Origins Of The Cold War

Front 1

Define the term Cold War

Back 1

The Cold War can be described as a breakdown in relations, without any examples of direct fighting between the two superpowers. Any fighting took place through other countries and their forces.

Front 2

What are the 3 periods of the Cold War? (As identified by David Reynolds)

Back 2

1945-1953, 1958-1963, 1979-1985. These three periods were separated by periods of détente (meaning the easing of tensions or strained relations)

Front 3

How long did the Cold War last? (duration and start/end)

Back 3

1945 at the end of the Second World War, to approximately 1991. It lasted around 46 years.

Front 4

US foreign policy in relation to Soviet Union

Back 4

Communist revolution, 1917, and establishment of Comintern, 1919, created suspicion amongst the US government.
Atlantic Charter Principals - 1941, right of the people to choose form of government, and restoration to those forcibly deprived, and Declaration of Liberated Europe - allow free elections, etc.
Isolationism following WW1.
Military and Economic recovery during WW2. US could sustain another war, USSR couldn't. World's largest and most efficient economy

Front 5

USSR foreign policy in relation to USA

Back 5

Historical experience of Imperial Russia, and recurring invasion of Russian lands - Napoleonic War, Crimean War, WW1
Soviet Experience - Allied intervention to crush Bolshevism, and Operation Barbarossa (DETERMINATION ABOVE ALL TO PREVENT A REPETITION)
Marxist-Leninist ideology - Capitalism will always try to destroy Communism
Stalin's communist conspiracy theories

Front 6

What did Stalin want?

Back 6

STABILITY
CONTROL over Eastern European states to prevent further invasion of Russia
3 things that lead him to believe this possible were:
Soviet military control over Eastern Europe
Anglo-American military concentration on Western Europe, and not the Balkan states.
October 1944, agreement with Churchill. 90% Soviet control over Romania, 75% Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Hungary 50:50, Greece 90%

He withdrew from Greece and Yugoslavia as they were in the Allied sphere of influence, but the communist inspired revolts in France led the Allies to believe Stalin planned to take control of the West.
In Germany he demanded reparations, to prevent war.

Front 7

What were the Wartime Conflicts?

Back 7

1. The Second Front
2. The Future of Germany
3. The Future of Poland
4. The Tehran Conference (Nov 1943)
5. 1945 - the turning point

Front 8

When were the wartime conferences held? Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam.

Back 8

Tehran: Nov 1943
Yalta: Feb 1945
Potsdam: July-August 1945

Front 9

What were the aims of the USA at the wartime conferences?

Back 9

1. Access to raw materials
2. Freedom to trade throughout the world
3. Creation of United Nations
4. Continue alliance with USSR and Britain

Front 10

What were the aims of the USSR at the wartime conferences?

Back 10

1. Security from further attacks
2. Reparations from Germany
3. Territorial gains from Poland, Finland and Romania
4. Creation of pro-soviet regimes in Eastern Europe

Front 11

What were the aims of Britain at the wartime conferences?

Back 11

1. Preservation of British empire
2. Remain on friendly terms with USA & USSR
3. Block soviet expansion in Central and south-Eastern Europe, & the Middle East
4. Creation of an independent Poland w. a Democratic govt.

Front 12

What was the main concerns of the Tehran conference? And the consequences?

Back 12

1. The opening of a Second Front was the main concern for Stalin (felt Russia was bearing the brunt of the war. Unhappy at the delay)
2. Assured second front would open in spring 1944, Russian offensive on Eastern Front planned to coincide
3. Futures of Germany & Poland - Germany divided, Churchill willing to accept a Westward shift in Polish frontiers.
4. 6th June 1944, second front opened. 150,000 soldiers followed by a further 3 million

Front 13

What happened regarding the Polish uprising and the major Soviet offensive, in line with the opening of the second front?

Back 13

1. Stalin launches major offensive in June, 1944 - Leningrad to Ukraine with 6 million men
2. Red army pauses outside of Warsaw, allowing the Nazis to return and crush the Polish uprising
3. Churchill pleads with Stalin to intervene, but he refuses - he also disallows the Allies to use Soviet airfields to supply the Poles.
4. 200,000 Poles are killed. 9/10 are civillians.

Front 14

Explain the Polish question following WW2.

Back 14

1. Britain and France had gone to war over Poland, so wanted to ensure that it regained all lost territory, and set up a friendly government in Warsaw.
2. Poland was just as important to Stalin - Russia was invaded through Poland.
3. Red Army cross Polish frontier in 1944, destroying non-communist resistance as they went.
4. In July, the Red Army set up the Committee of National Liberation, undermining the Polish government-in-exile.
5. August, Polish Home Army lead revolt against Germans - hoped to regain control of Warsaw and win the backing of the West so USSR cannot overun whole of Poland.
6. Ended in the 'Polish uprising' - Russians stop advance, Nazis crush revolt, 200,000 poles die.

Front 15

Why was Romania so important to Stalin?

Back 15

1. 20th August 1944, Russians launch major offensive to drive the Nazis out of the Balkans
2. Romania is strategically positioned: opens up land routes into Central Europe and strengthened USSR's position in the Black Sea.
3. Marshal Antonescu replaced the pro-Nazi leader, and they negociated an armistice with the Soviets on the 12th September.
4. The National Democratic Front was set up, and following a coup in March '45, the Communist-dominated National Democratic Front Govt was formed.

Front 16

Why was Bulgaria so important to Stalin?

Back 16

1. Base to dominate Turkish Straits and Greek Frontier.
2. Sept '44 Red Army occupies Bulgaria
3. Communist revolution in Bulgaria with 10,000 executed.
4. Stalin, with fear of antagonising the allies, tried to press the Bulgarian Communists into persuing a more moderate policy, but had little success.

Front 17

Explain the situation in Yugoslavia.

Back 17

Joseph Tito, the communist leader in Yugoslavia had built up an army and fought the Germams and a civil war against the non-Communist serbs and croats. The USSR was keen to build up a military and political alliance with Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. Tito set up Communist regimes in Yugoslavia and Albania, and up to 1948 was a loyal ally of Stalin, but did also try to carry out his own policies independently of the USSR

Front 18

What was Elas?

Back 18

Elas stands for Communist-controlled People's Liberation Army, and had become the most effective resistance force in Greece during WW2. Tito wanted to form with them to create in Greece a National Liberation Government based on the Yugoslav model. Stalin regarded Greece as within the British spehere of influence and stopped Tito helping the Greek Communists when the British forces ordered Elas to disband.

Front 19

Explain the situation in Hungary and Czechoslovakia (in the liberation of Europe)

Back 19

1. By Stalin, the local communist parties were ordered to enter democratic coalition government and to work from within to consolidate their positions.
2. The communist party in Hungary only gained 17% of the vote in 1945, but were given 3 of the key positions in the Provisional National Government.
3. The Czechs were not hostile to the USSR, and Benes (government-in-exile) managed to negotiate an alliance with the USSR in 1943. Benes was prepared to work with the Communist party in Czechoslovakia.

Front 20

What decisions were made at the Yalta Conference? JUBERDZ

Back 20

(JAPAN, UN, BORDERS, ELECTIONS, REPARATIONS, DECLARATION, ZONES)
1. UN to be set up
2. Germany to be divided into 4 zones (similar for Austria)
3. USSR to join the war against Japan within 3 months of the end of the war in Europe; Stalin would gain land as a reward (island near Japan, and parts of Northern Manchuria)
4. Soviet-Polish border to move west along the Curzon line, Polish German border to move west to compensate.
5. Free and fair elections in Poland
6. Russia to recieve $20 billion reparations from Germany - good and equipment
7. Declaration of Liberated Europe - all three agreed to carry out emergency measures to assist the liberated states and set up democratically elected states

Front 21

What happened at the Potsdam conference of July-Aug, 1945?

Back 21

1. Roosevelt was replaced by Truman, Churchill was replaced by Attlee (Truman had a more abrupt approach to the USSR)
2. Trumans main concern at the Potsdam Conference was to ensure the Russians would enter the war against Japan.
3. Allied Control Council to replace disbanded German govt.
4. USSR to recieve 25% of industrial pland and machiner from teh Western zones that was unecessary for German peacetime economy.
5. Germany economy should be given over to the development of agriculture and peaceful domestic industries
6. German people's standards of living should not be reduced to a standard not exceeding the average for other European states

Front 22

What was the problems following the Potsdam conference?

Back 22

Since the Nazi state had ceased to exist following the surrender of May, 1945, Germany was economically shattered and could not produce sufficient food stocks to sustain their starving population. Between 1945-47 the Allies had to export food to Germany. Meanwhile, the Russians were still extracting reparations from the Eastern side. An angered britain and USA stopped imports due to the cost, and reparations to Russia - this was a large contribution to the break-up of the Quadripartite government.