is finally freedom of speech
There are foreign soldiers everywhere
Most people are still very poor. - 1616 - Causes of the Berlin Airlift / Blockade• 1948 -1949
• Post-war Germany had been divided into four zones, controlled by the USA, the USSR, Britain and France. As Berlin was in the zone controlled by the Soviet Union, this too was divided into four zones.
• For the Allied troops to reach their zones in Berlin, they were only allowed to travel along designated roads, canals, or rail links through Soviet controlled Germany. The British and American zones together were called Bizonia.
• The Soviet Union wanted Germany as a country to remain divided and weak (as they had a history of conflict), but the British ad Americans wanted to create a strong Germany (so that they could trade with them in the future). In order to help them grow economically stronger, the allies changed the currency in Germany to the Deutschmark.
• In addition, by 1948, the French had joined their zone to Bizonia, this became known as Trizonia. Germany was now split into two – with the Allied controlled zones of Berlin (West Berlin) effectively a small capitalist island in the centre of a communist country.
• Stalin was angry that the new Deutschmark was - 1717 - Berlin Airlift• 1948 – 1949
• This was the Western allies’ reaction to the Berlin Blockade.
• They flew in supplies to their area of Berlin.
• They helped approximately 2.25 million inhabitants
• Within the first 3 days 500 trips were made, which rose to 600 trips a day.
• By Christmas over 100,000 trips had been made
• 8 different airfields in the Western zones of Germany were used to fly goods into Wet Berlin.
• Food and raw materials (the bare necessities) were flown in
• Planes were taking off every 90 seconds at the 3 airports in Berlin.
• In the end it was clear to Stalin that the Western allies would not stop delivering supplies by air, and so he had to stop his blockade. - 1818 - West Germany• May 1949
• Just over a week after the end of the Berlin Blockade, the Western zones of Germany officially became a state called the Federal Republic of Germany (or West Germany) - 1919 - East Germany• October 1949
• The Soviet zone also became a state called the German Democratic Republic (or GDR or East Germany) - 2020 - NATO• May 1949
• Stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
• It is a military alliance
• It was set up as a consequence of the Berlin blockade and airlift where tensions had been very high and war seemed close.
• Capitalist countries and people who didn’t want communism 18spreading joint NATO
• The countries that joined had to agree that if any one member was attacked; all the countries would help to defend it. - 2121 - Warsaw Pact• 1955
• It was the soviet response to the creation of NATO
• It was a communist version, where the USSR ad the satellite states promised to defend each other if attacked
• The creation of the Warsaw pact meant that Europe was divided militarily into two opposing alliances - 2222 - Khrushchev and the secret speech• 1956
• Khrushchev became the Soviet Leader after Stalin died in 1953
• His ‘Secret speech’ promised to change Stalin’s policy and relax control of satellite states.
• This gave some people in countries like Hungary hope that the harsh rule would end. - 2323 - Hungarian Uprising - Events• 1956
• Following Khrushchev’s secret speech there had been riots in Hungary demanding change.
• The USSR agreed to remove Rakosi and put Nagy back in charge of Hungary.
• Nagy proposed reforms such as leaving the Warsaw Pact and allowing free elections in Hungary
• The USA offered $20 million of aid to Nagy’s government to encourage him - 2424 - Hungarian Uprising - Consequences• 1956
• Khrushchev worried Nagy’s reforms would go too far, and would set a trend which would see other satellite trying to leave the Warsaw Pact.
• The USSR sent 200,000 Soviet troops into Hungary to regain control
• The USA and UN disapproved, but sent no military aid fearing it might spark a much bigger war with the USSR.
• 20,000 Hungarians died in the Soviet takeover, and many fled over the border to Austria.
• Nagy was found guilty of treason and hanged to set an example to other leaders of satellite states. - 2525 - Berlin refugee crisis• 1949 – 1961
• In the 1950s the economies of the two German states began to diverge. West Germany began much richer, partially as a result of the assistance received through the Marshall plan, partially as a really of its trade with the US and Western Europe. The Eastern German government received much less aid from the USSR than West Germany received from the US. At the same time the East German economy was distorted by the role it was expected to play inside Comecon. As a result East German citizens suffered from low wages and shortages of basic goods.
• By 1958, three million East Germans, over a sixth of the country’s population, had moved to the West. They were disproportionately young skilled workers, such as engineers, technicians and teachers. - 2626 - Berlin crisis• November 1958
• It embarrassed the communists, and Khrushchev, that refugees preferred the West as it made it seem like Capitalism was better.
• Khrushchev issues an ultimatum.
• This demanded that;
Western troops be withdrawn from Berlin (Soviet troops would the leave too)
Berlin became a free city (an independent city with its own government.
• He said that if the western powers did not accept the terms within six months, he would give control of Berlin’s borders to the Eastern government. This was a threat because the western powers did not recognise East Germany as an independent country. - 2727 - Geneva (France/Switzerland)• May 1959
• Foreign representatives from USA and USSR
• No solutions to the problem was agreed at this meeting. However, it did lay the ground work for Khrushchev to visit the USA and talk to Eisenhower. - 2828 - Camp David (US presidential retreat)• September 1959
• Khrushchev and Eisenhower
• Despite not agreeing on a solution, it was decided that a further summit meeting was to be held a year later. Additionally, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw his six month ultimatum. - 2929 - Paris• May 1960
• Khrushchev and Eisenhower
• Just before the conference, USSR had shot down an American spy plane over Russia and captured its pilot. Khrushchev walked out of the conference in protest when Eisenhower refused to apologise. - 3030 - Vienna• June 1961
• JFK and Khrushchev
• Neither side is willing to back down over the US presence in Berlin. However, Khrushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience and decided to restore the six month ultimatum. - 3131 - Construction of the Berlin wall• August 1961
• Khrushchev stormed out of the Vienna conference and reinstated the Berlin Ultimatum
• Kennedy increased defence spending $32 billion and spent $207 million building nuclear fallout shelters
• The number of East Germans fleeing West grew. On one day in August 1961, 40,000 East Germans fled west.
• Walter Ulbrient, the East German leader insisted that Khrushchev close the border with West Germany
• On the night of the 12th/13th August, Khrushchev began the construction of a Wall around West Berlin - 3232 - Construction of the Berlin wall• 12th – 13th August 1961
• Overnight links were closed off by armed guards and barbed wire around Berlin
• Within three days concrete rocks, stones ad bricks replaced the barbed wire
• People would run across the barbed wire and after that jump from windows to cross the wall – they were very desperate
• The wall measured 97 miles and there were checkpoints that you use to enter and exit – mot famous is checkpoint Charlie
• Within a year a second wall was put in place with variation of 25 – 300 metres from the first wall
• The gap in between was known as the death strip because if you tried to cross it, you would get shot - 3333 - Consequences of the Berlin Wall• August 1961 onwards
• It stopped East Germans escaping to the West and therefore ended the refugee crisis
• It allowed Khrushchev to avoid war with America while still appearing strong
• It became a powerful symbol of the division of Germany and the division of Europe
• It made Khrushchev and Communism look bad world wide
• The East German economy lost skilled labourers
• Tensions increased but war is avoided, so hostility must decrease - 3434 - Cuban Revolution• 1959
Cuba was an ally of the USA, being only 90 miles off the coast of Florida
• During the Cuban revolution the Pro-American government was overthrown and dictator, Castro took over
• His rule made Cuba more independent, which the USA were not happy about, and so they stop buying Cuban sugar
• This was a big problem for the economy of Cuba and so they made a new ally, the USSR, who then started buying Cuban sugar - 3535 - Bay of Pigs• April 1961
• The CIA had convinced Kennedy that the USA could re-establish their influence in Cuba by getting rid of Castro
• In 1961, some CIA trained refugees, who had fled during Castro’s revolution, invaded Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Castro.
• The invasion was a disaster; it failed to overthrow Castro, and US involvement became obvious. It was a huge embarrassment for Kennedy
• Castro was not tolerant of people who disagreed with hi methods from improving the country. In the three years since Castro had taken power in Cuba, over 250,000 Cubans had left due to their dislike of his leadership. These people were exiles. The CIA had planned to train and arm some of the exiles and return them to Cuba, in the hope that they would be able to fight using guerrilla tactics and gain support from others in Cuba who disliked Castro and force a counter-revolution. President Kennedy agreed to go along with this plan in April 1961 - 3636 - The Cuban Missile Crisis• 1962
• By the 1950s the USA and the USSR were involved in a nuclear arms race. This led to a situation called Mutually Assured Destruction
• After the bay of pigs, Castro was understandably worried about the US threat.
• He became a communist and asked the USSR to help him to defend Cuba. The USSR started building missile bases on Cuba, and 114 ships began carrying missiles to the island.
• This would put the USA within the range of Soviet missiles for the first time, and give the USSR the advantage in the arms race
• Tension was extremely high, US and Soviet forces were both preparing to go to war. - 3737 - 13 Days•1962
•Oct. 16. Kennedy was informed that US spy planes had detected nuclear missile bases being built on Cuba
•Oct. 20. Kennedy decided to impose a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent further Soviet missiles reaching it.
•Oct. 22. Kennedy announced the blockade and called on Khrushchev to recall the Russian ships which were already sailing for Cuba
• Oct. 23. Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy stating that Soviet ships would break through the blockade
• Oct. 24. Khrushchev issued a statement that the USSR was prepared to launch nuclear weapons if the US went to war
• Oct. 25. Kennedy wrote to Khrushchev asking him to withdraw missiles from Cuba
• Oct.26. Khrushchev replied that he would withdraw Soviet missiles from Cuba in return for a guarantee that the US would not invade Cuba and withdraw its missiles from Turkey
• Oct. 27. An American spy plane was shot down over Cuba. American ‘hawks‘ demanded retaliation
•Oct. 27. Robert Kennedy approached the Russian ambassador accepting Khrushchev’s deal but demanding that the withdrawal of American missiles from Turkey be kept secret.
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- Flashcards on Cold War, created by Vicky Dunbobbin on 22/08/2017.
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