Development of Cold War 1946-1955

• The Truman doctrine was a policy of containment, which meant that the US would support any country that was threatened by communism
• Marshall plan- an economic plan boosted by USA economy to help rebuild European economies
• The results of the Marshall plan were: food, fuel, machinery, money for European countries, 25% gross national profit, contained communism.
• Berlin Blockade was in 1948, when the USSR refused to allow the West to deliver supplies to West Berlin
• The Iron Curtain speech was in 1946.
• Winston Churchill's iron curtain was about the threat of USSR and communism- growing across Europe. Given to USA audience caused them to be more involved with control of communism.
• USSR used Imprisonment, execution, deportation, rigged elections, red army presence and infiltration of government to control Eastern Europe
• Cominform was the communist information bureau in 1947 of the USSR government.
• The aims of Comecon were to: encourage economic development in Eastern Europe. Prevent trade with west Europe and USA
• Aims of Cominform were reject Marshall aid, contain American influence and USSR control in countries.
• Comecon was the council for mutual economic assistance stared in 1949 by the USSR government.
• FRG is the Federal Republic of Germany, a country that was formed after WWII, in 1949. The west German constitution of USA.
• The GDR was a communist state in East Germany, which was ruled by the Soviet Union. Starting in 1949.
• Joseph stalin was the leader of the USSR and was a dictator. From 1922-1953.
• Joseph Stalin died in march 1953.
• The consequences of Joseph Stalin less aggressive communist state, optimism for improvement of relations with the West, peaceful coexistence and destalinisation.
• De-Stalinisation: a series of political reforms to remake the USSR as a less aggressive state.
• Peaceful coexistence was meant to assuage Western, capitalist concerns that the socialist Soviet Union was driven by the concept of world revolution.
• NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• NATO is a military alliance, aimed to create collective security of western countries.
• NATO was established in 1949 to defend against the Soviet Union
• When NATO was established the first countries part of it were: USA, Canada, Britain, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Portugal.
• Nikita Khrushchev was the USSR leader from 1955-1964.
• The Warsaw pact was a military alliance between the USSR and Eastern European countries. A soviet union version of NATO.
• The Warsaw Pact was made in 1955.
• The countries part of the Warsaw Pact were USSR, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania.
• Satellite state: a country that is officially independent but is in reality controlled by another country.
• The USSR satellite states were Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Eastern Germany.
• (Berlin Blockade timeline) The london conference of foreign ministers 1947 aim was to find a solution of what to do with Germany.
• Britain, France, USA and USSR met in London in 1947 to discuss the future of Germany. The results were USSR accusing Britain and USA of violating Potsdam agreements and the idea of four power control lost hope.
• (Berlin Blockade Timeline) USA, Britain and France as a result of London conference failure decided to make a west German state in 1948.
• On June 1948, currency reform was introduced, with the pound being replaced by the Deutschmark, without consulting USSR.
• On June 1948, the Berlin Blockade began as a result of the the introduction of the deutschmark.
• The Berlin Airlift ended on 12th may 1949 when the blockade was lifted.
• By July 1948, the air bridge had delivered over 2 million tonnes of supplies to West Berlin.
• In response to the blockade, on 25th June 1948, the Western powers started an air bridge into West Berlin.
• The Berlin Blockade was a period in 1948-1949 where the Soviet Union blocked all access to Berlin cutting of the people from food.
• The Moscow talks occurred in August due to the instability of the Berlin Airlift. However nothing was achieved as Stalin demanded full control but the west refused.
• 1953 Soviet union test their first hydrogen bomb
• 1955 USA and USSR were equal in nuclear power