EARLY DEVELOPMENTS IN COLD WAR (1945-49)

• when was Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech?

  March 1946
• what caused the 'Iron Curtain' speech?

  the West's response to a divided Europe and portray Stalin as a power-hungry dictator
• where did the 'Iron Curtain' speech happen?

  in the presence of President Truman, in Missouri
• what was the consequence of the 'Iron Curtain' speech?

  • increased the West and East's hostility
  • resulted in the Long Telegram and Novikov's Telegram
  • led to both sides to spy and report on each other
• what was the Long Telegram & Novikov's Telegram?

  commissioned reports written by embassy staff in order for Truman and Stalin to understand each other's intentions and threats
• when was the Truman Doctrine?

  1947
• what were the causes of the Truman Doctrine?

  • Containment - Truman wanted to contain communism
  • Domino effect - Truman worried that if one country became communist then neighbouring countries will follow along
  • UK (1927) - the UK could no longer afford to pay for troops in Greece and Turkey, the US feared communism would target these countries
• what did the Truman Doctrine state?

  • USA had the responsibility to fight for liberty
  • USA would provide $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece
  • USA would send troops to help defend Turkey & Greece
• what were the consequences of the Truman Doctrine?

  • marked the end to USA's former policy of isolationism
  • the unofficial start of the Cold War - assumed capitalism and communism as incompatible
  • the defeat of communists in the Greek civil war (1949) - through the help of US military aid
• when was the Marshall Plan?

  1947
• what were the aims of the Marshall Plan?

  • a practical outcome of the Truman Doctrine
  • provide economic aid to help war-torn countries - to stop communism from taking over in West Europe
• what were the key features of the Marshall Plan?

  • USA gave $13.7 billion of aid (1948-52)
  • USA helped European countries e.g Austria, Brtian, Italy
• what were the consequences of the Marshall Plan?

  • Stalin claimed the Marshall Plan led European countries involved to be economically reliant on the US - led to the creation of Soviet rivals: COMINFORM & COMECON
  • divided Germany as west Germany accepted the money - not only an ideological divide in Europe but also economical
  • West Europe experienced an economic boom - in 1952, the countries returned to pre-war levels of growth
• what is Cominform?

  Communist Information Bureau - a political organisation (1947) made by Stalin
• what is Comecon?

  Council for Mutual Economic Assistance - an economic organisation (1949) set up by Stalin
• what was the aim of Comecon?

  • to minimise USA's influence
  • to prevent East Europe from ecnonmically benefiting from the West
  • designed as a trading organisation of communist countries e.g Poland, USSR, Bulgaria
• why was Comecon formed?

  beacuse Cominform failed to destroy the Marshall Plan
• what were the consequences of Comecon?

  • not very successful - didn't have the same funding as the West to develop East Europe
  • Stalin's wish of a sphere of influence over Eastern Europe was now made an ecnonomic reality
  • USSR used Comecon to help rebuild itself first, not its satellite states
• what was the aim of Cominform?

  • for the USSR to have 'satellite states' - countries brought under the control and manipulation of the USSR
  • used to stamp out opposition
  • used to ensure the loyalty of Eastern European governments
• what were the consequences of Cominform?

  • weakened the attraction of communism - failed organised strikes in Western Europe
  • strengthened Stalin's hold on Eastern Europe - had the power to remove/imprison people unloyal to him
• what does NATO stand for?

  North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• when was NATO formed?

  April 1949
• who is apart of NATO?

  USA, Britain, France, and nine other Western countries
• why was NATO formed?

  • keen to establish a military alliance - in order to 'keep the USA in, the USSR out and the Germans down'
  • the Berlin Blockade raised the possibility of war in Europe
• what was the aim of NATO?

  defending the West against communism
• what were the consequences of NATO?

  • slightly heightened Cold War tensions
  • creation of NATO threatened the USSR - USSR responded by creating the Warsaw Pact (1955)
  • the threat of a Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) prevented war in Europe
• why was Germany divided?

  an agreement from the Grand Alliance during the Potsdam Conference
• how was Germany divided into after the Potsdam Conference?

  four separate occupation zones - Soviet Union, USA, Britain, France
• what is Trizonia?

  France, USA and Britain unitied their zones in Germany
• when was Trizonia formed?

  March 1948
• how was Germany split up in 1948?

  Germany and Berlin split into two parts: western Trizonia and eastern Soviet-controlled Germany
• what is the Berlin Blockade?

  Stalin shutting off the land routes across Soviet-controlled Germany inot Berlin
• when was the Berlin Blockade?

  June 1948
• what were the causes of the Berlin Blockade?

  • Stalin wanted to show the USA, Britain and France that a divided Germany could not work
  • Stalin wanted to control the whole capital - a direct challenge to Truman
• what happened during the Berlin Blockade?

  • the Soviets blocked all roads and railways to Berlin - this would deprive 2 million Berliners
• what was the Western repsonse to the Berlin Blockade?

  Truman began Operation Vittles (Berlin Airlift) - allied planes supplied West Berlin with food, coal and other essentials into the city from the Allied zones, along the air corridors
• what were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

  • Stalin backed down in May 1949 - this was used as propaganda for the USA's success
  • led to the creation of NATO (1949)
  • led to the creation of West Germany (FDR) in September 1949 - USSR forced to establish East Germany (GDR) a month later
  • Stalin ordered the speeding up of atomic testing
• why were there disagreements between the occupying powers over Germany?

  • Western countries wanted to build up Germany's economy - hopes that if Germany's wealth increases, so will it's resistance to communism
  • Soviets wanted to take as much material as possible back to help rebuild the Soviet Union
• what is Brizonia?

  Britain and USA combined their zones in Germany to create 'Brizonia' in 1947
• what happened to the Eastern European countries once occupied by the Nazis?

  • in 1944 & 1945, Stalin used the countries freed from the Nazis as a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Germany
  • some countries turned inot satellite states
  • most countries became communist