Soviet Expansion

• How did the Soviet Union impose control on east Germany?

  - eastern zone: Stalin instructed the communists to merge with socialist party. Formed socialist unity party- communists began a purge of their new coalition partners and assumed power
• How did the Soviet Union impose control on Yugoslavia?

  - already communist under Tito - not willing to be a soviet puppet - 1948 Yugoslavia expelled from the cominform. USA offered economic aid
• How did the Soviet Union impose control on Czechoslovakia?

  - gave land to peasants- many Czechs anti-west- 1945 coalition government- communists 38% of vote 1946- communists took over
• How did the Soviet Union impose control on Hungary?

  - communists allied with other parties to encourage coalitions (salami tactics)- political opponents arrested and executed
• How did the Soviet Union impose control on Bulgaria?

  - communists manipulated elections and forced the removal of opponents- coalition government 1945- nikola petkov, leader of agrarian/peasants party, won 20% in 1946. Arrested and executed- April 1947 all other parties banned
• How did the Soviet Union impose control on Romania?

  - red army occupied Romania after WWII- many pro-communist- coalition government 1945- communist party won 372/414 seats in 1946: rigged- by 1947 all other parties destroyed
• How did the Soviet Union impose control on Poland?

  - pro-Stalinist Lublin government 1944- provisional government of national unity was formed in June 1945- polish people not supportive of USSR- socialist and communist parties merged in January 1947 (communists were the dominant group)- communists won January 1947: 80% of the vote- deputy PM Wladyslaw Gomulka in 1948 accused of nationalist deviation. Replaced by pro Stalinist Boleshaw Bierut
• What methods were used by the USSR to establish communism in Eastern Europe?

  - capitalised on popular support for communism- salami tactics: gradual takeover of Eastern Europe - offering benefits - rigging elections
• What did the US believe was the main reason for Soviet expansion?

  Global communism. US were paranoid/suspicious
• What was the most significant reason for Soviet expansion?

  To create a buffer zone
• What were the reasons for Soviet expansion?

  - Stalin's aims after the war were to create a buffer zone against capitalists following the 20-25 million Russians killed in WWII - wanted to pursue global communism- wanted to emulate traditional Russian expansionism using Eastern Europe; wanted to recover land lost in treaty of Brest-Litovsk
• Why was the spread of communism throughout Eastern Europe a threat to the US?

  They were fearful because it was aggressive and a threat to capitalism
• By the end of 1947...

  Every state in Eastern Europe was controlled by a communist government